This photographer needs to assist ladies see what she sees—that they’re lovely, highly effective – San Diego Union-Tribune

Galina Semenova knew she wished to focus her advantageous artwork images on telling the tales of girls, so when a good friend was recognized with breast most cancers in 2020, it was a possibility to make use of her artwork to assist one other lady.

“My friend … went through chemotherapies and radiation, and she had mastectomy, and she hadn’t had reconstruction yet. At that time, she was bald and she didn’t like herself at all; she couldn’t look at herself. We decided to do the photo session for her, so we created this amazing, beautiful photo session,” Semenova remembers. “When she saw the images, it was very powerful for her. She could see herself from my eyes and when I see somebody, there is no judgment. I think that’s what the portraits do, there is no judgment and women can see themselves through another person. When we see ourselves in a mirror, there is this kind of automatic self-image, and there is a lot of judgment to this image, toward this image. When we see ourselves through the eyes of another person, it’s a little bit different…and that’s exactly what I do. I just show women how I see them.”

The determination to focus her work on uplifting the voices and tales of different ladies got here in 2018, after years of looking for the sort of images topic that resonated most. Growing up in Russia, Semenova fell in love with images after being launched to the shape by way of a good friend’s Polaroid digicam. She spent the next years educating herself the small print and capabilities of cameras and picture enhancing software program earlier than taking courses at a images faculty in Moscow to sharpen her expertise and elevate her understanding of the artform. After shifting to the United States in 2009, she continued attending courses and workshops, studying from professionals whose work she admired, and turned her digicam on herself with self-portraiture, for which she earned a number of recognition and awards. She discovered the method of the self-portraits was therapeutic, facilitating important therapeutic in her personal self-love and acceptance; possibly this might assist different ladies heal in related methods. Womanity Portrait Foundation is the nonprofit she began in 2024 to assist breast most cancers survivors, and all ladies, to find higher self-confidence.

Semenova, 44, lives in Mission Hills and runs workshops, retreats, and picture periods, along with her advantageous arts work. She took a while to speak about her need to make use of her images and artistry to advocate for girls and contribute to social change.

Q: Tell us about Womanity Portrait Foundation.

A: I work with breast most cancers survivors and the mission is to assist breast most cancers survivors reclaim their identification and resilience and neighborhood by way of therapeutic centered images workshops and retreats. This is the mission of the undertaking proper now, but when I might discuss greater mission, greater mission is to offer voices to ladies all over the world who’re going through hardships—like economical hardship, the hardships of coping with regulation altering, like we’ve this entire regulation state of affairs with abortions—so I wished to offer the voices to all of the tales of girls, to create a social change, to create the attention concerning the points, to create compassion and empathy. The greatest concept is to create social change, for the social affect of my work.

I used to be on a seek for a topic for a really very long time. I attempted many, many various genres of images — landscapes, black and white, nonetheless life, studio work. I noticed that I wish to work with ladies, I wish to inform ladies tales by way of the artwork of images, I wish to assist ladies see themselves from the completely different lens, to allow them to see their very own resilience, to allow them to see their very own magnificence, and to allow them to achieve self-confidence as a result of I believe Western tradition is a number of conditioning: How ladies needs to be, what is gorgeous, what isn’t lovely? What is appropriate, what’s not acceptable? There’s a number of conditioning that ladies in Western tradition develop up with, beginning with the Barbie dolls and the way skinny we have to be, how our boobs have to look, how hair must be, all of this. I wished to have ladies, by way of images and dealing with them, exhibiting them that they’re lovely, that they’re highly effective. Through this, that creates this self-compassion, self-confidence. I believe once we are self-confident, we are able to construct all the pieces that we wish to construct, we are able to obtain all the pieces that we wish to obtain, and that’s the sort of mission that I took upon myself. I like to make use of images for the good thing about others, not simply lovely photos.

What I like about Mission Hills…

The walkability of it; I can simply stroll to espresso outlets. Also, I like structure. I like how outdated homes are outdated as a result of nearly each different home here’s a historic landmark, and I like how all of them have their very own character. I just like the character. It’s so lovely, and I discover it fascinating, and I prefer to stroll right here and simply see the structure. 

