Veronika Trubnikova
PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris 2025 – Professional
First Place Winner in Analog – Life is still a garden, don’t say otherwise
The title “Life is still a garden, don’t say otherwise” is poetic and evocative. What is the story behind that phrase, and how does it anchor the visual narrative you created?
I ask myself: am I a gardener of my own life? If so, my garden is free from any violence and coercion. It’s a safe place in turbulent times and when I’m far away, my garden is still inside me. This fact can not be affected by any external anxiety. And for kids it’s an essential space for safe and calm growing up. So it’s not only the title, but also my life manifest. Shooting portraits of kids in the garden space around them, I admire the way they live freely in the natural environment. I prefer blurred contours (using film and retro cameras or monocles) and dark tones, recreating the space of black and white dreams. This is how I turn to the memories of my own childhood, while at the same time creating a space of memories for kids, where they can always return in the future and feel themselves being safe and innocent again.
How do you decide when to allow blur, softness, or obscurity versus when to bring clarity? How do you balance legibility with dreamlike ambiguity?
Sometimes it’s a matter of chance, for example, when a multi-exposure is obtained occasionally and gives an interesting result. Every analog photographer knows this feeling. At other times, it depends on the mood of the shooting – whether I decide to assign and show the atmosphere of memories in the photo or give more dynamics. But always, when selecting the final sequence, I try to maintain a balance of dynamics and pauses.
What emotional or reflective responses do you hope viewers carry away?
I would like the place and time that the viewer gets to view my work to be filled with a sense of security, of being connected to their own inner strong and calm self. And to help them keep that feeling inside for a long time afterward.
What does winning Analog Photographer of the Year at PX3 mean for you as an artist working with film and analog aesthetics?
It really means a lot. In terms of the theme of the work, it is important for me to know that it resonates with the viewer, and the entry point to my work is clear and supported. Also I’m glad to receive confirmation that the works are good compositionally and technically. Both of these aspects are equally important for the artist.
For photographers looking to produce deeply poetic, imagined-turned-physical bodies of work, what advice would you give them?
Think about an entry point, which will connect you to the viewer. It is important for an artist to speak out, but it is also important to be heard and understood, so we must not forget to think about how our gesture and method connect to the inner space of the viewer. Choose the method you are working with to convey your mood and use it in a measured and precise manner. And try to work at the intersection of genres, shoot a portrait like a still life, and a landscape like a portrait – this way you will add new unexpected layers to your work.