The Everyday of Life
The Everyday of Life is a collection of portrait, street and travel photography that explores everyday life around the world.
I have long felt the need for a counterweight to the newsworthy images that bombard us daily, always presenting the lives of others within the context of global tragedies and extraordinary events.
It is important for us to bear witness to these events and hardships, and to do what we can to make life better for everyone. But it is also important to look beyond the hardships to see everyday beauty everywhere it lives. This photography project looks for the ordinary, for people at ease in their lives even when their lives may not be easy.
— Photography from The Everyday of Life website —
Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia
This woman and her husband live in Tbilisi, the Republic of Georgia’s capital city. They are a part of a small Russian population still living in Georgia in the post-Soviet era, and they live in the very same, tiny house where they’ve spent most of their lives together.
If you were to walk the streets of Georgia today, especially in the capital of Tbilisi, you would see a nation rebuilding itself: crumbling building are being rebuilt and restored; new boutique hotels are welcoming tourists from all over the region; and government programs are encouraging the development of a new digital economy to entice younger generations to settle here and grow the country anew.
But for the elderly, like this lovely woman and her husband, little has change in their lives over the past 30 years. Most have only a small pension to live on, and with few programs to help them, they have become this growing nation’s new class of the aging poor.
Hakkâri City, Türk Kurdistan
Hidden within the mountains of south-eastern Türkiye and nestled against the borders of Iran and Iraq is the Türk province and Kurdish refuge of Hakkâri.
The climate here can be harsh: hot, dry summers and cold, snowy winters. The Kurds themselves will tell you that no one ever comes here, and even if they tried the rugged terrain makes travel difficult at best in the summer and impossible in the winter. They will also tell you that life in this small province of Hakkâri is like no one even knows they’re here. But in a good way. Over the years they have grown to accept that being hidden within these mountains and isolated from the rest of the world might just be their best chance to live in peace.
Quba, Azerbaijan
The small Azerbaijani city of Quba rests comfortably to the east of the Caucasus mountains, sitting right at their base, right where they begin to unwind and settle down to the shores of the Caspian Sea. Within the city of Quba itself, and resting just as comfortably, this man is enjoying his own moment of peace, unwinding like the mountains around him, taking every in and nothing for granted.
The Town of Lin on Lake Ohrid, Albania
On the highway into and out of the small town of Lin this man sells his fall harvest of onions, potatoes, and his home-made hot pickled peppers preserved in small plastic water bottles. He waits comfortably in the shade throughout the day, but whenever anyone approaches he promptly buttons his jacket and stands straight and proper behind his goods — the perfect gentlemen waiting to greet you.
The Town of Patuakhali, Bangladesh
Just outside the town of Patuakhali in southern Bangladesh there is a small, planned residential district where Muslims and Hindi families live side-by-side in small homes along narrow streets. Though poor and sparse, it is a model neighbourhood with everyone working hard to keep it clean and vibrant. This man stands proud in front of his beautiful home.
Dhaka, Bangladesh
These young men have been put in charge of looking after the family goats, at least for the next few days. This photograph was taken a few days before the August 1 celebration of the Festival of Sacrifice when these goats will be sacrificed in the ceremonial offering to Allah.
Gaziantep, Türkiye
This man runs a small, automotive repair shop attached to the side of his home in the south end of the city of Gaziantep. A wood-burning stove anchors the living room while bottles of motor oil seem as perfectly placed in the cluttered space as any ornament, teacup, or propane tank.
As you might imagine, he is the kind of person who is bothered by little and is at ease just about anywhere. If you were to spend time with him, you would also discover that this does not just apply to his physical surroundings but is his general disposition in life. He is more interested in art than politics, in his neighbours than his nation, and in what he has than what he has not. – We may not know the details of his life, but he is a warm, kind soul who will always welcome you.
Gaziantep, Türkiye
At the edge of the factory district in the city of Gaziantep, this man, and dozens like him, have all set up table-top shops that line the sidewalk. They come here every weekend to sell their personal collection of hidden treasures in hope of turning a profit. For this man, everything on the table is about a dollar, give or take a Turkish Lira. Except for the lemons. The lemons are for lunch.
Coquimbo, Chile
All along the Chilean coast the Pacific Ocean continues to provide endless bounties of fish, all of which seem to end up on the table in front of this man, to clean and filete for the endless line up of Chileans who watch him work as they wait their turn to claim their evening meal. He wears the scent of fish on his clothes and shoes, and the effects of salt, sun and time upon his face.
Barishal, Bangladesh
This young girl and the children around her all live by the river and are playing together in street. The look in her eyes and on her face is no accident, she really does know something about life that the rest of us are still trying to figure out. Let’s hope she grows up with strength enough to guide us all one day.
Vanadzor, Armenia
These two women are sitting together inside the back entrance of their 4-story walk-up apartment building, and at this moment the two of them are just a little too tired to walk up. In another 30 minutes they’ll have their legs back, but for now this is the perfect time for a visit.
Antalya, Türkiye
The neighbourhood where these women live is a small, close-knit community of lower income families who all seem to know one another well. During the day, when someone is home, front doors are left open and replaced by curtains that are more about shade than privacy. A few chairs are always kept outside as a standing invitation to stay a while. No one ever spends the day alone.
Oaxaca, Mexico
A mother and her two young children have found themselves the perfect view.
The Everyday of Life is a project by the Canadian photographer, Annie Tong. The photographs are mostly from developing and emerging nations and have been taken since 2014. She will be the first to tell you that these photographs are and long to be both uneventful and familiar. They strive to celebrate people at ease in their lives even though their lives may not be easy.