In the "Persons" section, we continue to acquaint our readers with the views on the world of photography, both world-famous photographers and those who are taking their first steps along the difficult, but nonetheless wonderful path of photography. In today's issue, we will visit the wonderful city of Krasnoyarsk and meet the young photographer Anastasia Bolotina.

- Hello. I'll start from the very beginning. I was born in Abakan. At the age of 7, my parents enrolled me in an art school, where I studied until the 11th grade.

- For many, studying at an art school (probably, as well as at a music school) seemed, if not hard labor, then a tedious obligation - for sure. And how was it in your case?

— You know, I studied with interest and pleasure. I actually liked it, probably because since kindergarten I was drawn to creativity and fine arts. After graduating from art, and then high school I went to Krasnoyarsk, where I entered the Surikov School with a degree in Graphic Design. And after graduating with honors, I decided not to stop there and entered the Krasnoyarsk Art Institute at the Department of Environmental Design, where I continue my studies now.

At what point did photography appear in your life?

— I started taking photographs during my studies at the Surikov School. It may seem strange, but I had never thought about photography before. Interest in him arose when my friend became interested in photography. Without thinking twice, I bought my first reflex camera. Of course, it was the simplest and most inexpensive, but at that moment my happiness knew no bounds!

I photographed everything that came my way - then it seemed to me that all my pictures were super professional. However, over time, I began to realize that I knew absolutely nothing about photography and could not do anything. From that moment on, I began to practice photography more, read special literature, get acquainted with the works famous photographers, watch video tutorials on retouching and attend master classes.

This approach gave results, and gradually my professional level began to grow. At first I noticed it myself, and then the first people appeared who appreciated my photos and were ready to pay money for my work. Working with clients allowed me, after some time, to save up enough money to buy more professional and expensive photographic equipment. The new equipment was another milestone in my creative way: it allowed not only to improve the quality of my work, but also to continue to grow professionally.

Soon I received an offer from one of modeling agencies about working as a staff photographer. This collaboration has become a good school for me in terms of professional experience. I had to work at a frantic pace: many high-quality images were required in an extremely limited time. Perhaps it was this start that set the direction and pace of my further development as a photographer: I try not to stand still and constantly develop, because photography offers just a huge field for development.

- Your acquaintance with photography began with the purchase of a SLR, do you remember what model it was?

- Oh sure! It was a Canon 1000D. Now, by the way, such models are no longer produced, as far as I know.

— And what happened to him? Has he changed hands or do you keep him as a memory?

No, I sold it. The money from the sale was invested in the purchase of new equipment. But he served me for a very long time, and I shot many of my first successful shots on him.

- By the way, about the first successful shots: who was your first editor and critic?

Of course they were my friends. Although it is difficult to call them critics, because they always liked everything. But when I began to send my work for evaluation in different groups according to the photo, there was more than enough criticism.

How do you feel about criticism in general? Do you consider yourself a self-critical person?

I criticize my work all the time. I may like what I have done for the first half an hour, and then I begin to look for flaws, I begin to think that this work could have been done much better and more interesting. As a result, it always seems to me that something is not right with the photo. Although, on the other hand, I think this is a good impetus for work and development.

Someone else's criticism, in my opinion, is even more useful than self-criticism. Because you yourself may not notice any mistakes, because the eye is “blurred”. So, an outside perspective is always helpful! Although I won’t hide it: sometimes I take criticism painfully - this usually happens if I myself really like the criticized work.

I think this feeling is familiar to many. Do you think there is a place for friendship and sincerity among photographers? Or is criticism most often unconstructive and aimed only at hurting a fellow photographer?

- I think that criticism is still rarely aimed at offending. If a person is a professional in his field and does not turn up his nose, then criticism from his mouth is most often constructive, and such a person can act as a teacher.

As for friendship... In photography, in my opinion, as in all art in general, this is a rarity. Because people who are engaged in creativity always have a sense of competition. It’s good if there is friendship, but some, albeit hidden, rivalry will always be present.

- Perhaps this competition is also due to the not so wide choice of commercially popular photography genres. What do you think about this?

— I think that there are two types of competition in photography: competition for potential clients and competition for the title of the best photographer. Someone needs a large audience of customers (and it happens that such photographers don’t even try hard at work), but someone needs recognition and admiration.

Have you already found your favorite genre or are you still looking for it?

“Maybe I'm still looking. But I like a lot, I try myself in different genres. Although most often I shoot people, their portraits. Sometimes I like to take fabulous, fantasy pictures, something foggy, strange, mysterious. I want to take photographs that could be solved like a puzzle, looking for a secret meaning. And I also like the photo to be alive. But, it seems to me that for this I still need to work a lot, because this, in my opinion, is the height of skill.

— And what makes a photo alive and of high quality?

- I think the most important thing is that such a photo does not look staged. It is necessary to maintain a certain balance, to catch the moment and present the photo as if it was not planned - due to processing, light and color. Lively emotions, natural poses of the model and the right details.

By the way, about color. If you are faced with a choice: color or monochrome, what will you choose? Why?

— It depends on the photo and on the idea. There are situations when color decides everything, but sometimes, on the contrary, it only interferes and creates a feeling of fragmentation. So everything is individual here.

- Nastya, almost all of your photographs depict girls. Are they easier to work with or, in your opinion, is it easier to capture the beauty of a female image in photography than a male one?

- Yes, you are right, in my opinion, it is much easier to convey beauty and grace through a female image. Women are much more sensual, emotional and fragile. For the looks I love, men simply won't fit. But I also worked with them.

What do you usually look for inspiration in?

- Basically, I'm looking for people. Each person is unique, and I always want to reveal some hidden features or, on the contrary, emphasize character. I am also inspired by music and the work of recognized photographers.

Can you name someone you would like to be like?

