My way
Early Beginnings: Photography in My DNA
My name is Lola. I was born in Minsk, USSR, and I have been a photographer for as long as I can remember. Since childhood, a film camera has been a natural extension of my hand.
While visiting the countryside as a young girl, I would photograph chickens, piglets, and calves. My grandmothers would laugh and ask why I bothered. For me, it was the most natural thing in the world—to simply observe and capture what resonated within me. At home, my dolls became my first models; I would spend hours styling them and arranging them just right.
I learned the mechanics of a camera early on. Terms like shutter speed, aperture, and focal length were the vocabulary of my childhood. My father taught me, following in the footsteps of his own father—my grandfather—who was also a photographer. In our family, a camera was never just a tool; it was a constant presence. Developing film, printing in a darkroom under the red glow of a safety light, and glazing prints—these were the “toys” that shaped my life.
The Rhythm of the Frame Alongside photography, there was music school: accordion and piano. At the time, I didn’t see the connection. Today, I realize that the sense of hearing, rhythm, pauses, and the ability to feel tempo have long lived within me. They manifest in every frame I capture, as naturally as they once did in sound.
Photography was never something I “chose” or “arrived at.” I never thought about leaving it—the very idea sounds strange. It has simply always been there.
Turning Passion into a Profession Photography became my career the moment friends asked me to shoot them “for real—for money.” I wasn’t looking for clients; they found me. It was then I realized that what had always been a part of my life could become my life’s work.
My professional journey began in China—first in Shanghai, then on Hainan Island. It was there I shot my first wedding for Dmitry and Galina; I still remember their names. From that point on, I intentionally took on a wide range of assignments: families, studio portraits, children, newborns, weddings, and reportage. It was vital for me to reach a level of mastery where I would never have to say, “I don’t know how to shoot this” or “I can’t.” This is how I evolved into a versatile photographer.
Experience and Connection Hainan taught me speed without haste. Tourists moved quickly, and photos had to be delivered immediately—retouched, printed, and presented on a CD in a beautiful box. This was before the era of “the cloud” and high-speed internet. I learned to work swiftly, precisely, and without wasted motion. Today, my speed is not a compromise; it is a direct result of decades of experience.
Connecting with people has always come easily to me. I feel equally at ease with those who are used to being in front of the lens and those who have never posed before—be they children, students, high-ranking officials, or people from different cultures and languages. I guide and support my subjects, creating a space where they can gradually let go of self-control.
Clients often tell me they love the experience even before they see the final images. This is incredibly important to me. The process and the result are inseparable. I want people to fall in love with themselves in the moment—and then, seeing the photos, have that feeling confirmed.
Recognition and the Path Forward I have never actively sought out publications or galleries; I simply never felt the internal need. Nevertheless, my work has been published in magazines and featured in exhibitions, including for National Geographic and the National Library of the Republic of Belarus. My story has been shared in the press and on television. I’ve given interviews about life and work in China and authored a guidebook for Hainan Island that is still fondly remembered by travelers today.
Today, I continue to create beauty. I see it in nature, in events, and in people. It is my deepest passion to reveal this beauty to others—sometimes showing a person their own true beauty for the very first time.
This is my path. And it continues.
Lola.