Grace Medina, American documenting Albania through national costumes

The close ties a stranger creates with our country are not rare. History has shown that many who have visited our land have been able to explore and get to know Albania more than we do. We are surprised when they discover a place in front of us and when they form a much stronger relationship with our country, which is because they believe that the beauty of this earth is always attractive, with spectacular scenery, and a very convenient geographic position. For them, Albania is a virgin, untouched, unexplored country that is constantly seeking to be discovered by all.

Such an approach has happened to the American photographer Grace Medina, who from the first moment she went down to our land felt that magic to forgive a new, virgin land and at the same time quite tempting, with lots of different stories and cultures from what she was used to. During her two years of stay in Albania, she became acquainted with tradition, social customs, and problems and, above all, with wonderful people who always supported her and taught her to live at a tyrannical pace, as she puts it.

Grace was born in Poland. She has lived in America, Mexico, Albania and has already returned to the promised land. Because of a life of movement, he found it appropriate to get to know people with different populations, to know their traditions and stories. She specializes in photographing pictures of children and families in their daily lives. He has traveled throughout America, Europe, and Mexico to document the people and the culture of these countries. Her work has attracted the attention of many media such as “Click Magazine”, “National Geographics Daily Dozen”, “Dear Photographer”, “Fearless and Fried Blog” and “Beuty Revid<x> One of its most important projects, which bears the name “Erasing the Spaces Between Us” has been in co-operation with the organisation “Terre des Hommes” in Albania. Its task has been to photograph all Albanian families who had emigrated to Germany and were already returning to their homeland. Also, she is the founder of an Instagram Children'smagic profile, in which she supports and promotes all young photographers who are passionate about this profession. As a professional photographer, she started working since 2015, but in fact, photography has been a passion since her childhood.

During her two - year stay here for her husband's work with her two children, she has traveled to several countries and has visited much of the cities in Albania. He has loved Valbona, surrounded by mountains and a magnificent view. Meanwhile, the country that has most impressed them is Kuparoi, a village in southern Albania, where white sand and blue sea horizon blends beautifully. There he found an attractive and authentic place with all the right elements to take wonderful pictures.

But, most of all, what has intrigued her most has been the traditional costumes of the places she visited. Yes, this strong link to the past moved him long to think about how to carry out a project where such authentic symbols were centered. He had to read more about the history of this country, investigate and understand the symbolic uses of each suit. She details every detail from the moment of the idea to the final moment, the flash of such magical moments. You love every picture that's done, because it looks pretty natural, it's what she's imagined and each has a certain value.

“I was fortunate that my Albanian friends and neighbors introduced me to Ida, who collects these traditional costumes. After I gave him the idea of photography, we agreed immediately. To realize this project, I had the time limit. I wish I could continue to carry out an even bigger project, including traditional male costumes. However, I am happy that I have documented women's costumes, because many old Albanian photographers in their focus have had male ones. “

Its purpose was to make the pictures more authentic so that the girls who served as models had an impact on the viewer. And he actually did. If you look at them carefully, you don't understand whether these pictures are now realized or long ago. They seem to belong to a distant world bringing about the traditions and emotions of that period.

The girls volunteered to participate in the project. They were Albanian and mainly students. Showing me the big day as she calls it, on the day of the photo set, Grace asks me by looking me in the eye: Why doesn't today's youth prefer to wear traditional clothes? They're so beautiful, they sure would make you fashion! “is expressed with emotion.

She recalls that during the day of the photo she has enjoyed the girls, she has developed new friendships, sharing happy moments together, because she had to make the makeup herself. They have a natural beauty, and the focus was on their beauty and traditional costumes. Above all, she is happy that she has managed to document such beautiful traditional costumes that hold many stories in themselves. It has taken about a year to realise this project since the set planned, the selection of costumes, the finding of the country where volunteer girls, who served as models, would be implemented. Then came the work of their selection and editing. 20 costumes were used, and the photos were closed in one day in an old family in Kruja.

“When I decided to photograph these traditional costumes I had a vision of how I would photograph them. I wanted to convey the feeling that left me with the greatest masters like Johannes Vermeer or Rembrandt. I started studying Albanian painters and photographers. I discovered the works of Kole Idromenos and started reading about the Albanian Renaissance. His works served as an inspiration to me. Albania is going through many transition periods now, looks like a new rebirth. What I wanted to catch is her beautiful legacy, which must be celebrated and preserved. “

Culture is very important in its work. To be a photographer, you need to discover cultures and get to know people and traditions by getting into the deepest recesses. With this project Grace wanted to tell Albanian history in front of others, a different Albania, with its history and a new perspective. For her, Albanian women, they are beautiful, strong in character, and they stand out for pride. And the host Albanians, nice and very brown. /Living