After talking to him for a few minutes, you understand that you can trust your wedding only to him. One of the most famous wedding photographers in Ukraine and Russia, who has photographed more than ... weddings, flatly refuses to name the photographer who photographed his own wedding.
I took my first successful photo when I was a child. When I was about 10, I was given my first camera, a Smena 8m, and that's when I took my first successful black-and-white photo. Just one from a whole roll of film. That film, by the way, has survived to this day.
Actually, this is where my passion for photography began. Then digital technology appeared, Photoshop, and it became much more interesting for me as an artist. In general, an art education is very necessary for a photographer to do his job.
Ordinary birch trees and Lybid are the day before yesterday. When I started shooting weddings, I realized that just walking around and taking pictures was boring for me, and then I began to offer clients non-standard ideas. Yes, it is bold, but why repeat thousands of wedding photos that everyone around has. Let's do something that will be 100% different from your friends' wedding albums.
That's how this topic started. Now my photos are ordered by people not only from Ukraine, Russia, but also from Italy, France, Australia, Kazakhstan, Germany, America, Saudi Arabia, England. For the sake of a beautiful wedding album, they are ready to perform any feats. Fly, tear pillows, rob museums, be filmed on the roof, in a boat, in the water.
All my customers are satisfied with the result. Those who want classic wedding productions simply do not contact me. I met my wife Natasha at a wedding, I was filming, and she was on the guest list. Later, we met again by chance at my manager's, and now she is my main assistant, a participant in all filming, productions, ideas, post-processing. I have a few more assistants, as my shoots are very complex in terms of organization and execution, and I can’t do without a good team.
Sometimes I involve those who have attended master classes, people have the opportunity to help, participate in the process and acquire the necessary knowledge and experience themselves.
I live and work for pleasure and, despite the demand in Ukraine and a fairly tight shooting schedule, I prefer to spend the winter in paradise corners of the planet. Thailand is a country where you can forget about the cold and gray winter for half a year. In October, we are flying to Koh Samui again.
One of the important points is that Thailand is tropical. The sun is very bright there and photographers usually look at it with fear and do not know what to do with it. But my shooting technique just assumes the presence of such a bright light source, and therefore I feel very comfortable, and most importantly, I get excellent results. What scares others is ideal conditions for me.
Many of my clients fly to me to spend an unforgettable vacation and replenish their collection with unique shots. This winter, the guys from Russia asked for something creative, but considering that they were on vacation and our organizational capabilities were a little less than they had been, they asked for something simple.
It was Natasha's idea, we stopped by and bought rubber pillows and brought them to the beach. The lovers lay down on them in such a way that the wave covered them up to their waists, creating a blanket effect. A few shots and the right editing and it's ready! This is how a mocking series of photos appeared, which we called "Stelmakh resort&spa". By the way, the next day the guy proposed to his girlfriend.
I would describe my style as "Creative photography with a touch of humor, bordering on surrealism."
I come across my photos everywhere, my friends send them to me from everywhere. In addition to weddings, I shoot a lot for foreign photo banks. One of them has 7,000 of my photos, which are distributed daily around the world. It's funny and nice. They are often used in advertising, there are even a few book covers. My friends recently told me that they saw one of my wedding photos in four magazines in Kazakhstan.
I lead an active lifestyle. I can get up at 5 am for a photo shoot. In the evening, I like to watch a good movie. When I'm in the mood, I blog. From time to time, I give master classes.
If I weren't into photography, I would still be an artist. I would draw, paint, or do 3D.
I don't have a day without a camera. I never take a break from it because I never get tired. Of course, there is a difference whether you're shooting an artistic story, a complex production, or photos for yourself. During my personal vacation, I don't carry around a lot of equipment. Sometimes, an iPhone is enough. That's how I add to my collection of impressions.
Interviewed by: Natasha Zhanvi.
To book a creative photoshoot, please contact me:
+49 159 04837874 - phone, WhatsApp
morefoto@gmail.com
Sincerely, Eduard Stelmakh.
stelmakh.com