MEET LIL SAFONOVA

For the vol. 10 of our printed edition, we had the pleasure to meet an incredible photographer, Lil Safonova. We had the chance to do an interview with her. In these pages we present also her editorial “My Supergirl” with the model Dasha Bryleva. But guys, let us start with her bio.

As atalented young photographer from Russia, Lil Safonova (most often referred toas simply “Lil”) was born in a distant small town in Kazakhstan USSR before herfamily moved to Russia.

Lil’schildhood was not luxurious. She did not have a creative family or environment,but she grew up in a loving atmosphere, in an ecologically clean mountain city.

The limitof her dream was simply to live in the capital of Russia. However, she wasquite different from many of her peers and at the age of 6 she tried to becreative on her own by writing poems, was fond of criminology, cinema, musicand tried writing reviews. The road to photography was incredibly long.Initially, Lil didn’t even think about it, she wasn’t a fan of fashion, shedidn’t read magazines, she preferred books and she was attracted to cinema andjournalism.

At the age of 12, she managed to star in a small program on the local TV channel, where she told about her childhood love for the actor Leonardo Dicaprio and read several of her poems. After this show she was noticed by the editor-in-chief and director of the TV channel who invited her to the studio for an interview. She was given the chance to work as a freelance reporter first, then she received a full-fledged author’s program where she had 3 hours of airtime per week.  She was both a screenwriter, author and TV presenter of her own programs. Of course, after that, Lil wanted to go to Moscow and enter the faculty of journalism. However, her family stopped her, convincing her that they didn’t have enough money to get her into a prestigious university in the field of Media and it would be better to take up a scientific direction.

Lilgraduated from high school with honors and a medal. Then she entered theFaculty of Geography in Moscow but it was one of the best universities in thecountry and in the world (Lomonosov Moscow State University - MSU). Her lifewas not developing bad, but creativity completely disappeared from her life.She felt dissatisfied with it, as if she had “let it kill all her dreams”.Furthermore, another 6 years of a real nightmares followed. Lil at an early agemarried a man who tried to completely suppress her will by interfering with hercommunication with relatives and used violence against her. The miraclehappened when Lil’s first child was born, and she found the strength to get outof the codependent relationship. Left on her own alone with a baby, she hopedto find at least some job.

She was even ready to stand at the checkout in the store or work at a bar in the evenings. Faith gave her an acquaintance with a model who saw a potential in Lil and offered to create her own creative project. So at first, Lil worked as a model and actress in small roles but then she managed to raise a completely ridiculous amount of money and with the help of friends she opened her first studio. At the same time, Lil took her baby with her everywhere, and she often slept on the set in a stroller. So since 2010, Lil actually owned a studio in Moscow and in the process she had to master the work with photographic equipment, she learned to photograph taking photos of her child and friends.

For 10years, Lil has rebuilt 3 more photo studios in Moscow, started promoting andproducing her daughter, met a lot of celebrities and proved to be a magnet forpeople.

Manycelebrities have been working with Lil for 10 years and didn’t want to changephotographers. For many years she went on plain air shooting with the famousphotographer Yan Mcline, who also miraculously appeared in her life and offeredhis professional lessons for free, when she still didn’t know how to do itprofessionally.

He alsoadvised her to send photos to competitions and magazines, seeing her potential.Indeed, since 2018, Lil began to publish, first in 2-3 magazines, and then indozens of different magazines around the world. Her work was repeatedly put oncovers. In Russia she made covers and posters for a huge number of celebrities.

Her careerhas just begun, although she has already lost hope of some real “success” inher life, devoting herself to children (now Lil has two children and she stillraises them up alone), she only thinks about how to earn money for theirexpensive education and needs. Lil is different in that she knows how to shootin very different styles. She is universal and her nude works are very highlyappreciated all over the world. They say that she has a “masculine view of thefemale body” and therefore many don’t understand how a woman could take thesephotos.

Her worksare presented in the Saatchi Art Gallery, LA. Lil has already been invited toparticipate in a number of world exhibitions in 2021.

Now Lil lives in Moscow with her kids, but she also lives in Riga for a long time every summer.

You have a very interesting biography, it is clear that you are a versatile person. How do you manage to combine such different tastes and interests?

I don’tknow, I have always been like this, since childhood. I was fascinated by a lotof things from different spheres. For example, I was obsessed with forensicsand everything related to investigations, detective cases, psychology, mentaldisorders, astronomy, etc. At the same time, I adore fashion, exquisite beauty,the animal world, I am a geographer by scientific education, I wanted to becomean oceanographer, sail the seas (moreover, as a pirate, and not as hisgirlfriend lol)), besides, I used to write a lot of poetry, was fond ofjournalism, politics, cinema, acting, sports (martial arts), music (I play theguitar, this is my passion, but, unfortunately, I cannot say that I do it well)and, by the way, never thought about photography - it came into my life strangeand unexpected. My wardrobe is also atypical - it has military clothes, clothesfor sports and hiking, feminine cocktail dresses, and gloomy rocker things rightthere) Well, plus I’m a mom. Lol,  anddad ...

