VITALY RUSTANOVICH
My story began in Moscow, in 1972, where I was born and raised. After school, I got a higher education and spent many years building a career in Western companies. Now I am engaged in documentary and portrait photography. I also like to shoot and edit videos. I travel a lot in search of subjects of photo stories about people.
Hayao Miyazaki once said: “I’m not a storyteller. I’m a person who draws pictures.” So, I’m not a photographer either. I’m a person who pushes buttons. Tap the elevator button at the entrance. On the laptop keys. Tap the remote-control buttons. What would people do without buttons? Even in a car, you need to press a button to start the engine. And I press the shutter button on the camera, trying to catch that “crucial moment”. What would I do without the photo and without that black button?
About fifteen years ago, I felt that it was impossible to live with one “desk” job. A person needs a balance between what they “should” and what they “love”. Since then, year after year, I have been equalizing this balance.
My perfectionism constantly pushes me forward. I try to study and practice a lot in various genres: portrait, reportage, landscape, art, etc. I’m looking for a path, I’m looking for a style, I’m looking for a theme, and most importantly-I’m looking for viewers and heroes. I am sure that if you dig into ourselves, you will find something that will interest the viewer. The main thing is that this “something” is real, important and frank. Then the body, the look, the movement, the emotion-start working in the frame in a different way.
When photographing people, I always ask myself the same question-did I manage to get into the inner world of my hero at this moment, which is at a very subtle and deep level of perception? After all, it is there that amazing and touching stories live that you want to show the viewer.
When analyzing a new shoot, I try to understand whether I was sufficiently delicate and careful with the model, but at the same time attentive and focused to collect all the details of the “puzzle”. And when I fall into this state, I feel like I’m not just a person pushing a black button anymore.
I am a person with a camera that shows interesting stories.
What kind of story will you have?
These hidden worlds exist all around us, and sometimes you don’t even have to go anywhere. The best model is the person who is closest to you both spiritually and physically. You just need to disconnect from the flow of everyday information. For a few minutes or hours, forget about your phone, internet, TV, friends, work, and so on. And after a while, you will be shocked to see what sharpness of perception can be available to you. You will begin to notice the smallest details of the composition, the play of color, the interaction of forms, where not so long ago there was nothing to catch your eye. And you will begin to anticipate the course of events. This is hard to believe and hard to explain in words, but those who have experienced it will understand. In these moments, you are a photographer, not just a person pushing a button.