Self-portrait, Paris 2011 Photograph - Limited Edition of 1

Valeriya Vygodnaya is Russian-born photographer who lives and works in London. She studied theatre arts at Russian Academy of Theatre Arts and photography at University of the Arts, London. Valeriya worked as a stylist for various fashion magazines and gained invaluable experience creating image and style. After moving to London she developed an interest in documentary photography and got inspired by work of such artists as Henri Cartier- Bresson, Jacques Henri Lartigue, Elliott Erwitt, Andre Kertez, Sasha Gusov, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Gueorgui Pinkhassov. Valeriya's vision to the large extend was influenced by Irving Stone's book "˜Lust for Life' about Vincent Van Gogh, which helped her to frame the world around in still images. She believes that moments of indecisive existence while being a silent witness, lighting, exposures captured on any photographic format help to express feelings and emotions about the world around her.