The last time I visited Crimea in 2010. It was the famous settlement called Koktebel. And the last time I had a vacation was two years ago when I took rest at Turkish Mediterranean seashore. So, with the onset of September, me and my wife (an artist and a designer Polina Kudelkina) strongly decided that we need a sea. For the number of reasons, we couldn’t go abroad. Therefore, we turned our eyes on Crimea peninsula again. But this time, after long and careful study of tourist reviews, map and photos, my spouse chosen Novyi Svit settlement. And now, with all my seriousness and responsibility, I can say that this place is one of the most beautiful nooks of nature I’ve ever seen! I’ll start with the fact that if you stand facing towards the sea, almost from any place in the settlement, you will see The Falcon mountain to the left of you. This mountain conquered me once and forever! To my mind, it is the most picturesque mountain I faced in my life. Of course, someone can say: “Quite an ordinary rock. Nothing special”. But as for me, I was completely charmed with her: the shape of her peak; the fact that it absolutely free from any vegetation, although the mountain’s foot has lots of different trees and bushes; the rock texture (especially, in morning and at sunset when sun rays touch it with the sharp angle emphasizing all its roughness); the mountain’s height (374 meters above the sea made her as twice as taller than the rest mountains around); finally, the name itself (it doesn’t connect to the mountain’s shape, it’s just because of many birds of prey living there, especially falcons). Another thing I like is that Novyi Svit surrounded with mountains and hills quite tall to stop low clouds. I guess there couldn’t be such a hopeless and gray cloudiness as in Saint-Petersburg in fall. That’s why for the seven days of our eight-day leave there was completely clear sky. However, by the second day I realized that it’s good for me as for a person hungry for the heat and the sun. But for me as a photographer, that’s a little bit annoying thing, because only the mentioned solid, gray and low flying mass of clouds looks more dull on photographs than clean sky. Therefore, I had to seek something spectacular, something really special in order to get interesting landscape images. Nevertheless, for the first two days, we just climbed to the hills and rocks in full admiration and I remembered what and where I want to shoot. Only on the third day,...
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What do I mean by this title? The fact that a photographer is not an artist who makes on his canvas the unreal world or the world quite far from the reality. Photographer is not also a magician who can change the reality itself. The photographer only captures the reality. Yes, a good specialist in photography can embellish it. To remove on a photo a wire protruding from the wall, for a example. Or to correct the curved curtain, or to shade in the smoke detector which looks not aesthetically pleasing, or to correct the colors at all and so on. But photographer can’t make the image of your building ideally clean from the extra items in case he have to photograph the facade, entirely crowded with, say, the parked cars. (The photo below as an example made not by me). Of course, even in this case he can fill up the cars with the pieces of facade and asphalt. But believe me: it will be looking blatantly unnatural and terribly ugly. Even if only because it’s unreal to make it the way not only the asphalt in front will look naturally darker than under the lights, but also the road at all will keep its geometrical and textural perspective. Yes, such a trick can also be done in theory, but it still won’t be looking completely natural. Moreover, no photographer will not spend the whole working day just for retouching a single photo. Well, only if you as a customer agree to pay him for this day separately, beyond the main order. That means you will pay for this single photo several times as much as for the whole rest images. And you will get a photo still far from the ideal! As they say: not worth powder and shot. In a word, I just want to say that if you heard from someone the thing like “The Photoshop makes wonders!” – do not take it too literally. This program hasn’t the magic button called “correct everything”. The quality image processing in it is a painstaking work demanding patience, experience and knowledge. I can say the one thing which is trivial and obvious for someone but probably unexpected for many others: absolutely any human activity making on the highly professional level is the serious labor and many years of studying. No matter what exactly this activity is be it the bridge design, biathlon, surgery or juggling with burning torches on monocycle. (This photo below made by...
