CreativeMornings/Berlin Team Interview – 5 questions with OLENA - Photography and Koor·Soo Theme

This January, we’re kicking off the team interview series with Olena Kosovych, our CreativeMornings/Berlin photographer from the core team, who has been capturing the energy of our events in beautiful photographs for many years.

Olena’s journey into photography began early, shaped by growing up in post-Soviet Ukraine, as she reflects in the interview. Inspired first by her father's love for photography, and later by the people she met along the way, Olena's work has been exhibited internationally in Ukraine, the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway.  

In our conversation, she offered her perspective and generous, honest advice for those just starting out in photography — and I already know I’ll be putting tips number two and nine into practice.

1.Dear Olena, tell us a bit about yourself and your introduction to photography. What drew you into this world?

I have been fascinated by the ability to capture a moment through photography since childhood.

I grew up in post-Soviet Ukraine. My surroundings were quite poor — grey high-rise panel buildings, the same dull objects in slightly different interiors, and half-empty shop shelves.

My father was passionate about photography. He used his camera to capture for our family album the one thing the ugly machinery of totalitarianism could not take away: the sincere, joyful emotions of our loved ones.

Meanwhile, I was watching the world around me and noticing its beauty — the incredible variety of forms that plants create throughout the year, the sense of freedom in the vast openness of the steppe, and the way the colours of the sea change. It is a sea people call Black, even though it looks blue.

When I was a teenager, my father allowed me to shoot with one of his film cameras. The possibility of creating a visual archive became a lifelong love for me.

At university, I got my first digital camera. I photographed everything that caught my eye —friends, food, crafts, and all the wild adventures of student life. Later, as a graphic designer, I shot products for catalogues, dishes for restaurants, and events for brochures.

For many years, photography was just a side skill. But in the last few years, I’ve focused fully on it. Now, alongside personal and commissioned work, I create conceptual and art projects. They have been exhibited in Germany, the USA, Ukraine, the Netherlands, and Norway.

2. You shot a broad range of events from political conferences, art projects to our Creative mornings talks, plus portraits, personal sessions and family photography. What gives you the most joy or inspiration in your work?

People! Their emotions, experiences, and inner lives.
Everything I photograph now is connected to people. These are events where people come together to discuss important topics and search for connections. Portraits — where every person is a universe, and I feel grateful when I manage to reveal even a part of that through photography. Creative personal shoots — where I accompany bold, sometimes crazy ideas and capture new personal experiences as they unfold. Family sessions or love stories — here I preserve your honest, warm, and deeply sincere moments.

3. What advice would you give to someone in our community who’s just starting out with photography?

1. Master the technical side, because a solid technical foundation frees your hands and allows you to make the best possible shot in any conditions.

2. Experiment.

3. Look at a lot of good photography — visit exhibitions, flip through photobooks — and analyse what you see: what is the context of the se works? Why does this image work?

4. Don’t be afraid of crazy ideas or projects that seem too complex — growth is only possible this way.

5. Bring your ideas to life while they’re still burning. If you don’t have resources, make things work with duct tape and prayers. Experiment — the technical foundation (see point one) will help you shape something out of it.

6. Remember that the best camera is the one you have with you.

7. Shoot a lot

8. Show your work to the world in any way you can

9. Go back to point one and repeat the list — good, relevant photography always requires learning something new.

4. What we can usually find you doing in your free time?

Haha, I try to take good care of my body, because it’s what generates new ideas for me and gives me the energy and strength to bring them to life. Our body is also a source of pleasure and joy in life. So in my free time, I love eating good food, practicing sports (bouldering, yoga, swimming, squash, a bit of dancing and strength training), and hugging the people I love. 

I also read a lot (I’m a member of a Berlin-based book club), watch plenty of films (not series), and enjoy slowly drinking Chinese tea.

5. Our theme this month is Koorsoo (Koor·Soo) - a faint glimmer of hope. When you see this word, how do you imagine this theme visually?

As a fragile sprout breaking through the ruins.
A reminder that life always finds a way and strives to create beauty.

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Interview conducted by Aida Mola from CM Berlin