Copyright
Hi! I do rite a lot about photography or about myself in context of photography but in Russian. Maybe I should try to write in English as well. Sorry in advance for all mistakes! I worked as a guide before photography, but my writing English never was good and I had no practice for a long time. After my deactivation accident I thought I should communicate more with DA society. When it happened I thought nobody would really notice it .Not because I was so frustrated, but you know nowadays we have so many connections with all the social nets and artists sites. It might sound selfish but I'm afraid I wouldn't notice one of my fellows going away.
Maybe I am just too busy (or pretending to be) with making new sets to give time and attention. You know my friends are getting married and divorced and sometimes I didn’t notice it! Again, not because I am actually doesn't have time, just because my ideas of private space are a little bit too strict. But on my own experience I understood that all this modern technologies needs a human heart to work so maybe my photo experience can be somehow transferred and be useful.
It's hard for me to separate my work experience from my life, because strangely for me photography is my life, either it might sound pathetic. I never liked people who are too much into profession, sport or business; mostly they are boring and can talk only about their passion and let’s say about themselves.
Looks like I am one of those guys, at least I hope I am more or less versatile in conversations, but when I talk about photography I talk about myself and when I talk about myself-it’s about photography.
I always loved photography but never thought it will be that big for me.
When I was a kid I had a camera and processed films in dark room, and yes I am that old. I miss this days, either I am a fan of digital revolution, but there is really some magic in seeing your work slowly appearing on paper, so I know what this old jerks mean when they talk about generation of button pushers.
Sure I wouldn't advise to work with film, if you are not a big( and rich) fan of it, but my advice is to imagine, that you have 70-100 frames only, and each will cost some money. It really brings better cropping and more well exposed pics.
Since 18 I worked as a guide in my city. Met a lot of fantastic people and got unique opportunity to talk with top business art and political. The good and the bad thing about photography is that you need a little bit of everything, if you don’t make money by it you‘ll never meet challenges that can improve you as an artist, if you don’t know world culture- you suck, and if you can’t communicate to people mad disorganized people in extremely stressful situation –you wouldn’t be able to be a wedding.
So my advice, if I really can give some, is to be more social. I hate anti-social artists, they can be extremely talented but one sided.
If you don’t have a chance to meet ministers, gallery owners and evil Goldman Sachs top managers (they knew!)- read more. I know reading is not big now, I myself can hardly read a book now, but at least try
[link] and go to nearest art museum-those Renessans Italians were the light.
The main lesson I got from guiding experience is how to be patient. It’s a big topic but believes and remember that all clients and even professional models going through self-confidence crisis on a photoset.
And sometimes you’ll have to work with people who had completely different views on life, maybe aggressive or believe that photography is girlishly-gay thing. But what can you do if skin heads and criminals are so cute? So after you imagine that you work with film and not digital add a feeling that model can cut your throat-it’s a good motivation to take every model or client serious.
After 5 or 6 years of guiding I had clients from Norway, journalists who asked me to organize a photographer for there magazine. I offered myself, rented a good digital camera and had a really good set-one of the best I did, with perfect rainy weather, old soviet car and my friends who had to pretend to be a “gold youth” of new Russia. It really turned out good and I thought why not to go into it more? I was a little bit fed up with all this aged and wise people who anyway new much more than me about my city and arts.
It was a beginning of social nests time, we got our Russian version of facebook called vkontakte.ru . Peaty, because it grow so big that now we are like on island separated from facebook and the world. So at the beginning I was offering my work for free, didn’t’ know anything about working in studio and had cheap (hay it wasn’t that chip those days! ) canon D400. I had camera classes thousand years ago, was it in Soviet Union? Now I think I was too young when SU collapsed, anyway before digital. When you starting, be frank and don’t charge people, not even a penny. I think you should pay them, but if they are agreeing to be lab rabbits, and you give them all photos it might work. You’ll “murder” first 10-15 models, but it is an experience. Think of yourself as a doctor who is really curies about people organs and got a dozen of duty free prisoners from dungeon. Cut them but remember every photographer got his own photo “cemetery“.
Then the photoshop came in. I studied it the most boring way-read a huge book. What can be more boring than a book about computer program? But youtube videos will never replace a Photoshop book, with video you just learn some tricks, and will never understand what you do. And most important thing about understanding photo editors-try to use them less. Forget all this awful filters! Just don’t! Correct your mistakes and save it. The good thing about working for free is that you really can experiment with back light, reflections, crop and angles. I did some really cool works at the beginning and I am not brave enough to do such great shit now.
After I did sets with some girls, and girls are the worst object to photograph for me but реу best as fans followers and related customers I had a set with a guy, boyfriend of one of them. Was a very silent guy, good looking but he asked me to do a photo with a tiger face on his. Really want my cup of tea, but I did
[link] .I know I know, its awful, but lets say next day I was flooded with requests to to a set from cute guys, he turned to be a champion of Europe in sambo, a kind of wrestling sport, and his students and fans wanted to be photographed by me. I never belived in such marketing strategy, but it worked with a world champ in bodybuilding and one very expensive prostitute, so a scientifically proved move, take it and use.
There must be an accessible local star, that actually dosn’t know that he is a hero for some kids and needs your help in publicity. But don’t take rock and emo groups they will never become popular and too skinny.
Would love to continue, rather I’am not sure that many people would be able to overcome this graphomaniac text, but need to go for a wedding set. It’s – 21 C outside! but I really want to make some money for spring trips.
Any questions?
Artistic 
Joy 
Love 
Winter Downs 
Pride 
Optimism 
Screwed 
Add Media
Style