Artist Statement

My camera is an invitation to see the world from a different perspective, one that I've embraced with gratitude. The imperfection of the lens, compared to the human eye, may be seen as a frustrating limitation by some. Yet, for me, it's an opportunity to alter volumes and proportions: to bring the unreachable closer, magnify the small, and distort the straight. It's also a means to obscure the insignificant and highlight the essential.

I entered the realm of photography after the birth of my children and my emigration. Losing all previous statuses and roles and acquiring new ones spurred me to visually explore the boundaries of this world.

Continuous care for my children doesn't afford me the luxury of traveling to the most picturesque corners of the planet. However, this circumstance has motivated me to transmit the image of a world that exists and yet doesn't exist simultaneously. My camera is another sensory organ for me. The image it transmits differs significantly from what my eyes perceive. It's an image of my hopes and fears, my dreams, experiences, and reflections.

To ensure the final picture aligns with what's born in my fantasies, I work with a variety of impulse and constant light sources in portraits. In landscapes, during post-processing, I alter the original drawing with light, influencing the two basic components: the tone and contrast of the pixels. Thus, my photography takes on characteristics of painting, graphics, and artistic painting. It creates the impression that some works use ink, a simple pencil, and watercolor paints, while others employ wax crayons, and yet others, golden glaze.

Working with the tone curve during post-processing holds not only technical significance for me. Any point I move up or down inevitably pulls adjacent points along, affecting them directly and the entire picture as a whole. This metaphorizes my personal role and the role of any other person in the vast tapestry of the world, comprised of billions of pixels. Each time I take action in life, I recall this and choose in favor of goodness and light.

Biography

Olga Kalashnikova started her photography journey in 2020, driven by the changes brought about by having children and emigrating. She enjoys experimenting with colors and long-exposure techniques in portraits, while her author post-processing adds a distinct touch to her landscape photography. Her work seamlessly combines these two styles, creating a series that explores alternative realities. Olga's photography has earned her recognition in various competitions and has been featured in photo magazines like Photo Vogue and others.