The Art of Making You Feel at Ease
Lessons From Both Sides of the Camera
When I say I’ll make you feel comfortable during a photo shoot, it’s not just about being nice and smiling at you. It comes from over two decades of experience.
Since 1999, I’ve worked with A-list celebrities and creative personalities—many of them delightfully complex—navigating tight schedules, high-pressure environments, and the occasional unexpected drama.
I also know what it’s like to be on the other side of the camera. Years ago, while working at a magazine in Moscow, our editorial team decided to do a photo shoot together in the studio with one of our favorite photographers. We were so confident—this is going to be easy, we thought. After all, we were creative professionals used to working on glossy features.
What could possibly go wrong?
Everything.
What we envisioned as a fun, quick session turned into the longest, most grueling shoot of our lives. By the time it was over, none of us wanted to look at a camera ever again. During our next team meeting, nearly every editor pleaded,
“Let’s never do that again!”
The experience was a crash course in how vulnerable it can feel to be photographed—even for professionals.
Another eye-opener came while I was in film academy in New York, taking an “Acting for Directors” class. To teach us what actors endure, my instructors made the shoots deliberately difficult. In January, I was told to act barefoot on a rooftop, braving icy winds while the cinematography students slowly set up the camera. As I stood there, freezing, waiting endlessly for someone to yell “action,” I thought,
“So this is what it’s like to be in an actor’s shoes—or lack thereof.”
From that day on, I promised myself I’d do everything possible to make sure anyone on set felt warm, cared for, and supported—even in challenging conditions.
I kept that promise when I directed a photo shoot 10 years later. It was January again, on another rooftop in Brooklyn. This time, I had gathered a group of activists for an art project in support of political prisoners in Russia and Belarus. They were barefoot in the freezing cold, but our wonderful producer Kolya made sure there was hot tea ready as soon as we wrapped—and I didn’t make my talents wait around while I fiddled with the camera.
And no, I won’t ask you to go barefoot on a freezing rooftop in January. Unless, of course, you really want to—or insist on it.
