Dreams come true through her Photography..a brilliant creator from Russia who shares with us her Art.

 www.ilonaveresk.com 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ilona D. Veresk  is a art-fashion photographer based in Moscow. Her personal patience of organization and concepts makes her own fashion stories looks like fairy tale or surreal dream you can believe in. Ilona has a support of such strong companies like Broncolor and Wacom, after only three years work on freelance photography.

“I work as art director and producer of my own surreal tales, I work by myself with light, pre- and post production. Sometimes I do clothes and accessories for my art shoots. Currently, I do advertising photography for different brands, lookbooks and campaigns, fashion and beauty editorials for magazines.  I draw inspiration from nature, plants, mix these ingredients with avant-garde fashion and fantasy. The post-apocalyptic topics and utopian worlds and the mixture of totally different styles and eras is also a large cup of inspiration. “

 

 

AM: Share with us how was your start as a photographer.

I always had strange dreams. As a child I wanted to be a voice actor for cartoons, or make princess dresses (thanks to Disney, ha-ha). Much later, when I fell for visual art, I wanted to become a designer. I could not believe how many types of designers there are! 

I enrolled at an Interior design in university in city (Izhevsk, little city closer to Ural). It was so boring for me after lyceum because their program was intended for entry-level and basics. So I was really disappointed. In parallel, I worked on photo manipulations. It started to give me some revenue because my work got recognition in circles of musicians. I did CD covers and booklets for their singles and music albums. 

One year after university I moved to the capital in searching for further development in my career.
Love for photography came to me three years ago. I had already bought my first camera, but it still felt like a silly hobby to me. Life in Moscow forced me to look for jobs to pay for housing and food, so I found myself a studio and started using my camera to earn money. Then things started moving fast. At first I thought it was just a job on the side, but I started to get more and more involved. And I started to understand that if you treat your work serious and use your imagination it becomes really interesting. 

That's why I think my dream founds me, not the other way around.

AM:Whose work has influenced you most?

There are so many talented people around me! You can’t imagine! That’s not only famous persons in visual arts but my team and friends keep me inspired and help me with everything. Of course, i’m in love with Kristian Schuller, Eugenio Recuenco, Nick Knight, Tim Walker, David LaChapelle, Bruno Dayan, Elizaveta Porodina, Maria Svarbova if to tell about photography, but many more inspiration I take from nature, sculpture, handcrafts, avant-garde fashion design and surreal painting, pre-raphaelites, renaissance, rococo, art nouveau, fairy tale and adventure books.

AM:Your Photography is an explosive mixture of a Dreamy, a Fairytale aesthetics, with modern patterns. How would you describe it ?

Hm, I never thought about it. It’s just a fact what I mix everything around me with my individual life experience and vision.

I don’t like to be a simple illustrator or simple fashion photographer, it’s just not interesting for me. There are many people who can do that «simple things» better and cleaner than me. I like to add something from my head to create a story in the image or series. I like when it looks different even if I shoot commercial story.

AM:How do you select your models?

Mostly I work with agencies, but sometimes I just see someone’s face or what someone’s create and tell him «Hey dude, wanna some photos?». And we do it. But any way, my models here not only for the faces, but for vision and talents.

AM:When do you feel absolutely free? During Artistic or Fashion & Beauty shots?

Nowhere i think. Commercial projects uses you to shoot something concrete (like clothes or accessories) and mostly you are not fully free to do what you want because there is personal idea of collection. In artistic - I’m not so free as I want to see my projects because of lack of budgets. I want to do something more amplitudinous, not only  portraits in my studio. I really love to work both ways, they are awesome! However most part of my ideas unfortunately lives only on paper for now because of crazy decorations or locations which are not available for me now. So, maybe later my work will turns into something more closest to my notes. Just a matter of time.

AM:It is obvious that other Arts impact your photography, which one is the most important for you and why?

My best shot is always which I’m planning to take tomorrow.

AM:How much important is the Conceptual preparation on your projects?

Very important. Process is just a process, but improvisation sometimes gives strange results. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, but never expected. It doesn’t matter for me the way to work, but I really love then anything are thought out to the last detail before the shoot, not during the progress. However as art director and organizer I used be ready and calm in any situations. If to tell about concept and ideas I just can ask rhetorical question - Is there a reason to shoot with no idea? :)

AM:What's next for the future? Tell me few things about your next  projects.

All is on the right track which is normal, I’m not such good planner as Napoleon. I just do what I want this moment. Tomorrow I think it can change, as a result of new experience. I just want to grow up with my skills and projects, it’s only one thing i love to do.

AM: Thank you so much Ilona ! 

 Socials:

http://ilonaveresk.com/

https://www.behance.net/ilonaveresk

https://www.instagram.com/ilonaveresk/