“Värskelt armunud” / “Young love”
“Värskelt armunud”
Esmakordselt kohtusin armunud paariga 2020. aasta sügisel, kui möödaminnes neist pildi klõpsasin. Teadsin kohe, et soovin paari paremini tundma õppida ning minu õnneks ja imestuseks oli pildil olev daam minu tuttava vanaema. Värskelt armunud Linda ja Uno olid minu pakkumisele väga avatud ja heameelega lasid end pildistada ning pajatasid mulle enda elust ja armastusest.
Asjaolu, et ka niivõrd vanas eas on võimalik kellegagi uuesti tutvuda ja neisse armuda liigutas mind väga. Olen tundnud ühiskonna survet, et juba noores peas peab leidma kellegi enda kõrvale. Uno ja Linda õpetasid mulle, et see pole sugugi tõsi. Elan täna rahulikuma südamega, teades, et ei minu ega kellegi teise vanus või elukogemus ei defineeri, millal armastus meieni jõuab. Seda ei pea ei kartma ega ootama, sest igale inimesele on antud aeg, või mitu, õigeks armastuseks.
Elujõust ja lustist pakatavad Uno ja Linda armusid 2014. aastal, kui nad kohvi juues üksteist lähemalt tundma õppisid. Tegelikult olid nad kohtunud juba varem. Nimelt, õppisid nad mõlemad TPI majandusosakonnas, kus koos veedetud aeg üürikeseks jäi. Uno heideti koolist juba esimesel aastal välja, kuid Linda jätkas ning lõpetas õpingud edukalt.
Peale pikki aastaid, kui mõlemad juba lesed olid, kohtusid nad taas ühise kursusekaaslase ärasaatmisel. Leinatalitusel pakkus Linda Unole, et võiks koos kalli sõbranna mälestamiseks kohvi juua. Kuna kohapeal kohvikut ei leidunud, kutsus Linda Uno enda juurde külla. Koos joodi kohvi ja konjakit ning maiustati šokolaadikompvekkidega. Peale kallistust aga läksid nende teed taas lahku. Kolm nädalat hiljem mõtles Uno, et võiks vastutasuks Linda enda juurde kutsuda ning kattis kenasti ka laua. Koos aega veetes said mõlemad aru, et nii tore on ju koos olla, miks mitte veelgi rohkemgi koos aega veeta! Sellest õhtust peale ongi Uno ja Linda lahutamatud.
“Mida vanemaks me saame, seda kiiremini aeg läheb ja veelgi enam on tunne, et toimetamist on rohkem. Aga meie arvame, et elu on alles ees ja neid aastaid tuleb veel, ehkki nad tulevad kiiresti. Mina ei ole oma elus teadlikult mitte midagi selle heaks teinud, et säilitada pikka iga, ega ka Linda mitte. Meie ei kipu noori õpetama, las nemad õpetavad meid. Me oleme alles 95, terve elu on veel ees.”
IN ENGLISH:
“Young love”
The first time I met Linda and Uno was in the autumn of 2020. I was walking home and saw the two lovers and decided to take a photo of them on my phone. I knew in that instant that I wanted to get to know them better. After posting a picture of them on Instagram. A friend of mine contacted me and told me it was their grandmother in the picture. Uno and Linda were happy and open to collaborate with me. Being around them and getting to know their story, felt refreshing and inspiring for me. I could let go of the idea that it’s only young people who can fall in love head over heels. I realised true love can knock someone over no matter their age.
Uno and Linda fell in love in 2014, when Linda asked Uno out on a coffee date. They had met before in 1946 at University. But the time together there was limited. Uno got kicked out after a year whereas Linda completed her studies. After many years and both becoming widows, they met again at a close friends’ funeral in 2014. Linda offered that the two should go for a drink and they ended up going to hers. They got to know each other again over coffee, cognac, and sweets. After talking for what it seemed like days, they parted again with only a hug.
Three weeks later, Uno invited Linda to his place to return the favour. After two evenings spent together, the couple realised how much they enjoyed being around one another. From then on, they’ve been inseparable.
“The older we get, the faster time goes, and the more you feel like you are too busy and have more and more things to do. We like to think we still have a long time ahead of us, even though the years keep passing at speed light. I haven’t done anything to make my life last longer, and Linda hasn’t either. We don’t want to teach anything to the young, we want to learn from them. We’re only 95, our whole lives are in front of us.”
