yelena yemchuk/

I have been going through images trying to make a nice little gallery for a Chinese magazine and I just kept stopping at this one that I shot at Yelena Yemchuk's loft in Brooklyn. I have barely had time to edit the images I shot there a couple of months ago. But wow! Do I love this one...

yelena yemchuk/

A couple of my favorites from my shoot at photographer and painter Yelena Yemchuk's loft earlier this week. I have always loved how more is more with Yelena...the antithesis of me actually. There are layers and layers of reference on her pin board. In my mind taking it down would be one of the best ways to spend a day (and I think it would take a day) because you would go through her brain in some way and see the copious references that get sifted into any one of her many projects. It would be fascinating. As I shot she was working on some compelling new paintings for a show this fall. I cannot wait to see the final pieces...
Have a wonderful long weekend friends. I am heading to a barn raising in the redwoods, can you believe it?!? SO EXCITED!!!

note from brooklyn/yelena yemchuk

Just back in the US and am shooting Yelena Yemchuk's loft today! Perfect way to spend a rainy day...a quick shot from my iPhone.

week of sharing/yelena yemchuk

Yelena Yemchuk lives in my heart. OK...well, she actually lives in Brooklyn with her family, but since the first day at Art Center when I met her, she has had a permanent place in my heart. Meeting her was like finding a long lost friend I didn't realize I had. My life has been a better place since that second.

Not only is she a wildly talented photographer (in evidence since the beginning, btw) and painter, she is one of the most innately authentic people I know...the term "salt of the earth" comes to mind but doesn't really cover it somehow.

She just came out with her first book called Yelena Yemchuk:Gidropark published by Damiani a few months ago. I was lucky enough to see this project unfold over the past few years so I am familiar with the images and have seen her thought process evolve and grow around the project. She shot over 5(?) years at a park in Kiev, the city where she was born. She would just wander around and shoot. I love seeing Yelena's documentary work. To think that these scenarios unfold before her - no set up, no prompting or directing people - has always just amazed me. You should pick up a copy of Gidropark. You will be transported to another world.

This portrait of Yelena I took eons ago but it is still one of my favorites of her. I used to shoot a portrait of her every time I saw her. I really miss doing that. Every time I am in NY lately seems to be so chock full that we can only carve out a few moments for coffee or lunch. I am long overdue to photograph her again.

Check out more of Yelena's commercial work at her reps website here. Wish I could find some of her paintings to show but she is updating her website, so I guess another post will be coming when I can share those with you.

Have a great weekend friends. Hope you enjoyed meeting some of my favorite people this week. I know I have enjoyed sharing them with you.