Journey

my

Born and raised in a small town in Russia, my mom encouraged me from the beginning to learn a foreign language so that I might leave my home country and find a better life.

While in high school, I studied day and night and got admitted to a very prestigious university, The Linguistic University of Nizhny Novgorod, where I studied both English and French. Upon graduation in 2002, I decided to pursue the “American Dream” and I did so alone‒ without any family and with only $300 in my pocket.

Since that time, I have photographed hundreds of weddings for the happily love-struck and the mehndi-adorned in the greater Austin, Texas area. 

Needless to say, my first year in America was tough. Like many newcomers, I took any job I could just to get by. In the process, I made enough money to buy my first camera - a Nikon point-and-shoot (but never - in my wildest dreams - did I think I would end up being a successful photographer!) Only a few years later, while traveling with a non-profit in India and volunteering at an orphanage, I first developed a love and passion for photography.