My ex-husband joked that everyone has one wife, and he has at least three, and they are all different and he needs to keep track of them ...)

You are a public person, but you say that you are an introvert. How is this possible?

Yes! This is the main paradox of my life, but this is not posturing, it is true. Of course, I love attention, I am also self-centered, like most people, but I cannot be in a large society for a long time, I am not very contactable and I try to escape from people who try to talk to me more personally. It’s very hard for me to let new people into my life, it’s difficult to get closer, 90 percent of new acquaintances do not end with anything. In public it is a pleasure for me to appear once a week and then be away for a week, in my close circle or alone. I can only create something cool and creative by myself staying alone. Besides, I am monogamous and if I love someone, then it can last 7-15 years ... Everything else is just a cost of show business and the show that the public wants to see. I very often hear from people (since I am actively blogging) that they know everything about my life, but this is the biggest misconception, they do not know anything really important about it, I try to publish just some events, activities since it’s part of my image and work, everything else happens behind closed doors.

What qualities do you value in people?

Of course,I appreciate kindness, intelligence, sincerity, and honesty, but also strength,fortitude, purposefulness. But definitely, not money or looks. I am a deepperson, so I also do not like superficial people, many people disappointed me.I can see the potential in a person whom no one is looking at and pass by someuniversal favorite. In short, there is something of the devil in me)))))) I amgreedy for souls, not bodies.

Why do you think so many talented people never succeed when others achieve success?

Overconfidence,narcissism, bad strategies (or no strategies at all). SELF-CONFIDENCE isimportant! This is extremely important, but don’t forget about the competitionand the fact that opportunities come and go. Russian rock artist AndreyMakarevich sang: “I have always been lucky with a horse in all years, but luckis not an easy craft. And when luck passes by, another man will be on my horse.“ There will always be someone better, smarter, more beautiful than you.

And you need to develop all the time! Even if the whole world recognizes your talent and you have received all the awards in the world, you need to continue to learn and improve, the world is changing. You can never be absolutely satisfied with your job! I saw many people who started well but then decided that they were already gurus and stopped developing, in the end, everything stopped for them and they even lost what they had. And you need to be flexible, you don’t have to turn up your nose and say that you won’t leave the house until you are offered a contract for a million dollars)))))), you need to work, sometimes even a lot and for free, nothing will fall from the sky by itself! And the Universe does not like such egoists and ‘waiters’ (people who waiting), it helps and very well helps those who are adamant in their intentions and move towards the goal and do not expect miracles.

What characteristics should a girl have to become your model? What are the selection criteria? Appearance, youth?

Yes, as an artist I select attractive girls, butI don’t like unnaturalness. I rarely like “tuning” girls with obvious plasticof all parts of the body, as a rule, they are also bad actresses with emptyeyes and dead facial expressions. The only criterion is probably harmony sinceI work with lines, the rest I have to see and feel. I can take not the mostbeautiful and bright girl at first glance, but in my photo, she will be verycool, because she is real and alive, she will give in the frame those emotionsthat will hook the viewer.

Are you still lonely or do you have a life partner?

Well, I used to be with someone for years. From the age of 15, I had one partner after another, but now the situation is different. I broke up with the last guy at the end of 2019 and since then I have not dated anyone, because they drained me out emotionally, it was toxic and useless. I do not need any incredible feats or vacation in the Bahamas from my partner, but I would like him to at least emotionally invest, and not only manipulate and take my energy and resources. So I deliberately pushed everyone away from me and decided to take a long pause to restore my balance. If I enter into a relationship, it will be close and MY person.

How do you manage to get girls to show so much genuine passion in a photo? I mean, you are not a man, what kind of an atmosphere is the shoot taking place in? Are you using any ‘secret’ techniques?

Ahahah, yes, I do. But I can’t talk about them,that’s why they are forbidden / but no, I don’t touch them with my hands, onlypsychologically swing) And many of my models do not know about this until now,working with me for 5 or more years. But they often say that in my photos theylike themselves the most. The decor is ordinary, the only thing is that I donot like strangers in the studio (friends, assistants, etc.). I need anintimate atmosphere, where there is only me and the model, these photos arecool.

How did you spend 2020 in isolation, was it difficult for you?

No, he was wonderful. I have published in manycool magazines, connected remotely with many interesting people from all overthe world, improved my language, did finances, delved into the

interrelationships of psychology and esotericism, meditated a lot, and raised my energy level! I created a new project, received dozens of job offers around the world and invitations to participate in international exhibitions, and also got agree to shoot some world celebrities after quarantine, made new and very cool friends, played the guitar, so in general it was a lonely but very very productive year! And I also went to places of power in wonderful Karelia, floated on the rivers, and got my charge the next year!

What is photography to you?

Photography is a living moment in a transparentbottle. It is a memory or feeling that has remained immortal.

Who would you photograph if you could choose anyone in the world?

I need to see a person, catch and feel at an energetic level, that’s the only way I can tell if I want to shoot him. But I guess it would be Julia Roberts, Mila Jovovich, Angelina Jolie, and Gia Carangi (if she were alive).

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Instagram of Lil Safonova.