Speaker- Polina Plotnikova Wednesday 4th November – Starting From a Blank Canvas

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They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and the last two sessions of the St Andrews Photographic Society`s  weekly  Zoom gettogethers were  visual proof of this. On the 4^th we were privileged to have a presentation by the award winning Polina Plotnikova a Russian now living in London. This still life and flower photographer gave us an insight into the studied methodology to her work in a conversation with accompanying pictures entitled ”Starting with a blank canvas”. Of herself Polina says:

They say that a photographer is either a picture taker, or a picture maker…

… and I am firmly in the picture makers’ club. While fully appreciating the “what you see is what you get” approach, I am much more interested in chasing an ever-elusive image that appears in my mind’s eye, an image that conveys my feelings and emotions, rather than remains a mere statement of fact. My favourite photography subjects are: flowers, still life, and also capturing my impressions when travelling.

She approaches her pictures of flowers as one would the taking of a portrait picture with attention to details such as positioning, lighting and exposure. Her work is studio based using various multiple exposure and creative techniques to achieve the perfection she seeks. Some of the simply stunning images of flowers shown have won various medals in International Salons and also won awards in the International Flower Photographer of the Year Competitions run by the Royal Horticultural Society which includes the Chelsea Flower Show. In 2016 she won the Pink Lady Photographer of the Year for a picture of food which these days is a hotly contested area of photography.  Members thoroughly enjoyed viewing her work. You can see more of Polina’s photography at Polina Plotnikova Photography