About my photoshoots

I work in a magical realism manner, and both words are important: 

I shoot you documentally in your real being, not a fiction story of someone else, not a business catalogue and not an advertize, but you. And I shoot through my magic glass. Yep, it’s a little built-in filter inside me

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I work not only with the camera but also with atmosphere and space. The location is an important element. That’s why I shoot at your home or in the city streets, parks and nature, but not in studios.

My shoots are suitable for those who want to look into themselves, into the world around them, slow down a little, experience life more fully and brightly. Who is eager to explore themselves as a sanctuary of magical creatures with interest and respect.

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We do not pose during photosession, we just live. Talk. Look and feel. And follow some spontanious spirit of the place, that always comes around.

With me and my camera, you can totally be not a parent, not a child, not a sibling or a friend, not a manager, not even a human being sometimes — but that magic creature, which, I believe, lives inside everyone of us.

If you allow me to see this creatures and let them go out and show themselves, than it would be the real magic. And that’s what’s be reflected in the pictures.


Green hours

Photography as a meditation

A relaxing practice in contact with nature. Nature is my favourite studio and an active participant, alive, always different, helping one to become empowered and revealed.

  • free method of shooting, no posing
  • includes landscape art therapy and little relaxing tasks
  • works in every weather, the only important thing is to wear the right clothes (I can help with advice) 
  • lasts for 1,5-2 hours 
  • in 21 days — 35-50 pictures of you in a personal page on my website
  • it is an individual story, the photoshoot for one person

The shooting takes place in central parks

£450

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Inner roads

Photography as a form of self-discovery

A self-knowledge practice of free walking, talking and exploring the city and own feelings right now. Like a collageing, sometimes it works as a personal metaphorical cards.

  • walk in the city and shooting by collage method — when we weave a whole out of the scraps of space around us
  • there is more of your leading — you connect with your feelings, and I catch it in the visual language
  • lasts for 2-3 hours 
  • in 21 days — 50-80 pictures of you and the place in a personal page on my website
  • comes with a tutorial for possible self-practice follow-up with pictures (if you wish to)
  • it is an individual story, the photoshoot for one person

The shooting takes place at the streets

£600

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Day of life

Photography as a visual diary 

A big documentary reportage of the day of your life, the very simple usual day. Visual chronicle of a time, to look back over the years and remember those feelings, that place, those people around you, those excitements and victories. 

This shoot can be for a couple, for a family of any type, shape or gender. Or for one person: you have you, your home, your time in life and it’s definitely worth capturing.

What to do during the photoshoot? What you enjoy to. Cooking. Cuddle. Going to the park to play with the dog. Eating ice cream at a cafe. Doing homework with the kids. Or just sitting in a chair and reading — it doesn’t really matter what you choose. The important thing is that it’s your choice, not mine. Something that pleases you and your closest ones.

The shooting lasts for 5-8 hours. But no worries, it won’t go nonstop — we’ll make natural pauses. As the result there will be 100-150 pictures composed into a story about you, a mini film in still images. 

£750

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After each shoot, I will be happy to design and print a book for you telling your story, 

or a set of postcards in a beautiful box, or make a print. It could be for you, or you can send it to someone as a gift. The cost of this work is calculated separately.



F.A.Q.

Will you need to pose?

Totally not, I work in an opposite way. I don’t put people into poses because I believe that in this case your natural body rhythm is disturbed, your own plasticity and gestures disappear. Instead, I suggest uncomplicated activities to do, very common ones, in which you can just live and move freely — and I shoot you using the documentary method of reportage. 

For the same reasons, I never repeat someone else’s pictures from pinterest or work from references. My goal is to reflect you right now. Not to make you into someone else’s picture.

What kind of photo processing I usually do?

I work in a documentary manner, I don’t retouch or alter reality: I don’t remove objects with processing, I don’t correct the lines of figures and faces, I don’t smooth out skin.

But I use slow shutter speeds (“blurry” pictures) and shoot a lot with multiple exposures (pictures with overlays): it’s not photoshop, it’s done when shooting. All my photography aims to better express the mood through visual images, and I use what I think are the most appropriate ways of doing this, like a painter taking the right colours in a palette.

