a Session by Nataliya Karpov
This session was kind of like one of those experiences where when you smelled something, it brought you right back to that time. That place. That feeling. And like today, it happened out of no where, where I fell right back into my roots, allowing inspiration to grow all inside of me. And I owe that to a gorgeous meet-up with the effortlessly talented, Nataliya Karpov.
Nataliya and I planned to meet at the Starbucks in downtown Syracuse. This being the first time for her and I to finally meet! We both grabbed a quick cup of coffee and decided she would photograph me first- I was so excited for her to shoot me. I always admired and loved her work so this was definitely going to be good.
First, we wandered through an alley to a familiar place I actually shot one of my firsts subjects in. I was so happy to be back in such a beautiful brick setting. It all contrasted really well with my bright yellow whatever it is that I’m wearing, lol. Nataliya made me feel confident and bold, shooting with her incredible 24mm Sigma lens. I took chances this shoot because Nat wanted motion. So I moved.
Then we walked on over to one of the best parking garage spots to shoot at in downtown Syracuse where Nat directed me to an area at the top of the garage I never really appreciated before. Wow. We were creating now. And I think this was when my whole olfactory flashback sensation began. I felt good. Because I hadn’t shot in a long time. And when Nat took my photo, it really inspired me by watching her crush it.
And like I know many of my fellow creatives have experienced before; it can be so easy to fall into a creative rut and feel like you’ve lost your spark. But sometimes all it takes is a friendly invitation that stretches you out a bit and reminds you that the inspiration is still there and truly always was. Thanks Nat.
