Yelena Zhavoronkova
Beautiful lighting, attention to detail, and wonderfully crafted prints are all hallmarks of the photographs of Yelena Zhavoronkova. Her exquisite platinum/palladium prints are needed to be seen in person to appreciate for their depth and tone, though even in the digital world of reproduction, we can easily see how all of her artistic practice has culminated in these portraits of the natural world. My spell check option has still not caught up to the fact that I do not wish to correct the spelling of her name every time I write it out. It’s especially funny to me because I do not find it the least bit difficult to spell or pronounce, most likely because of my own time spent in Russia making photographs. More specifically in the wonderful city of St. Petersburg, which I have visited more than a few times, resulting in bonding with Yelena over its exceptional beauty and seat at the top of the cultural impact list for world-class cities. There is a specific elegance with which her work exudes, as she has attained mastery over the learning curve required to handle this oftentimes difficult printing process. In addition, her background as a graphic designer has clearly honed her sensibilities when it comes to lighting, composition, and form.
It is her process as a photographer and a printer that I wanted to dig into her thoughts and ideas. There is a technical aspect to her work that I needed to understand with greater detail, and it is with great enthusiasm that she has gifted me (and all of us) her concept of just how an archival and beautiful photographic print made with intention can look. These are still life objects of our natural world, but as I mention, they are true portraits all the same. Thank you, Yelena, for your expertise.
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Bio -
Yelena Zhavoronkova is a California based Fine Art Photographer and Graphic Designer. She received a Master’s degree in Industrial Design from the St. Petersburg Academy of Art and Industry, Russia, and has worked as a graphic designer for over three decades. Over the past decade, Yelena has been intensively studying and working in photography, which helps her to express her artistic vision. Yelena’s projects are simultaneously very personal and universal in nature, speaking to the viewers on an intimate level that is familiar to all.
Since 2010 her projects were exhibited in de Young Museum of Arts in San Francisco, City Hall of San Francisco and RayKo Photo Center of San Francisco; Blue Sky Gallery and LightBox Gallery in Oregon; and many other galleries around the United States and in Europe. Her works were published in the online edition of The New Yorker magazine, featured in Shutterbug magazine and Transformation literary journal, among others. As a part of the Indie Photobook Library Collection Yelena’s Memories in Red book is included in the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University.
Yelena’s Archival Digital, Silver Gelatin, and Platinum/Palladium prints are the part of many private collections and institutions in the USA and in Europe. Currently, she represented by the Anzenberger Gallery in Vienna, Austria, and Corden|Potts Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Interview -
Michael Kirchoff: I know that your start and education in the arts was in the former Soviet city of Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, Russia. Can you tell us a little about what that was like, and how your early training took place?
Yelena Zhavoronkova: I grew up in the USSR during the 1960s—a relatively quiet and relaxed post-war period.
Creativity was always welcomed, encouraged, and supported in our family. Even though my parents did not pursue artistic careers themselves, they understood the importance of art for children. I took the typical route for a Soviet kid who wished to study in art school to become an artist—first, art classes at the local art center, followed by intensive courses in high school on composition, drawing, and painting, and then five years at the St. Petersburg Stieglitz State Academy of Art and Design.
MK: Having been to St. Petersburg more than a few times myself, and knowing that it is quite literally the cultural capital of Russia (especially with a world-class art venue such as the State Hermitage Museum), do you feel that this has informed and guided your photography to where you are today?
YZ: The city of St. Petersburg influenced my artistic vision to a large extent. Built on the marsh banks of the Neva River, with its long winter nights and unsetting summer sun, it has a very specific palette—shades of cool grays, and just a few splashes of color. Monochromatic and black and white photography represents the mood of the city perfectly.
Regular visits to museums—the State Hermitage Museum in particular—were notable additions to my art education. I knew my way around the Hermitage’s labyrinth-like halls by heart and could easily navigate to my favorite Rodins and Matisses on the third floor, the Rembrandt Room, and the Dutch Golden Age masterpieces on the second level.
MK: Your career as a graphic designer keeps you grounded in the arts on a daily basis, but how did photography become the direction in the making of your own artistic works?
YZ: I enjoy graphic design and photography equally and have been using both mediums to express my artistic vision since the 1970s. It’s only in the last decade that I have chosen to focus primarily on fine art photography, gradually moving away from commercial design projects.
