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When Oleksandr Shepchenko was young, his father gave him his first camera. Because film in Ternopil, Ukraine, was so expensive, Oleksandr took only a few photographs, mainly of his family. He put down his camera after running out of film, but the creativity sparked by his first snapshot was never extinguished.
On a student work and travel trip to New Jersey last summer, Oleksandr worked at an Indian restaurant to make money. During the trip he purchased a slew of electronics, including a cell phone, laptop and his first digital camera. He spent his first summer in America working during the week and traveling to New York City on weekends to see the sights.
“My first picture on my digital camera was in New York, in Manhattan, Time Square. I [took] a picture of a black woman . she was dancing and I just tried something,” he said.
When the budding photographer returned to Ukraine following his stint in New Jersey, he continued taking pictures. He began getting together with friends who owned cameras to experiment with lighting and composition and exploring the world through film.
While he has worked in a studio environment, Oleksandr prefers to capture “real life” and spontaneous moments.
“I see what people are doing and I just take pictures,” he said.
After three years of studying computer science, he decided to take a break from Ternopil National Economic University and spend a semester at the University of Maine.
“UM is a great place. I [hope to] find some extraordinary people and exchange with them my experience and learn something new,” Oleksandr said.
He hasn’t taken many pictures since his arrival, due to a hectic schedule and aversion to the snow.
“I can’t bring my camera out because the cold is too cold for my fingers.” Oleksandr is looking forward to taking his camera out again once the campus has thawed.
Aside from photography, Oleksandr enjoys drawing. In his home town, he knows an elusive artist referred to only as Fleck whom he “exchange[s] experiences with,” he said. “He gives me his art experience and I give him my photo experience.”
When he is not studying or taking photos, Oleksandr enjoys swimming, walking around campus and watching movies. He loves Tom Hanks and lists the big screen adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Green Mile” as his favorite film. He looks forward to seeing and snapping photos of King’s residence in Bangor.
Oleksandr plans on continuing with computer science as a career while holding on to his love of photography. Like other aspiring shutterbugs, he dreams of seeing his work in print someday and has his sights set high for the future.
“Every photographer’s dream is to be in ‘National Geographic,’” he said. “It has the best pictures.”