- Well, similar - this is loudly said, still I want to remain an individual.
But there are photographers whose work I learn from and whom I try to imitate in some way. Many of them for me are Masters with a capital letter and I really like their work. These are, for example, such photographers as Gregory Colbert, Steve McCurry, Manuel Libres Librodo. I never cease to admire their work and dream of one day being on the same level with them.

— And what is your personal secret of bail? successful work with a client?

— The key to successful work is the opportunity to find a common language and mutual understanding. The main thing is to understand what the client wants, and convince him how best to achieve this result. It is also important to help the client overcome shyness and enslavement, create a lively and pleasant atmosphere in order for him to relax and give his best.

- With whom is it easier for you to find a common language? With adult models or children?

- Of course, with adults! They perfectly understand what is required of them. It is much easier for adults to convey the idea and explain what to do. Working with children is much more difficult. After all, they either try to understand you and try, but due to inexperience they often do the wrong thing, or they are capricious and start to slow down the shooting. Although if the shooting is reportage and there is no need for children to pose, then in such a situation there are no difficulties. But still, I would like to say that sometimes there are born models among children.

What qualities should a photographer have?

- I think the most important thing that a photographer should have is a sense of taste, proportion, and harmony. He must “see” how to make his shot better, feel the balance of dark and light, see which colors harmonize best with each other ... A photographer, like an artist, must know the rules of composition and create interesting rhythms. And, of course, he must take photos with meaning. Even if it's just a portrait, it should convey the character of a person, his feelings and emotions. The photograph must be filled with something.

— Professional photography usually takes a lot of time. Do you manage to find a moment for other hobbies?

- On the this moment I would rather call my passion for photography, because I spend most of my time studying at the institute. But there is also plenty of time for photography. Especially during the holidays, when there is a lot of time that I can devote to this particular work.

— What could you wish to novice photographers and amateur photographers?

- The most important thing is patience and diligence! Because many, faced with the fact that something does not work out for them, can immediately quit this activity. Everything always comes through hard work and perseverance. The main thing is to try. And I would also like to say that you definitely need to find something of your own, some kind of zest, in order to stand out and be recognizable.

- In conclusion, the traditional blitz survey:

- Happiness is?

For me, happiness is when dreams come true.

- yours distinguishing feature?

- My hallmark? Hmm…I guess it's curiosity.

What do you value most in people?

- In people, I appreciate sincerity, naturalness, sense of humor, ambition, willpower and kindness.

— Fix or zoom?

- I still prefer the zoom.

- Love is?

“Love is a responsibility. But, in general, this is such a broad topic that it is difficult to say something unambiguous, probably, you can gradually agree with every philosopher who talked about love.

— your favorite musical composition to lift your spirits?

— I listen to different music, there is no particular preference. Sometimes I like something powerful, and sometimes calm, relaxing. I sometimes like to listen to ethnic music, sometimes classical music... But any music can inspire me.

- What is your favorite motto?

- As a motto, probably, the phrase “Forward and only forward!” is closest to me.

You can find out more information about Anastasia Bolotina and her work on her

For those who are engaged in photography, no need to explain who is Ilya Rashap. For the uninitiated, let's talk. Ilya is one of the famous Russian photographers, a member of the Union of Russian Photographers. Ilya positions himself as an independent photographer, conducts master classes throughout Russia and the CIS countries and maintains his own blog, which many photographers from all over the country seek advice and critiques of their shots.

One not warm August morning we met with Ilya to personally hear what his art breathes, how photography is developing in Russia and why nude photography has lost its relevance.

⁃ We noticed that you are very busy. Are you busy with photography or do you have any other work?

⁃ I have accumulated a lot a large number of secondary projects to be implemented. They have been hanging for a very long time, it is eating, so I devote all my time to this. There are several commercial projects. In addition, I am releasing my book - a photo album, which also needs to be made and typeset. It will probably come out in the fall. Since I have been working as a designer for 10 years, unfortunately, I cannot entrust this to anyone but myself.

— Will it be a promotional version or a full-fledged book?

No, it's a finished book. A photo album with selected works that I have shot over the years. I expect about a hundred photos. The book will be in two languages, in Russian and English, as I plan to promote it abroad as well. Why abroad, because the kind of photography that I do is generally developed there. And to enter the European, American market is very interesting. Therefore, I have now taken up English very closely, because I simply have to speak it, go to festivals, communicate with people, somehow develop.

— Did you mention commercial projects? Do you collaborate with magazines?

⁃ I rarely work with magazines. Because the interest to work with someone is either a commercial interest or a creative one. Frankly speaking, there is practically no commercial interest from our magazines. The order of the numbers that are voiced to photographers in our glossy magazines is usually not impressive. This is a very small amount. I work commercially directly with customers and this is completely different money.

⁃ I was interested in working with magazines at the dawn of my formation. Then I quickly moved away from it. And from a creative point of view, our fashion industry, unfortunately, is so developed that the projects that are offered are also not interesting: this is what was filmed in the world 15-20 years ago. It's not that it's bad, it's just last century. I won't put it in my portfolio. So it turns out that there is no one interest, no other.

What commercial projects are you working on?

— Private customers. For example, make corporate calendars. Those. orders where you can shoot something interesting and earn good money. In principle, there are no projects that I, according to my moral principles, will not undertake. I just have a certain price, and if a person is ready to pay for my time, I am ready to make a project for him, regardless of the subject.

- When did you first learn about the existence of the profession "photographer"?

- Everything is random. I have always photographed for myself, simply because I like it and it is some kind of self-actualization tool. And then, apparently, I did some things that people liked and they found me themselves. I never sought to find, for example, a client. I generally think that this is a rather illiterate approach that the client should find me. I have to produce some interesting product, and people should turn to me themselves. This is in terms of commerce. In terms of creativity, it's possible. If I want to realize a creative project, I can invite a person, ask him to take a picture of me.

