SERGEY MAXIMISHIN: “A PHOTOGRAPH SHOULD BE A NARRATOR”
Sergey Maksimishin (Sergey Maximishin) – a talented photojournalist. His works are recognizable not only in narrow circles of lovers of photo art. They sell well at trade shows and attract the attention of both amateur photographers and professionals. Since 2001, Sergei Maksimishin at various competitions annually received awards. The most significant was the first prize at the World Press Photo exhibition (2006).
Before taking the camera in his hands and devoting his life to the art of photography, Sergey received a polytechnic education. He managed to work in the Hermitage and lead a large company. But, due to certain circumstances, at some point his life changed dramatically, and he realized his creative potential in the field of art.
Sergey Maksimishin was born on October 29, 1964 in the village of Kodyma, which is located in the Odessa region. Over time, the family moved to Kerch (Crimea). No one prophesied Sergei creative future. In 1982, the young man graduated from school, where he studied diligently. Then he successfully passed the entrance exams at the Polytechnic Institute, located in Leningrad, where he went to study. Sergei did not choose the lightest specialty – he gained knowledge in the field of experimental nuclear physics. Classes are not particularly fascinated Maximishin, and after 3 years he was expelled because of the large number of passes.
Having lost his student status, Sergey went to military service, where he took the camera for the first time. From that moment on, the world of photography swallowed him, although a lot of time had passed before his passion turned into a profession. During military service, which lasted from 1985 to 1987, the young man was part of a group of Soviet military specialists working in Cuba. Sergey was taken as a photographer.
After returning from the army, Maksimishin decides to complete his education, is being restored at the institute. Because of his modest financial position, Sergei had to work in parallel. He occupied a vacant position in the Hermitage laboratory, where his duties included conducting examinations. Most often he worked with coins, examining their chemical composition.
In a difficult period for the whole country, which began in the early 90s, Sergey already had a family and a small son. In 1991, he quit his job at the Hermitage, where he had already stopped paying salaries, and began working in private companies. When in 1998 the company in which Maksimishin worked went bankrupt, Sergei radically changes his life.
Throughout the time after returning from the army, Maksimishin does not let the camera out of his hands, takes pictures of friends and acquaintances. In 1996, he learned about the recruitment of a group of press photographers and hurried to file documents. He studied art photography Sergey 2 years. Already at that time he began to publish in obscure publications. It was just after the bankruptcy of the company that he decided to turn his favorite hobby into a profession.
In 1999, Maksimishin began working in the publication “Izvestia”. In 2000, he traveled to Chechnya, 2001 to Afghanistan, and 2002 to Iraq. These years can be called pivotal in the life of a photojournalist, whose work falls into the Western media. In Chechnya, Sergei’s paths intersected with photographer Yury Kozyrev, who became his first teacher. Despite the fact that the equipment with which the photojournalist worked, was far from perfect, he managed to take a lot of pictures. Today they are not only exhibited in galleries, but also successfully sold. A striking example is the work entitled “Goldfish Seller”, made in 2002.
In 2003, Sergei stopped working with Izvestia and began working with the German Focus agency, as well as American and French publications. Today, he not only does his favorite work, but also teaches the art of photographing students. In his courses, the master of his craft does not focus on the technical side of the issue. Maximishin’s goal is to teach those who already know the basics of shooting to take “live” pictures that reflect the essence of the situation. After all, according to Sergey’s own convictions, everyone can learn the technical side, but opening the human soul through the camera is much more difficult. “My task is to explain to students how to tell stories using photography,” the master always says.
For 6 years, Maksimishin arranges exhibitions of works of his students, who collect a large number of viewers and connoisseurs of art.
In addition to teaching photojournalism courses, Sergey organizes master classes not only in different cities of Russia, but also abroad. He also gladly accepts invitations to work as part of the jury at photo contests and festivals, arranges his own exhibitions, writes books. Despite the fact that the life of a famous photojournalist is arranged by the hour, he manages to follow new trends and lead an active social life on Facebook.
