Vova Krasilnikov Takes Photos for the Soul

Welcome to Hero of the Week, an ongoing series sharing stories from some of the best photographers in the Pexels community.

By day, he's a mobile app designer at a startup, but in his free time Vova Krasilnikov usually has a camera in hand. The Moscow photographer focuses on street photography, capturing shoots everything from artfully unfocused traffic scenes to moody urban portraits.

Vova got into photography just three years ago, and quickly got hooked on street photogaphy. He likes it "because you can see and show what an ordinary person does not see."

For Vova, street photos are about finding the overlooked details that you won't notice on a casual city stroll, showing that even dirty, rundown streets or everyday moments can look beautiful from the right perspective.

The Moscow photographer has experimented with a good deal of different camera gear to find what suits him best. "I have a lot of cameras: Sony a7ii, a6500, a7iii. Now I shoot with Fuji X100F, sometimes I use XT3, but very rarely."

Vova's favorite photo on Pexels is the header image on this article. Why? "I like the colors and atmosphere. This photo reminds me of a pleasant day in my life."

He's most inspired by the photographers Aaron Brimhall (for his atmospheric shots) and André Josselin (for the style he brings to his photos).

We asked Vova if he's got any goals for his photography, and he says, "No—just taking photos for the soul." Hard to think of a better goal than that.

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