It’s not often that 14-year-old interests become career choices. For Yelena Yemchuk, pursuing her love of photography was a no brainer. Yemchuk was born in Kiev, Ukraine and moved to the United States with her family at age 11. Her passion for photography and film grew throughout her childhood and followed her to college. She studied fine art and graphic design at Parson’s in New York. She then jetted to the West Coast to finish her education at the Art Center in Pasadena, California.

Yemchuk has a well-rounded portfolio that includes directing music videos and holding solo shows for her work in both painting and photography. Nowadays, she is balancing her time between clients in New York and Europe. She has shot ad campaigns for fashion powerhouses like Christian Lacroix, Cacharel, Vera Wang, Kenzo and Dries Van Noten. Yemchuk’s editorial contributions include The New Yorker, Japanese and Italian Vogues, V Magazine and i-D.

Ukraine-born Yelena Yemchuk got involved in photography as a teenager and an American transplant.  She studied fine art and graphic design at Parsons, and at the Art Center in Pasadena, California.

She worked for a while in the music industry, directing videos and photographing recording artists.  Most notably, she worked extensively with the Smashing Pumpkins (art direction for albums, music videos, etc.) and was even involved with frontman Billy Corgan for several years.

Yemchuk steadily exhibited her own photography and paintings in California.  Now based in New York, she shoots mostly ad campaigns for fashion designers.  Past clients include Vera Wang, Christian Lacroix, V Magazine, The New Yorker, international editions of Vogue, and many more.

The figures in Yemchuk’s shots are typically kinetic and dramatic.  The settings are intentional and balanced.  Her portfolio is incredible, and there were so many images to choose from.  But these are some of my favorites from Yemchuk’s official website.