All the ready pictures are lightly processed: with colour correction and soft grain, without “ringing sharpening”. I don’t give the originals, they are raw material.

When will the photos be ready and how to download them?

Each format has its own order of delivery, it’s in each format’s description, and I’ll remind you of this again after the shoot.

I share the photos via a private link on my website, where two folders are available for download: large print images and thumbnail copies for social media.

I recommend that you always download a large-size folder: in case you ever want to print your photos, you will need to use it. From small size, you will only be able to print a thumbnail with a huge loss of quality.

All variants are suitable for uploading to a social media — but the larger variant “weighs” more, and it will definitely take up a lot of space on the phone.

Is it possible to get a private shoot?

As an author, I publish my work on my social media and on my website by default. If you want, it is possible to shoot completely confidentially. In this case, the pictures will never appear anywhere and the cost of the work will increase by 50 per cent.

A confidentiality agreement is reached before the shooting begins. 

For all LGBT couples and unions (considering poly) from non-safe countries, I make this option free of charge. Your safety is important to me.

Can one buy a photoshoot as a gift?

Yes, every one of my photoshoots can be given as a gift. When you buy a shoot as a gift, I send you a personalised certificate, which you can print out as a card and present.

Before buying a certificate, it makes sense to first make sure that the person being gifted wants to shoot in general, and that she or he likes the way I do it. Otherwise it will be sad if your tastes differ.

What are the payment procedures?

Half of the payment is made when we arrange the photoshoot, and after payment I book the date for you. The remaining half is on the day of the photoshoot. In case of force majeure, we will of course reschedule the date as many times as necessary during a year, it’s free and nothing gets burned off.

I always quote the cost for the whole job — I don’t measure a shoot in hours or number of pictures, just the process and the whole result.

I work as a sole trader and will provide you with a cheque.

How to prepare for the shoot?

As an enjoyable time to yourself! Your state of mind will definitely be reflected in the images. That’s why I always ask for these important things: to make sure you’re comfortable, warm, satiated, that nothing stings or presses you, that you don’t itch with unfamiliar make-up, and that you don’t have to rush off immediately after the shoot.

Imagine that the shoot is your date with yourself.

I usually advise choosing clothes in which you feel good and can move freely — that’s the most important thing. But if there’s a choice of other equals, it’s better to choose clothes without prints so they don’t draw too much attention to themselves in the frame. Neutral colours and a loose silhouette are the best choices.

If you wish, you can bring any special thing with you and we will take it into the picture.

Is it a phototherapy?

I do supportive and resource photography, use landscape art therapy techniques, bodywork knowledge and a bit of natural witchcraft, am deeply informed about trauma and try not to do any harm — in that sense yes.

But in the sense in which the word is often perceived on social media — as a magic button and a “transformation” — then no.

If you strongly disapprove of yourself in pictures and don’t like your appearance, and you think that I can finally make you love yourself, then there’s a 99 per cent chance that you’ll be disappointed. Loving yourself is a long job, not just one photoshoot, no matter how beautiful it is, no matter who takes it.

Photography can help go into this slow work of respecting yourself and accepting yourself as you are. But it won’t be a magic button, it’s simply not possible. It’s important to know that all expectations are realistic.

What if you don't need those formats, but need a quick portrait?

That’s OK, then you just need a different photographer. I don’t work for speed and I don’t work for quick snaps. In my photoshoots, the result is feelings. Both in the process of shooting and afterwards, from the pictures, like talismans. That’s my creative method.

Buying my photoshoot, you are not buying pictures and certainly not hours of my work, but the experience, my view of you, my visual tale of you.

And what if your question isn't here?

Any other questions you have, you can ask me personally in the ways below — and I’ll answer them. It’s free of charge.



To book a photoshoot, 

please contact me in any of preferred ways:
email diniletters@gmail.com • telegram tavistok • instagram tavistok (Ru) and victoria.dini.art (En) • whatsapp

or here below: