Ant stories. Andrey Pavlov (38 photos)

I confess honestly. When I first saw macro photographs from the series “Ant Stories”, “Ant Theater” with scenes where insects posed and clearly performed “intelligent” actions, I had different ideas about how the author managed to implement such tricks. The thoughts ranged from the most blasphemous - and I won’t even begin to specify which ones now - to banal three-dimensional visualization. The reality turned out to be much more incredible: this is all real, albeit staged photography with live models!

I contacted the author of the photographs and we agreed on an interview. When the conversation took place, in response to the dry preparation of questions from the average photographer, I received an amazing and sincere story of a man with an interesting and difficult fate. The hero of the publication asked to call him simply - Andrey (on the Internet - Antrey). Born in Moscow, he graduated from the Makarovka Arctic Faculty in Leningrad, followed by expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic with rare returns to his wife and daughter in his native St. Petersburg.

And then any of my words will be banal, and you will find an exciting story of the relationship between man and nature, filled to the brim with love of life and optimism, with real fairy tales in photographs.

— Can you say to yourself that you were “born with a camera”? In general, how did you get into photography?
— I always took pictures sporadically; I haven’t parted with my camera for the last seven years.
— Do you have any hobbies not related to photography?
— Music lover, I love good music in any genre.
— What inspires you to create your work?
— I probably didn’t read enough fairy tales as a child, now I’m trying to film them :)).
— Besides macro, are there any other favorite genres?
— My works are rarely macro (in the classic 1:1 scale), I shoot stories about short people, and there is a place for both portraits and landscapes.
— Looking at your photos, I never cease to be amazed at your patience and perseverance. Do you really have such qualities?
— The sign of Taurus obliges :).
— What other skills help you in your work?
— I remade a lot of artistic things with my hands - from embossing and painting to decorations in the student theater - good experience for creating stage models.
— Is your interest in macro photography and ants in particular somehow connected with your profession or did you just become interested?
“I learned digital photography in the state of a vegetable—seven years ago my spine gave out, so within reach there was a square meter of grass in a summer cottage, with all its inhabitants. And then, like many, I fell under the spell of these amazing earthlings. A community that cares for the weak - children, pensioners and the disabled - cannot but command respect. Over the 150 million years of its existence, this biological civilization has mastered a lot of environmentally friendly methods of life support and developed a survival strategy. And he will live just as long if the young technological civilization of humans does not completely destroy the planet... However, a lot has already been written about this.
— What equipment, optics, devices, in addition to the camera, help solve creative problems, especially in macro photography?

1. A transforming stage, with adjustments for height, tilt and fastening for props, capable of performing a lot of functions;
2. Raynox-250 macro lens of all times;
3. Flashes - I prefer the smart, powerful kids Metz cs 28, but more often I use the Yongnuo 460 ll, the Metz synchronize only by light, and on a sunny day it’s not great (let me clarify - I always shoot with pulsed light, otherwise the vibration of the active antennae gives me a lot of goosebumps lubricants).

— Are the scenes filmed on location, in the studio, or a combination? How is the workplace generally structured?
— I prefer to photograph my favorites - red forest formica rufa at an anthill 50 meters from the house. The working trail is clearly structured in places, the movement of the goosebumps is carried out strictly along the trail, where you can sit comfortably on the side of the road without crowding the crowd and remaining untamed. For free rotation of the cast, the stage is set directly on the path, flashes, backgrounds and reflectors on wire pegs are stuck into the ground. When I can’t walk, I take pictures right on the site, fortunately there are 5 species of ants in the population :))). When the door is open, they enter the house (but are not rude). I shoot scenes using the multiple exposure technique: a series with a fixed camera, stage and light, then in a stack - into the editor and wipe the most talented artists with an eraser. With experience, the stack becomes smaller and smaller, sometimes one or two frames (selected from hundreds) are enough. I don’t do collage out of laziness (except in desperate cases, such as the moon with stars), it’s easier for me to photograph it properly. I tried to snap artists into the sun, but it never worked, but I quickly learned how to shoot with the sun in the background :)).
— It is noticeable that in each photograph the surroundings and decorations are presented with great love: moss, mushrooms, various little things, etc. and it’s all very thoughtful. How much time does it take to prepare such scenes and where do you get the props?
— There are no problems with the surroundings and props - in May they take me out to the dacha and until October I live in all this :)). Most of the time is spent on thinking through the mise-en-scène - the artists must want (and be able) to perform it

necessary movements in the proposed scenery. In addition, the action must take place in one plane, so as not to fall out of the meager depth of field. Due to the complexity of these connections, a good half of the plots were not implemented :(.
— Do you have a favorite job and what is special about it?
- Now my beloved is here (“Don’t touch the baby!”)

A small but important victory for me, it made me understand that I learned something and my complexes decreased :). The photo is not staged, these are sometimes obtained during preparation for shooting.

— How do you come up with stories that you then embody in your works?
“I usually don’t invent anything, I just depict behavior patterns that I know in humanoid form, well, I try to make it fun.”

A small but important victory for me, it made me understand that I learned something and my complexes decreased :). The photo is not staged, these are sometimes obtained during preparation for shooting.

— How do you come up with stories that you then embody in your works?
“I usually don’t invent anything, I just depict behavior patterns that I know in humanoid form, well, I try to make it fun.”

Now imagine: you are poking around in the garden, and you notice that your eccentric neighbor, who is always picking off bugs, is completely unwell... He happily waves his arms on the porch, hobbles over to confer with the plum bush, returns to the porch and greets the bush again... ... you would call a doctor, but a mental hospital won’t go to such a wilderness :)). I did a lot of takes - I didn’t like the harsh chiaroscuro from the sun - and only when I finished filming did I notice the sympathetic faces of the neighbors.

— Is there a book or online resource that helps professionally?
— Macroclub is a community of enthusiastic, technically very literate people, I have been a diligent (correspondence) student since 2006... I read the discussion, I was flattered that teachers consider my works to be compographics :)). And also “ant literature”: Khalifman, Zakharov, Verber. Favorite: Werber’s novel “Ants”.

— Do you have a favorite photographer?
— Salvator Dali.
— Is there a problem of “creative crisis” for you, and if so, how do you deal with it?
— When I fail to implement the plot, I start to get mad at my own helplessness :((... I cope simply - I give up and take on another.
— Do you already have plans and projects for the future?
- The plans for the summer are to film at least half of what was planned... I have a dream - to combine the ant stories into a single whole - but so far it hasn’t worked out, I lack global thinking... If anyone could help, I would be glad.