Independent photography publication Elska releases its 62nd edition, travelling to Vancouver to meet eleven local men, presented through intimate photography and personal storytelling.
After visiting Toronto, Montréal and Regina, Elska returns to Canada for its fourth Canadian edition, this time heading west to Vancouver. Often considered one of the world’s most beautiful cities, Vancouver offers a spectacular backdrop of mountains, ocean, rainforests and gleaming skyscrapers. But for Elska creator and editor Liam Campbell, falling in love with the place wasn’t quite as straightforward as its postcard- perfect scenery might suggest.
„Vancouver is undeniably gorgeous, but I found it surprisingly difficult to connect with at first,“ says Campbell. „The constant rain, the cold, and some very visible social problems made it difficult to see beyond the surface. What changed everything was the men I met. Their compassion, their awareness of what was happening around them, and the genuine care they showed for one another really moved me. That’s what ultimately made me fall in love with Vancouver.“
The new edition introduces eleven everyday Vancouver men through Elska’s signature combination of intimate photography and personal storytelling. Each participant was photographed in two settings: outdoors in the city, fully dressed and surrounded by their everyday environment, and at home in a much more revealing state. In fact, Vancouver is one of only a handful of Elska editions in which every participant chose to be photographed completely naked.
„I think there’s something rather beautiful about that collective willingness to be open,” explains Campbell. „The photographs aren’t about trying to be provocative; they’re about showing people as they are, without hiding anything.“
Among the chapters are two particularly intimate couple shoots, offering a glimpse of the affection and connection between these men. Together with the individual portraits and accompanying stories, they help reveal a more personal side of Vancouver.
As with every Elska edition, the men are not simply photographic subjects but storytellers in their own right. Most of the accompanying texts are written by the participants themselves, sharing their thoughts, experiences and perspectives on life in their city. Campbell also contributes behind-the-scenes diaries from the trip, bringing readers into the process of making the magazine and the encounters that shaped it.
Elska Vancouver is available now from elskamagazine.com as well as from a select group of bookshops around the world. Also available is the companion zine Ekstra Vancouver, including hundreds of pages of additional photographs and behind-the-scenes stories, plus one additional Vancouver subject.
