A Mystic Place

• Prize
  Bronze in Nature/Panoramic
• Photographer
  Virgilijus Usinavicius
• Agency / Studio
  Augulis Photo
• Technical Info
  The Project Was Made Using Hasselblad Xpan Camera On Ilford Hp5+ And Fp4+ Films.
• Photo Date
  2020-2021

Mystic days break above the mounds - morning fogs coat everything from sacred groves to the old burial places in Kernavė. Situated in the legendary Pajauta Valley, it was the medieval capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the last European pagan capital. The area is abundant with various cultural, historical, and archaeological monuments dating back to the late Palaeolithic Period. During such mornings one can almost feel the spirits of ancestors breathing behind one's shoulder. Spectacular stone altars on bald mounds still gather neo-pagan communities to light the sacred fires.

Virgilijus Usinavicius-Augulis is a Lithuanian photographer with extensive experience in photojournalism as well as commercial and fine art photography. He specializes in both analogue and digital photographic techniques with a strong preference for the former. In his artistic practice, the author is guided by the traditional fine-art photography criteria to create picturesque, painterly pictures as if influenced by the Pictorialists. V. Usinavicius-Augulis's recent works have been presented in both group and solo exhibitions and have been awarded international and national prizes.