Antonina Mamzenko
Antonina captures the chaos and the powerful connection between parents and their children
As a documentary family photographer, you do not alter or interfere with the scene, just as a photojournalist would not pose people or alter the environment they are in while documenting a story for an assignment.
I have always been attracted to this way of shooting, ever since I started as a photographer in 2009. It wasn’t until much later, in 2015, that I realised I could build a whole business around photographing families in a photojournalistic way, without setting up shots, directing clients or prompting them to act in a certain way. Now I’m lucky to work with clients from all over the world, who hire me to document their everyday life, and also their holidays in London and beyond.
For many people, relinquishing any control over the flow of the session may sound scary, but for me it’s exciting and thrilling. Every photoshoot I come into is different, and I never quite know what will be thrown at me, and that’s what keeps me on my toes. I may not be able to control my subjects, but I can still control how I take the photograph through my choice of composition, camera settings and what I choose to capture, as well as my vision as a photographer. It’s this constant challenge, trying to figure out how to make the most interesting photograph and capture beauty among chaos, that keeps me interested and excited about every single photoshoot.
I think what attracts my clients to this way of shooting is that similar realisation. They want photographs that have meaning. As a bonus, not only do they not have to pose or be on their best behaviour for the duration of the photoshoot, but they can actually just get on with their day as they normally would, trusting me to get on with it and capture the magic of their everyday lives.