Vitaly Grishkov was born and raised in the city of Rostov-on-Don. Moved to Moscow in summer 2019. This move was planned in order to expand the circle of contacts and work with people from the media sphere — musicians and public figures. The new place gave new impressions and new acquaintances — exactly what is most needed to refresh creativity.
When did you first realize that you wanted to be a photographer? How did you decide to get into photography?
I started doing photography spontaneously after I found my father’s camera in the closet after he passed. At first it was my hobby which was slowly consuming more and more time. Then, on a trip to the United States where I worked in a restaurant, colleagues came up and said that they liked my photos and that I should think about taking it seriously. This inspired me a lot and then the first thoughts appeared that I could become a photographer.
What is photography for you? A career, way of self-expression or both?
Both a career and a way of self-expression. I like to share creativity, show new works. Observe which photos resonate more with people and which ones less. At the same time, when it became my career, it is very pleasant to realize that my work is appreciated and I can make a living doing it. Again, money is also a response and a measure of evaluation.
What inspires you? What kind of music, movies, books or maybe people?
I am heavily inspired by visuals of any kind. I love cinema, lately I really like watching music videos — this is a powerful source of inspiration for me.
What are your pictures about? What stories do they tell? What feelings do they express?
In my works, I strive to show the world through the prism of my fantasies. Therefore I often add or change something in Photoshop. I’m not chasing perfect resemblance of reality, rather quite the opposite. By showing something the way I see it, it seems to me that I am establishing a closer contact with the viewer.
How have the coronavirus events affected your work?
I try to look at it from the positive side. Yes, there is less work in terms of commerce, but in return I got a lot of free time. I do creative shooting at home, write posts about photography, look for something interesting for myself on the net, and study 3g graphics.
What are the biggest challenges you face in your work and how do you overcome them?
The biggest difficulties now are promotion and expansion of the audience. From the beginning of the year, I began to send work to online publications, write short articles for Nikon Russia and, in general, I try to be useful for people. And the audience is starting to grow.
What do you do when you hit a wall during your creative process, how do you get out of deadlocks and find the strength to overcome difficulties?
I try to abstract and catch the feeling of “flow”. Concentration and observation of your condition is very important. If you are able to focus on business and not be distracted by anything, sooner or later something will work out.
How do you think your work affects viewers? What do you want to express with your photography?
I hope that my work inspires the viewer to see something of their own in everyday life around. I love unusual angles and I think that in this way I help people learn to look at things from different angles as well and find beauty in unusual places. This is the main message so far — the beauty surrounds us everywhere and you just need to be able to see it.
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