Margarita Sheremet & Moments

Where it all began

I’m originally from Russia. I moved to Sweden with my family when I was six, and I’ve always been interested in creating things, like everyone in our family. My mom likes to sew clothes, my dad was a photographer, and my sister is a graphic designer.

When YouTube was a cool and new thing, my friends and I started to make short stories. My creative eye began to develop by creating funny and weird moments. We shot everything with a digital camera and edited in Windows movie maker, which crashed A LOT. After that, I bought my very first Canon and realized that I wanted to invest my time in making films and photography. I’ve graduated from a film school and now work as a freelancing photographer.

I decided to participate in the 15 Second film festival after my sister told me about a contest where you could win a full format Canon. At first, I hesitated, but after my sister pushed me some more, I thought I’d give it a try. The challenge of creating a story in only fifteen seconds felt very compelling and tough at the same time.

Moments

I’m turning 25 this year, and I’ve discovered that some things give you epiphanies. The topic for my winning video, ”Moments,” came from Virginia Woolf’s quote, ”I belong to quick, futile moments of intense feeling. Yes, I belong to moments. Not to people.” When I first read it, I recognized the feeling instantly, and the quote stuck with me.

I had also recently visited California, which had a significant impact on me. It made me want to edit something that would represent how all of it felt. Fifteen seconds is a short time, but California was fast, intense, and over before it had even begun. Just like my video Moments.

Creativity

My creative process varies depending on what I’m doing. I usually let the photograph speak for itself, but I always adjust lighting and composition. Sometimes a photo doesn’t work in black and white, even though it was my initial plan. When I shoot videos, I almost always know how I want them to look like. As an art form, photography is more free for me. Shooting a short film or a documentary need more research and planning: colours, movements, composition and where the next cut should be.

My creative process is like an empty frame. I get to create something from scratch. For me, the ”how’s” and ”why’s” are the most important things. I get inspired by making ordinary things beautiful. Even the smallest things can be beautiful. I know that a trashcan can look pretty if shot from the right angle and in the right light.

Canon

My first camera was a Canon, and my mom has always shot with a Canon film camera. I find the menu easy to work with; I’ve never had any trouble understanding a Canon. I still shoot with my first Canon EOS M.

What impresses me the most in my new Canon EOS R is its quality. I’ve never owned a camera with a full-format sensor before. It amazes me with every shot I take, and I’m not going to get tired of it soon. The EOS R is incredibly fast. I’ve programmed some buttons to my personal preference, and it feels like I’m just sitting here switching the ISO and the shutter at the speed of light.

Influence

My influences come from my childhood and learning as I go. I love music, films, books, fashion, TV and a lot of other things. My mom got my sister and I Legos when we were kids, and we learned how to read quite early. That might be the reason why we both work within the creative field. In photography and cinematography, I look up to Janusz Kaminski, Hoyte van Hoytema and Annie Leibovitz. Portraits and people speak to me, but places do too. I could never choose only one thing to work with or shoot.

Every project I do makes me a couple of experiences and lessons richer. My mind thrives when I create short films and storyboards. I love to research and spend time on visual styles, colors, lenses, the technical aspects of how to make something look a specific way. To me, photography is about showing what others don’t see, and to tell stories. To be 110% in charge of a scene and start from scratch. To make something beautiful.

The future

Right now, I’m planning a documentary short film with my best friend Julia Qvarnström as the director. We applied for a Svenska Filminstitutet funding called ”Glöd” and were chosen as one of the ten teams to get the funding! The project is about Swedish minority languages, and our focus is Finnish. The film will premiere at Almedalsveckan this year.

Professionally, I want to have a full-time job as a photographer and cinematographer. I could never choose just one of them because storytelling isn’t limited to one art form. When it comes to Canon, I’m hoping this is the start of a long collaboration where we can open a new, bigger door to moving images, and also of course still photography.