photographer
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the story behind
the story behind
It's been a while since I decided to stick to one direction: portrait photography. Since then, I've seen many signs that it was a good choice. Not an easy one, but a very rewarding one.
I've heard so many people ask: "Should I just be myself, with a plain, open face, no fox furs on my shoulders, no peacock at my knees, no borrowed look, and no special expression?"
Come just as you are. Like someone from the cover of a good magazine, like a portrait that hangs on the wall for ages, like the real you. The one you know, the one you believe you know, the one you most need to know.
A natural portrait is an exciting journey into yourself, one that reveals and brings out both your maturity and your inner child, your vulnerability and your strength. "How are you?" isn't just a formal question, and neither is "Who are you?" My sincere thanks and warm words go to everyone I've been lucky to work with. Going through a portrait session together brought us to a new level of trust.
Everybody should have a decent portrait
I was once asked: "Okay, I see. In your portraits, you show people as ideal by revealing their best features. Or even their worst ones, but with an explanation and a kind of justification. Do you think that's fair?" Um...
Well... All of us have ups and downs, and so does the mirror in the room. On the one hand, the mirror is a moment of self-adjustment, much like the infamous "selfie": it shows the "you" that you believe you're comfortable with. The rest of the time we spend in an unconscious self-assessment mode, and that is the most natural version of you. Now, back to ups and downs. During a "down" period, especially if it drags on for some reason, you start to forget the version of you from your better days as you try to cope with the present. This is when the mirror stops helping, and selfies do too. It's easier to keep your confidence and pride when you have documentary proof of your best features.
I used to call them charismatic portraits, but I was wrong: they're all natural
Once, during one of those periods, I picked up a set of passport photos from a chain photo store, and the result shocked me deeply. That photo was meant for documents that would be kept and used for years. No way, that's not me! I don't even want to believe that the moody, tired person in it is me. That's the point. A good portrait, whether on a document, on a desk or on a wall, is a clear reflection of the best of you.
Clients
Clients
What goes around comes around: the more time you give a person during a portrait session, the better the result. What's made quickly fades quickly. Nothing new here. There may be exceptions, but they tend to even out: what's lost on one side is made up on the other. This holds every time, whether I'm hired by a big, famous company or approached by individuals who want their events or portraits photographed.
Work experience
Work experience
[1998] - [ongoing]self-employed, not affiliated
Education
Education
[1998] - [2006]
[Tallinn University]
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