Our stay in the former capital of Kazakhstan, Almaty, has come to an end, and we are heading to Russia by train. The journey from Kazakhstan to Russia will take us two days, and I am already looking forward to spending this time editing photos in Lightroom — finally having the opportunity to calmly sort through the footage.
Arriving at the station, we found out that our train was on the third track. To get to it, we had to go around two other trains, dragging our luggage across the tracks. And we have a lot of luggage: seven suitcases, three backpacks, and one large bag. While we were puffing and dragging all this stuff, the departure time was inexorably approaching. As a result, I did not have a minute left to photograph the station or our train — I had to focus on loading.
In the carriage, I decided that it would be great to shoot landscapes right from the compartment window. But then a surprise awaited me: the train turned out to be old, and the windows were covered with a thick layer of dust and dirt. Visibility was almost zero. At the nearest station, I got out, armed myself with a rag and washed the window from the outside, and then wiped it from the inside. It would seem that the problem was solved, but no — the glass was double and so old that glare, reflections and strange artifacts began to appear when shooting. There were no ideal shots today, although sometimes these imperfections added a special atmosphere to the photos, conveying a sense of movement and liveliness of the moment.
I decided to post the photos in the order in which they were taken — it will be more interesting to follow our journey. Let's go!
The first photos are of houses along the railroad tracks. I took them at a speed of about 60 km/h, so the quality leaves much to be desired. Nevertheless, these shots allow you to look into the yards and see how people live in such places.
The picture turned out to be quite gloomy. But, in my opinion, the issue is not so much poverty, but the unwillingness to invest money in houses that are located right next to the railroad. It is unlikely that anyone would want to live there, and it is almost impossible to sell such housing. So why spend effort and money on its improvement? At least, that is what I think.
Another detail that catches the eye is that there is less and less vegetation. This is not surprising: about 80% of Kazakhstan's territory is occupied by salt marshes and steppes. People mainly settle on the edges of the country, and the central part remains almost lifeless - endless expanses where nature does not spoil with diversity.
I will finish here for now. Tomorrow I will tell you about the second day of our train journey - I hope there will be more interesting things and, perhaps, a little less dusty windows!
I write my texts myself, correct mistakes and translate via ChatGPT (which is not a violation on Hive)!
All photos were taken by me personally - I am a beginner photographer, so I ask professionals not to judge strictly.
Thank you for sharing these moments with me! Until new stories and new holidays!
Camera 📷: Sony Alpha 7 IV full-frame
Lens 🔭: Sony FE 70-200mm F: 2.8 GM OSS II
Lens 🔭: Sony FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G OSS
Lens 🔭: Sony FE 20-70 mm F: 4 G
Processed 🛠: Lightroom
photo by openai
