ARCHIVE & INFLUENCE
Photo.net Era (2000-2010)
During the early 2000s, as photography transitioned from film to digital and internet forums became central to photographic discourse, this work was extensively shared on photo.net—the period’s most influential photography community—and photosight.ru, one of the largest art-focused photography communities in Russia. Images from the Figurative Structures series received over twenty-one million views and generated substantial technical and conceptual dialogue among practitioners during photography’s digital transition.
Independent Development
The work’s geometric vocabulary and systematic approach emerged from a background in theoretical physics and software architecture rather than art historical study. This included the consistent use of near-orthographic projection—photographing subjects with longer lenses at extended distances to eliminate perspective distortion, rendering form as structural fact rather than viewpoint-dependent appearance. The methodological framework—treating the body as structural variable within geometric and algorithmic constraints—reflects computational rather than intuitive formalism. Later research revealed certain formal affinities with Edward Weston’s organic formalism and Robert Mapplethorpe’s neoclassical figures, though the underlying methodology remains distinct.
Technical Evolution
• Methodological constant across all formats: Near-orthographic projection via longer focal lengths (eliminating perspective distortion)
• 1999-2000: 35mm format film (Nikon F5)
• 2000-2006: Medium format 6×7 film (Mamiya RZ67 Pro II)
• 2003-2025: APS-C/Full frame digital Fuji S3, Nikon D700, D800e, Z7, Z8
• 2006-2025: Medium format digital (Mamiya ZD, Pentax 645Z);
• 2025-Present: Sculpture – traditional hand-modeling and casting documented with photogrammetry
Influence & Dissemination
This work developed during a unique transitional moment: classical medium format technique circulated through emerging digital networks, characteristic of early internet peer-to-peer exchange before the social media era. The photo.net platform’s emphasis on technical rigor and conceptual critique shaped both the work’s evolution and its early dissemination.