Uff … just got a kick out of being judged by Documentary Family Awards Team #DFA and Nancy Borovick. My series “Valentina’s Day” from “Donbass Survival Guide” Project (2018-2019) was selected for the final stage of the contest, yet lost to another great series. Actually, what else adults can learn from every competition they take part in? • Contests create clarity. Regardless of the result itself, the reflections force you to clear out the noise and zero in on what is most important to your personal growth or being the winner. • Contest questions the approach. It makes us a better judge of our work. You get tools to better monitor your projects and quickly look for ways to alter the idea with an eye to reaching your goals. • Contesting always builds constraints. You must shake up your creativity to generate fresh vision. My biggest professional contests resulted in my biggest increase in knowledge and deepest understanding of the subject and self. • Competitors are the best teachers ever. Try once to check others’ contest items and you certainly gonna catch this typical “That’s not bad at all!” reaction. Your own approach will never be the same. If there is one […] Continue Reading
Wow, my pic hangs on all streets of Niort… You never know where your click-click will be next, so, please, make it really great! 🙂 Please, see several views of this charming French town, it definitely worth visiting. Continue Reading
Always happy to see my photos in travel guides which I trust in my personal traveling. This time Michelin Voyages illustrated the article about small coastal town Sainte-Adresse (near Le Havre) in Haute Normandie. Well done! Previously, Michelin Voyages bought my pics for their article about Hofburg – imperial palace in Vienna. These photos were made in 2018, during my Euro-trip. Also, you can see my pics in articles about small Slovenian town Nitra and coastal Portugal village Portimao. So, looking forward to new collaboration with Michelin Voyages. Continue Reading
I spent in Nantes just one day somewhere in May 2019. But I’d definitely admit that the rhythm of the city is different from elsewhere in France. For me it was like toooo muuuuch of everything – local sounds, local food, local sightseeing. Yet, I was surprised rather than tired… Continue Reading
Tripoli in Northern Lebanon is one of those cities that’s not your childhood dream or page from a fairy tale. And that’s all even more surprising when, as they said, the unexpected things can turn out to be the most important things in the whole world… That’s exactly what happened to me! I remember all Tripoli’s chaotic flow of traffic and tourists on central streets, the old castle, and its security guard who decided that we can enter for zero fees just because we are from Ukraine. How surprised Italian visitors were!? I probably have pics with all Tripoli’s views you can find online. This exact was made in old Tripoli’s market. Somewhere in between fishmongers and greens, my boyfriend could pull for me a cute bouquet of daffodils. That is all I can remember about that moment captured on this pic, which for some reason is very popular in Arab outlets. Continue Reading
This cracked me up, yet I’m happy to see my pic in Brasil’s Leroy Merlin. I have no idea if my name is mentioned in the copyright section. Still I’d be happy if somebody put it on the wall. ¡Que tengas buenas compras! This pic was made on Iphone 4s somewhere in middle June 2015, and since that time was requested for selling more than 1000 times. For example, you can see it in Britannica, where it represents Lebanon’s lifestyle and many other travel guides. That was just a moment when I was passing by the cutest cafe in Beirut and clicked on the phone camera. To be honest, I’m not sure that I well remember that moment, and it is more surprising to see it in Brasil. Continue Reading
Sure, I dream about my own book. Bet it could be a very exciting story of adventure for kids, or maybe photo album about slow life somewhere in Normandie. Meanwhile, my pic on the cover of the book, that was published in Spain and already got awards. The author is Tomás Alcoverro, the most award-winning correspondent in the Middle East. He’s moved in Lebanon in 1970s and spent there the long period of the fifteen years of civil war (1975-1990) that devastated the country, during which he sent vibrant and vivid chronicles of life in a city split in two. Here you can read the author’s interview about the book. What I have to say about the pic? Like many of my most successful pics, it was made on the street, where I always try to catch something… usual. Yes, something that can explain the lifestyle of the place in simple detail. If you have traveled to Beirut or if you would ever, you never miss this Corniche promenade where all the beiruties spend their days and night. I wish you to catch the moment when the huge wave breaks upon stony ground and makes you fresh and happy. Continue Reading
