Who am I?

Hi! My name is Andrey Shipilov. Born in Kazakhstan and now 53 years old, I am a happy husband and father. Beyond that, I am a diver, a drone pilot, a photographer, and a videographer. :) 

 I’ve been capturing images since childhood—a classic story: I was gifted a Smena 8M for my birthday in the fifth grade, and that was that. The world of photography consumed me entirely; it became a permanent fixture of my daily life, my way of engaging with the world around me, and quite simply, a part of who I am.

IMPRESSION, REFLECTION, EMOTION — these are the elements I seek in photography. This is what I look for whenever I release the shutter: whether on land, in the air, or underwater. I don’t strive for “correct” photos. To be honest, technical perfection for its own sake bores me; it’s just not my style.

Fortunately, I am not the kind of photographer who has to take passport photos for a living. I am blessed with the freedom to interpret an image. I don’t feel the need to merely copy the reality around me—instead, I can filter it through my own lens, interpreting and modifying it as I see fit.

I take a rather liberal approach to color. To me, color is not a “Holy Grail” to be preserved at all costs, but merely a tool—one of many. Depth of field, white balance, composition, color grading, digital noise—all the bastions of “technically correct photography” are, in my view, meant to be challenged. As long as it is a conscious choice, anything goes if it helps evoke a specific, intended EMOTION in the viewer.

Take a look at the world through my eyes… and tell me, what do you think?