Diana OLIFIROVA

Although everything in the images she creates is precise, with every centimetre thought through, Diana also feels the need to inject a certain amount of chance into her process. That is why she tends to leave the equipment she will use for a shoot to be somewhat randomly selected. She will use whatever camera is handy, never wedded to a certain type of equipment (although lenses matter more). That random selection introduces an unplanned element in the picture, and as she prepares for the shot. She also draws inspiration from the feelings and the reality of the moment when configured a particular composition. Her pictures taken over a time of uncertainty beautifully capture the feeling of entrapment and isolation .  Her recent work grew out of her experiments on pinhole medium format camera, using long-exposure, and multiexposure,  exploring stillness and micro-movement to let light and shadows serendipitously sculpt the image. What appears as a single image is actually layered complex self-portraits, revealing themselves gradually. 

Diana Olifirova is a visual artist and cinematographer originally from Ukraine, based in London and working internationally. Moving fluidly between still and moving image, her practice explores presence, movement, and the inner experience through analogue experimentation. Alongside her award-winning cinematography on projects including Bridgerton Season 3, Heartstopper, We Are Lady Parts, and Twiggy, Diana has developed a distinctive photographic and art film voice, exhibiting with Bomb Factory, Drifter Galleries, Artultra and Proposition Studios.

She is the founder of Dark Room Socials, a 160-member photography community, and she travels and gives workshops and masterclasses globally, while serving as a juror for BAFTA, Royal Television Society, D&AD, SXSW, UKMVA and more.