Maxim Guselnikov • Part One
Portraitist / Musician / Educator
Maxim is a master of natural light – “I guess working with natural light. I work at mastering it all the time since I`m really to lazy to carry different lighting stuff so I`ve decided to work with available light only.”
Mytishi, Moskovskaya Oblast’, Russia
maxguselnikov.com
Facebook
max.guselnikov@gmail.com
When did you decide to become a photographer?
Back in 2013. Actually it was totally spontaneous decision. I was tired of office work and decided to dedicate myself to my hobby.
What was your photography education?
Just some knowledge I got from more experienced friends. And my own experience of course)
Did you come up thru the ranks doing lots of assisting or just start out on your own?
I`ve never assisted, and right from the start I was working on my own.
What do you consider yourself, pro, working, amateur ?
People use to call me a pro.) But as any other professional worker with particular specialty I do have some skills to produce pro grade product, while the lack of skills in other areas always push me forward in developing my skills
It appears you are passionate about shooting portraits of women?
Yes, nothing new here – just like a lot of painters, photographers and other artists I tend to create portraits of woman.
Why that? and not babies or pets or landscapes?
Throughout history of art woman was the most popular subject so do I find my inspiration in them too. They are beautiful, emotive, expressive, aesthetically advanced and much much more)
Do you fell like you have a particular style and if so what is it?
Hm, it`s really hard to describe it but to make a long story short – I`m not only showing the beaty of subject also I`m trying to show emotions, mood of a person I shoot and how she fits the environment.
What do you think sets your work apart from others in your genre?
I don`t really consider if my works stands out, but if it matters – the synergy between the emotions of the model, her look and location she`s in.
Do you remember your first few shoots and the fear, nerves, and trepidation of working with models? How was that ? and what did you do to get past it?
Of course I do) Practice makes perfect – it`s all about getting used to it. The more you shoot the more confident you become in your results and your portfolio.
When your shooting do you like working with a team and everyone collaborating or are you clearly the captain and its your look, idea etc?
I work alone so I try to cover all things from the idea to model`s look.
What do you consider your greatest strength in photography?
I guess working with natural light. I work at mastering it all the time since I`m really to lazy to carry different lighting stuff so I`ve decided to work with available light only.
Do you create any other art?
Yes, I play guitar and record some music in my home studio.
What is your creative process? how does an idea grow and mature into your final image?
Usually I see it like a scene from a movie, so it`s pretty clear. I always want to see location before the shoot and analyze what kind of light and clothes will work best. After that I write inviting messages for a models that will fulfill the scene perfectly & ask them to bring selected clothes.
Are you an “in camera person” or a “post production person” ? how much time in post do you spend on any particular image?
I`m doing my best to become “in camera person” right now. I think it really matters how hard you`ve worked to get most of the things done at the moment of shoot – light, compo, color scheme, white balance, exposure.
It usually takes about 30 mins to PS an environmental portrait and about 1 hour to PS headshot.
Wine, beer, spirits or other?
Beer!
Generally do you create for you? for a client? for a commercial purpose?
Mostly for myself. And I was lucky enough to get a lot of people interested which led to commercial shoots, endorsements, workshops and lots of other stuff.
How do you feel when a client chooses an image or images and loves them wants to show them off worldwide?
I`m totally OK with that. Anyone can always check my portfolio to see it for yourself and clear their doubts if they have any. It`s really hard to please everyone so I`m not insisting on uploading only the stuff I like.
What was your single worst mistake you have made in your photographer journey?
Thinking that you`re good enough.
Describe your work in 10 words or less
Short story about a moment in some person`s life.
Make sure to catch the second half of this interview and more stunning images.
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