Vitaly Novikov has been working in the Murmansk Fire Department for 17 years. His experience as a photographer is almost twice as long. The photographer has more than a hundred different awards. He considers himself a photographer specializing in local history. The author's fantastic pictures reflect the history of the Murmansk Region and the Kola Peninsula. Membership in the Russian Geographical Society helps him to travel and share unique images of his home region with people.
Anastasia Yagodina, the press secretary of the Murmansk Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society, spoke with Vitaly Novikov.
— When did you decide to take up photography? Where did you start?
— I became interested in photography at the age of ten thanks to my parents. It was very interesting for me to observe the process of film development and printing. At home we had the opportunity to develop photos ourselves, we had all the necessary equipment for that. At the age of 11 I started going to a photo club, in 2000 I became a member of the "Murmansk People's Photo Studio" photo club, in 2003 I became a member of the Russian Union of Photographers.
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— When did you become a member of the Russian Geographical Society and why?
— In 2018, I participated in an expedition of the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute (MMBI) to Svalbard on the research vessel "Dalniye Zelentsy". During this trip to the archipelago I took quite a lot of pictures/ After that, Denis Moiseev, Chairman of the Murmansk Regional Branch of the Russian Geographical Society, Deputy Director for Science of the MMBI, invited me to join the Russian Geographical Society. I agreed right away. We immediately started discussing joint activities, and I had the opportunity to participate in various events dedicated to significant events and important dates in the history of the Murmansk region. At the moment we are preparing for a joint expedition to Novaya Zemlya with the Northern Fleet and the 12th GUMO (Main Directorate of the Ministry of Defense). It is planned for August 2022.
— What kind of photos do you like to take the most?
— If you decide characterize me as a photographer, then I am a local history photographer. I am very interested in the history of the Murmansk region, the history of the Kola Peninsula, I am trying to understand it and somehow reflect it in my pictures. I try to travel a lot and shoot in different genres. This includes landscape, reportage photography, portraits, astrophotography, and travel photography. I'm not trying to stick to a particular genre. On the contrary, I want to cover all the topics I'm interested in.
— What would you like to capture, but have not been able to yet?
— I don't have any one specific goal - for example, to go to the North Pole and shoot there. I have been working for many years, even decades, on various projects. Some of them are: the life of the small peoples of the North, the icebreaking fleet, the famous people of the North, the northern nature. And just like that, I steadily collect great shots, one or two at a time. I don't set a specific goal to go somewhere and take pictures of something. I have a broader task — I want to gradually, using every opportunity, further develop my skills, I want to travel, to study local lore. And thanks to the Russian Geographical Society, some of my plans are coming true. The RGS gives you the opportunity to visit very interesting places. I had no idea how much it was worth going to some of them.
— Which photo contests have you won?
— I have quite a lot of awards — more than 100. I have won both Russian and international photo contests. The awards are different, with Grand Prix and gold medals among them. But the number of awards is not so important for me, I am much more interested in the participation itself. I try never to miss such an opportunity. This gives an opportunity to develop, to strive for something, to learn something new in the world of photography, to study the works of other participants. Thanks to this, you get a desire and an opportunity to strive for something new.
— What advice can you give to aspiring photographers?
— One can give a lot of advice, but the most important thing is enthusiasm. The good thing about photography is that you don't necessarily need to be exceptionally talented to become a good photographer. Many great photographers are very hard-working people who devote a lot of time to photography. If you work hard enough, you will eventually succeed. The next thing is that you definitely need to study, you need to learn the basics of photography and practice a lot. It is also a nice idea to try and find a good mentor who could give you good advice and correct you. A good mentor is essential for any beginner. And one of the most important things: you should never get discouraged, you should never give up after small failures, you should never say "that's it, I'm not ready to do it anymore" rightaway, without giving it another try. This is usually the main reason why people stop taking photos. You need to understand that a being photographer is a lifestyle, it is not a temporary thing. For a professional, photography occupies the main part of their life. For example, working as a firefighter, I have 24-hours shifts and then three days off and I spend these three days taking pictures.
Pictures Vitaly Novikov took during his travels around the Kola Peninsula can be found in the "Photos" section of the Murmansk Regional RGS Branch official website.
