In Azerbaijan, You May Find Yourself Behind The Wheel Of A Lada Automobile

"Nestled between Russia and Iran — at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia — the small country of Azerbaijan is as culturally diverse as it is geographically varied. Azerbaijani landscapes range from snowy, forested peaks in the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the north, to windswept beaches along the Caspian Sea, to arid desert just outside of the capital city of Baku. It's also known as the Land of Fire due to a natural phenomenon where gas seeps through fissures in the earth and ignites."

"In his project Lada Landscapes, photographer Thomas Marsden takes the viewer on a photographic road trip through the ever-changing landscapes of Azerbaijan. He was also drawn to one of the region's most iconic cars: the Lada."

"Marsden acknowledges that like many Western tourists who visit the region, he found the cars intriguing. 'Coming from the West, they symbolize a different kind of ideology,' he said. 'It has the whole Soviet historical influence, which, in the West, was a whole different world that we didn't have contact with, so it's kind of a curiosity to see them everywhere.'"