English translator but then chose to never work a single day in that arena . His true love was graphics , and when he found a vacancy as a retoucher in a local photography studio in 2000 , he jumped at the opportunity . Photoshop 5.0 became his arsenal , his main weapons were his mouse and clone stamp . His salary was quite poor , not just in comparison to other European countries , but also his own .
“ I just loved my work and wanted to improve my skills - that ’ s all I wanted , even if it meant that sometimes I hadn ’ t any money for food ,” revealed Levchenko .
It was 2004 before he even considered creating photos in addition to retouching them . Finding an old rangefinder film camera in the attic , Levchenko started to shoot , but at the time , only landscapes . Eventually , he discovered some photographers that provided him his main course in photography , shaping the progression of his art .
“ There are three names that affected my mind , they are : Henri Cartier-Bresson - the poetry of his mind through black and white street photography amuses me then and now ; Ansel Adams - who displays the most atmospheric natural beauty in landscapes on format cameras with unique techniques of post-processing ; and Helmut Newton - his ironic humor , beautiful nude scenes and symbolic fashion photography ,” mused Levchenko of the paragons of his craft .