Photographer Vanessa Winship has spent the last decade traveling between Turkey, Georgia, Bulgaria, and the Balkan Peninsula, capturing culturally distinct images. Each of these areas offer a sampling of their traditional customs, as well as their modern adaptations. Through a series of photographs documenting cultural events, exhibiting everyday life, and presenting simple portraits, the photojournalist offers a window to peer into the lives of these people while hinting at their social and economic status.
Winship, who originally hails from England, spent nearly five years in Turkey evaluating the dichotomous cultural identity crisis that is faced by the country that borders Europe and Asia. While the country has assimilated to western practices, the people still try to maintain their observance of their cultural customs. There is a constant collaboration and clashing between the traditional and the modern present in the documentary photographer’s portfolio that expands across countries and continents. In addition to the photographer’s subject matter, it’s fascinating to get lost in the photographs, forgetting that these are present day images. Winship’s choice to shoot in black and white is highly effective in this way.
