Kristina Makeeva
Simple Magical Things
“Everyone is surrounded by the amount of magic that he is able to see.”
In photography, as in life, nothing can be perfect. Kristina Makeeva sees the ideal as dull. Novice photographers learn combination and color from previous generations’ experiences to step back from this when they begin their journey as a creator. As with artists, few initially painted with dots or brushstrokes, fingers, and dashes; at first, almost everyone learns how to draw a realistic image.
Kristina Makeeva
Kristina Makeeva is a photographer and author of the global project “Simple Magic Things,” a seeker of magic in the ordinary. Developed as a photographer for 14 years. During this time, there have been exhibitions, publications, and collaborations with global brands, such as Adobe Photoshop, international hotel chains, and clothing brands. Still, Kristina is extremely negligent in collecting and storing information about this, fanatically taking pictures, talking about the beauty around us, and traveling the world in search of even more incredible beauty. Her most significant achievement is that she is still engaged in photography and likes it. The biggest inspiration is travel. It is no secret that travel expands consciousness and makes us more tolerant, inspired, and happy. Therefore, most of Kristina’s works are from her travels.
The last exhibition was held in Seoul.
I always think that “God is in the details.” It’s like with the restoration of a simple wardrobe – if you just replace the handles or repaint it, it turns into a work. The photo should be neat. Now, there is an abundance of illiterate photoshop, which can not be positioned as kitsch but simply inept use of opportunities. The photograph should be such that it would be desirable to consider. Therefore, the details are more important.
I think in pictures. I always have a movie in my head. So when I plan to take something off, I plan more than is physically possible. On a journey, it is rarely possible to do anything I thought of at home in advance, but nevertheless, “homework” is necessary to create something unique. So, I’m more immersed in history, landscape, and pictures.
In my photos, the main thing is that they all create a feeling of unreal reality. As if we are now on a familiar planet, but as if from the inside. We look at it with different eyes. What will play a leading role is optional. Sometimes, the main thing is a glass ball.
Sometimes, I shoot one shot without processing. Sometimes, I collect the universe in pieces. But I always ensure myself with backgrounds; this is another secret – something that does not fit into an ordinary lens – will work in the post-processing.
It is also essential to understand that over the years of photography, I have accumulated a huge amount of objects, airplanes, flowers, fabrics, snow, clouds, sunsets, balls, drops, and so on that I can use in my works. These are my personal stock photos. Of these, I collect my universes. I can also just finish at home what I lacked in location. Tapes or other items, for example.
There is one more thing; often, many people are at any natural or city sights at the right time. It has to be retouched. Or very cold/hot. Then, we shoot as quickly as possible and remove all the shortcomings in post-production. And sometimes, we take a model before or after the trip with all the necessary details.
Do you understand how extensive the deception is? But the viewer must believe. How to believe movies. Especially as believed by them in childhood.
Often, locations look even better than in the final picture because they move and live. We used to take more photos of places that, in reality, do not exist. And now we are trying to go where reality is better than fiction. And make the reality even more beautiful. As I already wrote, we also only had the opportunity to travel to beautiful places for a short time, and we went to places near our house.
In almost every place, there is beauty; for example, the summer fields of lupins bloom in our suburbs. It is almost like in New Zealand, with no mountains in the background. Around our city, there are many beautiful buildings, forests, nature reserves. It is impossible to live and not find the beauty around. Our global project is called “Simple Magic Things” .
“We are looking for magic in everyday life.
Color is colossal to me.
I can enjoy even a simple combination of colors from strokes. Color is inspiring.
I do not like black and white pictures.
A harmonious combination of colors or an emphasis on a certain color can make an ordinary picture made on a smartphone a masterpiece. Probably, the color is the most important thing for me in the image.
In any case, patience and accuracy are important.
Almost every trip, shooting, or project is a success and an unfulfilled hope.
Therefore, I stopped expecting anything from people or travel after a certain time. If you do not expect anything, then there are no failures. When you look at reality with a fresh eye, then masterpieces appear.
I do not expect anything; I am simply surprised at the reality, which is much more magical than expectations.
Creativity cannot be “not like that.”
Ideas cannot be too bright, too gloomy, too pink… well, there is no such thing… the meaning of art is that you have to be different…
They will kick you all the time, say: too bright … too creepy … oh, it’s so cold, wet, there’s nothing to breathe, oh, poor pointe shoes, why in the cold? Why did you go out and do something at all?
We all want to convey what touches us.“
“If you are a creator, grinding out something and looking for hype topics makes no sense.
If you are not worried about it, say, the disappearance of butterflies on earth or motherhood problems, this is not yours … some kind of inequality does not bother you… If you are forced to climb where you do not want to be, nothing good will come from it. Just as there is nothing good in forcing someone to support something.
If you are touched by flies and pink, this is yours…Or paint everything in a rainbow, stick unicorns everywhere, or coffins, mushrooms, and tentacles.
It can’t be like that. All of that, everything…it’s just what most people are afraid of, what is beyond their scope; they are comfortable with what they already know…”