What girl would you suggest to work with you? Do you have an image of the ideal model?

- But this does not happen! I know that most people, especially girls, have some personal preferences, from the series “I only like blondes” or “only brunettes”. I don't get it, I either like a person or I don't. I don't take people apart. Good is some kind of harmonious unity, i.e. either a person looks in this harmony, or not. There are, of course, the canons of the European face, and of course, all this is somehow used, for example, when processing, if something needs to be changed, but this does not mean that everyone needs to be adjusted to a single template.

— Should a photographer learn a profession or is it an inner gift?

- Must! Gotta learn! This is the main problem of photographers in our country. The fact that we do not have a classical photographic education. Because of this, 99 out of 100 photographers in our country are doing salon photography, including me. This is exactly the stage of the reboot from which I want to move away and do art projects that are interesting from a museum point of view. And all this is not because we do not have enough talented people, there are many of them, but because people do not even know what to look at, i.e. the horizon of the average photographer is viewing photos on photosites. You need to watch completely different things, attend festivals, probably watch curatorial exhibitions. But there is not enough education, and as I understand it, there is practically nowhere to get it in Russia. We can't go to study somewhere. We can go to study with someone. So I found a girl who is well versed in trends and I take frequent lessons from her. And to have some kind of school .... there is no school.

- And as for your education, did you study somewhere?

“I didn’t study anywhere. I'm self-taught. Now I have come to a point, many people call it a creative block, but I think that this is a certain round, when you know: this is no longer enough, you are no longer interested in this, and you need to look for ways to get new information. I find it myself, looking for some options, somewhere to learn from someone in order to develop further. And now I'm on a creative break. In the first half, I worked very hard and in the end I realized that there was a bust. This is the money that no longer brings joy and kills the artist, so to speak.

⁃ Since we are talking about money, I will ask you a mercantile question. How much should a young man earn in order not to feel disadvantaged in this country?

“Money gives degrees of freedom. This is such a permanent process and it depends on financial ambitions. For some, they are limitless. Take any oligarch, enrichment after a certain amount becomes an end in itself. For example, if you have 20 or 60 million, this will not change your life one iota. And if we talk specifically about our country, then I always had in my head an amount from the category of $ 30 tons per month for a family. I think it's very good. It is possible more, but, probably, behind this money there will be more minuses than pluses. In general, when you earn a certain amount, and you don’t know how much, for example, food costs, that’s great. I have no idea how much a kilogram of meat costs and this is a degree of freedom. The next degree of freedom, when, for example, you don’t know how much jeans cost. And the more you earn, the more degrees of freedom you have.

- What are your life priorities besides money?

It's important for me to leave something behind. For example, to write about me somewhere in the textbook on photography. This is much more important to me than money. Although, I deny the myth of hungry artists. When a person has a headache all the time, that his child does not get enough sausages, then what kind of creativity can we talk about?

Let's get back to creativity. Your master classes are held all over the country. Do you remember the very first lesson?

- It was a long time ago. Year 2009. The first master class I held, it seems, was in Ufa.

- Since then, teaching tactics have changed a lot?

- When you do something for a long time, it changes. From the first master class A lot of time has passed, now the philosophy is different, and you are already telling a little differently, even the same things, but already in a completely different way. I think teaching is also an art. This is very skilled work. You have to be professional. And from the point of view, as a teacher, you should change the program quite a lot. The approach must change. You make certain marks for yourself on what people react better to, how best to present certain material, you learn to understand the audience. In fact, this is a separate drive.

- You often shoot in the style of "nude". Did it help you understand women better in any way? What did you find out about them?

— Oh, probably their black side (laughs). Exhibitionism is present in all girls who are filmed in the nude style. They can make faces as much as they want, but they certainly like it. But I shoot not only nudes. I have over 50 percent of other photos. But, I love this roast. Although, modern world trends practically deny "nude". Because it has become so much and it has become so boring that, for example, many curators at international festivals have signs on the table: “Do not bring nude.” .

“Besides, with us, nude photography is completely meaningless. It all starts with the fact that, here I will show a naked girl and ends with the same. Why, why, that this photograph should convey to the viewer what it is talking about, usually, neither the photographer nor the viewer thinks about it.

- What is the primary goal you see ahead of you (looking far ahead)?

- I would like to hang in museums, of course. But, I understand perfectly well that this is a long way and I have not even begun to shoot something that could be of interest to "museum people". But, I don't drive horses, because if you take on too much, it will turn into stacking bricks.

Life is self-realization ..... that's it, that's it!

The interview was taken by Alena Timchenko for the online magazine.
Photographer: Lana Pavlova /

Vasily Kovganov can be safely attributed to advanced amateur photographers. He has been interested in photography for a long time. After reading a lot of articles and books, I formed my own baggage of knowledge. In America, he worked as a staff photographer for a dance studio. Engaged in photography. Worked at weddings. Currently, he photographs friends and acquaintances, is engaged in individual photography on his website. www.vodar-pavetra.com . However, he will tell about all this in more detail himself.

Today I took a short interview with him, in which Vasily will share

experience, as well as respond to eternal question: how can a beginner master a professional camera from scratch. Which camera to choose, which lens to choose, how to deal with the complex settings of a semi-professional and professional camera.

Our interview will be a bit of a guide for beginner first-hand photo enthusiasts. Let's start with you. For you, is photography primarily a job or is it a hobby from which you get no less pleasure than from the shooting itself?

Hobby, of course. I almost don’t do commercial photography anymore, just a couple of times a year.

And what applied knowledge in your opinion is necessary to become a photographer? Are schools, courses, universities needed?

I think, to a certain extent, only basic knowledge of geometry - if you want to understand the mat. optics parts. And the basics of mathematics in the study of the light part of the process. It never hurts to read a book or watch a movie about photography. These are some of the films I myself would like to see soon, for example.

