Giving Clients Versatility: Interview With Egor Shkolnikov
Egor Shkolnikov works towards a specific goal – bringing his clients versatility. In doing so, he has succeeded in becoming one of our most notable contributors. Egor is a promising photographer with a unique vision. His refined aesthetics present clean, sophisticated images that seem like they’ve hit the jackpot on microstocks.
Egor Shkolnikov’s portfolio is like the happy marriage of work and play. He covers the topics of business, travel and dilutes the serious notes with playful images that have become his bestsellers. At the end of the day, when you give clients versatility, you can be sure to see a return on your efforts. Here is Egor’s story and his thoughts on creating more commercial portfolios.
Tell us a little bit about yourself, your interests, hobbies, and your line of work.
My name is Egor. I live on the outskirts of Moscow. For a long time, I’ve been working as a 3D designer. I enjoy mountain skiing, freediving and traveling on a motorcycle. I increased my list of hobbies when I started working with microstocks. From that moment on, work never brought me so much pleasure.
Your recent works are quite minimalistic, what is your creative process been like for the recent projects?
As practice shows, images that are saturated with excessive details do not always justify the time spent. I try to give buyers the opportunity to edit the purchased image for their own needs.
How do you choose which themes to work with?
Choosing a topic is not so difficult. The main thing is to discard what you do not want to do and what most likely will not be bought.
Do you follow trends, and how important would you say that is to a successful business?
It’s the most important task in this work. You will succeed if you follow trends (Viva la Pinterest) and achieve great success if you can predict them ahead of time. Trends help look at the top sellers from a different angle. Thanks to the trends, people will never stop photographing flowers, food and light bulbs.
Do you have a favorite photograph or composition of yours? What’s the story behind it?
Perhaps most of all I am attracted by those images that bring more money. Of the greater of them, I did not expect such a return.
What’s your favorite part about being a photographer?
Frankly, the most pleasant moments occur when you realize that the images that circled in your head now adorn the advertising of soda, chocolate bars and Asian airlines. This is nice and sometimes a bit strange.
What are some of the lessons you’ve learned from working with microstocks?
It is necessary to draw a clear line between the occupation of creativity and work. You need to find your vision in what customers like, sometimes diluting with something, then experimenting.
Have you seen your work being used by agencies or for other commercial purposes?
The strangest thing is that I saw this advertisement of Asian medicine, but I could not make out what exactly. Most often, advertisers use my photos in a way that I could not imagine. These moments give me the chance to think about what to publish next time.
What are the top 3 things that give you creative fuel and energy to keep going?
First of all, this is the fact that my work brings me pleasure, and it is very much worth it. Do not be tied to a specific place and work wherever you want. I am my own boss who creates a vacation 😉
Your #1 tip or words of wisdom:
Do what you love!
