An Eye into the internal world

Photographs by Ika Margania

Ika Margania talks about power, magic, and an acid trip that changed his life forever.

Tbilisi, Georgia

Where are you from? Where did you grow up and where do you live now? How does your location influence your work?

I was born in Moscow, Russia. My family had to leave Georgia as refugees after the USSR collapse in 1992, so they had to move to Russia. I returned to Georgia 21 years after my family left it. I have been living here for almost 6 years already.

If you check my Instagram feed, you can see that 90% of all the photos are taken in Georgia. Not that I do not travel or do not go to other countries, but just Georgia is the country where I want to photograph most of all for some reason. This is the place where I truly fell in love in all what relate to photography and I am grateful to Georgia for this.

What’s your history with photography? When did you start?

I remember how in childhood my mother always took pictures of me on a film camera "myl'nitsa" how they are often called in Russia (if am not mistaken, it was Canon Prima BF). She was very fond of taking pictures, although I always opposed taking pictures, she still insisted on her own and because of this often the expression on my face turned out to be unhappy or gloomy. But despite this, when my mother brought printed photos, creating albums from them, I understood why she did it and so loved it. She wanted to capture those good moments of her life that she could remember in the course of time. And although I didn’t like when she took pictures of me, I still could not resist watching the albums and enjoy it.

On my birthday at the age of 20, I bought the first semi-professional digital camera Canon 550D , which I still use to this day. I can’t say that this was the real beginning of my journey to photography since I just wanted to take random photos and, most importantly, with good quality. At that time (2012y), mobile phones still did not have cameras of such quality that they could compete somehow with the quality of digital cameras. But I can say this was the first unconscious step towards my love and knowledge of photography, which began to develop more and more in the future.

when did you start calling yourself a photographer?

I have two very important moments in my life that I clearly remember and which dramatically influenced my attitude to photography.

The first one happened in August 2018, I went with friends to Ushguli - this is 9 to 11 hours by car from the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi. It is located at an altitude of 2200 m above sea level, the village of Ushguli is considered one of the highest permanent settlements in Europe, according to some definitions of Europe. In this unique place completely cut off from civilization where only mountains and nature around you. I took LSD, which helped me to rethink many things in my life, including revealing a huge love for photography, which was asleep somewhere deep in my subconscious mind.

But due to ignorance and uncertainty about what to photograph or how to photograph, I just started looking at my archive of photos that I had accumulated since 2012 and choosing those ones that seemed to me more or less successful for processing in the program called VSCO (I use only this program for processing). Then I started to post it on my instagram profile to hear the feedbacks of others. But I still did not risk to photograph something new, because some fear or self-doubt restrained me from doing this.

The second important moment happened in April 2019, I was with my friends in a famous Georgian bar club, where a very beautiful crystal chandelier hung in the middle of the hall. I liked it so much that I just had to take a picture of it (it still posted on my Instagram profile I did not delete it as a memory). While I was standing in the middle of the hall and taking pictures of this chandelier, not paying any attention to the people dancing around me, as if I was completely alone in the bar, I realized that I was enjoying this process very much. After this moment, I could not stop - I took pictures almost every day of everything that I liked, not thinking whether it is good or bad.

How would you describe your style? Who are your subjects?

A difficult question, but I will try to answer it. I can’t say from my photo feeds that I have one particular or distinctive style that I follow. I like to take pictures in different styles, so my Instagram feed more looks like the work of several different persons rather than one person. But I think that it is ok for beginners in any field, so I'm still in search of something of my own unique style, which I will probably come/find with time.

Earlier I used to take pictures of landscapes, but over time this interest disappeared and I began to concentrate more on some specific details of something or someone. Most of my photos consist of one main object. It’s rare that more than 1 or two objects appear in my frame because I like minimalism in photography and when nothing distracts your attention from the main object.

People often become subjects of my shots, in particular, I like to see their eyes. To me, the eyes show what is hidden and invisible to others and photography sometimes helps to see what’s underneath. Therefore, when I photograph people, I ask them to look directly at the camera and do not look away.

What does photography mean to you? Why is it important in your life and how has it shaped you as a person?

A photo is all about catching the moment, when everything around you stops for a second and only you and your photo are left. This feeling, when after some time you look at this photo again and all details, emotions and even smells of that moment pop up in your head, like if you return to the past for a second, which seems so real. I call it the power and magic of the photo!

Photography taught me to see, namely, it taught me to see the world differently, to notice things and details that I had not noticed before. Photography is a tool for conveying how I see this world, what I feel and what I want to say. In short, photography is a tool for conveying my internal world.

What kind of advice do you have for up and coming photographers?

I would advise them to follow their hearts and take pictures as they feel it and like it. Because trends always come and go, and the manifestation of the sincerity of your feelings and emotions in the photos may not be noticed right away, but someday it will always be appreciated! Believe in yourself and do not be afraid of doing what you love most.