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On the edge of the twentieth and our centuries, there was not only a rapid development of computers, soft and digital photographic equipment but also one more important process: all mentioned technologies were becoming more and more affordable to the widest range of people. Simply put, hardware was becoming faster, soft – more powerful, digital cameras – more perfect and, at the same time, all this were becoming easier and cheaper for a customer. If in the early nineties photography was a laborious and difficult process for the chosen enthusiasts, now, after a little bit more than twenty years, almost every person has a camera (I can even say “every person” if include cameras in smartphones). Moreover, from a purely technical point of view, our modern cameras can take higher quality images comparing to the best photos of the film era. So why the world is not filled with photographic masterpieces? Why photos we bring from the most picturesque places visited during vacation do not arouse our friends the same overflowing enthusiasm as we do? The answer is very simple and I can put it in just five words: Because of photography, brain and eye. I am sure you didn’t understand what it means. But this is only because I deliberately turned my answer in Suprematism in order to intrigue you. 🙂 And now, when you are really interested in it, I will make myself clear with pleasure. 1. Reality and photography What photography is? You say the portraying of a three-dimensional world on a plane. Absolutely right. And what the beautiful landscape photography is? Certainly, most will converge on that it is a harmonious combination of elements of a captivating place. I agree again. And what is this captivating place in reality? Perhaps all that can be captured in a photo. But not only. When you are in some beautiful place, say, on the seashore at sunset, you’re not only seeing a sea, a beach, rocks, sky and almost red Sun. You’re also hearing gulls and the sound of the surf. You’re feeling a light breeze and warm sunshine on your skin. Finally, you’re feeling the sea and plants odours and maybe even the coming from the nearby cafe smell of freshly prepared fish, baked-on coals of fruit trees. And how can you portray all these things in a photo? That’s right: you can’t. And when back home you show your photos on the screen to your friends you unconsciously remember all the gamut of emotions which you experienced at the moment. The gamut caused by a view, sounds, aromas and tactile sensations. And if there was also...
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I’m glad to present you my new album of interior photography. At this time, it’s the Mikhailovsky (Engineer’s) castle in Saint-Petersburg (Russia). Apart from the fact that the museum’s halls are very beautiful itself, I also have tried a slightly different way of adding sharpness to the image comparing to how I did it before. As you can see for yourself the photographs are look perfectly 🙂 – Mikhailovsky...
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For those 8 months since I’ve quit from my job and became a self-employed photographer (most of all, interior photographer), that means I don’t spray myself for any other activities besides of photography – since then, I face very often with the fact that every person makes his own sense in the meaning of quality photography. No, I don’t mind at all that all the people are different and everyone has own possibilities (first of all, financial one), every person earns his money the way he can, and so on, and on, etc. But… how could I put it mildly? I am dejected by the very low bar of inquiries from the vast majority of potential customers and, at the same time, blatant illiteracy of so many competitors. I will explain. Nobody doubts that advertisement is the engine of the trade. In the case of real estate, restaurants, hotels, bars, cafes, country clubs, camp sites and others, i.e. all those who meet clients with the interiors – obviously that interior photography is that “locomotive of the trade”. The same about construction companies, real estate agencies, and ordinary people who decided to rent or sell their apartments. So, why most of them are satisfied with frankly lousy pictures? Photos made with a phone, with falling verticals and angled horizon, with unpleasant yellowish, greenish or violet shades of artificial light? For instance, nobody will appear on business meeting dressed in a crumpled, dirty and foul-smelling suit even it has a Hugo Boss label! Honestly, I’m at a loss! Now, about the competitors. A huge bunch of them appeared lately. The proudly screaming on their websites that you’re really lucky to meet them because only they can make high quality photos of your property. They’re a team of real professionals! Moreover, they are quite earnestly (and right I should admit) describing all the cons of your own attempts of interior photography and the pros of referring to a specialist. But the problem is that they have images in their portfolio that I can only call as a frank hackwork. Especially considering the money their customers pay them. (By the way, one of them is the very respectable hotel in the center of Saint-Petersburg! But be quiet, do not tell anyone! 🙂 ). I don’t mean that I’m a mentor who wants to teach anyone, no. I’m just a conscientious and responsible professional interior photographer, in love with his work. Michael Bulgakov wrote great words: “My dear heart, that is nonsense! Second freshness – that’s what is nonsense! There is only one freshness – the first – and it also the last. And...
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