Photo by Belarusian photographer gets selected by Vogue. But joy ends here

A photo of Belarusian Daria Roskach made it to the Vogue website. We were struck by the image of a cloud of sand hanging over the cherry blossoms in Vilnius in early spring.

It should not have struck us, but rather scare us.

Daria graduated from university with a degree in Geography and Nature Conservation. And now that she has captured your attention with the beauty of sakura trees and the magic word Vogue, she will teach you how to sort your garbage.

Happy about the sakura trees in early spring, now angry about the snow in April

When Daria sent a photo to the Vogue website, she explained the dangers of this beauty in the description. But. the explanation didn't make it to the site, so Daria explained the meaning of this photo separately for Euroradio:

"We need to understand when the photo was taken and where it was taken. And it was taken in Vilnius at the beginning of April. The very day when it was +29 degrees. That's a normal temperature for July, but it's not April. Sakura in Vilnius should not bloom so early. Even on the Japanese islands, they don't bloom until now.

Right now in Vilnius there is snow outside my window. And this intense cold is as abnormal as this heat wave in early April.

When we don't know the laws of nature, we first get very happy - oh, early spring! And then we get very angry when in May the cherry trees have already blossomed and the cold is so intense that we don't want to stick our noses outside.

And it turns out that the photo is beautiful, but it shows how we affect nature with our activities. And if we do not restrain ourselves, these changes will first affect ourselves and people. The first to feel it are those whose bodies react to changes in the weather.

"And what about nature? Nature will put everything back in its place. If humanity disappears," Daria jokes darkly. 

How the photo for the Vogue website was taken

When the cherry blossoms begin to bloom in Vilnius, everyone, literally everyone in the city takes to the streets. Some even move their workplaces under the cherry blossoms. Others take time off work or pick up their children from kindergartens and schools earlier to show them the beauty.

Daria took her portrait lens and planned to take beautiful pictures of her friends. But along with the portraits came an eco-activist shot.

In fact, any photographer can get on the Vogue website - no "connections" are needed, just a good shot and perseverance. Every Monday, the magazine opens a call for images that starts in the morning and ends in the evening. Daria began sending her photos to the site's editors every week for two months.

No royalties or feedback from Vogue are given to the authors of successful photos.

We asked Daria to show us other photos that tried to make it into Vogue during those months, but failed (so far). For example, on the same day as the sand cloud over the cherry blossoms, she photographed a girl pouring coffee in a Vilnius garden. Daria does not know her name or her story. 

"This is a random photo, she just came there and made coffee and invited everyone to this coffee. In fact, during the time when the sakura trees are in bloom, there's a lot of that here. Someone even brought tables, covered them with tablecloths, and people drank tea at those tables. Someone was having a picnic, someone was just walking among the sakura trees.

And this photo shows singer Katsiaryna Vadanosava in  a traditional Belarusian outfit. Daria would like the audience of the world-famous website to see the beauty of the Belarusian national costume - and the beauty of this particular woman.

Today is Monday, and this morning Daria again sent pictures to the Vogue website. And on one of them there is Katsiaryna Vadanosava again.

And this is the house of Daria's grandmother. It was also "tested" for Vogue. And it would be very important for Daria if the editors chose this photo. 

Before Vogue accepted "Sakura", Daria sent about 10 shots to the editors of the site.

"Do you need a bag?" - "No, thanks"

Lest Daria's next Vogue shoot be another natural aberration, let's sort through the garbage. Well, at least this.

Let's take care of ourselves and reduce our own waste a little. So that people can live a little longer on this planet.

Sorting your trash and eliminating plastic packaging is something that literally everyone can do. Don't just throw your garbage into a bin, find out what and how your country sorts. And even if they don't sort very well yet, try to implement that culture. In many countries it can be encouraged.

In Vilnius it is very easy to sort, and so it is in Belarus. If you don't have sorting bins at home, write a request to the services and they will be happy to provide them for you.

Refuse "bags" at supermarkets - put your vegetables in a cloth bag. Or at least use the bags you're given a few at a time.

For daily travel, use public transportation instead of private cars. Or better yet, bicycles. And so, little by little, we will reduce the pressure on the environment. By the way, today is also Earth Day! - Daria remembers at the end of the interview. 
We had a nice talk, she concludes.