I am a linguist by training and have taught Slavonic languages at Universities in Scotland, Slovakia, Ireland and other countires. I grew up bilingual in a Tatar-speaking family in (then) the Soviet Union and spent many summer months of my childhood, staying with my grandparents in their village (see My Tatars Gallery on my website). A true passion for photography came to me when I went with my students to the White Sea on dialectological expeditions to record how people speak and collect new words. During this time I felt the unforgettable magic of the colours of summer’s ‘white’ nights. My photography can be seen here: https://www.shamilkhairov.com/