0 edit 35mm film photography

Born in Estonia and based in Berlin, Mariia's journey into photography began with a collection of shadow photographs captured on the phone - a habit that grew into an Instagram series, which later shifted entirely into analogue photography.

For her, film photography is about capturing the inner feeling of balance and 'rightness' in the very moment of taking a photo. Operating with zero post-processing allows for the raw light and colour to serve as a pure message from the moment she trusted her inner ‘yes’. She likes to explore strange symmetries, dreamscapes, and magical realism – revealing the hidden life of architecture and everyday objects. She captures shadows both as physical phenomena and as reflections of the unconscious.

She loves expired film and the strange, nonlinear time of analogue: her photography follows her inner shifts, and often she understands what a photo was about only later - once a transformation is complete and reveals what the image already knew.

Bringing together photography and her interest in psychology, she has also created her own deck of MAC - Metaphoric Associative Cards. MAC is a projective tool used by psychologists, therapists and coaches that bypasses rational thinking to bring thoughts and feelings up from the unconscious.

Invite Mariia for moody product and jewellery photo shoots, events you want to remember, and portraits that hold onto a person's new or longed-for emotional states. Reach out at mariia@shekhireva.com.