Olha Lazebna: Ukraine

My name is Olga, I am a photographer from Ukraine who temporarily lives in Poland. my work is published in such magazines as Malvie, Marika, Artells, Imirage, etc. I have a lot of awards from the international competition 35awards, and I am currently creating a project of children’s portraits about little Ukrainians who do not live at home. these are children under 4 years old who did not see home or left the war while still tiny.

Photography has always been my weakness, but it was my child that became my motivation. after the birth of my daughter, I had time that I devoted to photography and, as a result, fell in love with the process so much that now I can’t imagine my life without my camera

Who doesn’t like to travel?) And of course I’m no exception) my journey is an opportunity to see the beautiful world with my own eyes

For me, this is a very important process. usually the most important in the whole job. while planning the shooting, I prescribe a plan – lighting, location, props, posing, and of course, already at this moment I understand what the final photo will be and how I process it. it is planning and careful selection of all the details that helps me see exactly the result that I expect

Each work is actually unique ) but if you want to know my opinion about my work, then I think each of my photos has its own story about which you can write an article)

My ideas are born from my memories. long ago I was 14 years old, I was riding a bus in my city and saw a beautiful autumn golden forest, it was so beautiful that the phrase “I want to remember this picture forever” appeared in my thoughts. Now when I shoot, I ask myself: Do I want to remember this moment forever?

Once I invited a friend to my house and wanted to take home shots, but the shooting was without preparation and the result was expected. In general, I did not like anything and the shooting was not at all what I expected. after that, I plan every shooting in advance to the smallest detail 😌 I consider the preparatory process the most important 🙏

oh this is a rather difficult question. I think this is a huge job on myself. now I’ll explain what I mean) The fact is that in order to create the unusual, you need to get rid of stereotyped thinking. And create something that allows you to realize your creative potential. I believe that creativity is a flight over the whole world without borders and frames.

in general, I try to come to a common denominator through communication. I really appreciate my clients and I want to make my own unique story for everyone. Therefore, in a conversation, we discuss everything, and I, for my part, express my opinion, and basically all my clients trust me. And together we create something unique

Yes, of course, I have a favorite photographer whose work inspires me. I saw his work when I just started taking photographs and until now he is my favorite. luizclas ❤️ Meg_nlo’s work is also very inspiring 😇

The best recovery after post-treatment is rest. Therefore, it is important to rationally arrange work tasks. I try to alternate shooting and post-processing in such a way that my eyes do not get tired) volume in the photo is very important for me, so in post-processing I work with volume in the “curves” tab, and sometimes I add a slight fog to the photo. but it all depends on the frame I’m processing 😌

In general, there are no very difficult tasks because I think over the light, clothes, color scheme and shooting in advance. Once there was a shooting in the bathroom, I needed to take a shot from above and I was on a stepladder, then, due to my negligence, I did not hang the camera around my neck and my camera fell with a lens and a phone from a height of 2 meters. It was the most critical situation, but everything turned out well, the lens, thank God, worked, autofocus too … I advise all photographers to always watch their camera, because these are our eyes. be careful 😌

My advice: Be yourself. Every artist is beautiful in their own way. Every idea deserves attention. Learn to see beauty in the little things. Walk your own unique path. Do not listen to who and what says about you. the task of the artist is self-expression through the subject of art. show yourself to the world

My favorite work: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjl6764K55t/

Now I am working on a social photo project for little children from Ukraine who have come abroad. I take fabulous photos for these little ones. They are all different, some have never seen their home, some left at the age of 2-3 months under shelling. But all these kids are united by one thing – they want to return home. Behind every fabulous photo is its own tragedy. This is a very large scale project and the work will take a lot of time. but I’m sure it’s an important job that I can give to the community