When shooting people, what kind of setting do you think is more suitable: a studio, a cafe, nature, a city landscape?

Personally, I always prefer environments where there is interesting light. As a rule, this is outside, on the street, but interesting light can be anywhere, including inside and at night. A lot also depends on the environment, what objects are in the frame, etc. You never know what opportunities this or that shooting will bring to you. Improvisation and spontaneity have not yet been canceled - try everything.

Let's say I have a soap dish and I like to take pictures. I get good shots and I rightly believe that if you buy a camera more serious, it will turn out even cooler.

And so it happens, I buy an average camera with a removable lens, and I am faced with a sea of ​​incomprehensible technical nuances. The only thing left for me is to take pictures in Auto, Portrait and other modes. But the pictures in these modes do not differ much from the pictures of the same soap box.

It turns out that understanding the mass of technical nuances is not at all fun. What should a beginner photographer do in such a situation? How to learn to photograph?

In fact, there are not so many technical nuances in photography - as for the optical device of the camera. Much more subtlety is to deal with the play of light or the subject of photography. However, if we talk about purely technical details, there are only three of them. These are aperture, shutter speed and ISO sensitivity.

Roughly and briefly: the aperture is how wide the hole opens to allow light to pass through; exposure is how long it is open; and sensitivity - speaks for itself - this is how light-receptive the material that receives the light.

Aperture is also directly related to depth of field, and all of the above factors have a certain role in the focal length of the lens.

I think once you figure that out, everything will fall into place. My camera also has auto modes, but I tend to try to use aperture priority - which means I set the aperture manually (just like ISO) and the auto selects the appropriate shutter speed.

And how to achieve this soft beautiful effect when the background is very blurred and the front is detailed. What lens is best suited for this and why can't this effect be achieved with any camera? Especially with a soap dish?

Depth of field (or, to be precise: depth of field - depth of field) is exactly what this blurry background provides.

Its adjustment is made using what I mentioned earlier - using the diaphragm. An f-number that represents how wide your lens blades will open when you open the shutter.

Its standard accepted values ​​are: 1:0.7; 1:1; 1:1.4; 1:2.8; 1:5.6; 1:8; 1:11; 1:16; 1:22, 1:64. The smaller the second number, the wider the aperture is open, the narrower the depth of field. The more blurred the background.
The higher this number, the sharper the background will look. Those. at 1:22, almost everything will be sharp, theoretically almost to infinity. And the closer to unity, the more everything is blurred.

Some of the built-in lenses and all pro and professional interchangeable lenses have an aperture selection dial.
It is also worth considering that when changing aperture values, you must adjust the shutter speed (or sensitivity) accordingly in order to maintain the correct exposure.

Do you read books on photography, what authors can you recommend to an amateur photographer?

To my shame, I do not read. I acquired my education in photography in the exceptional majority, from the Internet and experience. I read a bunch of articles on various sites, ranging from biographies of photographers to design rules from an unknown author. I can still recommend one book: Alexander Lapin "Photography as ...". True, I almost broke my head while reading it, but this is a good book.

What photography equipment do you use, can you recommend a basic kit for a beginner photographer?

My photographic equipment is a little old in terms of "carcass" - Canon 20D. However, it suits me quite well - after all, high-quality optics have a much greater role, from my point of view. A good lens can cost several times more than the most expensive body. In my set of lenses, only the tele- is missing. Well, I don’t have a fish-eye, though wide angle lens there is.

Although in recent times I shoot more and more with the BronicaSQ-A medium format film camera, and I only have one 80mm lens for it.

For a novice photographer, I would still recommend a semi-professional camera with interchangeable lenses, and two lenses in addition, for example, a 50mm portrait lens, without “zoom”, but with a low aperture value (1:1.2 or 1:1.4) and the second one is wide-angle.

And what does “portrait” and “wide-angle” lens mean? Explain these concepts. Roughly speaking, why is one lens portrait and the other not, and what do the lens specifications in millimeters mean?

Without going into technical details: the higher the focal length (in millimeters), the sharper angle your review. From theoretical 180° fisheye to 5° super telephoto.

Naturally, the wider we want to make the viewing angle, the more we need to “step back”, i.e. reduce focal length. And vice versa, the more we want to peer into something, the higher the focal length we need.

A lens with low focal lengths (10-20mm) is considered wide-angle. Because with such values ​​of the focal length, the viewing angle is wide. At high focal lengths (200-300mm), the viewing angle is small - 12 ° -10 ° ...

There is a small caveat: most budget DSLRs without full-size sensors (matrices) use a 1.5x (Nikon) or 1.6 (Canon) lens magnification. Those. when you set your lens to 50mm, the focal length will be 80mm for Canon and 75mm for Nikon.

At what point do you think a person can say yes, I'm a professional and move into commercial photography?

As soon as he is confident in his abilities and ready to do it. I met "wedding" photographers in decent places who shoot almost on a soap box. But they, in fact, are considered professional photographers.

The question is whether you want to make photography solely a source of cash income, or still care a little about how good a product comes out from under your pen.

In fact, professional photography today is a very conventional concept. Personally, I lack only a spare digital camera to call myself a professional. Although no, I already have a spare - the main one is not enough!

Many novice photographers, in the absence of a studio, roam the forests and steppes, photographing models without fail against the backdrop of ruins, brutal dumps, industrial plants. Then, of course, black and white pictures are taken. At the same time, photographs are often obtained in the style of “everything is not easy here”. Do you think it the only way to add some drama and a touch of “not a simple photo”?

Even a shot in a landfill can be presented in such a way that it will cause a strong emotional resonance. I believe that just those people who go to the fields and ruins are more likely to find a good subject for a shot. And even more likely are people who go to the same places without their models, but find them on the ground.

What does he say black and white photography, and about what color? What does the photographer want to show in photography when he makes the same frame in color and black and white?

