“I think my visual style is my truth about the surrounding world.”
– Aleksandr Babarikin
Belarusian photographer Aleksandr Babarikin captures the unique energy of his adopted New York City, transcribing fleeting, intimate moments of everyday life into deeply compelling cinematic imagery.
His images are immediately captivating: layered, filled with movement, and rich in color. But more than that, it’s the way he manages to capture stillness within the chaos of the city that sets his work apart. Whether he’s freezing a fleeting moment of a passing figure or capturing a tranquil, solitary scene amidst the chaos of urban life, Babarikin creates a powerful contrast, finding calm within the fast-moving world around him.
It immediately brings to mind the work of Saul Leiter, the color pioneer renowned for the beautiful images he captured on the streets around his Manhattan home during the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Leiter, who began his career as a painter, brought the eye for color, texture, and composition honed during these formative artistic years to his photography, crafting images that felt more like abstract art than traditional street photography.
It’s no surprise that Babarikin mentions Leiter as a key influence on his work. Like Leiter, Babarikin is deeply inspired by painting, particularly expressionism and impressionism, which inform his photographic compositions.
“I often try to recreate painting in photography, as if giving a new form to the world around,” he explains, speaking of the way he translates the world he sees through his lens into something more fluid, more interpretive.
“I find something fulfilling in this; perhaps this other, altered world is my safe place,” he continues, suggesting that, much like Leiter’s own work, his photography is not just about documenting reality but about reshaping it—finding beauty and meaning in the most unexpected places and moments.
One of Babarikin’s most striking images features an elderly man sipping coffee in a café. The man, lost in thought and gazing out the window, is enshrouded in layers of reflections of the world outside. It’s compelling and beautiful, a quiet moment of reflection amidst the freneticism of the city outside, and, though the differences are notable, for the author art least, it brings to mind one of Leiter’s most iconic images – a rare shot taken outside his home city of New York – depicting a woman sitting outside a Parisian café.
Born in the Kaliningrad region of Russia and raised in Belarus since the age of 5, Babarikin relocated to New York City as a young adult, and it was here that his practice truly transformed. The city, synonymous with street photography, has shaped the genre from its inception and continues to provide endless inspiration for Babarikin.
“I don’t really choose a location. I spontaneously go for a long walk around the city and explore. I usually walk the same streets and try to find something new, well-hidden.”
His gear is simple—two compact cameras, a Fujifilm and a Leica—paired with a few different lenses (35mm and 50mm). But Babarikin’s real artistry lies in how he manipulates the lens. He’s always experimenting with objects placed in front of the camera to distort and alter his perception of the world. Whether it’s a crystal, a fabric, or even a jar, his ability to transform what’s before him into something more is what helps give his work its otherworldly, dreamlike quality.
Though the city is his muse, occasionally his images capture more serene environments. When he gets “bored with the city,” he retreats to nature, often the Hudson River Valley—a location just a two-hour drive from the city but a world apart. These images, often featuring hazy figures, provide a stark contrast to the frenetic scenes of urban life. Yet, they retain the same captivating, dream-like quality as his cityscapes, resonating deeply with viewers and perhaps evoking differing meanings or emotions depending on the observer.
“I just do what I feel,” he says. “I try to photograph something that’s unattainable but also relatable.” And that’s the key to his work—it speaks to something universal, capturing moments that we all experience but rarely pause to notice. Whether it’s a quiet figure on a busy street or a fleeting second of life in the city, his photographs invite us to slow down, reflect, and feel the pulse of the world around us.
All images © Aleksandr Babarkin