Hrant Khachatryan

NEW BORN

ARMENIA

NEW BORN

You live your daily life when, suddenly, you hear about a virus that kills people. Maybe you don’t pay much attention at first, but after a while you just don’t understand what is happening in the world. Still, it seems so far from you until one day you wake up and learn about the first case in your country. The pandemic is so close now, as is the fear. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, our country declared a state of emergency. So we stayed at home. Our life completely changed. We had our own fears now, on top of the global panic. My wife was in the 7th month of pregnancy with our first child. We lived with my grandmother. She sat in front of the TV for most of the day, hoping to hear good news, but the situation was deteriorating. We were in a complete mess. We had to do something to help us through, or at least distract us a little from reality, because, shut in at home, our relationships were getting intense.

Photography is the one thing that always helps me out, and is a kind of meditation for me. So I started taking pictures of everything and everyone surrounding me, my dog and of course my wife with whom I spent most of the time. It wasn’t intended as a photo story at first. I was just capturing my everyday life and trying to keep the bond with my family and help them to overcome the hard times. I realise now the positive impact that this project had on me and on my family.



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About Hrant Khachatryan

Hrant Khachatryan is a documentary photographer based in Yerevan, Armenia. For six years, he worked as a photojournalist in one of the leading press agency of Armenia, PAN Photo. Now he works mostly as a freelancer, conducting independent project shoots and covering events, as well as providing photography services for individuals, companies and organisations. He also teaches photography master classes for children, including for UNICEF Armenia (2015). Hrant finished the Thomson Reuters Foundation Photo Journalism Course (2012) and the Fine Arts Academy (2003-2008).