The Muse: Olesya Alferenko, from the Unraveled Academy

muse (noun) a person or personified force who is the source of inspiration for a creative artist

The Muse is our way of bringing inspiration to the creative world. Seeing a photographer for just one picture is not the whole picture… so we are bringing you more, to give you a deeper look into the artists who inspire us and we call, muses.

What was your “muse” or inspiration for this shoot?

I always try to have a creative idea for each session I photograph. The idea is always rooted in the client and can be inspired by locations, clothing, what feelings we want to capture, etc. The idea for this session was to capture motherhood romantically, cinematically and intimately in the big city (NYC!), showing the close mom and babe bond while giving a sense of the city around them. I first met and photographed mom while she was pregnant with babe, and thought that she has this Botticelli's Venus vibe...as if she just stepped out from the painting! So we styled her in romantic dresses and I picked locations that could look like movie scenes or paintings. I love shooting at cafes in the city and capturing that sense of watching the world go by as you enjoy your break during a busy day. When I am choosing cafes, I look for unique design, reflections in windows, and ambient light. We ended the shoot in my hotel room to capture more quiet bonding moments. When I travel for sessions I always book a hotel that I'd want to shoot in too, so I already had this scene in mind for her session when I booked Made Hotel.

What gear did you use for this shoot?

Canon R5 and R6 with 50mm and 35mm lenses ( I shoot with two bodies at once).

What did you use to edit this session?

I used Kai Boet Presets. I love their editorial and cinematic feel.

Olesya Alferenko | California
INSTAGRAM | WEBSITE

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