In “Spin control,” what first drew you to this story, and at what moment did you realize it had become something larger than a sports project?

I fell in love with this sport at first sight, and almost immediately I understood that this would not be just a simple sports photoshoot.

Your photographs show not only competition, but also dignity, resilience, and emotional depth. How did you build trust with the athletes over the years?

I think I earned their trust almost immediately. I have always been sincere and authentic, and I poured my heart and soul into my work.

You followed this project from 2018 to 2023. How did your understanding of the players—and of the meaning of basketball in their lives—change during that time?

I developed a deep appreciation for basketball and the players immediately and permanently. The importance of basketball in the athletes’ lives was clearly visible, and they often expressed it to me directly.

Why was black and white the right language for this story? What did it allow you to express that color could not?

I chose black and white to strip away all distractions, allowing the viewer to be fully absorbed in the moment frozen in the photograph. Every detail is meant to draw attention to the essence of the scene.

The series speaks about people who have passed through surgery, rehabilitation, depression, and despair, yet it never feels defined by tragedy alone. How did you approach that balance as a photographer?

As a photographer I’m aimed to find such visual solution which tells the audience what stands behind those victories. I sought not to show the inferiority, but how much strength, patience and infinite possibilities lurk within each of us.

Sports photography often focuses on speed, action, and victory. In this project, what mattered more to you: the decisive moment, the psychological atmosphere, or the human relationship behind the frame?

Every element matters. For me, a good photograph is like a good story, and a photographer must be able to tell that story in an engaging and compelling way. My task as a photographer is to evoke specific feelings and emotions, conveying the intended message and information through the image.

It is not enough to create an accurate illustration of an event; one must also imbue the photograph with a distinct artistic vision.

As someone who works across journalism, sports, studio, and family photography, what did this project ask from you that was different from your other work?

I immediately fell in love with this sport. This is my creative photographic project, into which I invested my whole heart and dedication.

What does this GLPA recognition mean to you, and what do you hope viewers carry with them after seeing “Spin control”?

A competition is an opportunity to learn from the experience of colleagues, to communicate with them, and to grow through this exchange. It encourages a more critical evaluation of one’s own work and helps expand professional boundaries. Altogether, it allows a photographer to move to the next level of creative development.

The main idea of the project is to show healthy people and people with traumas that our body is just an outer shell which doesn’t mean anything to what we really are. It shouldn’t have any influence on the quality of life and impose restrictions on our lifestyle.