When the author takes the same frame in color and black and white and exposes both to the public, this indicates that this person is not confident in himself as a photographer. Sometimes during processing, you may notice that b/w looks better and works in b/w, but you only need to publish one version. (I just realized that sometimes I myself make a frame in both color and black and white). Color and its absence are nothing more than a tool.

What should people look out for when looking for a professional photographer?

If the photographer is going to be photographing you or your wedding, I would advise you to find a person with whom you are psychologically compatible, able to feel comfortable in his presence. Either way, whether he's shooting you, your product, or something else, it's worth taking a look at his previous work.

Well, classic. Many photographers face the dilemma of Canon or Nikon. How to be?

Personally, I would like to try Nikon. I would just like to compare and finally decide which camp I belong to. So far, I've been shooting with Canon all the time, so objective evaluation I can't give. There are suspicions that Nikon is better.

Thank you very much for the interesting conversation!

This is the most banal story. I studied at the institute, began to study photography, and it fascinated me so much that I became not an economist, as I planned, but a professional photographer. In 2007, I took part in a wedding photo contest in Kazan and won it, by that time I had been shooting weddings for only a year. The victory in the competition turned out to be most welcome, because after that wedding agencies began to actively invite me.

Do you remember your first wedding?

Friends invited me. It was a completely standard wedding in the suburbs of Kazan, with a traditional ransom, a trip around the city and a visit to Eternal fire. But it impressed me because it was something completely new to me. Wanted to shoot more.

What is your favorite moment of the shooting day?

I used to like to shoot a photo shoot on a walk, but now, probably, there is no one favorite moment. I like the morning of the bride, when we start shooting interesting portraits and reportage at the same time: the bride’s breakfast, chatting with friends. I really like the time after registration, because the newlyweds are already relaxed, they are not in a hurry, and sometimes you can take as many good photos in half an hour as before registration and you won’t succeed in two hours. I like to shoot at sunset, because the light is very beautiful, but unfortunately it rarely works out. What else? Many photographers do not like to shoot a banquet. I like this. Because at the banquet people are open, they dance, communicate, smile, funny situations arise and emotions are shown. And if the banquet is made in the format of a buffet table on the street, this is generally cool.

Most memorable wedding?

Once I filmed a wedding in Istanbul on the shores of the Bosphorus. The organizers have chosen a beautiful mansion with a large terrace and sea views. There were few guests, only the closest people, the wedding was remembered for its successful location and sincere warm atmosphere. I used to be surprised by large-scale rich weddings, but when you shoot a lot of them, you notice that they are all somewhat similar to each other. At small weddings, there are more emotions, a sincere, friendly atmosphere arises, and such weddings are often more interesting to shoot.

How has wedding photography evolved in recent years?

Not only photography has evolved, but the weddings themselves. A culture of organizing and holding a wedding day has appeared, many agencies have opened that organize beautiful weddings. There was a strong jump, perhaps, from 2008 to 2013. At first, all the organizers copied European and American weddings, so the fine art style came into fashion among photographers, it turned out cute, but pretty much the same - everyone has the same thing. Now, in my opinion, many people are already leaving fineart. Previously, they took someone's idea and tried to repeat it, but now the stage of copying has passed, and people are trying to come up with something of their own, new, some interesting formats. Wedding preparation has become more individual, the organizers communicate with the couple and offer ideas specifically for each story.

How do you build your portfolio?

I don't have a portfolio online. New customers see the work of my clients - in albums, social networks. Usually, when we talk on the phone for the first time with the guys, I find out what kind of wedding they are planning, and I bring photo books or series to the meeting that are similar in format to what they would like to get in the end so that they can imagine how it will be . I have noticed that a personal recommendation works 100 percent better than just a portfolio. Very often I am approached by friends of those to whom I have already photographed a wedding, or some kind of family story.

Now is the time of digital technologies, at the same time, there is a feeling that photobooks are becoming more and more popular?

It seems to me that the finished product at a wedding is precisely a photo book. It is much more pleasant to pick up a book than to look at a photo on a monitor. The photographs in the book are arranged in right order, on the right scale, it's like watching a movie, a story unfolds in front of you, a holistic image appears, and just like in a book, in 5-10 minutes you can watch and fully see the entire wedding. I already have clients who once a year, and sometimes twice, order photobooks about family life. Some of them already have more than 10 books. And such a library most often begins with wedding photography.

What is inherent in your wedding photography?

Classic style, natural poses. It seems to me that wedding photography is first and foremost a craft. People want to see themselves in the photo beautiful and happy, they want to look better than in ordinary life. And a professional should be able to take such photos. And the implementation of some of your creative ideas is already like a cherry on the cake. But first of all, the “cake” itself)

Most unusual wedding venue?

I really remember the wedding, during which the newlyweds flew to the place of registration on a seaplane. We made photo shoots both from the takeoff and from the landing site. The Kazanka River passes through Kazan, and the Riviera Hotel is located on the shore in the city center, and at this hotel the hydroplane landed on the water, and after that the registration took place right on the pier. And once I shot a couple on the square near the Kremlin. This is the most accordion place in Kazan. The problem with this area is that there is always a crowd of people. And we took a picture, I don’t remember anymore - either before the rain, or immediately after the rain, when the square was empty, and this place, well known to everyone, looked very unusual.

How can future newlyweds not make a mistake in choosing and find their wedding photographer?

We need to meet. Choose first 5-10 photographers whose photos you like, then call, chat, choose three photographers, and meet in person. See which of them you are interested in and comfortable with. The fact is that now most wedding photographers shoot well, but at the same time, a person can be a cool professional, but if you are not comfortable with him, then the photos will not work. Because in the process of shooting, the relationship between the photographer and the people he shoots is very important. Nothing will work without this.

You yourself recently got married, was this experience useful for you as a wedding photographer?

