Fashionista Behind The Camera
Tina Sokolovskaya
Starting with night clubs and ending up with Playboy Ukraine’ s magazine, this isn’ t just luck, but it is when hard work pays off and Tina Sokolovskaya surely has her way with it. This Ukraine based photographer now works with celebrities, famous artists, and singers all over the globe. BARKHA CHANDRA from Chiiz gets in talk with her on her successful career and lots more.
When did you first think of becoming a photographer and how did you get into fashion photography? Since childhood, I liked the art of photography. I did my first experiment when I was very young, and at the age of 17, I seriously thought about photography as a profession and began to learn it. I was a student, living in a city away from my parents and needed money. But soon, my work w recognised and people began to notice me. Magazines and Television channels started approaching me to work with them. During the first 1 to 2 years, I chose to focus mainly on portrait and fashion photography.
Also, tell us about all your beloved possessions and some tips for fashion photography? I love working with natural lighting and playing with shadows. I always try to use all sources of natural light as much as possible, and when I do not have it, I rent photo studios to avoid the impulse flash as much as possible.
It is important to keep in mind that 90 % of the results of a beautiful photo is in the model itself. If you are just starting out in photography, train with professional models. They know much more about the work, as you can focus only on the process and learn quicker. Also, all the best shots are spontaneous, so relax and just have fun with what you do. Love your profession or your hobby.
We hear a lot about the obstacles women face in the workforce, but surely there are advantages. So what do you think are the benefits of being a female photographers?
Perhaps my words will not sound right, but I really think that it is much easier for men to succeed in this profession than women. In addition, men are more enduring. A photographer’ s work implies that you work for approximately 15 hours a day without food, with almost 20 kgs of equipments behind you. Not everyone can do it, but I myself think that I’ m strong enough to take it. And of course, there are also a lot of advantages of being a female photographer. Many female models are very shy, so it makes it much more comfortable for them to work with fellow female photographers, or in some countries, for example, in the United Arab Emirates, male photographers are not allowed to take the photographs of female models for religious reasons.
What do you consider the most important break in your career and why? I don’ t know about the most important, but one of the last is my photo“ On the wave”, where a model is lying on the beach and the wave is hugging her. It went viral in a matter of days after it was first published, and has been published in more than 100 well-known publications. It was a huge surprise for me.
What is the one quality that you possess as a Playboy Ukraine’ s Official Photographer that sets you apart? I was invited to work in Playboy magazine because I have a special ability of observation of the female body and my own style of post production. I always preserve the naturalness, and do not like a lot of photoshop on my photos. And at the same time, I try to show only the best side of a female model.
What advice do you have for other female photographers who are looking to get into photography? The main advice that I can give them is to believe in themselves. In the past few years, some of the goals that I had already achieved seemed impossible to me, but by hard work, constant development and self-confidence, it has helped me achieve what I wanted. The main thing is to never stand still and always keep moving forward.
In 2014, when the war hit Ukraine, most of the cities were in state of utter unrest. Tina had to move to Kiev from Donetsk, where she basically had to start from scratch. After a year in Kiev, she moved to Odessa, where she met a wonderful makeup artist name Vika, with whom she is now practically inseparable at work.
Barkha Chandra barkha @ chiiz. com
She is the laughter dose of Team Chiiz currently rocking up the PR dept. She is always high on life and hooked to freedom. A great philosopher, living in her own imaginary world as she juggles through the highs and lows of life.
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