zero focus

Using the perpetual dusk of Russia’s far North, Roberts encapsulates the natural light that was available for only a few hours each day during Polyarnye Nochi (Polar Nights), the period from December until mid-January when the sun remains below the horizon. Like Motherland before it, Polyarnye Nochi is a testament to modern Russian life and can almost be viewed as a ‘road movie’. His images allude to the half-light between the reality of subject and the surreal quality of image. Often he balances the dream-like property of subject matter with the use of a long exposure to render as much detail in the photograph as possible.