About the artist
Jelena Belous (1984) is a marine photographer from Riga, Latvia. She has been engaged in photography since 2016.
From a family of seafarers, Jelena has been immersed in the marine environment since childhood. The water element has always been somewhat nearby. In search of her direction as a photo artist, she turned to childhood memories and feelings, thus finding her place in art.
Jelena approaches the movement of water in different ways, forming varied textures and patterns. Thus, in her photographs, water is transformed into abstract paintings.
Her artwork is often dedicated to the theme of nature, landscape, water, and the human body. With the help of lines, forms, and textures, the author conveys mood, state of mind, character, profound feelings, and a deep connection with nature.
Artist Statement
"When I started to study photography, I absorbed information like a dry sponge. I wanted to know everything about the medium, and I tried all sorts of genres of photography to figure out which one resonated and how I wanted to express myself.
One day I was walking along the seashore and photographing the sunset. I observed how the sunset changed the color, reflections, and “mood” of the water. I started experimenting with different angles and camera settings to figure out how to interact with water through photography. The water is fleeting and wild; it is not a model you can tell how to pose.
In the end, I got one shot that was a revelation. It was a blurred photograph of the waves that formed shadows in the form of two dark stripes. I saw in it a metaphor, a course of life: the order of its stages, the light and dark, the ups and downs.
Since then, I’ve been working with flowing water and other moving objects, looking for unusual angles, sometimes moving the camera itself during a shot to find something new. As for the water or object itself, I study the lines, observe its behavior and try to understand and feel it, looking for stories.
After a long selection process, I choose the final works, only those that immerse me in thinking and feeling about the parallels of these stories with the life of a human being.
Creativity and freedom of thoughts are things I want to preserve as a photo artist. My aim is to create fine art through photography medium that deeply touches the observer, and would also aesthetically beautify one's space.
It took me a while to realize that I was from a seafaring family. On my mother’s side, all the men were captains, and my grandparents' place always had a lot of marine decor elements. These images accompanied my childhood. All these memories made me think about what influenced my love for the sea, and why I have dedicated my creative life to capturing it."
Awards & Press
'Changes' Latio Calendar 2021:
Foto Kvartāls, Iznācis melnbaltās foto kalendārs Pārmaiņas
'FLOW OF LIFE' exhibition mentions:
RUS:
LSM.LV, Культура
M!XNEWS
L'Officiel Baltics
ОТКРЫТО.LV
LOUNDGE [лаундж'] VIP
RUS.TVNET
SPLETNIK.LV