For a wedding photographer, it's really important to experience your own wedding. Because, being “on the other side of the camera”, you begin to understand the feelings of brides and grooms. For example, like all people, I love nice photos but I don't like taking pictures. The process itself, when I am photographed, is very difficult for me, and on the wedding day I felt how much the groom does not want to pose, it is much more interesting to just have fun, communicate with people. And there are many such moments that I felt from the inside. Therefore, now I try not to strain the newlyweds, so that they are comfortable, so that they enjoy what is happening. If I see, for example, that the guys are tired, we will go with them for a walk somewhere, if the weather is uncomfortable, I will not torment them on the street. Over time, you become more “human-oriented”. And your wedding helps to come to this. Now I do a little staged photography, mostly a reportage. But in this case, it is important that the day is organized in an interesting way, because if you are shooting a reportage, you need something to shoot.

What will you do if it rains heavily on your wedding day?

Let's go to the studio or some new hotel, to places where you can comfortably shoot. But if the guys are young and groovy, and the registration has already passed, you can take pictures in the downpour. =) One day after registration it started raining, we were filming almost in a gale, and we got interesting shots with an umbrella. The guys were cheerful, open, it was cool. But the situations are different, and if a person feels insecure in the rain, why drag him there? In fact, shooting in the rain is not always interesting, I like the time when the rain has just ended and the sun comes out. This - perfect time for photography, everything is reflected, colors come to life, against the background of a dark sky appears bright light. I have had several of these shots.

Weddings are very cinematic, do you have a favorite director?

I have a favorite carrier. This is Emmanuel Lubezki. He often takes off very close range wide angle. Sometimes I try to shoot weddings like this myself. Not everyone is comfortable when you shoot so close, large portraits - literally from 30 centimeters, but the result is worth it, there is a feeling of presence, a feeling that you yourself are close to what is happening. There are very interesting work masters of the older generation, for example, the 1964 film by Mikhail Kalatozov “I am Cuba”, I advise all my fellow photographers and cameramen to watch it.

What technique do you use, your favorite camera and lens?

I have been shooting with Fujifilm cameras for five years now. Three years ago I became a Fujifilm Ambassador, Official X Photographer, and since then I have only shot with mirrorless cameras. I have two cameras: X-T2 and Pro-2. The first one usually has a 56mm lens, and the second one has a 23mm lens. My favorite lens is Fujifilm XF 56/1.2, it has just a magical picture, you get three-dimensional portraits, and due to the fact that the aperture is 1.2, you can shoot almost in the dark. And the Fujifilm XF 23/1.4 is a lens with a comfortable focal length, at which you can shoot reportage, portraits, and details. When I travel, I also take Fujifilm XF 55-200 mm lenses, this is a very convenient compact zoom telephoto lens, and Fujifilm XF10-24 mm is an ultra-wide-angle lens with a stabilizer, I shoot not only photos, but also video with it.

How did you become a Fujifilm Ambassador?

I shot and posted photos on social networks with the #FujifilmRu hashtag, and they noticed me. And on the eve of this year, my photo was selected for the Fujifilm calendar World Landscapes by X-photographers, which is released annually by Fujifilm. There are only seven photos in it, and one of them is mine. I took it in Armenia when we organized a photo tour for our photography school in 2015.

Tell us how you opened the Samoilov Photo School.

It all started with photocrosses - these are competitions for photographers, you need to complete the task in a set period of time, while whoever scores the most points wins. At first, I myself participated in such photocrosses, and even won one all-Russian one. Then we hosted them in Kazan. And in 2008, in such a photocross, more than 300 participants unexpectedly gathered. Photography was still not so popular at that time, and there was nowhere to study photography. And people began to ask en masse - teach me how to take pictures. My friends and I gathered the first group, and what we know, we told, people liked it. Now we are training from scratch, when a person just bought a camera, we are at the maximum a short time give basic necessary knowledge, and then you can go to specialized courses - wedding, studio, portrait photography. We now have an unusual and interesting project - this is an annual closed club of photographers, training is underway all year round. There is both an offline part and an online part. During the year a person communicates with different photographers, attends lectures, and does homework. When you learn something new every month, you want to shoot, put it into practice. And in a year you get a big leap forward. I think this format is very successful for us and gives the maximum result for students.

I would advise you to definitely conduct a rehearsal of the exit registration. Because those who hold a wedding without a rehearsal have a lot of hitches. Someone went too fast, someone too slowly, they didn’t stand up like that, they didn’t turn around like that. The day before registration, it is better to rehearse all this, and you will be much easier and calmer on your wedding day. The father of the bride, as a rule, is very worried and can get up so that he will cover the picture with his back to cameramen, photographers, and guests. Therefore, it is better to rehearse all this in order to understand how fast to go, where to stop, so that good shots, and on the day of the wedding do not bathe about it.

Have you experienced situations where something went wrong?

This happens quite often at weddings. Once, three minutes before registration, it turned out that the groom forgot his rings at home. Parents rushed after them, registration was postponed for half an hour, but the bride was not told anything so that she would not be upset. She never knew real reason delays. Another time, it was in 2007, we were shooting in a park, and then it was fashionable to photograph a bride in a jump. Our bride jumped ... and at that moment her ring flew off. Before the wedding, she really wanted to lose weight, tried her best, and in the end, the ring became too big for her, and therefore, in fact, flew off. All the guests rushed to look for the ring in the grass, literally pulled the grass out of the lawn with their hands) This went on for about 20 minutes until my assistant found the ring. In general, we “mowed” the lawn well there)

A proposal is a moment that a bride will remember for a lifetime, perhaps there are stories that stand out from others?