MK: With both of your Grana and Off Center collections, you’ve taken a love of design and injected it into the natural world with these studies. There is a certain reverence you show for nature in the way each image is painstakingly lit and reproduced in print form. Have you always had a love of the natural environment, and how did the choice to photograph these species of plant life come about?
YZ: Being a city person I didn’t have much time to explore the outdoors, but was always happy to go camping or fishing. It was only recently that I have had the opportunity to spend extended periods of time closer to nature—in the beautiful surroundings of California’s Lake County.
One day, while walking my dog, I came across some unfamiliar grasses and small bushes. Some of them had beautiful, but very aggressive-looking seedpods and burrs, which caught my attention (and stuck to my dog’s coat). I started collecting them and other interesting-looking samples, mostly concentrating on seed vessels. That started my Grana and Off Center collections. With that came the realization that with my projects I could express my despair connected to the drastic climate changes around me. Five years of drought dried out the hills and valleys of the area where I live, fueling long periods of wildfires and killing everything around. It seems that the Platinum prints—with their sharp details and matte finish—were the right medium to express my feelings. It’s an ongoing project, to which I am adding a few new prints every year.
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MK: How did the platinum/palladium printing process enter into your life as a way to express your vision? Was there a mentor or a previous project that enticed into this area of expertise?
YZ: My “story” is very simple—I took the Platinum/Palladium Printing (PPP) class at the Rayko Photo Center in San Francisco and fell in love with the process. At that point in my photo practice, I was eager to learn something new (especially the historical processes), and it just happened that the first process I came across was the most beautiful of them all.
MK: While leaving room for creativity, the platinum/palladium process is one of the more exacting alternate processes out there. What is it that you love most about working with this process over any other?
YZ: I love the combination of handmade and scientific aspects of the process. From the new way of thinking of how to shoot specifically for PPP to the alchemy of mixing the chemicals, choosing paper, painting with the sensitizer, and the magic of seeing the final image.
MK: Beyond the choice of process, there is a sensitivity to your subjects with regard to how well your lighting sets them apart and gives us incredible insight into their composition and structure. How long do you spend working with each subject, and are some more difficult than others due to their inherent complexity? Is the lighting taken into consideration when looking forward to what the final print will be able to reproduce?
YZ: A typical object can take a couple of days to a week to work on. Some take much longer and are quite stubborn to visualize, waiting to be transformed from images in my head into prints on paper. I mention more about my lighting in the next question.
MK: While every photographer does things a little differently than another, could you give us a breakdown of the steps, from shooting to completion of a final print, that meets your very high standards? I’m also curious if any pre-visualization takes place in the planning of each image?
YZ: After collecting multiple samples of an object, I spend some time choosing “the one.” I then study it from different angles and in various light settings. When I feel like I have found the right angle, I set up the final lights and shoot the object a dozen times, incorporating various reflectors and gobos, if needed. Most of the time, by the end, the last shot is the one I am most satisfied with. Sometimes, if I am not happy with the object, composition, or the lighting of a print, I return to reshooting it. However, I need to be quick, as some of the objects can be very fragile and might not survive long on the set.
Since I shoot with a digital camera, I use Adobe Photoshop to prepare my negatives for print. I adjust the size, tones, and contrast of the image, and add a Platinum/Palladium curve. Then, I print the negative at full scale of the final print size on a Pictorico transparency and leave it to dry in a dust-free place, ink side down for a minimum of 20 minutes.
At this stage, I choose a piece of paper on which the image will be printed. I am a big fan of using Hahnemühle Platinum Rag papers, as they are stable and provide great tone and details.
I then use a light box (on which I first lay the printed negative and then the prepared paper on top) to mark with pencil a rectangular area that will be eventually painted on with sensitizer.
Then, I move to the photo lab, which is set up with low-level tungsten lighting to avoid UV-ray exposure on materials. Using a flat paintbrush, I apply a sensitizer (which is a mix of four solutions and is prepared right before application) to the marked up area on the prepared piece of paper for a few minutes, until its surface becomes matte. I then put the paper into a dark box to set for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, I prepare the lab for printing: turn on the UV unit to heat up, set trays in the sink for solutions, and prepare the developer and the cleaning mix.
