interview for Elegy # 58 (France / feb-mar 2009)

By Alyz Tale

How and when did you start photography?
in autumn 2001 I started as a model. One evening my girlfriend (she was a Nu model) brought me to a studio, to get acquainted - to watch the process, and then have some pictures taken of me. At the next art-photo sessions I understood that I found something very important for me. I understood that I would continue to model, and after a while I was confident that when I buy my own camera and start to take my own pictures that it would work! I couldn’t wait to try it out. In my head I had a mountain of ideas piling up... After a year, in the fall of 2002, I finally went with my photographer-friend to a small shop to buy my first digital camera.

Do you still model today?
Rarely, because a few photographers with whom i worked most of all some years ago now are not shooting any more for different reasons. At this moment of life I have a friend - young art photographer Maria Gloredel (Russia / Moscow) and sometimes when we have mutual mood for making something I model for her solo or with her other models. Sometimes I make self portraits.

Your pictures look like movies, like dark tales. Would you say that you tell a story when you take a picture?
I shoot according to a prepared script, realise my ideas my fantasies into the characters and relations between them in storyline.

For instance, would you tell us more about the story you tell in series like "Toy for Hatter" or "The Cell"?
toy for hatter – is a story of one mysterious person, sculptor ho lives in private residence (castle with underground river channels) with lady countess and servants which help him in his art-work and life. Sometimes in the dreams he sees (imagines) different mysterious women and they realise in reality in different cities of the world. Hatter organises trips
crossing all the world searching for the ladies from his dreams to get them back to the castle. This story is about the hatter, his dreams in reality his guests and mysterious relations between them.

You mainly use black and white or desaturated colours, which adds to the "movie" feeling of your work. Is there a special reason to this choice?
special reason is that bw image opens inner sense inner true and a lot of inside the characters and decorations. full colour image is a certain temptation for our brain and soul and hides an essence.

We can see more and more exhibitions of very talented emerging photographers from Russia here in Europe. Would you say that your country is a source of inspiration?
there are a lot of things coming from our past, from our history – like wow2 and others political and social moments, most of them dramatic. I am talking about sensuality and emotionality of russian art makers – actors, photographers, musicians, painters, writers, etc. Their emotionality and sensuality are very deep and powerfull, so these people and their expirience are a source of inspiration.

In a more general way, what can be a source of inspiration for you?
people and there relations in real and surreal world

Would you also say that there is a sort of photograhic Russian style?
i think so, deep sensual photography.

What about post-production? How do you work on your images?
i edit my works in p.s. but dont forget its just a software )))

Yes sure! Photographers who often use black and white often tend to shoot with films rather than digital, is it something you think about? Well, of course, it is more expensive…
doesn’t matter whether the picture is manipulated on a computer or manually, whether it’s a film or a digital file. The important thing is that the artist has put his soul into his work, his emotions, and that they are seen and valued.

The way of posing of the models is obviouly very important in your work. How do you work on this aspect?
i have a fixed idea for the shooting and carefully place each model and each detail.  

The models you choose are always special, with unique beauties: Are they friends? Or do you rathet find them in agencies?
all my models (although I prefer the word “actor”) my friends or people whom I know well, most of them are from not professional (not commercial) photo scene. However, I have photographed a few professional models. The difference between them is enormous – ordinary people are more interesting to me, they are more lively. It’s very hard for me to find models who satisfy me, because just a beautiful body is not a sufficient indicator for me. For me, a very important and non-negligible factor is a deep inner world of a person, inner artistic spirit, emotionality, sensitivity, and, of course, understanding of me as an art photographer, and of that what I want to create.

The location is also plays an important role. A few words about it?
my decorations are - strange rooms, ruins of old houses and buildings, forests and parks, city scapes. all my backdrops (locations) are like a live supplement to the live subjects, just like in Tarkovsky’s works; they play a major role in the general atmosphere.

Is Andrei Tarkovsky one of your main inspirations?
of course. He is a great director and he has made some powerful surr-dramatic films like Stalker, Mirror and others wich are very close to me and to my art style.

Considering your style, your way of working, could we say that you tend to work more like a film director than a photograher?
you could, so why i am and people aroud call my works cinematic-like photography. I write scripts, select actors, make preparation and realise the projects.

Do you plan to direct films someday by the way?
i have a couple of short movies in my earlier photo key way, but for me they look like young experimental works, no more. when i understand that i am ready for difficult staged films, i will make them. photography for me is priority.

The feminine body is a key element of your univers. How do you look at it?
like at a combination of sensual-emotive charector with everything that exists in nature and with everything that our fantasies can generate.

You travel a lot, you recently where in Morocco and Indonesia. Is it a need for you to travel? A source of inspiration?
I have not been to many places but in different places of the world, for me it is interesting to see and explore other nationalities mentality and new nature landscapes, i think for me it is more like a rest and emotive recharge.

What are you currently working on? New series to come soon?
yeeep ))) i wish to realise as soon as possible new episods of my difficalt script project «toy for hatter», «the cell», «fruit of sadness» and a some others.

Any other special projects for 2009?
new storyline projects, new exhibits and publications and that all for the people ho enjoy my works, for whom my works help to imagine, explore themselves and help to find the exit from darkness to light.

p.s. pages preview - shamanski.livejournal.com/4349…