Photographer Evgenia Ribinik: 5 Things Anyone Can Do To Take Stunning Photos
Good lighting is the key! I primarily shoot with natural light so standing close to the window (indoors) or in a nicely lit outdoor area (not under direct sunlight) will guarantee great photos.
As a part of our series about “5 Things Anyone Can Do To Take Stunning Photos” I had the pleasure of interviewing Evgenia Ribinik.
Meet Evgenia Ribinik of Evgenia Ribinik Studios, a female founded business in Brooklyn, New York, which offers boudoir and maternity photography.
Evgenia was born in the former Soviet Union and grew up loving the arts, entertainment and music industries. After moving to the US in 1994, Evgenia pursued a Bachelor degree at the Baruch College in New York, where she earned a degree in Marketing & Advertising. She then went on to work in Sales, which ultimately didn’t fulfill her passions.
Fast forward to 2009 when Evgenia met her husband, Julian, who was a long time photographer with a very photojournalistic style. Photography was more of a hobby during Evgenia’s younger years, and she quickly realized that she didn’t enjoy taking pictures of nature or landscapes — but really enjoyed taking pictures of people, specifically women. This discovery eventually brought her to hone in on her boudoir photography style. Evgenia and her husband have been wedding photographers for many years and at one of the weddings, a bride approached her about doing boudoir shoot right before she got into her wedding dress.
Evgenia had no idea what to do with a woman in lingerie but did a full photoshoot and the bride loved how the images turned out. From there, Evgenia started looking into boudoir photography and loved the darker, sensual & empowering style of it. At first, she was shooting ad hoc, here and there, renting studios in the city, but slowly she got so busy that she moved into an amazing studio space in Industry City, Brooklyn — and has been there for the last 4 years!
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I am so excited to be here, and thank you for giving me an opportunity for this interview! This has been my favorite story to tell: my husband, Julian and I have been capturing wedding photography for the last 10+ years. At one of our weddings, when the bride was getting ready to get into her wedding dress, she asked if we could take a few pictures of her in gorgeous lace lingerie. My husband was caught off guard and said to me “Well, obviously, I can’t do that so why don’t you?” I had no idea how to even pose a woman in lingerie but did a mini shoot. The bride loved her images and I started looking into boudoir photography as part of my repertoire. Boudoir style has been around forever, and I was always drawn to the dark moody style of it, as well as the sensual and empowering message this style of photography brings. Since that day, I have upgraded my business to an amazing studio space and have been continuing to capture women, couples, portraiture and maternity styles in my photography.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
Perhaps this isn’t the most fun story, but I have had clients who were undergoing breast cancer who hired me to capture their bodies before the transformation and a different chapter in their lives began. I thought, “What do you say during those sessions? How do you uplift these women?” Hopefully, the sessions and the images these women get to keep tell them how amazingly strong and powerful they are for beating the disease. I have an amazing review from one of these women, included here:
Evgenia is a miracle worker! I hired her for a pre-mastectomy photo shoot, so I could remember my body when it was still fully intact. She not only made me incredibly comfortable, putting me at ease in front of the camera, but she also turned this girl into a golden era screen siren! I could not be more thankful to her for capturing me in the way I always wish I looked. I imagine I will return to her again in the future!
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Probably saying to myself that I should never have a permanent studio, making the argument to my husband that clients would want to see different backdrops/spaces. However, having a permanent studio/home was one of the smartest decisions I have made!
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
It sounds self serving but at this point in my career, clients hire me for my photography style and expertise in posing/capturing the most flattering angles. I am probably one of the more expensive studio photographers, but after reading my stellar reviews and seeing my website and social media work, clients state that they keep coming back to my art and, even though it’s an investment, it’s a luxury experience and you might as well do it right.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Boudoir photography and/or boudoir experience is a luxury experience, and not something of a necessity, which makes it hard to sell and be constantly busy from work. It took me years to find my niche and to polish the photography style. You as an artist always feel under appreciated and not very sure of yourself. I say: try to block the inner voice in your head and keep on shooting, finding yourself, and creating the style that works for you!
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
Absolutely! My husband has always been my biggest fan! Creatives are never too sure of themselves and need reassurance (whether it’s emotional or professional). He was always the one keeping me motivated in pursuing my professional path and believing in me more than I believed in myself.
Are you working on any exciting projects now?
I am pretty much a one person operation (besides my amazing marketing media manager) so dipping into various projects is not easy. I have definitely been doing more portraiture work which I love so hopefully that will continue to progress!
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
As I mentioned before, I have had female clients who were going through oncology nightmares and the least I could have done was offer them discounted services/products to make the experience more affordable.
Can you share “5 Things Anyone Can Do To Take Stunning Photos”. Please share an example for each.
- Good lighting is the key! I primarily shoot with natural light so standing close to the window (indoors) or in a nicely lit outdoor area (not under direct sunlight) will guarantee great photos.
- Good posture — Keeping your shoulders down and your chin up does wonders to your posture!
- Relaxed face — Not looking stressed or concerned is important to a great picture, so relaxing your face, and keeping your lips slightly parted make all the difference
- Right angle — Holding your camera at the right 45 degree angle gives you a great flattering look,
- Background: Keep the backdrop nice and clean. You would want all the attention to be on the subject of the image, not to the items behind the person!
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I think that the most amount of good I could bring would be to continue creating art for females of all shapes and sizes, and to prove that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Everyone is beautiful in their own way.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Visit my website to learn more about me and my studio, evgeniaribinik.com and follow along on Instagram at @evgeniaribinikstudios or Facebook at @evgeniaribinikstudios. Thank you!
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you continued success!
