“My portraits bring out people’s internal conflicts, and put them out there for all to see.”
I came across Uldus Bakhtiozina’s work in my Medium feed this morning. Her non-conformist images spoke for themselves, nevertheless her article’s title “Stormtrooper in a Tutu?”
Uldus Bakhtiozina is a Russian photographer who took an indirect path into her profession, as most non-conformists do, challenging the directions and social norms of every possible life decision they make. She studied Graphic Design before venturing into Photography, and then explored Politics only to realize it wasn’t the journey for her to see through. Similarly, after beauty school I went back as a Psychology major only to find out it wasn’t a path in my journey for me to see through. While you may not realize it at the time, your decisions, no matter what comes of them; how indirect or fulfilled they may seem, will complement the work you do in the end. Psychology gives purpose behind my artistry as a hair stylist on a whole other level, and I can see Politics has had the same affect on the approach to the photography of Uldus Bakhtiozina.
What makes Bakhtiozina’s work so attention grabbing is not only her audacity to challenge our cultural stereotypes, but the dedicated detail she puts into each and every image manifested. She takes the time to get to know her subjects personally before shooting them, and refuses to default to the cultural norm of digital film. Every component in the production of her image is challenged – by herself. Bakhitozina will make the costumes, the backdrops, and whatever other element she has the capacity to envision. I’m all for collaboration, don’t get me wrong, but the self-sufficiency of her creative process is extremely admirable. There’s an appeal in the ownership of her work, and that appeal is the lingering remnant of non-conformity.
“I believe in motivation by creating something positive. Negative and positive emotions should be balanced.”
For more of Uldus Bakhtiozina, read her article here or watch her brief TEDtalk.