Monday, January 13, 2014

Andrew for White Lies magazine (Berlin) INTERVIEW

You can read it on WhiteLies magazine's website here


Moody – intense – darkness-tendency , that may be the best adjectives to categorise Andrew Kalashnikov’s photography. He is a 24 years old who ( in the fashion world ) may be best known as the guy whose moody shots were featured in the window display of Rick Owens’s store in Paris. I had the chance of exchanging a few lines with the man.

Andrew, when did you get into photography?
It was almost 3 years ago. I planned to shoot 3 concept series just for fun and then brought them out. Surprisingly, I am still in the business.
Well it’s no surprise to me. But can you still recall the first photo that actually got printed, or that you got money for?
Wow, I can try. In 2011, the fashion portrait «Light After Dark» in a Russian magazine. I actually found the magazine in a subway’ booth and bought 3 issues at once. It was cool. The first money I got for a model portfolio earlier.




But with the easy accessibility of good quality cameras, do you think people still take photography seriously?


I suppose, you just answered the question yourself. Today with easy access to digital cameras people think it’s easy to be a photographer and make a living of it. But if they try, nothing will happen. It’s a very competitive field. You should be 40% talented and 60% hard-working to succeed. Only workhorses can survive here.

100% agreed. Was it through hard work or by chance that you have gained success and a considerable following?
Hard work. During a whole year I had only 30 followers on my page. Nevertheless i updated it with new photos to show that I don’t give a fuck and I will work anyway. You should never stop learning and improving to succeed.

That’s the spirit. What’s an average day like for a photographer based in Russia anyway?
Depends on the photographer’s schedule. For the most photoshoots you have to get up early, then get to location or studio and take photos. I remember waiting 4 hours for a 10 min-photoshoot.
Digital vs. Analog. What are your preferences?
I am a digital photographer at this time.