interview with a photographer: Svetlana Astashina

The interview with a photographer this month is not with a professional one , but it's a person who is growing very quickly in this field. She's Svetlana Astashina native from Moskow , Russia now lives in Norway. Her last big work was at the Open European HTM & Freestyle Championships in Denmark where she stunned all with great photos . I think we will hear a lot about her in future.


Svetlana and the warm up questions...


Last time you watch TV (What)?
Last time I watched TV was yesterday, it was "Two and a half men".


Are you superstitious?
I'm not superstitious, though I don't trust black cats, no cats actually... I'm a dog fancier.


Do you believe in weather forecast on TV?
I believe weather forecast for next day only, not longer.


Ok , never mind , It's better that we pass to the interview


Could you tell our readers a little about yourself
My name is Svetlana Astashina, I was born in Moscow and lived there till I moved to Norway 5 years ago. At university I studied English philology. Photography is my main hobby and my big passion along with dogs and travelling. I have a page on Facebook called ASTA photo (my name is too complicated for foreigners) where I share dog photos I make. Of course I have a dog myself - a wonderful golden retriever girl who is 5 years old.

You are also involved in the dog dance?
I'm involved in the dog dance only as a photographer so far. But after many beautiful dances I saw I started thinking about trying it! Just need to buy a puppy and begin training:)


Tell me a little bit about your start in dog sports photography.
When did you start getting interested in photography?
I started to get interested in photography when was a teenager, it was time of film cameras (difficult to believe now) and period of trying all types of photography. As for dog sports photography, that's quite new in my life. I love it for action, adrenalin, emotions and I'm deeply impressed how dogs always do their best and work 100%. Sport photos are also more difficult to capture, so it's a challenge too!


What equipment do you use to create your photos?
I use Canon 7D camera and Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L lens. In my opinion it's a great combination for action photography:)

Why do you love photography?
First of all I love photography for making memories. The more time passes, the more precious these memories become. It's also art and a way to express oneself.


What is it you like the most about being a photographer?
Most I like to see people who are happy looking at photos I've made. Besides being a hobby photographer gives me privilege of choosing events and models I like.


What is your favorite photo that you’ve shot so far and how did you capture it?
I can't choose a favourite photo, I'm hopeless that way. I love all my models and it's always a huge problem for me to delete photos after dog events. When I come home with hundreds of pictures I make myself delete minimum half of them and only after that I start post-processing.

Tell us one of the most beautiful things that happened during a photo session .
For me it's when my model likes me so much that he or she constantly comes close to me :) to get a hug or give or kiss, or just to sit together in a pack:) It's very difficult to take photos with such dogs but I do love these moments!


Who do you listen to? Who do you accept advice from?
It happened so that I don't have friends with same interests:( I would love to share ideas, make projects, get advice... So if anybody is interested in dogs and/or photography, feel free to contact me on Facebook.






How do you know that a photo is really good? 
A photo is really good if it's technically perfect and arouses feelings not leaving people indifferent. For sport photography catching the right moment is essential too.


The most beautiful photographic memories of 2010/2011?
In 2011 I was lucky to see dancing dogs first time in my life! Open European HTM & Freestyle Championships in Denmark was no doubt the most beautiful photographic memory for me. I was also impressed with local frisbee competition in Moscow.


What are your strengths?
Patience, good taste, desire to learn.

Any plans for the future?
If we talk about 2012, I'm looking forward to World Dog Show (worlddogshow.oekv.at) in Salzburg, Austria in May. In July I plan to visit agility week in Stavanger, Norway (agilityuken.no). Also would like to go to Open European HTM & Freestyle Championships 2012 (oec2012.wordpress.com) in Prague, Czech Republic in September. In general my plan is to become a professional:)


Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview! Do you have anything else you would like to add?
I would like to thank you for the job you are doing! It's a great idea to interview photographers. Those who are behind camera deserve some attention and praise!


visit www.facebook.com/asta.photo


all the photos are a courtesy of Svetlana Astashina