Russian photographer Irina Popova moved in together with a couple addicted to drugs and their little daughter Anfisa to capture familial love that knows no boundaries.
The strikingly revealing and highly controversial photos of their daily lives took an unexpected turn when the photos sparked the outrage of people on the Internet who demanded that the girl be taken away from her chaotic parents.
It all began when Popova was assigned to create a photographic essay on feelings in 2008 and was wandering through the streets of St. Petersburg, hunting for the right characters. She bumped into Lila, who was completely drunk but was also out with her baby girl in a stroller. Lila felt quite enthusiastic about Popova’s proposal to have a photo shoot and even invited the photographer to her home. Irina lived with Lila, her boyfriend Pasha and their daughter Asfina for two weeks, capturing raw scenes from their daily lives and the crowded parties held in their messy and loud communal flat.
The strikingly revealing and highly controversial photos of their daily lives took an unexpected turn when the photos sparked the outrage of people on the Internet who demanded that the girl be taken away from her chaotic parents.
It all began when Popova was assigned to create a photographic essay on feelings in 2008 and was wandering through the streets of St. Petersburg, hunting for the right characters. She bumped into Lila, who was completely drunk but was also out with her baby girl in a stroller. Lila felt quite enthusiastic about Popova’s proposal to have a photo shoot and even invited the photographer to her home. Irina lived with Lila, her boyfriend Pasha and their daughter Asfina for two weeks, capturing raw scenes from their daily lives and the crowded parties held in their messy and loud communal flat.
The photo-essay “Another Family” raises a great question – are photographers merely social observers, documenting untouched reality, or are they obligated to intervene in the lives they set out to document?
Lila and Pasha had an argument about the money on the street. They went in different directions, but at the last moment, they both looked back.
Asfina was not taken from her parents and is attending kindergarten. Her mother left the family and now her father is looking after her.
Source: www.demilked.com
