The nail-biting begins on arrival at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport… Uniformed female officers lead me around the terminal and then leave me standing in corners like a bad boy. My crime is to have arrived six hours ahead of the starting date inscribed - in error - on my visa. Later, we will be warned never to venture onto the streets without carrying passport and foreigner registration papers.

Fortunately, Russians out of uniform (apart from sales assistants) prove considerably more welcoming than the guardians of state security.

Most Russian images were taken with Nikon D70 (6.3 mpx) in RAW format. Images from a whirlwind tour of Bulgaria in 2001 have been scanned from 35mm Ektachrome transparencies. Images from the Russian Far East.