04/13/2026
Lately I’ve been reflecting on this journey — not just as a photographer, but as a business owner and as an immigrant.
There was a time when this life felt impossibly far away. I was a teenage girl in Russia, spending hours in a rental studio, experimenting with light and creating little photo projects just to learn and grow this passion of mine, often times long hours after school, sometimes overnight. Back then, building a life around photography — let alone moving to the U.S. and having my own business — felt like a distant dream.
And now, not only is it all very real, but to be recognized as one of the Top 20 Wedding Photographers in the US is something I’m still trying to fully soak in.
So much has changed since those early days. Building a life from scratch in a new country while shaping a business you love is both beautiful and incredibly hard. There’s a quiet heartbreak that comes with it all — knowing the place you grew up in, the version of life you once knew, no longer exists in the same way, and there is no coming back to it. I like to say that the country I come from no longer exists, and feels like a fever dream many light years away. I’ve been feeling this deep in my bones lately — nostalgic for the people and moments that shaped me.
But at the same time, I feel so full. So grateful for the life I’ve built, for the people who are part of it now, for every country and city I’ve lived in that shaped me somewhere along the way — and for the work I get to do every day for our incredible couples.
This recognition feels like a quiet affirmation that I’m on the right path — that every risk, every sacrifice, every uncertain moment meant something.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way. It means more than I can put into words. Love you all.