From EK Pictures, Poland, a marvelous group of photographic retrospectives.

In Writer of Icons (Pisarz ikon), they have photographed the life and work on Ivan Shishman, 50, a father of seven, and artistic restorer from the town of Izmail, Ukraine. Ivan was a one time communist, and later the owner of a video shop specializing in pornography. His only tie to the Church was the memories of his grandmother who recalled the “old ways.” He has given up his former life and now restores churches and icons, as well as creates new works.

Also check out their series on the town of Norylsk, Siberia in Norylsk – zatrute miasto.

Norilsk hosts the biggest factory in Russia engaged in the production of “rare” metals (palladium, platinum, nickel, cobalt, and copper). The price paid by the residents is huge. Two percent of the world’s CO2 production comes from Norylsk. An area of 100,000 hectares (50,000 acres) around the city consists of burned down forests. It is widely recognized as one of the worst ecological disasters in the world, and average life expectancy is ten years less than the average across all Russia.