-Interview-

This cinemagraph is quite cinematic. Can you remember the first film you saw in a movie theatre?  

When I was child, I did not watch films in theatre, only on tv. We had a black and white tv and in our town were several tv channels which would sometimes show movies.

I can’t say what film was first. In our country, I think in the post Soviet era the most popular films were with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Jackie Chan and other cool guys.

Speaking of films - great ending. Not bad for your first time.

It was 2 years ago I started to get involved in video shooting. It was competition and I thought I would try to shoot something. At that time I had only held a camera in my hands a few times, and I really didn't know anything. I wrote the script and asked my friend if she wanted to play the main role in the video. I was a director, writer, art-director, operator, administrator, casting director, even an actor and it was very funny and cool.  It was nice experience.

If you could have any piece of photography equipment in the world, what would it be and what would it enable you to do differently, or better?

Although good equipment enables better quality, equipment alone is not enough. I think the most important thing is the idea of what you shooting.

It’s winter, I’m visiting Almaty for a weekend. What should I do and see while I’m there? 

In Almaty you must to go up in mountains to Medeo and Koktobe by funicular Or walk. Doesn't matter if it's summer or winter, it's amazinG. You also just need to walk around and try some national food. 

A similar paper airplane appears as the header image on your facebook page. Did you make paper airplanes as a kid, and did they fly very well? 

Yes I make paper airplanes and they fly very well :)

My university education was engineering - I like to know “how it works” in just about about everything. This photo on my facebook, she is friend of mine, and when we finished the photoset, I came home , opened the material and realized her arms and hands were very beautiful.

How do you get your subjects to express the feeling, mood or emotion you are trying to convey in your cinemagraphs? 

When we begin the shoot I explain to the model what I'm looking for in the moment.  If we are not quite there, I explain more, deeper, maybe with some examples until the model connects perfectly with the idea. Sometimes we do many many takes. Sometimes I just take one photo without any words and it’s perfect.   

Where is this, and have you even been on that Ferris wheel? 

This copy of London eye is located in Baku, capital of Azerbaijan. It's a very huge wheel, but I have not been on it. In our town, when I was child we often go a local ferris wheel but it was much smaller than the one in my cinemagraph.  

What do you love most about being a photographer and cinemagraph artist?

I love all of it. When you take a shot and look at the result on camera, and it's good, in that moment you feel a little bit of happiness. I think meeting new people is very good too.