Ann Semenova: My photographic art is the magic of light and darkness in our hearts

Ann Semenova is a Ukrainian photographer who continues her career in the field of photography in Germany. Combining both darkness and light in her art, she creates something similar to short stories from people's lives. She touches on deep themes in her art: love, loneliness, sadness, courage... About Annie’s project “In a Year and Kilometers”, which revolves around migration and war, the continuation of a career abroad and the stories that are hiding by photographs, read on Drive Music Media.

Interviewer: Almost every one of your photographs has a hidden story. Could you tell us how you come up with ideas and how do you go about realizing them? Where do you get your inspiration?

Ann: I'm glad it's noticeable. I really want every photo to be filled with a story that can be read without words in the future. I always try to get to know the client before the shoot and get to know them “here and now”, their values, experiences, pains or joys. An idea always comes from silence. Before each shoot I give myself time where there are no thoughts, no fuss, from there something is born. Inspiration always comes from different things. From nature, a book, people, a movie, music, photos of other authors or deep lyrics. Everything that can catch me I collect in my treasury.

Interviewer: When did you start your career in photography? What attracted you to this world?

Ann: To this question I have always answered: “I was lucky enough to get a divorce in this life.” After which my life completely changed. That was the beginning. Photography is a great way to sublimate your inner you into art. I was a fast paced learner. When I was shooting, I was getting some strokes on the head from the universe. And I knew that photography is such a diverse world that you can stay here for a long time. 

Interviewer: What is the difficulty of being a photographer? What can you single out after so many years in this field?

Ann: When you create something with love, everything is easy. I would emphasize only that often one photo is more valuable than a hundred. And if you managed to shoot that one, you're good.

Interviewer: What is the difference between working as a photographer in Germany and Ukraine? What should those who migrated and decided to continue their careers here be prepared for?

Ann: I think the only difference is the language and different taxation. Unfortunately I don't have a ready recipe for everyone. But I know for sure that “go and do” always works.

Interviewer: You have a photo book in your oeuvre. What was your first book? How do you prepare for publication, what is the concept of your photo books and whose stories do you tell in them?

Ann: I don't remember what the first book was, it must have been beautiful. Almost always photo books are customized by the client. And going to the shoot, I already know that I will need to layout it. So during the shoot I try to shoot more details or backgrounds for beautiful transitions. Then I choose the most interesting shots for it, which can flow from one to another and form an even longer story. It's almost always a surprise for people. So far there has only been one small photo book “Confessing my love” with a short poem by me.

Interviewer: You have joined an important project to create an art book “The Art of Living During Chemotherapy”. Tell us more about your shootings as part of this collaboration.

Ann: It was only one shoot. Alyona came to my studio and we told something about her through my vision.

Interviewer:  “A Year and Kilometers Later”. This is the name of the project, which includes 49 shootings. It was an online filming with strong psychological feedback. Tell us more about your project: how did you come up with the idea, who participated, and what did you learn from the process and the end result of such an in-depth filming?

Ann: Oh, this I remember very well... walking around Nuremberg, such a global loneliness came over me. From a year of war, from forced emigration, from the “strangers” around me.  I was walking and thinking that I am all alone here.... there is no one to even ask me “how am I?” “where am I?” and “what am I missing now?” How good it would be for me if someone asked me... Without thinking long, I decided to ask this of my acquaintances, friends and shoot their portrait. That's how this project arrived. That same evening, I already had 8 or 10 people answer these questions and agreed on a time to shoot. The only inconvenience was that you can only shoot from a distance via iphone on Facetime. But many people borrowed iphones from their friends and we managed. But also many lacked the resource to participate. I understand them. 

Interviewer: Which of your photo shoots is the most significant for you personally. When did it take place and what was the subject matter?

Ann: There are so many of them that it's hard to single them out. These are the shoots that I shot to specific music and put together into a video sequence. Filming when my studio was being built in a huge pile of dust. I'd come home and wash everything I could. Everything was in that dust. The very first shoots I got a hard slap on the head from my teachers. There was naked Masha, terrified of snakes, on a shoot with a python. Or maybe it's the other way around - this shoot hasn't happened yet.

Interviewer:  What's next? What are your No. 1 plans for the future?

Ann: I don't know. We can only speculate. To learn new techniques, new methods, everything that photography can reach. To observe life, to observe people's lives. To continue to teach people about photography, to teach them to notice light and beauty even on the darkest of days. To build an “emotion store” where you can trade one feeling for another.To fall in love and get married.

Interviewer: Describe your photography in one sentence. One sentence tells the whole story.

Ann: The magic of light and darkness in our hearts.

Photographer: Ann Semenova