A Conversation with Ilyas

Ilyas is a photographer based in Saint Petersburg, Russia, where he was born and raised. His photographic journey began about seven years ago when an old Nikon D90, once belonging to his older sister, unexpectedly ended up in his hands. What started with photographing landscapes gradually evolved into portraiture after he later saved up for a Fuji X-T30, a camera he still carries with him today.

 

 

“I want there to be at least something calm and peaceful in the world,” he explains. “When complete chaos is happening around you, you want to distance yourself from it and hide in your own quiet and measured little world. I think my brain subconsciously expresses this desire through creativity.”

For Ilyas, colour forms the foundation of an image. Rather than combining many different tones, he prefers to work with only a few dominant colours and a single accent that subtly draws the viewer’s attention. This restrained use of colour helps create the balanced, almost dreamlike atmosphere that appears throughout his photographs.

Flowers have gradually become a recurring element within this visual language. Over time they have simply become part of his photographic “handwriting”, bringing life, softness and a natural point of focus to the frame.

Although he first worked digitally, he eventually gravitated toward analogue photography. Part of the appeal lies in its simplicity; a roll of film offers only thirty-six frames, encouraging a slower and more deliberate process. At the same time, film offers a richness of colour and texture that feels difficult to replicate digitally.

“I like the tactility of it,” he explains. “The sound of advancing the roll, loading the film into the camera, and waiting to see the result after the shoot.”