Portrait as a map of the inland
What I do is not just a set of portraits, but a way of getting in touch with inner self
As a documentary photographer, the main thing I do is to manifest and capture reality. Seeing you and making you visible to yourself as well. But my realism is a bit magical, yes. Through photography I help you to meet those parts of yourself that you miss.
I believe that visibility is healing. And also that there is an endless kaleidoscope of states living inside us. A team of sub-personalities. Or magical beings, whichever is closer. They appear depending on what we do, how we live, what we come into contact with.
I suggest to look through the camera at those inside who you wish to talk to for a very long time. To feel: yes. That’s me too. That’s who I am, too.
And this will be a story about you right now.
I love seeing people. And letting them see themrselves through different eyes. That side that opens up when you look into the depths. If you look at that warm magical being inside that wants to show itself now.
How the whole work goes?
A few days before the shoot, you and I have a video call and it’s already a shooting process, just not with a camera yet. It’s like an in-depth interview, where the subject is you right now. We talk for about an hour and I ask different sorts of weird questions. For example, what’s your favourite fairy tale? What makes you most tired? And what is the most powerful way to relax? In the process of and after the call, something is born between us — an understanding about the goal, about the place and about the process.
Then we go shooting, and it happens like an adventure. No posing, just living.
Then I go underground and work on the story to put it together clearly.
One month after the shoot, I send you a closed link to my website with a page about you.
There will be pictures and a text supplement: little practices on how to work with the photostory, how to appropriate your representations — if you want so.
If you have a desire to continue on the path of connecting with yourself through what I can give — I invite you to a photo-art-therapy sessions. There we will deal with your feelings about yourself and the world (through these pictures, through others, through pictures you have taken). And it usually leads somewhere else entirely. In roundabout imaginative ways.
If not, you’ll have a photostory about you at that moment in time — and the adventure you’ve had.
When will you receive the pictures?
One month (30 days) after taking the pictures, by a private page created for you on my website, where the pictures are arranged and lined up in a meaningful order. There will also be a practice application to work with the pictures. And for another six months the link will remain available for you to download the pictures in print-ready size — and then it will disappear from the site, be careful.
All the photos will be in my post-processing. I don’t do any retouching, basically I do a little colour correction and nothing else. I don’t change the lines of the figures, I don’t remove objects, and all my work on the photos is aimed at better conveying the atmosphere of that moments — for you.
How much does it cost?
14,000 r.
Half of the payment is made when we arrange the shoot (and after payment I book the date for you), the other half is made on the day of the shoot.
In case of force majeure, we will of course reschedule the date (as many times as necessary, it’s free and nothing gets burned).
This is the price for all the work. I don’t measure it in hours or number of pictures. It lasts about 2-3 hours, and the finished pictures will come out of 60 to 180 — as many as it takes to tell exactly your story. No more and no less.
Is it possible to shoot privately?
Yes, you can, in which case the shoot will cost 25,000 r. and will never be published anywhere.
I love to show my work — on the website, on social media and at exhibitions, to let it breathe. And I am not happy with not being able to do that, so I make up for it with a mark-up. But if you want to leave some shots out of the publication, I will of course do it for free. Just let me know.
How to prepare for the shoot?
As to an adventure. Make time for it, so there’s no rush after our session. Get some sleep the night before, get some rest. Don’t burden yourself with new things (like make-up or clothes). Choose the most comfortable and enjoyable things for yourself and go.
Although in the midst of full-blown exhaustion, it is also very much possible to explore yourself — and to look how you like it. There are valuable answers.
Can it be a gift for someone else?
Yes, it can. It’s a format of experience and contact with oneself — something between a spa and immersive theatre; I think it’s a good gift, and what we get together will be clear in person. But it will definitely be a very personal story.
When you buy a shoot as a gift, I send you a personalised certificate, which you can print out on any paper and hand in. If you buy it in St Petersburg, I can print it for you by myself.
I really enjoy turning my work into books
And if you want, I can do it for you. Plus 20,000, and within a month of submitting the shoot, I’ll have a beautiful book about you printed in one copy. With words, not just pictures. The way I do in my writer’s work. And you are the hero.
To do this, we will need to talk online again.
Due to jumping prices of printers, prices are subject to change
To book your own shoot,
connect me by any messenger you like or just fill out the form. We will also set a date in the correspondence.
E-mail diniletters@gmail.com
Telegram @tavistok
Instagram tavistok