About Me

I started photographing at the age of 12.
My godfather gave me a primitive Smena photo camera and the accessories.
I did a lot of self-study by reading books and learning how to develop films and copy photos.
It became my expensive hobby. In Soviet times, quantity was the key criteria in goods production. I wanted to focus on quality, therefore I had to do lots of stuff by myself. I improved equipment that I had bought in a store, weighed chemicals on pharmacy scales, etc. Back then, even different batches of the same photo film often might have turned out to be of diverse quality. So I had to try them and was buying the whole pack. Sometimes, we were even buying huge metal film reels from the movie makers. It took me some years before I started to get invitations as an event photographer, and my investments finally started to pay off.
My first work, I was really proud of, was a photo of lightning. I didn’t have many shots left in the film when the thunderstorm came from the opposite bank of a river, and I went towards it. I got a nice
shot – I managed to capture the moment of heavy rain.
Meanwhile, the whole earth shuddered, so I had to slip away alive, quickly, and, luckily, I did…
I have participated in various photo contests, visited lots of exhibitions of famous photographers. After winning five awards in Latvian photography contests, I started sending my photos to international photo contests worldwide organized by PSA and FIAP. I have participated in approximately 50 exhibitions, with around 30 accepted photos. In Hong Kong, I was awarded the Bronze Medal for my work.
In 1999, I obtained the honorary international AFIAP distinction.

I was also a member of the jury in international exhibition.
Since I started working as a full-time staff press photographer, my participation in exhibitions was put aside since it takes a lot of time, energy and huge money investments. Moreover, the competition is fierce, there are plenty of talented photographers here in Latvia, not to mention the rest of the world where it takes a miracle to get your work selected and recognised among thousands of other great photos. This is not a discipline where one can make a jump of meters and… becomes a Champion…
For several years already, I have been working as a press photographer for teen magazines, tabloids and news portals.
I am not considered to be famous, or popular, or super good. I’m just taking the photos as good as I can, and I am happy if someone likes them.