Fotod ja lugu: Alina Birjuk
Teksti toimetas: Kristi-Maria Nurm
Kaamera: Pentax 645z // Photopoint
︎@alinabirjuk
Esmakordselt kohtusin armunud paariga 2020. aasta sügisel, kui möödaminnes neist pildi klõpsasin. Teadsin kohe, et soovin paari paremini tundma õppida ning minu õnneks ja imestuseks oli pildil olev daam minu tuttava vanaema. Värskelt armunud Linda ja Uno olid minu pakkumisele väga avatud ja heameelega lasid end pildistada ning pajatasid mulle enda elust ja armastusest.
Asjaolu, et ka niivõrd vanas eas on võimalik kellegagi uuesti tutvuda ja neisse armuda liigutas mind väga. Olen tundnud ühiskonna survet, et juba noores peas peab leidma kellegi enda kõrvale. Uno ja Linda õpetasid mulle, et see pole sugugi tõsi. Elan täna rahulikuma südamega, teades, et ei minu ega kellegi teise vanus või elukogemus ei defineeri, millal armastus meieni jõuab. Seda ei pea ei kartma ega ootama, sest igale inimesele on antud aeg, või mitu, õigeks armastuseks.
Elujõust ja lustist pakatavad Uno ja Linda armusid 2014. aastal, kui nad kohvi juues üksteist lähemalt tundma õppisid. Tegelikult olid nad kohtunud juba varem. Nimelt, õppisid nad mõlemad TPI majandusosakonnas, kus koos veedetud aeg üürikeseks jäi. Uno heideti koolist juba esimesel aastal välja, kuid Linda jätkas ning lõpetas õpingud edukalt.
Peale pikki aastaid, kui mõlemad juba lesed olid, kohtusid nad taas ühise kursusekaaslase ärasaatmisel. Leinatalitusel pakkus Linda Unole, et võiks koos kalli sõbranna mälestamiseks kohvi juua. Kuna kohapeal kohvikut ei leidunud, kutsus Linda Uno enda juurde külla. Koos joodi kohvi ja konjakit ning maiustati šokolaadikompvekkidega. Peale kallistust aga läksid nende teed taas lahku. Kolm nädalat hiljem mõtles Uno, et võiks vastutasuks Linda enda juurde kutsuda ning kattis kenasti ka laua. Koos aega veetes said mõlemad aru, et nii tore on ju koos olla, miks mitte veelgi rohkemgi koos aega veeta! Sellest õhtust peale ongi Uno ja Linda lahutamatud.
“Mida vanemaks me saame, seda kiiremini aeg läheb ja veelgi enam on tunne, et toimetamist on rohkem. Aga meie arvame, et elu on alles ees ja neid aastaid tuleb veel, ehkki nad tulevad kiiresti. Mina ei ole oma elus teadlikult mitte midagi selle heaks teinud, et säilitada pikka iga, ega ka Linda mitte. Meie ei kipu noori õpetama, las nemad õpetavad meid. Me oleme alles 95, terve elu on veel ees.”
IN ENGLISH:
“Young love”
The first time I met Linda and Uno was in the autumn of 2020. I was walking home and saw the two lovers and decided to take a photo of them on my phone. I knew in that instant that I wanted to get to know them better. After posting a picture of them on Instagram. A friend of mine contacted me and told me it was their grandmother in the picture. Uno and Linda were happy and open to collaborate with me. Being around them and getting to know their story, felt refreshing and inspiring for me. I could let go of the idea that it’s only young people who can fall in love head over heels. I realised true love can knock someone over no matter their age.
Uno and Linda fell in love in 2014, when Linda asked Uno out on a coffee date. They had met before in 1946 at University. But the time together there was limited. Uno got kicked out after a year whereas Linda completed her studies. After many years and both becoming widows, they met again at a close friends’ funeral in 2014. Linda offered that the two should go for a drink and they ended up going to hers. They got to know each other again over coffee, cognac, and sweets. After talking for what it seemed like days, they parted again with only a hug.
Three weeks later, Uno invited Linda to his place to return the favour. After two evenings spent together, the couple realised how much they enjoyed being around one another. From then on, they’ve been inseparable.
