Hi, I’m Anastasia
Originally from Ukraine. Now I live and work in Santa Cruz, CA. I’m 29 years old and I started my photography journey 12 years ago.
Photography for me it’s a way to discover the world and so different yet wonderful people on my way. I love photography for the opportunity to capture those precious moments from people’s life. Photography is a universal language that everyone around the world can easily understand.
My style is about the connection — not equipment or technique.
I’m interested in psychology, design, traveling and surfing.
My favorite photographers:
Annie Leibovitz, Sabastien J. Zanella, Mary Kuzmenkova.
My Journey.
My love to photography and ocean has been growing for years. Every person I've met and every place I've visited made me who I am now. Let me tell you about my adventures.
Ukraine
It has always felt totally natural and comfortable for be being near water - I was even born under the sign of Pisces. I started swimming professionally when I was 9 and then, at the age of 17 I became a junior coach in a marine mammal park a.k.a. Sea World. I was lucky to work with dolphins, sea lions and study behavioral psychology. That was an unforgettable experience. That is where I got hooked.
After 2 years of working as a dolphin coach I realized that this industry where animals are used, for example, zoos, circuses and so on, is taking the advantage of animals that can't defend themselves. And I decided that I didn't want to be a part of this industry and at the same time I couldn't change it alone, so I quit that place. But after doing a little research, I found some communities that help sea mammals and here you can learn how you can contribute.
Morocco
After my previous working experience I started thinking about taking on surfing. I still wanted to be around water, so these thoughts led me to my new favorite hobby.
That is how I ended up in Morocco volunteering at the surf station, learning to surf in the tough Atlantic Ocean. It was my first time traveling abroad, and that was the first time to surf. I had no particular plans before that trip, but I had a feeling that I was going to like it. I was hooked.
Japan
Living in a local family and experiencing culture from not a touristy angle made me fall in love with this country. Brave new world, old traditions, abundance of natural wonders - that's exactly what I saw in Hayao Miyazaki's movies when I was a child. If you want to know more about Japanese culture and living in Japan, I highly recommend a book that was written by an American woman that lived in Japan for many years as a local. Here is the link.
And yes, I surfed there! :)
Ceylon
Sri Lanka was my home for 2 years. I spent that time improving my surfing and doing photography on the regular basis as SMM at one of the best surf schools in the world (I’m biased).
The people I worked with became my close friends. We were not just colleagues, it was something more than that - we were more like a family. Everybody was so supportive and welcoming and it changed my perspective on what work environment I want to be in and what kind of people I want to be surrounded with.
Sri Lanka is one of the best places in the world for learning how to surf. If you are interested in surfing, I highly recommend you visit this island one day! Warm ocean, sandy beaches, friendly locals and a lot more will make your first surfing experience less stressful and more enjoyable.
Bali
A little break from Ceylon.
What impressed me the most was the community that I met there. There were so many professionals from all over the world. For example, an Italian guy had a great Italian restaurant, a Thai girl had her own SPA salon, a German guy who was an awesome DJ and so on. All these people and many others bring their culture to this island and at the same time respect the root traditions of local people - it creates unique environment and atmosphere that I have never seen anywhere else.
Surfing, skating, parties, tropical jungle - there was everything. During that trip I filmed a surf contest and I realized how much I like filming surfing.
I was hooked.
Greece
Not many people think about Greece as their dream travel destination. But I spent there 1 month with my beloved mum under the sun with unlimited seafood and wine and that definitely made me a better person :)
During that trip I didn't take many pictures as I took a break which helped me understand how much I like expressing myself through photography and telling your stories makes me really fulfilled.
This trip was given to me to reconsider my view on photography, and on myself.
California
It all started with a dream back in 2016, when I decided to explore California. I had heard so many inspiring stories about this place and everything in those stories was so appealing and inviting: community, climate, culture, lots of opportunities, surfing... So I got a desire to discover it myself. It took about a year to prepare all these documents and here I am at the end of summer 2018 as an international student. I wanted to make sure if this place was suitable enough to me so during my first year I was observing a lot in order to make a decision about staying here for longer. And then I met my future husband who was a man of my dream. And, of course, I decided to stay. How could I not? I found myself, or maybe I am still searching, but it feels like I'm in the right place and exactly where I'm supposed to be.
Now I live in Santa Cruz, do photography, UX design and just enjoy my life.
So now you know my story and I would be happy if you share yours. Reach me out for the photo shoot, a design project or simply for a cup of coffee together.
You can find my contact information here.
See ya!
