Ivan Smirnov

I shoot people. Before shooting, I ask the hero to share his feelings. During the shooting, I work with the memory of the body: my characters relive their emotions in front of the camera, concentrating on their condition and posture. For many of them, this is a way to sort out their feelings through the process of posing. the examination itself is already therapeutic ( of course, provided that it takes place on our initiative and in a specially designated place, and not on the bus, when someone is staring without asking ). but being under surveillance means not only getting high, but also becoming vulnerable and driven. let go of control and trust another. this is what happens in the process of portrait photography - when you give up on bail and free up the place of the new day. when, under the guidance of a photographer, your best sides can be revealed and shine. this is the subglacial interaction, the exploration of oneself through another. you can, of course, play a rehearsed script at home, but this means sitting in your own framework, not giving a chance for a chemical reaction to occur. those who "know how" to pose are usually difficult to shoot - stamping, there is no living and sensual. it is possible of course, but this is not a dialogue, but a monologue. reinforced concrete ideas about oneself do not give the opportunity to be flexible and spontaneous. and at this moment you turn into a person pushing buttons. the person being portrayed is stealing from himself. to abandon yourself for a while, in order to find yourself later, to see a new reflection. so new and complicated. and scary, of course. after all, I am never sure that the other will appreciate, pick up, or begin to criticize. but you can only win by taking a risk, there are no workarounds.