“The older we get, the faster time goes, and the more you feel like you are too busy and have more and more things to do. We like to think we still have a long time ahead of us, even though the years keep passing at speed light. I haven’t done anything to make my life last longer, and Linda hasn’t either. We don’t want to teach anything to the young, we want to learn from them. We’re only 95, our whole lives are in front of us.”
Fotod ja lugu: Alina Birjuk
Teksti toimetas: Kristi-Maria Nurm
Kaamera: Pentax 645z // Photopoint
︎@alinabirjuk
PUBLICATIONS:
RTL NEWS - Artist documentary story
Aint-Bad Contemporary Art Magazine
Estonian World
ERR Kofe+
Baltic guide
ERR
Ringvaade
Photopoint
Edasi.org
Anne Stiil
Elu24.ee
Delta raadiosaade
Naisteleht
EKA uudised
ERR
Zürich Bakeries
This series documents handmade croissants from bakeries across Zürich to reveal how a “simple” pastry carries the signature of its maker. Presented on a neutral white ground and photographed at consistent scale, each croissant is treated like a specimen. The curve, color, flake, and proportion is a readable evidence of the process of making the croissant. In serial view, small deviations like an extra turn of lamination, a deeper bake or a looser crescent create a charachter.
The work shows the value of imperfection in food craft at a time when production trends toward speed, efficiency, and surface perfection. Instead of a standardised ideal, these images highlight plurality: every bakery has its own handwriting, and the differences are not flaws but traces of handcraft. With this work I would like invite you to notice the difference of every croissant - as something that should be more treasured in contemporary food production.
If you like to get invitation to the private vernissage of the exhibition, send me your contact: alinabirjuk@gmail.com
Read more about croissants in Zürich:
https://medium.com/@alinabirjuk/i-went-to-all-the-bakeries-in-zürich-to-find-the-best-croissant
Life in Zürich
Julia Silvana Graff x Alina Birjuk
I photographed and co-shaped the visual story for
“Innere Landschaften – Musik zwischen Passion und Leidenschaft”, a live concert by Julia Silvana Graf (Fagott) with Yulia Miloslavskaya (Klavier) at ZHdK, Toni-Areal, Konzertsaal 2 on Friday, 20 June 2025, 11:30.
The photos were performed with the music: slow fades, close-ups, and layered sequences that followed the breath of the bassoon and the arc of each piece, so images and sound moved together as one story.
Our narrative ran from Bach’s “Erbarme dich, mein Gott” (Matthäus-Passion) into Schumann’s Waldszenen and the gentle Abendlied, so the visuals shifted from intimate, prayer-like frames to wider, nature-tinged scenes.
The goal was simple: make the “inner pictures” of the music visible—letting light, texture, and timing guide the audience through the emotional landscape on stage.
Credits on stage included cello and voice guests; my role was Fotografie (Bilder) and live visual storytelling.
About Julia Silvana Graf
Julia was born in Switzerland in 2002. She is currently studying bassoon at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) in the bassoon class of Prof. Matthias Rácz.
Julia completed master classes with Carlo Colombo and Stefano Canuti at the Muri Masterclasses, as well as with Marco Postinghel, Laurent Lefevre and Diego Chenna.
Her numerous awards include 1st prize with distinction in the finals of the Swiss Youth Music Competition SJMW (2018), 1st prize (2022) in the solo category and 1st prize in the chamber music category. She qualified for the Orpheus Chamber Music Competition (2023) with her trio Pathétique. Julia has already received several awards for her musical expression, including the special prize of the European Union of Music Competition for Youth EMCY.
Julia is a bassoonist in the Swiss Youth Symphony Orchestra SJSO and performs regularly with her trio Pathétique. She was selected as an instrumentalist in the artist residency at the Académie du festival d’Aix (2024) and as an academist at the Zermatt Music Festival Orchestra (2024).
Anu Raud
Viljandi
Had a lovely visit to Anu Raud home in Viljandi for a Documentary movie poster photo shoot.
We got the shot in 15-minutes under the circumstances that there were -24 degrees outside. It was indeed funny and one of the fastest photoshoots I’ve ever had.
We got the shot in 15-minutes under the circumstances that there were -24 degrees outside. It was indeed funny and one of the fastest photoshoots I’ve ever had.