I even sometimes film the moment of the proposal. Kazan has very good agency GetLoud. Together with the groom, they came up with an interesting concept. He invited the bride to the park, for a walk, and at some point the piano suddenly sounded in the bushes. Then they came to a place where a table was laid under the trees, for the bride it was an absolute surprise - romantic dinner in the park. During dinner, a violin sounded, and the groom proposed. And I filmed this historical moment from afar, on a TV set, so that my presence would not be noticeable. And after he proposed, I came closer and we did a little photo shoot. Another unusual proposal that I remember, the groom also organized in nature, but I had to fly helicopters to the site. The groom chose a place on a mountain with a very beautiful view of the Volga, 140 kilometers from Kazan. On one helicopter, we took off in advance with decorators to decorate the site. The groom invited the bride to a picnic, said that he knew a cool place, and after us they also flew there by helicopter. He hid the ring in a book; a special slot was made there so that it would not be immediately noticeable. The bride received a book as a gift, opened it and saw a ring. A very romantic and unusual proposal, in my opinion. The only thing is that I won’t be able to show photos of these episodes, because that’s how we agreed with the guys. For them, these are very personal moments.

Hello, dear readers of the blog Now the blog will have a new section - an interview, which will publish conversations with various interesting photographers. And today I would like to tell you about a wonderful photographer Vladimir Zotov. I already wrote about him - he shared a secret - how to shoot a portrait with lights. So let's go - the interview itself:

Hi Vladimir, my name is Anton. Please tell us a little about yourself.

Live in Nizhny Novgorod. It's so big and beautiful city on the Volga. Graduated from the best university in the world - foreign languages, but did not work in his specialty, because he was carried away by "drawing" in various graphic editors of two and three dimensions. About four years ago I bought my first miracle camera. As I remember now - Samsung L73:))) (they won't consider this an advertisement, right?) Well, it somehow happened that photography began to fit into the list of my hobbies and stood approximately on a par even with football. :)

Well, you're a little ahead of mine next question- How did you get into photography?

When I got interested in photography, the first thing I did was register on a well-known photo resource to see what kind of photos there are. I had seen enough, read literature on composition and exposure, involved my beloved wife in this business (so that she would not swear that I was disappearing somewhere, but disappearing with me) and began to try to repeat the photographs he saw and liked.

After some time, my good friend and we decided to buy the first "reflex camera". It was Sonya. Well, then off we go: lenses, tripods, rented premises, lights, strip boxes, some projects. A sea of ​​practice and communication on photo resources gave very noticeable "level-ups" ... And soon photography turned from a hobby into a job. Which I am very happy about.

I know that you are working in the studio now. What do you use for studio shooting? How did you get the idea to open a studio?

Yes, I work in the "100%ART" design and photography studio. (I will take this opportunity to advertise my own studio). By the way, thanks to modern miracle technologies, you can even take a tour of the entire studio (except for the office, there are a lot of secret documents in it and see the photo and video portfolio on our website. In our city great amount photo studios and the idea of ​​opening a new one was that it would be the only studio in the city with the possibility of aqua photography. Today, that is how it is.

So far I am the only photographer in the studio, but in a year and a half we have already managed to achieve a lot, acquire excellent equipment, gain the trust of many customers (pah-pah-pah) and we plan to expand and open new projects.

As for the equipment on which I shoot - after the same soap box from Samsung, I switched to ultrazoom from Olympus. Interesting, of course, but not serious. :) Then the era began sony alpha- a100 > a200 > a350... After a few links, I nevertheless jumped over and now I have one of the flagships of the line - great and terrible a850. True, this is my home camera and therefore the set of lenses for it is quite modest, since some special challenging tasks he doesn't have to decide. Fifty f1.4; 28-75 f2.8; 75-300 f3.5-5.6; 105 2.8. "Elek" (Sony calls it the Z-series) is not among them.

Sometimes I shoot on film. Why and for what is a long question, I will only say that I have a Zenith and an Olympus OM1. There is also a very interesting Yashica at work, but the opportunity to shoot it has not yet been provided. At work I use systems Canon and Hasselblad. Workhorse of course 5D MkII. And his more modern little brother 7D. Here the fleet of lenses is already more serious. All with "red stripes", because if you want high-quality pictures, then first of all - these are high-quality lenses. I will not enumerate, but focal lengths from 16 to 200 are completely covered. Favorite, perhaps, "white" 70-200 f2.8 2USM very tenacious and fast.

Not very reliable and high-quality monoblocks of one well-known brand were supplanted by two Broncolor Verso A4 generators



An impressive "lens park", as you say. You mentioned the Hasselblade among studio equipment, (someone buys a mazda6 for themselves, and someone buys such cameras), I always dreamed of shooting with it, tell us your impressions of working with it.


Yes, there is one. Hasselblad H4D-60 to be precise. This is studio equipment, if I may say so about it. What can I say .. He is beautiful. Although, when it fell into my hands, the first thing I was convinced that it was just a camera. And more or less straight arms should also be attached to it ... Unfortunately. :))

Briefly, he:
+ has a very large and bright viewfinder
+ unusual and interesting "frame window"
+ great detail
+ very high-quality optics, after which the "elks" seem to be "soap".
+ very useful function "true phoсus"...
but
- heavy and not very ergonomic
- slow autofocus ... Such an impressive one. :)
- rate of fire about one and a half frames per second in total
- a very deceptive display - you can only view pictures normally on a connected computer ...

To summarize, it is, of course, not for wedding reports, but for such highly detailed scenes, we simply cannot replace it.

And then the photos obtained from it can be printed to such sizes.

And yes, I do love him. He seems to be from a fairy tale or from the past :) And I still have a hundred years to work with him in order to use his full potential.


I like your work, it feels like it was shot with a mood. Where do you get inspiration from?



What genres do you shoot?


Mostly, it is a genre of fashion and beauty. I love taking portraits of interesting people. Even more I love "fabulous" photos that are transferred to some other place and time...

Do you think you have your own style?

I thought a couple of times that any photographer should probably have their own style, but like a fool I still don’t know if I have it ... But then I got confused and forgot that I need to to think about it. Sometimes they write to me that they like my style. Apparently there is some.

