16 Questions about 1 Photo with Yevhen Kostiuk

Hello, my name is Yevhen Kostiuk. I am a photographer and web developer from Kharkiv, Ukraine. Currently, I primarily focus on aerial photography with drones and creating websites using JavaScript.

My passion for photography began in my teenage years. My first camera was a vintage FED film camera, gifted to me by my grandfather. In the late 90s and early 2000s, I spent a lot of time shooting with a Kodak film point-and-shoot camera. I remember going through several rolls of film just photographing people passing by from my balcony

Over the years, I experimented with various digital cameras and phones until I discovered aerial photography in 2021 when I bought my first drone, the DJI Mini 2. After my first flight, I realized that this was what I wanted to pursue. Aerial photography allows me to see our world from a different perspective. Each drone takeoff is like stepping into a parallel world where familiar objects look entirely different. Currently, I use a DJI Mini 3 Pro drone and a Nikon D850 DSLR for my photography.

This photo captures a moment from a children’s water polo training session.

I categorize this shot in a style I call Fine Aertial – Fine Art taken with a drone (aerial). Currently, most of my work is done in this style. The distinguishing features of this style include a contrasting color palette, geometric forms, minimalism, and playing with shadows.

The photograph was taken this year in the last days of June in the city of Split, Croatia.

Except for the tourists relaxing in the park and the seagulls circling nearby and eyeing my drone suspiciously, I was alone.

To create this shot, I used my DJI Mini 3 Pro drone and Adobe Photoshop for editing.

I was drawn to this photo by the color of the water in the pool and the groups of swimmers forming intriguing patterns. It was a hot day, and even the sight of the water on my phone screen gave a feeling of freshness. Overall, I like photographing pools for several reasons. Firstly, they provide a beautiful backdrop with unique patterns created by the sunlight on the water’s surface. Secondly, the top-down view of human figures—whether swimming or simply moving in the water—often looks quite whimsical. Thirdly, pools often have inflatable rings, balls, and mattresses that brightly contrast with the blue water. Finally, the pools themselves often have very interesting geometric shapes. In general, a pool is one of the ideal places to take a photo in the Fine Aertial style.

When editing, I simply look at the photo and trim the excess while highlighting the important aspects, shaping it into the image I envisioned in my mind.

Like any other form of art, photography serves as an exchange of energy with people. When creating a photograph, the author puts a piece of themselves, their energy into it. The viewer, in turn, receives this energy by looking at the photograph and through emotions, returns a part of their own energy to the author. That’s why many people, when feeling depleted, recharge themselves in theaters, philharmonics, museums, or galleries. Therefore, the viewer’s reaction — be it likes and comments in the online space or admiring gazes at a physical exhibition—is so important for the author. It’s a cycle of energy exchange. You can take photographs for yourself and collect them in a box or on your computer like a herbarium, but just as music is lifeless without listeners, photography doesn’t thrive without viewers.

12. Did you learn anything in the process of taking, editing, or sharing this photo?

I can’t say that this particular photograph taught me something new, but I’m always in search of my perfect shot. Whether it’s a drone photo or a ground photo with a DSLR, I always strive to find the perfect shooting spot, the perfect angle, and capture the perfect moment. Of course, it doesn’t always work out, but there are two shots that I’m ready to call my best work so far – these are Wonderball and P-opular & I-gnored. They turned out exactly as I wanted to present them.

As a rule, I usually head out to photograph before breakfast, taking only a bottle of water with me.

With my photographs, including this one, I strive to show that in any familiar place, object, or activity, there can be something absolutely new hidden, just by looking at it from a different perspective. I believe that the ability to reveal the extraordinary in the everyday is my main goal as a photographer.

In today’s world, saturated with visual information, the fact that my photograph has captured attention and been remembered is already a great response. However, I’m always curious to hear from viewers about the emotions they experience when they see my photographs and what new insights they gain from them.

I will be very grateful to everyone who supports me on my social networks such as Instagram, Flickr , 500px, and many others. I believe you will always find something there that will inspire or impress you. And you can always support my creative progress on Buy Me A Coffee .

Yevhen Kostiuk (he/his) is an enthusiastic self-taught photographer. In addition to aerial photography, he has a keen interest in landscape and architectural photography and enjoys working with contrasting combinations of colors and shapes, and particularly loves the minimalist style. 

He is a curator at 100asa.com and a member of the international agency Amazing Aerial, specializing in aerial photography. Yevhen has received awards in many prestigious international photography competitions, including the title “Aerial Discovery of the Year” at the reFocus Awards World Photo Annual 2023 and gold medalist in the Chromatic Photography Awards 2023.

He is the holder of the Bronze Camera Award 2023 and the Silver Camera Award 2024 from the Federation of European Professional Photographers and is among the World’s Top10 FineArt Photographers’23 according to the OneEyeland.com photography platform. He has been published in The Times, BBC, and many other international publications.