Aero Hockey with Zhenya in Russia
Aero Hockey with Zhenya in Russia
Who are you?
Hello, my name is Zhenya Aerohockey. I was born in Siberia, in the middle of impassible Taiga and not far from Lake Baikal, but currently I am living in Saint Petersburg. And I am a photographer.
In what ways have the area you were born in and the area you live in now affected your work and your life?
The homeland, Siberia, made me fall in love with the nature
forever. You have no idea what Baikal is like; the is no same place left on the Earth. I moved to Saint Petersburg because of work opportunities, which the city gives. How did it affect me? Probably, I am who I am now because of Saint Petersburg and the people who surround me here. I began realizing myself as a professional photographer here.
How did you come up with the concept for the aerohockey account?
You know, everything happened very accidentally. I have always
loved geometry, series of photos, and people’s surroundings. When my project was just about to start, I didn't even think about success or fame with these pictures because first it was just the way to train my imagination and keenness of vision, if you will.
How long did it take to develop a rhythm for the shots?
It happened almost immediately. I think it's because the idea is very simple.
When you started it, did you ever imagine the response the corner photos would get? How does it feel?
Not at all! (laughing) From the first, it was just an entertainment.
Well, being famous is cool. Although, being serious, I've got some offers to publish some advertisements in my profile, but I denied all of them.
Do you find it hard or difficult to keep finding more and more corners?
It depends. For instance, it can be that I need the whole week to find the corner (well, what do I have to do except #catchingcorners). Sometime the great shots occur every day. However, my dream is a small CatchingCorners Tour; borders of only one city became boring. Plausibly, I'll start with Europe.
How did you get started in photography?
Perhaps, I am one of these people whose dream became true. I had been dreaming to take pictures since my childhood.
Do you remember the age in your childhood you started taking photos? Was there something that inspired you to start?
To be honest, my love to photography was inculcated by my father. We have a huge family archive, which is very special for me. I've seen how my father took pictures since I was a child, at the age when people just start their conscious life.
It was the time of late Soviet Union. Analog photography, working with a raw film in the dark bathroom (yes, Russians did it in their bathrooms!),
cameras such as Zenit and Lomo Compact Automat were the part of our everyday life. These cameras are proudly standing on my shelf now.
@aerohockey
www.zhenyaaerohockey.com
Interview by Jack Sommer