I never expected to return to the place where my story began—let alone fall in love with it. But over the years, a small lake town in northern Belarus quietly pulled me back, again and again. This photo story traces that unexpected connection through childhood memories, one enduring friendship, and the strange weight of time.
I really enjoyed the images and story Mitchel. You really convey your connection with your homeland and your friend Yuri and the family photos make it really personal.
Amazing article Mitchell. It’s always nice to hear about your past because that way we can understand more about who you are and why you are the person you are. I’ve seen most of these photos before but never in this context. It really shows the importance of photography as an art form and why what you do is important. A philosopher once said that the only constant in the world is change. Photography helps us reconnect with our past and this is the true purpose of it. No matter the gear, or the settings, the context is what makes it great. Thanks for sharing!
Just beautiful. Times past are places to which we can never return. And that's part of the point of the documentation. I love your photos, wherever they are made.
Great stuff Mitch. I remember following you in the early days. I think you had a red Toyota, with a tent on top. Is that still stored somewhere in Europe, waiting for your return? We hope so.🙂
The world has changed so much over these past few decades -Cambodia, Ethiopia, China, have been the most striking for me.
Yet, my hometown, Wellington, NZ, barely seems to have moved, apart from small societal things, and people getter fatter, older, or dying.
Getting old is fun and weird, but returning to places of one's past is often disturbing; best to keep the life/travels new and fresh, wherever that is 😁🍻...
I really enjoyed this piece! Your memories are beautifully told, and the photographs are especially poetic. There’s something very special about the way you captured the spirit of your hometown. Thank you for sharing something so personal and evocative.
Hi Mitchell, I appreciate this one, mostly to know you better, but also because I can relate. Colombia still exists but there's a deep nostalgia in those images from each six weeks of summer I spent there as a child. I see the faces of people long gone but also the ones who have aged, moved, changed. I remember seeing Yuri the first time I looked at your work. He remains not only impactful to you, but to those who follow you. He has become a part of you in more ways than one. Thank you for sharing!
I really enjoyed the images and story Mitchel. You really convey your connection with your homeland and your friend Yuri and the family photos make it really personal.
You know, I really don't think I have a connection, but I think the photos maybe show something that I wouldn't say in words. :)
Lately, I have been going through my photographic archives and remembering the old days.
And now, almost on cue, comes your excellent reminiscence.
The author Thomas Wolfe once wrote a novel titled “You can’t go home again”.
But, it seems, you have discovered another truth, you can go home again but someone else lives there now.
I have enjoyed your travels in Peru and Brazil. Thank you for the peak into a life you once lived.
Thank you very much for coming along. :)
Amazing article Mitchell. It’s always nice to hear about your past because that way we can understand more about who you are and why you are the person you are. I’ve seen most of these photos before but never in this context. It really shows the importance of photography as an art form and why what you do is important. A philosopher once said that the only constant in the world is change. Photography helps us reconnect with our past and this is the true purpose of it. No matter the gear, or the settings, the context is what makes it great. Thanks for sharing!
This is a lovely piece. It shows that life never stays the same. Yet we have our memories that will never fade.
Just beautiful. Times past are places to which we can never return. And that's part of the point of the documentation. I love your photos, wherever they are made.
Great stuff Mitch. I remember following you in the early days. I think you had a red Toyota, with a tent on top. Is that still stored somewhere in Europe, waiting for your return? We hope so.🙂
Love it.
The world has changed so much over these past few decades -Cambodia, Ethiopia, China, have been the most striking for me.
Yet, my hometown, Wellington, NZ, barely seems to have moved, apart from small societal things, and people getter fatter, older, or dying.
Getting old is fun and weird, but returning to places of one's past is often disturbing; best to keep the life/travels new and fresh, wherever that is 😁🍻...
I do agree with that. Being in the present.
Beautiful moving narrative and images.
I really enjoyed this piece! Your memories are beautifully told, and the photographs are especially poetic. There’s something very special about the way you captured the spirit of your hometown. Thank you for sharing something so personal and evocative.
Hi Mitchell, I appreciate this one, mostly to know you better, but also because I can relate. Colombia still exists but there's a deep nostalgia in those images from each six weeks of summer I spent there as a child. I see the faces of people long gone but also the ones who have aged, moved, changed. I remember seeing Yuri the first time I looked at your work. He remains not only impactful to you, but to those who follow you. He has become a part of you in more ways than one. Thank you for sharing!