- Anna, at what point does a person understand that his path is photographing? How was it with you?
- I have no story about how I, as a child, with my dad sat in the red room and I was fascinated by the process of printing photos. I have a story about how I just wanted a lot of photos, I don’t even know why. The photographs return me to that place, at that moment, to those sensations ... I again experience all the emotions that were during the shooting. How was it with me? I just took a camera and started taking pictures. The technical points were explained by the instructions for the camera. Everything else I intuitively knew.
- Have your perceptions of people changed after you began to look at them through the lens of the camera?
- It became clear to me that people themselves do not represent what they are seen by others. It’s like with a voice - as if in a recording, the voice is not yours! I have a friend who is ordinary in life, and it’s impossible to take my eyes off her photo. This phenomenon still interests me.
- Let's talk about women's photo shoots. Imagine that this material is read by a woman who really wants her own photo shoot. But she thinks that she is currently not well-proportioned. Or first you need to go to the beautician. Or she just wants to, but thinks she doesn't need it. What would you say to such a woman?
“I would say that she simply does not know how beautiful she is.” But if you seriously think that you first need to lose weight, then get a haircut, then go to the beautician - then this is really what you need to do! Because if a girl or woman is going to come to me in a state of dissatisfaction with herself, it is better to stay at home. I can’t “pull out” such a woman so that I would like her in the photo. Even if she is objectively very good-looking, but believes that everything is wrong in her, then the photographer is unlikely to succeed in anything beautiful.
- And you can shoot a full woman beautifully?
- Yes, because there are certain angles. Here is the knowledge, as in mathematics: there are such foreshortenings for women in which it will not look like 150 kg. It is clear that if she tells me that she wants a beautiful photo of “nude”, then most likely I will refuse.
- That is, in certain circumstances, you can refuse?
- I refuse not because the model weighs 150 kg. I refuse when she wants the impossible. Or he asks even before coming to me too many questions and even makes complaints. A woman who wants to go to a photo shoot should know that this is not entertainment. For the model, this is work. Not only in front of the camera, but also before going to the photographer, you need to work if you want to look beautiful.
Some love life style - pictures from life. That is, I come to my heroine’s home, she cooks in a bathrobe, doesn’t clean the apartment, her children run right away, as usual. I don’t shoot in this style, because I just don’t know how. In such a daily life one must also be able to see the beautiful. Some people can shoot like that, but most often they are men. I know such photographers.
- Hairdressers have such an expression: "it’s so bad that I don’t have such a master as myself." Do you regret that you can’t shoot yourself?
- Not. Now I trust other people to take my portraits, but not a series of photos. Just taking a picture of me is yes.In fact, however, this can be called a self-portrait: I use a person as a tripod. I’ll set everything up, catch the light, run back to the frame and say: click! My daughter Vasilisa began to shoot well now. I don’t specifically teach her anything, and she doesn’t want to. It’s just that she can well get into focus, I tell her where and how I should stand, what I should do, “leave” my legs or not - that’s all science. So far, unfortunately, I can’t find a person whom I would trust to take pictures without control on my part. One of the last photo shoots that I had and which I like is from Baikal. We were there with Vasilisa, a Moscow photographer shot us, and everything suited me. She perfectly showed the relationship of mother and daughter, which is very important for me.
- Let's get back to the women's photo shoot. Suppose a woman is still going to come to the photographer. How would you recommend preparing for the shoot?
- First you need to decide on your desires. How does she want to see herself in photos? Fabulous scenery and outfits or homely cozy shooting, or maybe some conceptual portraits. Next choose a photographer. You need to choose according to portfolio! Not because a friend was filming there and she liked it, namely from photographs. You should click in your head - “I want the same!” Then everything is simple: write to the photographer, the photographer gives recommendations on clothes, makeup and hair.
Take a good mood with you - and success is guaranteed.
- One question about the photo session of pregnant women. How long would you recommend going to photograph yourself in an interesting position? Do you need special training for such a photoset?
- A pregnancy photo shoot is a special kind of shooting. For me, the naturalness of the future mother at this wonderful time is very important. And it is this natural beauty that I want to emphasize. In clothes, these are natural fabrics, soft, flowing, delicate muted tones. In the hairstyle - curls, voluminous braids, a sloppy bunch, no "skyscrapers" on the head with an abundance of varnish. But the makeup should be thorough and better bright. Particular attention should be paid to manicure: French manicure, light or transparent varnish is perfect.
- And does it happen that a girl or a woman is openly unsympathetic at a photo shoot, and suddenly her pictures turn out “wow”, and vice versa - a beautiful woman comes and the photos are bad?
- Yes, this is called photogenicity. Nowhere to go from this. True, you can photograph a non-photogenic woman beautifully, but it will be a tough staging. What is the difference between photogenicity and non-photogenicity? A photogenic girl can do anything - get up, sit down - and you see that she does it well: she got up well, turned her head well, smiled beautifully. It may be complete, but at the same time everything in her pictures is harmonious, good, natural.
When a girl is beautiful, but not photogenic, then no matter how she gets up, no matter how she sits down, she is like Pinocchio. And you have to do everything “manually”: put her hand, turn her head, take her shoulder. Then I put it like this and say: don’t breathe, or ask her some question that will give me the expression of my eyes and face that I need, will lead her out of her frozen state. Therefore, I often ask different silly or strange questions. Or suddenly I can suddenly say something like: "There is a horned goat, there is a butted goat ...". People start to look at me like crazy, they are surprised, sincerely smiling - and these are the emotions that I need.
- Are there any growth prospects for the photographer, is there a way to develop? Or do you reach the ceiling at some point?
“There is always something to read, or buy and watch a new lesson from one of the super professionals.” Even Photoshop is updated every week, there is always something new, and you have to learn it.In shooting, when you already perfectly master your own camera from a technical point of view, when you do not think about what settings to set, then a special moment comes: you start the hunt. The hunt for the light. And for the "masterpiece". This is what I call the best, from my point of view, personnel. And I like this process the most.
You’re coming, and the customers are dragging you, they think that you’re a little “that”, but you know for sure that you’re coming, you’re coming, and you see that ray that shines here, and it will hit her curl, and she’s head will turn in this direction - and there will be a “masterpiece”! And her dress will flutter like this, and her legs will be visible here ... When you see a picture in your head, you see the light, and you just introduce a person there - magic is born here. My opinion is that you just rush for the light of the world. Of course, we are talking about filming in nature, I like to shoot there, because the sun is there.
- By the way, would you recommend a girl or woman who has never had a photo shoot in the fresh air or in the studio?
- Only on the street, in nature. There the wind blew - already the hair began to play beautifully. She whirled - and for some moment I caught, caught the light, her smile, her state of happiness. The sun shone in my eyes, she sneezed, looks at me - and this is again a natural beautiful frame. Well, nature itself is beautiful, it frames. Man is a picture, and nature is a frame to it.
- Are there any trends in photo shoots now?
“I honestly don't know.” I do not track current trends. I try to shoot in such a way that in 30 years this particular photo will be relevant.
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