Hey, I'm Anastasia!
I'm a lifestyle photographer based in New York City, and yes, I'm one of those people who will stop mid-conversation to point at the light hitting a building.
I first came to New York in January 2018 as a tourist. It was like: snow storm, freezing wind, everything closed, people sprinting through puddles trying not to drown. I fell in love with this city immediately.
I moved here from Kaliningrad in 2022 and I'm still completely in awe of this place. This city has a subway to the ocean, the most insane skyline, the best cherry blossom gardens in spring, golden light in fall, and snow that turns Manhattan into a movie. I still can't believe I get to live and work here.
I prefer shooting outdoors. New York gives you a new set every single block. The city does half the work for me, and I'm not too proud to admit it.
How I got here
I've been holding a camera for about twenty years, which sounds impressive until you see my early work. My parents shot on film, developed prints themselves, and we still have two full developing kits sitting at home along with boxes and boxes of old black-and-white photos that I love going through.
I picked up a camera early and never really stopped. Some years I shot more, some less, but it was always there. Moving to New York just turned everything up. Suddenly I was surrounded by the most cinematic city on earth and the most interesting people I've ever met, and it all came together.
What I love about this
Confession: when I'm editing photos after a session, I catch myself smiling without realizing it. I'll be sitting there, adjusting colors, and then notice my face hurts because I've been grinning at my screen for twenty minutes. That's how I know a shoot went well.
But the thing that really gets me is when you see your photos and finally sees what I see. I'm incredibly picky about my own photos so I know exactly how it feels when nothing looks right. When a client opens their gallery and goes "omg, that's awesome," that's the whole point. That's what keeps me going.
I also just love being around people. I love hearing stories, telling stories, laughing a lot, walking around the city and finding beautiful light and unusual things. It's always something new in New York, you know.
What a shoot with me is like
My main job is to make you forget you're being photographed. We walk, we talk, we explore, and somewhere between your second laugh and your third "where are we going now?" the best photos happen.
Some of my clients (most of them) show up not knowing what to do with their hands and that's totally fine because you don't need to know how to pose. I'll tell you what to do, where to go, when to move. My favorite thing is posing without posing: I catch your emotions, your movement, you being yourself with the city in the background.
When I'm not shooting
I'm probably wandering through a neighborhood I haven't explored yet, trying some food I can't pronounce, hanging out with friends, or deep in my other obsession: perfume.
I love good company, people who make me laugh, and discovering new corners of this completely ridiculous, beautiful city.