A rabbit pounding rice cakes on the Moon, fascinating Star Myths, and an airplane imitating birds in the sky···. People got their inspiration by looking up the sky since ancient times. However, with the progress of technology, we are finally able to look down from the sky; one of the best examples would be a drone. This week’s article covers the interview with an Ukrainian photographer Denys Bilytskyi(Денис Белицкий), who produces breathtaking landscape photographs with his drone. Meet Bilytskyi’s oeuvres accompanied by TongRo Images.
Q. How did you start your photographic journey?
Photography has been my hobby since 2008. At that time, I was very fond of running. My friend and I ran 20 to 30km and saw interesting places I wanted to photograph. For example, it was the city at night or industrial zones in the fog. And then I decided to buy my first Nikon D40 camera. And as a professional photographer, I started working in 2015.
Q. When and how did you dive into stock photography?
In 2015, I started doing stock photography and it happened by accident. In 2014, my hometown Donetsk was occupied by Russia and a war has started. I moved to another city governed by Ukraine, where there was no war. I didn't have a job then and lived on the savings of the money I had accumulated before the war. One day, I accidentally saw a landscape photo of a friend of mine on a popular photo stock image website. I contacted him and he said that I could earn good money with it. Since I already had a small portfolio at that time, so I decided to try.
Q. What are your favorite themes and subjects as a stock photographer?
I really love landscape photography, as well as everything related to trains, planes, and industrial.
Q. What is your process of stock photography?
Everything is simple. I shoot what I like. I try to choose suitable conditions for photography - a beautiful sunset or sunrise.
Q. What kind of photographic devices and programs do you have, and what are the most used ones?
At the moment I'm shooting on Nikon Z7 II and DJI Mavic 2 Pro. For processing, I use Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop.
Q. How do you choose the right devices for the right circumstances?
It all depends on the subject. If it is a landscape, then a drone and any modern camera with a wide-angle lens are necessary. I use 2 lenses: 14-24mm and 24-120mm.
Q. What are the most important things you consider when planning the photoshoot?
To plan the shooting, I take into account the time of year and the weather forecast. I also always look for places on Google Maps and mark them. But it is impossible to predict everything, so luck is still needed.
Q. How did you get to know ClipartKorea and TongRo Images and what are the things you put into consideration when you are uploading the content?
I found ClipartKorea on a stock photography forum, and I try to take photos of the highest quality, as far as my skill allows.
Q. How do you remain relevant in the ever-changing trend of commercial photography?
I try to look at current trends in stock photography.
Q. What is your advice for those willing to start their career as a stock photographer?
My advice is not to be afraid of stock photography. Naturally, you need to have a certain skill, but you do not need to be Marc Adamus or Max Rive to make good money in photography. You need perseverance, hard work, and constant development, for example, buying master classes from your favorite photographers.
Nowadays, hundreds of thousands of AI pictures have appeared. On the one hand, this is progress that cannot be stopped, on the other hand, competition has increased greatly, as well as a lot of the same types of absolutely identical pictures. But I hope that in the future, photography and artificial intelligence will coexist and complement each other.
Bilytskyi’s photographic journey started with the stream of times. However, that does not make his diligent, solid manner towards it any less. We hope you can get your inspiration from him staying relevant in the stock photography market by not only furnishing the devices but also getting master classes from what he is aiming for.