The future belongs to those, who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

In my childhood memories, cameras and printed pictures always aroused my genuine interest, they created the fairy atmosphere for us little boys. However, at that time I had no opportunity to go in for professional photography.

It came into my life later and through another hobby – traveling. My family, my friends and I - we all together have visited a lot ofinteresting places in Russia and other countries for two decades. I always had a camera during our adventures. My photos were quite amateur at the beginning, but over time they began to convey feelings, observations and relationships. The photos have become much more than just a snapshot.

The most memorable and interesting trips were expeditions to Kamchatka, Gorny Altai, Spain, Greece, Australia, Mongolia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Laos and Cambodia.

The camera has gradually become my companion not only while traveling, but also in my everyday life. I decided to try myself in professional photography at 2015, combining regular shooting with my main job.
As an art form, photography is very democratic and accessible to many people. The number of genres and trends is so vast, that everyonecan find something to meet one’s interests. Undoubtedly, reaching the top requires talent like in any other creative professions. However, determination, perseverance and diligence also play an important role.

For me, a photo becomes a piece of art, when it combines three components: composition, light and emotions. If they all unite in one shot, it means that the photo is good enough and worthy of existence. The most important for me is the situation when the watcher, looking at a particular photo, becomes a participant of the action, and his own story is born in his imagination. It is especially valuable, when a photographer manages to look through the picture into the human soul or convey the mood.

Many of my pictures are monochrome. Black-and-white photography allows to concentrate primarily on the emotional component of the picture. It cuts off unnecessary details and focuses the watcher's attention on the most important. A black-and-white photo quite often erases time boundaries.

I am interested in street and documentary photography, where the role of staging is minimized and the rule "decisive moment" comes to the fore. The works by Cartier Bresson, Eugene Smith, Elliott Erwitt, Romualdas Rakauskas, Vladimir Lagrange are my favorite ones.
Interesting and emotional moments arise in the course of shooting continuously one after another. The task of the photographer is to foresee or even to anticipate the next moment, to show up at the right place at the right time.

Over the years, my works participated in many contests and exhibitions, which opened new opportunities for me, including communicationwith people passionate about photography and sharing of our experience.

Member of the Russian Union of Art Photographers and the Russian Geographical Society.

email: alexandr.shilov@gmail.com

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