Meet Kateryna Kondratieva | portrait photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kateryna Kondratieva and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kateryna, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
One day I understood that the only way to be successful – is by doing what you are passionate about. Finding what you really love is essential, something you can’t live without. My life wasn’t always as today. I grew up in a family of medical workers and that’s what I heard in my childhood: ‘If you don’t enter a medical school, I’ll get you a stall, and you’ll be selling goods there’. It meant that unless I became a part of the medical personnel, I would be doomed. As you understand, I didn’t have a stall. I got into a medical school, I was a perfect daughter and an a student. I’d never understood the groupmates who quit their studies and embarked on something new. Starting something and not finishing didn’t make sense for me. Aren’t you sorry for the time spent? I have judged, but I wasn’t happy. Since day one, I realized that medicine wasn’t my passion. And only after 3 years in medical school I was able to acknowledge that I was the one who was wasting time, but not the people I was judging. One day I realized what would happen to me if I continued going with the flow and became a doctor. Then I made a decision to give up on it. I changed my life completely, and it was the best choice in my life.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
That time I was doing photography, but still heard from people around me that art isn’t valued in this country,(that time I lived in Ukraine), “How will you make money for your living?’, ‘an artist has to be poor’. Those arguments were not just more than convincing to refuse from making art, but more than enough to start being afraid of it. Nevertheless I had an example of a person who could: he does what he enjoys, which is art, moreover in Ukraine. He adores dealing with it and it’s a source of his income – it was Alan Badoev, well-known Ukrainian director. I was so inspired by his story and art that I was reading all his interviews and was really dreaming of arranging shoots with him. When I was filling out an expulsion from the university form I got nervous for a bit.. I realized my heart tricked me into making that decision and rationality was standing in my way. I was dead scared, but I pulled myself together and signed the form. I thought if I was doing everything correctly, there must be a sign.

My circle didn’t include people who could understand the choice I made. There was practically not a single person who would have supported me. Yet it’s funny what happened later.

The next morning I posted an extremely ordinary photo with a cup of coffee. And I wrote in the caption: ‘It’d be nice if someone brought me a cup of coffee in bed. It’s a good start of the day.’ Soon I saw a comment: ‘You’ll definitely meet someone you’ll be delighted to bring a coffee to in bed and it’ll make you feel even more happier.

It could be anyone’s comment. Since then I was shooting a big number of famous people, but that comment was exactly Alan’s. The next day. I was surprised that it was the person who was an example and pure inspiration for me.
* Thank you. I do hope it’ll happen really soon.
* And I am hopeful to see my face in your photos.

Over time there were many shoots with Alan. While we are trying to get past ourselves, life gives us the situations in which we should do it. In my case it was studies in medical school, an environment that wasn’t a good fit for me, my life that seemed to be someone else’s. On a scale from 1 to 5 I give my choice 3 points as life put me in the situations in which I had to pursue the same path. My path is about the following: when one makes a decision not to betray oneself, the Universe will be on their side. It doesn’t matter if it’s about what you do for a living, relationship, friends or the city you live in. You’ll have to make a so-so choice and betray yourself again and again till the moment even one alternative you keep going for is so-so.

And only when you are full of determination to hear a voice of your heart, you’ll make your first excellent choice. You’ll no longer have any other option rather than pick another option …

Which one?
Listen to your heart. If the way’s right, you’ll get the sign.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I have many favorite spots in Los Angeles, where I want to come again and again. I like hike to the Wisdom Tree at the sunset. It’s incredible place to get an inspiration, to be in silence if you’re tired from active life. Place where time stops. For me it’s like a top of the world. Another my favorite place for the sunset is Griffith Observatory. Amazing view and colors when sun goes down. For beautiful mornings I prefer Malibu beach and Point Dumes. I like to meet up with friends in amazing vegetarian restaurant Crossroads Kitchen or to grab some coffee at Sightglass Coffee.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’m grateful to a man who was my crush 10 years ago. He was a photographer. I thought that it would be amazing if I could have more things in common with him, that’s why I decided to start diving in photography deeper. He gave me various pieces of advice and recommendations. A wish and motivation to be worthy of his attention were so big that my development in this sphere was literally unstoppable. I believed that if I had begun to do it on a high level, he would have seen how well I was doing and surely he must have fallen in love with me. We didn’t work out as a couple, but photography has remained with me till now. I am grateful to this person who played such an important role in my life.

Website: https://www.katekondratieva.com/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/kate_kondratieva/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kate.kondratieva/

Image Credits
Photographer: Kate Kondratieva