It has been a while since I contributed to this community, having constantly been out on walks on a Wednesday, but rarely having much specifically to write about those walks. More little adventures throughout the day as I take plenty of photographs. These days, it's odd for me to return home without at least 80 new photographs from these travels throughout the city of Yerevan. With how things are lately, I often forget which day of the week it is. The sun seemingly came out of nowhere and we're back into the 20s, incredibly humid and dry, but so beautiful after the total opposite during the winter months. Being from England, weather like this is quite rare. And I'm really excited to feel the full heat of the summer here in Armenia. With this weather, almost every day I have been throwing myself outside and roaming the streets. Throwing on more spring clothing and finding new places to sit and enjoy the weather around. New cafes, bars, little places for lunch. Even visiting more exhibitions. It feels like Yerevan opened up a lot more suddenly, more people out and around, more happiness on people's faces as the rain finally came to an end. It's funny how much weather impacts a space.
My days are often with the camera in hand, constantly trying to find something to shoot, but these last few days actually feel a bit harder. I think it has something to do with the sheer number of people in the city now, as if the density of it suddenly obscures the composition and potential in images. Having to go the extra mile to try to find something unique that others aren't capturing. So that aforementioned number of photographs has changed drastically. Down to a mere handful of images, ones I don't really care for so much. Not feeling much creativity and inspiration from. The next image sums that up a lot. I tried to take an image of the open road, taking several photographs of it, though each time some traffic ended up in the frame and ruining it. I didn't try much more beyond that. Instead I focused more on the walking around, looking and observing the newfound life in Yerevan.
There's a lot suddenly happening in the city. A lot more outdoor drinking and eating places are coming out. This is something I'm really looking forward to. I'm a bit tired of sitting indoors in small spaces. Wanting to feel that sunlight on me, and the air that comes with the heat. Sometimes it is a little hard to know where you should look, all these little events taking place all at once. So many advertisements for even more events plastered across the walls of the buildings. It has recently made me more curious about Yerevan, a city I once assumed was small and quiet, but is in fact riddled with things going on once you scratch away at the surface. It's quite fun, actually. It makes the city feel like it holds more depth to it. Streets you've walked down a hundred times suddenly feel fresh. New paths discovered, hidden spaces full of interesting people and fellow creatives.
Sunsets are also making a bit impact on the city. Really intense tones of pink and blue are starting to be found. The light making the city often quite golden, very bright in most parts of the day, only starting to fade away as the light hides behind the buildings. Things are changing. The atmosphere is certainly much different. Tourism is already showing signs of picking up, various types of faces can be seen in the street, alongside the sounds of interesting accents of those that pass by. Sometimes it feels a bit like a fever dream, an odd experience that doesn't quite feel authentic. Aspects of beauty never seen before, bringing up the question of whether any of it is true. Anyway, that's my walk this Wednesday. A trip through Yerevan. A city changing with the weather, and certainly bringing much excitement with it.
