Artospective: Black and White Minimal Photography by Henry Shymonovych from Ukraine.

An Interview with Heather Freitas.

Who and from where are you?

My name is Henry Shymonovych, I’m a Ukrainian photographer and was born in ex-USSR, spending my childhood behind the Iron Curtain.

How you got into this?

I never actually liked to take pictures. It was back in the beginning of 2000’s when I got interested in IT, computes, and digital cameras – it was just a beginning of the era. So when I got my first salary, I bought me a Nikon which set me back over $1,000. A fortune back then! It was not a professional camera, but it had a decent level of flexibility, because all settings could be changed manually. The ‘film’ was free, and it was a good soil for experimenting. Then after a year of these experiments, I was introduced to two professional photographers, Vadim Kozlovsky, and Alexander Yudin – they kindly did the judgement of my works, and gave me a verdict that I should keep exploring: some of the pictures were good. Then came a better camera, then came first exhibitions, commercial shoots, books and a lot of enthusiasm – so I never left home without a camera (thankfully, all of us are equipped with phone cameras these days:) One day, my pictures were taken by Peace Corps for their Public Service Announcements campaign throughout the United States and used for advertising posters globally. So when I saw my work on a big screen on Times Square, I thought it is an honor, and obligation to keep going..

What is your driving force?

Admiring the beauty of this world. Nothing better has been created (or at least found yet) in this Universe. My camera allows me to be more active in seeing the world around and recording some precise situations, which are an inspiration.

What kind of work you do and why?

For years, I’ve been in photography business, shooting anything from people to interiors, from food porn to products, from reportage to commercials. But it was there on cold winter nights when I went out to shoot a combination of light, snow, trees, and objects created by humans that gave me ultimate satisfaction. Eventually, I think I developed a style which is a limitation on one hand, but makes my works stand out on the other – it is hard to compete in this world today. I think I can find a beauty and harmony in unexpected places, and I invite you to follow my example.