A photographer from Vladivostok spoke about a spontaneous move to New York: 'I am very happy here'

As the idea came to move to New York, where he found the first customers in a new country, what is most important when moving abroad - a photographer from Russia told about this in an interview RIA VladNews.

About the path to the profession

Dmitry Oleinik is a 25-year-old photo artist from the Russian city of Dalnegorsk. He went from being an administrator in a small photo studio to a photography guru, whose work is interested in hundreds of people around the world.

He has been involved in photography for nine years. “Back in school my parents gave me a small digital camera. I photographed everything and everyone, watched various photography lessons on YouTube, studied the work of other photographers, ”said Dmitry.

Then he found out that there is a college in Vladivostok that trains to be a photographer. Initially, Dmitry planned to enter the university. But since he did not have enough USE points to pass on the budget, he decided to go to college. “Firstly, I was interested in the profession of a photographer, and secondly, the training was free and they were given a dormitory, and at that time it was a great opportunity to move to a large city,” he recalls.

He studied photography for a year. Then he got a job in a photo studio. First he was an administrator, then a photographer. “Then he worked in other studios, thereby increasing the audience. It is very important for a photographer to practice a lot, to meet people, ”he explained.

He described the style in which Dmitry is shooting today: “My style is happy people, smiles, families, couples, weddings, happy moments. I love to take pictures of people from whom it blows with love, happiness. ”

About spontaneous relocation to the USA

Dmitry decided to move to New York, despite the fact that he was a popular photographer in Vladivostok. According to him, it was a friend's idea. “We traveled to Europe with him, and he invited me to go to America, I supported this idea. In May 2019, we arrived in the States. I fell in love with New York. Before, I never thought that I would get here even just as a tourist, - said Dmitry. - After the trip, a decision was made: we will try to move in October. Back in Vladivostok, we started planning the move. On October 14, I flew away one way. So, you can say it came out spontaneously. "

Before his first trip to America, he did not even look towards this country and knew little about it. But now he realizes that he made the right choice. “I really like it here, I don’t regret leaving,” says the photographer.

About life in a new place

Much surprises him at his new place of residence. “Every day I have explosive emotions, I never cease to be amazed at the streets, places that surround me now. Here you can walk endlessly until your legs get tired. I am incredibly happy that I live in such a big city, I constantly study it, meet people from all over the world, ”he says.

Moreover, this city turned out to be a suitable place for a photographer. “The city is very photogenic, it especially inspires creative people,” Dmitry said.

Immediately after moving, he settled in Brooklyn. Then he rented a room in upper Manhattan. Accommodation costs him $ 900 a month. “Cellular communication - $ 50 a month, unlimited card for metro and bus - $ 120. Of course, everyone spends on food in different ways, but for me $ 500 is the bare minimum, ”he says.

Dmitry found the first client in New York a week after the move.

Today, clients find the photographer themselves via Instagram. True, Dmitry devotes a huge amount of time to promoting his account. “I photograph myself against the backdrop of beautiful New York landscapes so that potential clients can see examples of photos and other people get inspired to travel to this country and city. I also shoot a story every day, ”he said.

The photographer also said that immediately after the move he encountered a language barrier. At first, he was even embarrassed to buy coffee, because he thought he had a bad pronunciation. “I thought that I spoke badly, I pronounced the words incorrectly, I was terribly uncomfortable, but over time I had to talk to people one on one. You also had to communicate with clients, here, whatever one may say, you will have to chat with them, otherwise you will not survive, ”said the photographer.

Before moving, Dmitry attended courses in Vladivostok, so he basically knew the language, but there was no practice. “So at first I spoke in broken English (laughs). Due to the fact that now the whole environment is English-speaking, there is no language barrier, but I understand that there is not enough vocabulary, so I try to learn new words and phrases, ”he said.

On the subject: An almost perfect success story: how an artist from Minsk conquered New York

By the way, Dmitry's dog remained in Vladivostok. But recently he was able to arrange her flight to the United States. “It was incredibly difficult, especially during the pandemic. Through friends, I found a girl who flew with Jerry from Vladivostok to Moscow, and from Moscow to New York she sent her by a logistics company by plane, '' he said. “I spent a lot of time at the New York airport to get all the seals on the documents.”

The sympathetic New Yorkers helped him in this. “There was a heavy downpour, and the distance between the offices, which had to be reached, was long, and I was driven by caring Americans. It would seem that this is not their problem, that I am without a car, but they drove me around, helped to put all the stamps. I hope that the dog will no longer have to fly such long distances, ”says Dmitry.

He noted that he managed to arrange the dog’s flight very on time, because literally a couple of days later the air service between Russia and America was closed.

About quarantined life

New York is still under quarantine today. But things are not as bad as many media outlets write about it, says Dmitry. The most important thing is that it is not forbidden to walk on the street here. You just need to keep your distance and wear a mask in public. “This is extremely important for me, because I cannot stay at home for months. I want to go out, walk my dog, keep making content, taking photos. And so, I try not to delve too much into the news about the virus, we cannot change anything, we can only put on a mask, wash our hands and maintain social distance, ”he says.

Secrets of competent relocation

Dmitry plans to stay in the United States. He says he is very happy here. He also shared the secrets of competent moving abroad with those who also dream about it.

The most important thing, according to him, is to accumulate an amount that is enough for at least 4-5 months of life in a new country. Because, having moved, most likely, there will be problems with employment.

Also, before moving, you need to understand what you will be doing in the new place, what type of activity will generate income. “Many people, coming to America, not knowing what to do, go either to the cleaning or to the loaders and so on. Such work takes place, I myself sometimes earn extra money, this is a temporary option, but many people have been working in this area for years, and honestly, it’s not entirely clear to me why I need to move to another country and constantly work, for example, as a dishwasher. People leave in search of a better life, so there should always be such and such a dream and goal, ”he said.

And most importantly: you need to believe in yourself, try to find new acquaintances, friends, including English-speaking ones, in order to quickly integrate into another language environment. “It is very difficult for one abroad. America is so far from Vladivostok that due to the time difference, you have to communicate with friends mostly by voice in WhatsApp, and live communication in such a difficult period is very important, "the photographer summed up.