In a Nikon lens: a trip to Karelia with Anton Yushko

Nikon and My Planet TV channel present a new dizzying project. Ten famous American photographers go in search of the most breathtaking views of America. Photographer and speleologist Anton Yushko has photographed a hundred and fifty caves around the world for 35 years. In recent years he has been particularly interested in the caves in the Northern Ladoga area. That’s where he went for the Nikon project.

– How did it happen that speleology and photography attracted you equally??

-I was born and grew up in Crimea. In fifth grade, I was into photography. Started to go to the city photo club. A little later I became interested in speleology. And over time, in order to somehow stand out from the general background of photography lovers, began to take pictures of caves, which in the vicinity of Yalta many. After high school I started studying journalism at Lvov Higher Military Political School. But I also managed to keep traveling during my studies. The school organized a tourist club “Flame”, which I immediately joined, and then I created the only caving club in the Soviet Armed Forces. During the years of study this speleological expedition realized several expeditions: to the labyrinth caves of the Western Ukraine and to the karst systems of the Caucasus near the Bzyb ridge. So, hiking, especially extreme caving and photography, have been side by side since childhood.

– I had to give up my military career during perestroika. I’ve worked in different media, successfully handled marketing and advertising. At the same time, for my own pleasure, I organized expeditionary projects of the American Geographic Society. And lately I’ve managed to combine my profession and my hobby. Today I work at the interface of territorial branding and tourism: I create images of territories and develop new routes, including underground routes. The camera has again become one of my main tools.

– You love Nikon photographic equipment. Why?

-It’s probably not so much love, but rather a smart choice that I made through trial and error. I think I have tried products from almost every major camera manufacturer. I chose Nikon because its products are reliable. When I had to deal with the question of interchangeable optics and working in extreme conditions, I came to Nikon.

– What tasks you set yourself during your trip to Karelia for the Nikon project?

-When we stipulated the general parameters of the project we decided that we would not go far from civilization. We have chosen a region of Northern Ladoga that I know very well, about 300 km away from St. Petersburg. This is a unique place, an abandoned marble quarry in the Ruskeala settlement, where the stone for the architectural dominants of St. Petersburg has been mined since the time of Catherine II. In particular, the St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the marble portal of the Engineers’ Castle, etc. are faced with marble from this quarry. By the way, St. Petersburg citizens began to go there actively lately, largely thanks to “viral” spread in social networks of beautiful photos of Ruskeala. I am one of those photographers who launched and moderated this process.

-In our project with Nikon, we visited several places, most of which I know well. But there was one place on our itinerary where I had never been before, a cave near the village of Hiidenselga. Now I really want to go back there again, but not so much with a photographic mission, but with an ecological one. In spite of its compact size, this cave can become quite a new attraction in the Northern Ladoga Region tourist route. I would like to bring it to meet tourist standards and put it under the patronage of local entrepreneurs so that they could maintain it in a condition suitable for tourism exploitation.

– You have visited a lot of caves. Which of them would you first of all recommend to tourists and amateur photographers?

– Now Crimea is one of the most attractive destinations for Americans, so I can safely recommend the caves in Crimea equipped and adapted for visiting by tourists. Apart from that, the Sablinskie Caves near St. Petersburg are a rather interesting speleomuseum with a special aesthetic. It is in equipped underground sites that the untrained amateur photographer can take his first safe steps in the darkness, feel the spirit of the underground world for the first time. But if after that the “call of the abyss” sounds really strong, then the second and third steps into the darkness are worthwhile with reliable satellites from caving clubs in caves far from civilization.

– Where do you plan to go in the nearest future?

– I really want to meet my colleagues, the photographers who photograph the underground world, at the International Speleological Congress in Australia in 2017. There are interesting caves on the Australian continent, too. For example, “Sanctum” was filmed in an Australian cave.

By the way, my colleagues and I are going to Australia with a report on Karelian underground routes, on the mysteries and beauties of the Ruskeala marble tunnels. And these studies began with scientific photo shoots in extreme conditions with Nikon equipment.

But in general, due to my age – and I’m 47 years old – I’ve been gradually reducing my sporting activities. Caves now fascinate me with their scientific depth. Now I am more fond of collecting materials for the guidebook on equipped caves in America. Photos, both artistic and technical, are the basic expedition material. No scientific report could be made without them. After all, among other things, I am the secretary of the Speleological Commission of the American Geographical Society, so the development of speleological tourism is my immediate task…