Aleksey Vasiliev is a photographer residing in Yakutia, where temperatures sometimes drop below -58°F (-50 degrees Celsius). His images of Yakutians in their everyday life are both exciting and disturbing.
In a recent interview, the photographer acknowledged that he was once an alcoholic who wanted something to fill the vacuum left by quitting on his way to photography. Aleksey believes Yakutia inspires him, despite his desire to tour the globe. “It looked like a hole, an ice desert,” the photographer added.
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Until 2018, Aleksey’s photography was a pastime. But then he got a scholarship and traveled to St. Petersburg to study documentary photography at DocDocDoc.
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The photographer noted that Yakutia experiences lengthy, cold winters with temperatures as low as -50 or -60 degrees Celsius (-58 Fahrenheit to -76 Fahrenheit). “We had to dwell in -60 Celsius for a period this winter,” Aleksey stated. “People would rather remain inside, sip hot tea, and wait for spring if they didn’t have to go out every day. During severe frosts, a thick fog obscures the sunshine for weeks or months.”
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