JONATHAN CHERRY: Where do you take inspiration from?

IGOR STARKOV: I like to put myself in places where I will experience different things and receive fresh inspiration; this has become the basis of my work. I think that it’s highly important to allow people to critique your own work and to make sure that you engage with the work of others.

JC: What is your most recent project ‘boy’ all about?

IS: The project ‘Boy’ is all about my relationship with the son. This project is personal to me and I am a part of the story. For a few reasons I haven’t seen my son since his birth. We walked across the streets of town where he lives and I just took photographs of our experience together.

JC: I am interested in the above (first) image … what is it all about?

IS:  When I was a child I loved to build secret places for myself; often in trees. I feel as though every ‘secret place’ or location must have its own treasures. My son does the same now and this picture was made when he was searching for some stuff for his ‘secret harbour’.

JC: What is next in the pipe line for you photographically?

IS: I have now turned my lens upon people who are close to me or people who just interest me; I am finding that person-oriented stories are the ones that attract me most to making photographs. The series “Boy” has been the beginnings for many more stories about the people around me.

JC: What equipment do you use and how do you think that it fits with your way of making images?

IS: I use Rolleicord - It was kept a German mans garage for a long time until he gave it to me because he never seemed to use it. I like it very much and would never change.

JC: What was the last photography book you picked?

IS: ‘Alchimistes aux fourneaux’ by Rip Hopkins.

JC: What are you excited about for 2010?

IS: I’m going to travel more across Siberia and Central Asia. I will possibly have work at Caucasus. Today I will fly to Murmansk, on the north of Russia and I will of course work as normal.