Interview with Mitya Kushelevich

Hello, first of all, a little introduction please - how did you get your start in photography, what inspired you, what are your goals and what is your current position?
My first contact with photography was at the age of 8. My grandpa gave me a small Russian Lomo 8 camera; I shot one film with it and lost my interest as 90% of pictures turned out black. So I thought the camera was crap and it wasn’t worth investing my time in it.

Being a teenager I turned my interest on computer graphics and drawing, later, when I was 18, I got my first Nikon camera and switched my complete interest onto photography, but my background remained in digital art. I knew little about photography and had no interest in learning the technical stuff, but I was pretty impressed by the music videos of the 90's, from directors like Mike Romanek, Jonathan Glazer and Floria Sigismondi.

So I tried to create the same feeling with my pictures, which caused the total fixation on the digital postproduction. I studied Communication Design in Hannover and now I am based in Berlin, trying to combine commercial work and art. My goal is to find more funding for my art projects to enable more expensive ideas to be realized.

What can you tell us about your style of photography? It seems like a lot of photo retouching... What’s the story behind it? Please, describe your style.
Well, the interesting thing in photography is the fact that the majority of people think it’s the "mirror" of the reality. I am mainly interested in creating new realities, in the similar degree of abstraction our dreams do, so I use photography to betray the human eye. I guess, my style is to create pictures on the barrier between the biggest possible disassociation on the one side and the acceptance that it’s still a photo and not a painting or collage on the other side.

So do you think that might make a photographer unique? Or what do you think could make photographers unique?
Well, it’s not really my goal to be unique and speaking about my visual style. There are a couple of really famous "cinematic style" photographers out there, like Jeff Wall or Gregory Crewdson, doing similar things. But I am not influenced by them, we are mainly influenced by the same things like cinema or painters like Edward Hopper. As long as I am aware of not coping anyone’s style it’s ok. For me it’s just about having fun on creating a second, sometimes absurd dream reality, with its own logic and symbols, as I am annoyed with the real one.

What advice would you give to photographers who are just starting their careers? Any tips?
Well, the business is hard and the competition is enormous. Photography is accessible to the masses and a lot of people think they can buy a digi cam with a zoom lens and create masterpieces. Well, its really much more than that -it’s about devotion and a different sight on reality, and about really hard work. Digital postproduction is extremely important in the present days and its not really easy to learn, as there is no "key" to every picture to let it look good, the thinking process starts with every new task from the very beginning, it should never become a simple routine.

So if you have the drive to become a professional photographer on a high level - try to create ideas you are interested in, work on series, projects, not a single picture. For the technical side - assist some professional commercial photographers in every direction, it’s a big, big help to understand the process as the photography is also about logistics and good organization. If you achieved a certain level - look for an agency to represent you, they will do the rest. But always try to do your best and to set new challenges, not to just make things you can and the things the most people want to see. On a certain level it’s easy to satisfy the masses but it’s not the real goal.

How much time do you spend doing photography? How do you rest? What inspires you?

Well it depends. Sometimes you spend weeks doing nothing and sometimes you work 2 months in a row, without weekends, sleeping 3-4 hours a day, the normal experience in the advertising industry. For me it’s important to take pauses from the camera, so in my "other" life I don’t even posses a small camera for the private moment, I just live a normal life as any other person does. I don’t really need some special ways to find inspiration; it’s simply there when I need it - mainly under the shower or while sitting on the toilet bowl :) But music helps, that’s for sure.

Where do you think photography is going? Where do you see it in 20 years from now? Will you still be doing photography?
I must say I am concerned about the way the art photography is going at the moment. Nothing against the LoFi- and documentary style-photography but I have the feeling that it’s more and more "uncool" to invest a lot of time and soul into your work, its more about "zeitgeist" and shooting the moment. But as we all know - the art market is a bitch and the things which are "in" today are "out" tomorrow, so I’m sure that all the ways of photography will exist parallel to each other. For me it would be a dream to switch into the film business some day so maybe it’s where I will be in 20 years.

Well, as I understood you are from Russia and are now living in Germany. Are you happy with your current life and everything? What’s the difference for you between the two countries you lived in?
Well, I’m thankful to Germany for giving me all the chances to become what I am, without any money and connections. There is a big difference between those two countries; Russia always gives you the feeling of being a zero. But, after visiting Russia after a 7 year-long pause, I was surprised to recognize that I am still more Russian in my soul than German. It’s a strange thing about Russia. I hate it and I love it at the same time, the feeling I am sure to share with a lot of creative people.

You never thought about moving from Germany? Are there any other countries that you think would work better for you?
Well, indeed, I am not planning to stay in Germany forever, but returning back is not an option, due to the political regime there. I think I will be a vagabond for a long time and it would be for personal reasons like a partnership or children that would cause me to settle down in some country. Professionally, I think USA is a place to be for me for, next time.

Let’s talk about photographic equipment: Many photographers say that equipment honestly doesn’t matter but what do you think?
Yes, I absolutely agree. The important thing about the equipment is that you must be familiar with the usage of it, it shouldn’t distract you, you must give your concentration on the scenery or person you’re photographing. All the other stuff, it’s all about sharpness and brilliance of the picture, not about the idea or the implementation. Invest the money you have and be happy with the quality, there is nothing you can change. If you have more money - invest more money, grab sharper pictures with more dynamic range, that’s it. It still doesnt make a bad picture look good.

What do you prefer to make pictures of? Nature? People? Urban? And why?
Well it’s the first question you ask after your opponent hears you are a photographer and its hard for me to explain so I always say - "take a look and tell me what I do". As I am not depicting the reality but creating my own it’s all about the idea, not about the object. Now it’s the people, but tomorrow it can be nature: MY nature. So I can’t even say I make portraits of people, as I don’t make photographs of them, of living people, but create new ones: MY people. So can you call it a portrait?

How do you get models for your photo shoots?
For my personal shoots I rarely work with professional models or actors, as they have to much routine and too little devotion. Laymen are easy to fascinate, it’s like a fest for them to be involved in an interesting photographic process. I often use people like my friends of members of my family, they have much more patience and understanding for my work as they can see the result sometimes a month later, through all the postproduction.

Speaking about your art projects: Can you tell us more about it? Why you are doing this and what’s the story behind it all?
Well, what should I say... is that these things come from my heart, the only thing I can, it’s about telling stories, you know? As I was a kid I was simply obsessed with all the fairytales and myths and legends from all over the world. I grew up in a sort of mental utopia. The Soviet brainwash through my childhood did a certain part, that’s for sure. The downfall of the USSSR came and all the dream constructions broke down, became dust, and we, the children of the 80’s, experienced the growing up in the behemoth of new Russian reality. Maybe it’s the thing that pushes me to create my own reality over and over again. I’m also obsessed with other people’s dreams, the things the sub consciousness creates, and the ways our brain communicates with us. So this is the theme I am in for the next 2-3 years.

Ok man, it was nice to talk to you. Would you like to say anything else to our readers?
I want to thank you for the interest in my work. And for the people out there - don’t give up, don’t sell yourself (well, maybe sometimes you may have to, for the electricity bill :), but just be sure to always do the real thing, the thing your soul wants you to do.