When the sensitizer-covered area of the paper dries to 12–17% humidity, it is ready to be exposed. I carefully place my negative on top of the paper into a contact frame and then into the UV box. My default exposure time is calculated specifically for my UV unit and sensitizer mix, to give maximum blacks and a full range of halftones.
After the exposure, the paper goes into a tray and has developer poured over it. The image appears instantly, but the paper is left in the tray for about five more minutes, being constantly agitated. Cleaning and washing of the printed paper follow - five minutes in three cleaning baths each, and another 20 minutes in running water. Then, the print goes on a drying rack, usually overnight.
When the print is dry, I examine it for the right tones and to see if it has any imperfections. If I am not happy with the image, composition, or lighting, I return to the studio for a reshoot and start the production process over.
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MK: Upon initial examination, there appears to be the connection between this work and that of the early Karl Blossfeldt plant studies. Has there been any inspiration derived from what he had done previously? Even with this connection, it is obvious how you’ve made these images quite special with your own style, composition, and of course, process. I understand that the idea of adding color to your work is of recent interest. Is there any thought of continuing these projects beyond what your initial vision was for them?
YZ: Unfortunately, I was not familiar with the work of Karl Blossfeldt when I began my projects. Specifically for the Grana series, my interest lay in showcasing botanical specimens found in the area where I live and to capture the most laconic and structurally strong angle or curve of each collected object.
Recently, I have begun experimenting with gilding—incorporating gold leaf into my photographs. I am excited to see where this development might take me.
MK: What do you feel is the ultimate goal of this multi-stage collection of final prints?
YZ: At the moment, I see the projects as part of an ongoing series.
MK: Before wrapping things up, I wanted to also ask a few general questions not necessarily connected to your current work, but more about your thoughts and ideas as a photographic artist. First off, do you study what others are doing, and do you find their influence in your own image-making?
YZ: I’m sure that many artists have influenced my work on a subconscious level. I am constantly looking at images of art, without limiting myself only to photography. And I am really drawn to works by the Old Masters—Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Sandro Boticelli, Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach, and Hans Holbein the Younger.
MK: With regard to creativity and the projects you take on. Do you feel it is better to create work that fits a particular style for yourself, branch out and try new things, or better to simply leave yourself open to possibilities that happen organically?
YZ: I follow imagery or a project that comes from my inner vision, and I am open to any possibility.
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MK: Anyone working in an artistic field has matured and grown over time. Is there anything you’ve discovered lately that you’d like people to know about you or your aesthetic?
YZ: Since my very first photography assignment I have realized that I need to let myself enjoy what I do, otherwise it will not produce a satisfying result.
MK: In speaking to future generations of photographers, do you have any words of wisdom to those setting out to make their own mark in the photographic world? Any thoughts of ever teaching or providing workshops of your own to instruct others interested in the platinum/palladium process?
YZ: My advice would be to follow your own instincts, work hard, and to never give up.
Even though, at this moment, I don’t have any concrete plans to instruct, I am always happy to share the process with anyone that might be interested in it (as I have done in the past with a few casual workshops).
MK: Do you see yourself continuing with this process after you’ve reached a point of completion with your current collections? What might be next for you?
YZ: The Platinum/Palladium process is so versatile that I will always consider it as an option for expressing myself.
This year, I began working with a fixed focus, 4-lens plastic camera, using slide and negative films. Its technical limitations and unpredictable results have allowed me to experience newfound freedom in the way I observe and create.
I have also been experimenting with Copperplate Photogravure printing. With it, I am planning to develop a new collection of works, most likely as a continuation of my Grana series.
MK: My sincere thanks to you, Yelena, for taking the time to sit and answer some questions about your work and process. I wanted to say one more thing to the readers of this interview. There is no discernible way to ever be able to reproduce these images as accurately or as thoughtfully as they deserve on the printed page. I suggest you seek out and view these original prints from Yelena, or others, in order to fully appreciate the final print and the process that provides such a unique experience to the viewer. You will not be disappointed, as these are exquisite art objects in their own right.
YZ: Thank you so much for this interview.
You can find more of Yelena’s work on her website here.
*This interview was originally printed in its entirety in Edition 1 of Analog Forever Magazine - 2019, out of print.
All photographs, ©Yelena Zhavoronkova
