MY DREAM OF CHILDHOOD HAS COME TRUE!!!

I AM UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHER & VIDEOGRAPHER 🙂

Hi there! My name is Elena Chumachenko and I am the happiest person EVER! Why? Because I managed to realize the dream of my childhood - to become an underwater photographer and shoot underwater films / videos.

I am a very passionate and enthusiastic person by nature, I love a variety of interests and I don’t accept monotony in my life and life in the style of “Groundhog Day”))). My heart began to beat harder on the day when I first watched the program “Odyssey of Jacques Cousteau”. My world turned upside down! I grew up in the city of Krivoy Rog and nobody especially dreamed about the underwater world there. The main mission was to survive until retirement and to live no worse than the others.

I did not miss a single program, because the Internet was not there at that time and there was no place to watch replays. For days and nights I imagined how I dived into the seas and oceans, exploring wrecks, watching sea creatures and taking photos, taking photos, taking photos!

BEGINNING OF UNDERWATER PATH

Soon after moving to Kiev and beginning my study at KNEU. V. Getman, I had the opportunity to go for some holidays in Turkey in 2004, and there I saw divers for the first time. And then my underwater jorney began)))! I tried to dive into the pool and after 2 hours I did IntroDive into the sea.

Upon returning to Kiev, I found the Argodaive club, where they taught underwater skills and started the path to enlightenment. Everything that I earned from my work, I spent on training at the club, diving, equipment and traveling. I was inspired by the underwater world! For 14 years, I reached the level of Master Scuba Diving - the highest level of amateur diving (hereafter there are different levels of “SENCEY” - divemaster, instructor, etc).

I AM UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHER

I took the camera a little later. It was a Canon G10 with Ikelite underwater housing. I studied at the Kiev School of Photography (KShPh) and started taking photos and videos. My happiness knew no bounds!

I dived and shot in the Crimea on the Black Sea (sunken ships - Varna, Volgodon, Tsarevich Alexei), in Egypt on the Red Sea (all kinds of reefs and ships - Salem Express, Thistlegorm and others), Philippine and Galapagos Islands, Svityaz Island in Western Ukraine , granite quarries in Ukraine, etc.

In the past 2017, I again went to study photography, but already at more advanced courses. Also, I was lucky to get training from the famous National Geographic underwater photographer Viktor Lyagushkin.

In addition to everything, I began to exchange experiences with underwater photographers from different countries - amateurs and professionals (United Arab Emirates, Germany, Australia, USA). When I studied the work of Zena Holloway (UK), I was so inspired and inspired that I decided to redraw her photo work with my own hands!

The underwater world and me are one. This is my soul, passion, love, my air. Therefore, I decided to share these feelings with others and began my project as an underwater photographer and videographer.

I updated my underwater photo equipment and switched to a more professional level with a Canon EOS 5D Mark 3 digital SLR camera, a Nauticam underwater box and two flashes on special mounts.

I was very curious how my models feel and I decided to try myself in this role. I was shot by my friend - Tatiana Tarasenko, who is also an underwater photographer (and including a land photographer) and we often dive together.

Having a huge accumulated  baggage of theoretical and practical knowledge about underwater photography, under conditions of limited educational information in Ukraine, I began to share my knowledge with others. I conduct master classes, online / offline training, workshops, I write a blog.

An essential part of my project is photo and video (videos, teaser) shooting in the pool, as well as in open water - fashion, love story, fantasy ("fairy teil"), themed, sports, children and family. By agreement, I accompany the group on a live or safari tour as a photo / video operator. Also, my own Underwater Photo Tours will be organized soon.

IF YOU WISH TO WORK WITH ME, CONTACT ME!!!

SUBSCRIBE TO MY SOCIAL NETWORKS AND FOLLOW MY MOTIONS!

ec.uwphotographer@gmail.com,
info@elena-uwphotographer.com
+38 (067) 660-59-64