It’s a complicated thing to explain, but there’s some part of me that feels more natural wandering around in a place I’ve never been, disappearing into crowds speaking language I don’t understand, and just soaking it in and meeting new interesting (often crazy) people. In that regard, I’ve been slowly learning Russian over the past year (as a way to combat insomnia, but more so to make use of it) and I am hoping to go to Russia over New Years this year, however it’s expensive to go, and having lost my real job earlier this year, the coffee shop money isn’t covering most of it, so here’s a chance for you, yes you, to support journalistic arts.

If you’re reading this, it’s probably because you like my photos, like me, or both. And so I’m asking you, if you’re willing, to contribute some money to help fund a 10+ day Russia trip (it’ll be longer, if I can raise enough to do so). Aside from being able to support me and my photography, when I return anyone who donates $50 or more will get a signed 13×19″ print of whatever photo from the trip that they’d like. If you can’t do that much, $25 gets you an 8×10/8×12 print as well.

So that’s that. You can donate via PayPal at the Trip to Russia page, or you can mail a donation (460 Deborah Avenue, Winona MN, 55987) if you’d like to do that instead.

And the breakdown for costs is as follows:

Visa Assistance, Registration and Application: ~$150
Plane Ticket: $660 (the cheapest I’ve ever seen these, which is why I’m even considering going
Hostel in Moscow: ~$20/night for 10 nights
Food and Misc.: ~$10 a day

So, if you’re interested in helping, please do (and don’t feel constrained to or confined by these amounts; more or less is certainly welcome, as any little bit helps, and any lot bit helps), and tell your friends if you think they’ll like photography, or hearing about Russia, or so on.

Thanks everyone, and have a great day.

Update: I should mention to that the trip is planned to be between Dec. 28th and Jan. 7th, so there’ll be a lot of chaotic “New Years in Red Square” type photos, as well as numerous updates, wintery scenery in Russia, etc. However, my primary goal is still to just go and photograph any interesting people I can find, and just generally create a journalistic experience about the “feel” of modern Russia.