Elena Isaenko: “Probably I am an unusual photographer…”

A young, talented, energetic, big fan of her work and just a nice girl – photographer Elena Isaenko, spoke about her first shooting, the most significant acquaintance and her beloved country. 

 

1. Lena, now you shoot almost every day. Can you remember your first shoot?

Oh sure. It was a baby photo shoot. My friend’s younger brother had a birthday, he was two years old. I then shot my first reportage, after which I worked as a children’s and family photographer for about 2 more years. I started my journey three years ago, and I have been doing fashion shooting for only a year.

 

2. Are you preparing for the shoot in any way or are you already sorting it out on the spot?

You know, a year ago, I didn’t prepare for filming at all. In the morning I took the camera and went to the shooting, shifting absolutely everything to the customers. Now it’s the opposite for me, because I want to get a good result and I know that a designer, stylist or makeup artist will not always be able to put together the whole image. Therefore, very often I myself look for makeup artists, stylists, clothes, location, so that everything is on top.

 

3. Lena, are you a self-taught photographer or do you have extensive study experience?

When I started, I wanted to go to courses, I was diligently engaged in search in Odessa, Ukraine. In St. Petersburg, I took basic photography courses that lasted two months. Then I realized that with such courses you will not go right or left, but you will follow a pattern, but this is a creative profession! I started to study on my own and take master classes with some photographers.

 

4. If you are asked about the most significant acquaintance during work, what is the first thing that comes to mind?

Recently I shot a beautiful model – Lena Perminova. She is a fairly well-known personality in the fashion world and it was extremely pleasant and comfortable for me to work with her.

 

5. Lena, do you give master classes to beginner photographers?

No, and I do not plan to do so in the next ten years. I do not want to teach anyone, because these are certain limits, techniques into which you drive a person. I myself started from scratch and I think that if they start like me, then the world will get a completely new artist.

 

6. You work not only in Ukraine. What country did you enjoy working in the most?

In the UAE, we worked there for one month and liked it the most. The Emirates are close to me in spirit. We shot catalogs and portfolios for models there.

 

7. Do you like to be photographed, let’s say, change roles and become a model?

You know, I did not have the opportunity to love it or stop loving it. I’m usually behind the scenes, and if in the frame, then in family or friendly photos, and I don’t care at all whether I have short or long legs in the photo (smiles).

8. Can you name the most significant three shoots in your work?

The first shooting that now came to my mind was for our Ukrainian brand. For the first time in Ukraine, I was faced with the fact that the brand took the issue of shooting seriously. We picked up a foreign model, stylization, bought clothes completely separately. This is a brand of jackets, parkas and, accordingly, you need to choose the whole image, from tights to a sweater. The guys went around the show-room and bought clothes to create an image. For me it was nonsense, because usually they take what they already have and that’s it. Also, we shot for Bazaar in Italy, and this magazine will be released in April. There, of course, the preparation compared to ours is something incredible. There are 12-15 people on the site and everyone does their own thing and, most importantly, that you feel truly needed and significant.

 

9. Do you have favorite models that you enjoy working with when you have time?

No. I guess I’m an unusual photographer (smiles).

 

10. Are you interested in a non-commercial shooting offer?

Of course! And it doesn’t have to be something like “wow”. A model girl or one who wants to become one can simply write to me and we will do model tests for her.

 

11. What are your ingredients for success?

Responsibility in every shooting…probably only that.