On Sergei Pavlov’s Deep-Gazing Images
I first encountered Sergei Pavlov’s work when a dear friend gave me his publication Mountain. In it, a lover appears across landscapes and intimate moments — his gaze directed at the camera, as if to remind us that beauty often lies in the eyes of those who love us. Turning its pages, I was struck not only by the tenderness of these black-and-white analogue images — a medium I work with myself — but also by the strength of the bond between photographer, camera, and subject. That discovery led me deeper into Pavlov’s practice, where I was met with a profound sense of realization: that there is so much to see, to feel, to hold onto, and that his images become a vessel for precisely that.
In 2022, Pavlov released Hello Japan, a series that navigates disorientation, intimacy, and connection — with others, with oneself, and with a place. The photographs unfold against breathtaking landscapes, where the terrain is not mere backdrop but participant: shaping emotion, holding memory, amplifying desire. The series carries the energy of wandering, of getting lost, of surrendering to the unknown. As Pavlov himself has said, “It’s important to get lost, to get unsure and to be uncomfortable and awkward. I want to start working like that every year where I go for one or two months without any connection to a place, just my camera. It’s so healthy, it really resets you.” His work embraces dislocation as a way to find presence, vulnerability, and renewal.
What is most striking in Pavlov’s images of lovers is that they are never about nudity for its own sake, nor about the fetishization of bodies. They are about love, intimacy, and desire made visible through trust. The subjects’ comfort before the camera is palpable — their expressions, gestures, and gazes carry a softness that cannot be staged. These encounters reveal a deep connection between photographer and subject, one where the presence of the camera becomes a bridge rather than a barrier.
Pavlov creates a delicate weave between body, landscape, and lens. His practice is not about constructing images, but about cultivating relationships and allowing them to manifest visually. The photographs are less representations than traces of encounters: fragments of intimacy that linger beyond the moment of capture. In this sense, his work insists that photography is not only about seeing but about feeling, about entering into a space where vulnerability and tenderness can exist without fear.
Connection, intimacy, desire, vulnerability, love — Pavlov’s work is a testament to these forces and their power to bring us closer, to one another and to ourselves. For me, his images carry a reminder of what it means to live openly, to look deeply, and to cherish the presence of another. In the end, I return to gratitude — for my friend who introduced me to this work, and for the beauty Sergei Pavlov makes possible through his gaze.
Sergei Pavlov is a photographer working between Helsinki, Paris, and Tokyo. He often combines autobiographical classical documentary storytelling with contemporary fashion photography. He works exclusively with black-and-white analogue photography.
His work has been published and exhibited in Villa Noailles, the Museum of Visual Arts Malva, 35-37 Rue des Francs Bourgeois, SSAW, Replica MAN, and Re-Edition.
all images by Sergei Pavlov