I am still not quite sure why Dezerter’s Bazaar in Tbilisi is called that. The version I heard that made more sense than not was that it had something to do with the soldiers in one of the old wars decided to ditch their arms here. Regardless of the name’s origin, it’s a cool place to pass a couple of hours and if you are a photographer, take a few shots. And we already talked about photographing markets here.
When I visited a couple of years ago, I didn’t really thing much of the place – it was a typical Caucasian market, with lots of fruits, fresh meat and flowers. And when I say “Caucasian”, I, of course, refer to the true and original meaning of the world – originating in the Caucasus. But then, I saw the fish stalls.
Fish tanks are cool to photograph because they often offer fun reflections and juxtapositions of fish and the surrounding world. But capturing it is not easy; first, you have to make sure the tank is fully transparent, or at least has good lighting. More importantly, something interesting has to be happening around the tank, and that’s where you sometimes just have to wait.
I am amazed at the patience of the often hot-headed Caucasian market sellers, because I must have spent close to 30 minutes around their tanks, taking various pictures and trying to capture something interesting. The fruit of that time is this shot, my favourite of the bunch. It’s as if the both the fish and the smoker behind the tank are exhaling simultaneously. Thus the title, and the photo itself.