Hello!
My name is Irina, I am a photographer and costume designer. I help people to reveal themselves in thematic photography, try on new images and see themselves in an unusual role.
Immerse yourself in this magic of transformation!
Sign up for a photo shoot and become the main heroine of your own fairy tale!
When I was little I loved to draw princesses. With special care, I drew their outfits. And everyone told me that when I grow up, I will be a dress designer. But in me this thought caused only indignation.
Then I started sewing dresses for dolls. I built patterns, I was not lazy to embroider them with decor. And everyone said that I would become a designer, but it puzzled me.
Then I still went to study as a fashion designer. One of my classmates started to rent carnival costumes. And I remember that I then thought: “what useless nonsense, I will never sew such a thing.” But by the end of the institute, I had already accumulated a few beautiful dresses. With them, my rental began. Although I never planned to do it, I spent about 13 years renting and tailoring theatrical costumes. My firm was called “Image Workshop”. I sewed fabulous, historical, retro, national, cosplay, circus, ballroom… In general, everything that you can’t buy in a regular clothing store.
In 2014, war came to my city. Of course, like many others at that time, I was left without clients. But I really wanted to keep creating. I really wanted as many people as possible to see my beautiful dresses. In 2015, I started doing free photo shoots. I gathered photographers, models, make-up artists and we did creativity. Sometimes they were small teams. Sometimes it was even big projects for 10 photographers and 20 models. We all worked for free. The only thing we have earned is new friends. At that time, I met almost all the photographers of our city. I saw how they work, how they set up the light, how they work with the model, etc. Sometimes I took a simple soap box with me to the shooting. Sometimes I took several photos. And when I published my pictures, many people told me that I should become a photographer. But this thought made me very angry. I told everyone: “yes, well, why does our city need a three hundred and thirty-third photographer, and that’s enough.” But over time, they began to order from me not only costumes, but also shooting. And gradually I became very interested in photography.
No matter how much I resist, but I have a business that I can not do. Even when I don’t have clients, even when I move to a new location, even when I have to leave my favorite dressing room, I can’t stop and create new looks. I always think of what to sew a dress for shooting. When I walk, I always look for a location to shoot.
In 2021, I nevertheless decided to move to a peaceful part of our country. I had to leave not only the house and friends. I had to leave my favorite dressing room. Of course, the opportunities for creativity were much greater when I had a lot of costumes and props on hand.
And in 2022 again my plans and hopes were destroyed by the war. Now I live in Sweden… And at this place I put three dots, because to be continued.
Irina’s photographs are a little movie. Each image plunges into the world of a fairy tale. Each character “tells” an interesting story. Each photo gives a huge amount of sincere emotions. PhotoCASA Magazine
My favorite style of photography is Fine Art. I love creating stories. Each of my shootings has its own idea and story. I design my own images. All costumes and props are made by me. From an interview with Iconic magazine
Vår värld är bräcklig och instabil. Men jag tror att skönhet är ett kraftfullt verktyg. När en person tänker “det här är vackert”, går denna tanke, som en liten gnista, med i godhetens och humanismens stora eld. Om mitt foto tänder dessa gnistor, görs de inte förgäves. Release for the exhibition “By the sea” in Gothenburg
I make up stories. It can be a fairy tale, a retro everyday story or a mystical genre. You can say that I am the director of the story, which we compose together with the client. Anything can serve as a starting point for our journey! Sometimes a client wants to shoot in a specific location. And I come up with an image that harmoniously fits into it. It happens that the shooting is built around an interesting prop. For example, a large bird cage, an antique musical instrument, or a vintage vase is magically located. And of course, an unusual thing becomes the “headliner of the program”.
I love participating in photo challenges and photo marathons. When a topic is given and we carry it out within a very strict framework. The most interesting topics in which I participated: “Edwardian Spring” (we filmed various topics, such as sports, subject photography, in a historical style), “Domestic Affairs” (this marathon was during total self-isolation, it was necessary to show everyday scenes, for example laundry, ironing, cleaning in art style). From an interview with Quadro magazine