Do you think it's worth sharing your best practices and shooting secrets with other photographers?


I'm sure it's worth it! And I always do this when someone asks me. I also turned several times for advice or with some stupid question to photographers I respected and always received an exhaustive answer. And in general, I was brought up on the fact that people need to help.


All photographers should take an example from you =)How much do you process photos, what editors do you use?


It all depends on the idea and the source. For various reasons, it is not always possible to shoot the way it should be removed, and some things remain at the mercy of Photoshop. Since I often shoot on film, sometimes digital photos I try to process in the film spirit. They say that you can't disguise a figure as a film, of course ... But sometimes, it seems, it turns out.


In any case, I always try to hide the influence of processing in the picture as much as possible and therefore spend more time on shooting usually achieving one effect or another. Thank God, I have two wonderful assistants in my studio who are fluent in graphic editors. I wouldn't have managed without them. There is nothing unusual in the set of editors: Lightroom 3 and Photoshop 5 for canon and sony; Phocus and Photoshop 5 for Hassel. Of course, everything is licensed.

Yes, sometimes it takes me more time to process a photo than to shoot. What do you consider your most successful and favorite photographs?


As Imogen Cunningham said, "What's my favorite photograph? The one I'll take tomorrow!" I remember this saying because it is very clear to me.


Who is a professional photographer, what do you think?


A professional photographer is someone who gets the job done time after time. He just takes responsibility and shoots the right way. Sometimes even better than it should be. And even if he is wrong, no one but him understands this. I assisted other photographers (good and not so good) several times on the set and I know for sure that until you pick up the camera yourself, it seems to you that everything is very simple.


All you need to do is this and this. But people who have never been responsible for the result of shooting themselves cannot understand how difficult it really is, and take a good result for granted. Here is a professional photographer, this is the photographer whose work is taken for granted.


Can you call yourself a professional photographer?


It's easy to name it :) But it's not for me to decide whether this is really so.

Now more and more people are interested in photography. You can easily buy a SLR entry level and say - that's it, I'm a photographer! (which I did)) As a result, the photographic market is oversaturated. How did it affect you? How do you feel about competition?


The competition hasn't really bothered me yet. I think that in wedding photography, for example, this is a serious topic, but in the area where I work, there are enough customers to keep you from getting bored. The main thing is to put all your strength and knowledge into each project so as not to disappoint customers, then they will not go anywhere. At least until there are fewer of them than photographers. :)


Although, it should be noted that often not very skillful photographers resort to dumping (lowering prices) in order to attract customers, and as a result they give out not very high-quality pictures ... And sometimes outright trash, what can I say ... But I can't say it makes me sad. Recently I heard somewhere such a suitable phrase: "The more people like them, the more valuable people like me." Pathetic? :) Maybe a little bit

Do you have any idols in photography?


No. But there are a lot of photographers that I'm interested in watching. Fortunately, many of them regularly update their LiveJournal. If names are needed, I will name a few: Oleg Tityaev, Igor Sakharov,Ruslan Lobanov, Alexander Zhadan...


Of the ones you listed, I know only Tityaev Oleg and Igor Sakharov, I will broaden my horizons)) What are your other hobbies besides photography?


Football. I play in the city mini-football championship. Well, perhaps I'll add 3D graphics to this not very long list of my hobbies.


What advice can you give to aspiring photographers and our readers?


Visit "live" photo resources. Listen more and ask questions, and talk less and criticize others. Criticize yourself more. And shoot-shoot-shoot ... Yes, and more ... Do not immediately plunge into HDR! :))) The time will come and you will understand when you need it.


As a rule, all novice photographers are concerned about the question - how much does the quality of photographs depend on technology? Do I need to immediately take an expensive camera and a bunch of lenses for it?


Quality, of course, depends on technology. But technology alone does not solve anything. The hackneyed phrase "It's not the camera that takes pictures - the photographer takes pictures" and the old joke about "expensive pots" are very true. Of course, it is better to immediately acquire all the most expensive and start learning how to shoot using this equipment. But not many people can afford it. Although, it should be noted that now very good cameras are quite affordable and complaining that “you can’t shoot anything good for a camera for 15 thousand” is nonsense. If you can’t shoot with one of these, then top-end cameras will upset you even more - there are more buttons. :)


It all depends on the purpose for which you bought a camera. The average kit (the basic lens that comes with the camera) works pretty well at aperture 8. But if you have only kit on hand, then, of course, you won’t be able to do much. And what you can't - you really want to usually. :) This is where the irresistible desire to buy more and more new lenses and other gadgets appears. I once solved this problem with old non-autofocus lenses. Yes and still Minolta Celtik 135mm f2.8 for one and a half thousand rubles is in great demand among me in home shootings.))

So it is quite possible to do without serious investments at first. And then it will become clear which lenses are needed for normal operation. And if we talk about lighting equipment, then it generally takes a lot of time and a lot of experience to understand what is the difference in light quality between expensive and cheap "lamps". Another thing is that expensive ones are more convenient and reliable ...


At first, I also solved the problem of the lack of good lenses - I shot on the Soviet Jupiter 37a and Helios)) And I like how Jupiter draws even now.

What literature would you recommend to read and look at sites? I "found" you on 500px.com so I recommend this site to everyone, it has a lot of great photographers and great photos!


I find it difficult to answer this question. I read all the time some excerpts, articles, reviews, blogs. But somehow disjointed. My reference book about photography is only "Portrait" a series "Best Photographers in the World". Sometimes I take it to soak up the coolness that emanates from these people and their works and stories.


We didn’t even get an interview, but a whole conversation =) Thank you for your time and interesting answers!

Thank you for your attention to my humble person! I hope the readers found it as interesting as it was for me. Well, as I already said - if someone has any questions or suggestions - write to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or you can email me at