Q: What led to the event of a nonprofit that’s targeted on this type of work?

A: I simply determined that I wish to work with breast most cancers survivors as a result of these ladies want this work essentially the most after present process all of the surgical procedure and have all of the scar tissue, and the hair isn’t already grown again. Everything has modified and there’s a lot of resistance and aversion to their very own picture, how they appear. It’s laborious to simply accept this new regular for themselves, the brand new physique, how they appear. I made a decision I wish to work with them and I wish to assist them, however the majority of girls who undergo breast most cancers journey, sadly, they can’t work as a result of all of the remedies are very, very laborious on the physique. I can’t cost them for this work, and that’s the place the thought of making nonprofit took place.

Right now, my nonprofit has three completely different packages. “Portraits of Resilience” is the (picture) periods. Another one I provide is a workshop on how to use self-portraiture, known as “Self-Portraiture as Divine Reclamation.” The third program we provide is a one-day retreat. All these packages are freed from cost for breast most cancers survivors. On Nov. 19, we’re going to show mindfulness practices and resilience, and it’s additionally going to be a workshop on make-up and sweetness practices. We’re going to speak about non-toxic skincare and how you can apply make-up when the pores and skin has modified.

With the portrait, it’s the identical as I might work with some other lady. I study concerning the lady, I study her journey, I study what she likes and about her as a human being-what her pursuits are, her journey, what she wish to obtain. I simply study concerning the particular person as a lot as I can, after which I create a imaginative and prescient board of what we are able to do, and the way we are able to inform the story, to offer her the end result that she wish to have from this picture session, the story that she wish to inform for this picture session. Then, we simply decide the date and we come collectively and do that artistic work. When I work with individuals from my picture periods, it’s at all times collaborative work. It’s not simply me telling them what to do, we each create this. So, I at all times deliver them in as a co-creator, which I believe makes it extra highly effective and extra partaking.

Q: Your website mentions, and shares a link, to a study about therapeutic photography. Can you inform us what that is?

A: Therapeutic images is not any completely different than any therapeutic artwork. Just being concerned within the course of of making is a remedy. Right now, we’ve so many various research on artwork and the therapeutic properties of artwork, so it’s not even a query anymore if artwork is therapeutic. As for images, simply the method of making, the method of taking a look at your self and acknowledging the tales we advised ourselves, simply sitting with this and actively partaking within the course of of making, like making a portrait, this course of facilitates self-compassion. Looking at what we create facilitates this acceptance as a result of it creates this lovely area of presence with it. Then, working with your self, we acknowledge our personal tales, our personal emotions, our personal ache, or happiness. Actively acknowledging, actively accepting, it simply comes organically once we interact on this observe as a result of it helps us to have a look at ourselves by way of completely different lens, and provides us completely different perspective on what we see. By sitting with it as an motion, it creates this self-compassion and we discover peace with it, quite than operating away from it and being fearful of that.

Q: How had been you launched to this type of images?

A: That was my observe with myself. An enormous a part of my inventive journey, and my inventive work, have been self-portraiture, so I created a number of self-portraits. I obtained a majority of my recognition and awards for self-portraiture. I bought into self-portraiture due to my unhealthy relationship with my very own physique, my very own tales and despair. Like many different points that I had with myself, I exploit self-portraiture for a very long time simply to transcend the ache that I used to be going by way of. To create a picture of this ache as a result of, in some way, once I was in a position to create by way of this power of ache and struggling, I may transcend it. There was a number of time I used it simply to assist myself to course of one thing. When I began creating self-portraiture on a extra skilled stage, it was nonetheless the identical. It was nonetheless the identical considered, ‘I don’t like how my physique appears to be like. Let me attempt to {photograph} myself so I can take a look at myself and, hopefully, discover peace with it,’ so it’s my private work with myself. That’s the place I bought this concept as a result of I do know from my private expertise that it really works, and if it really works for me, then it can work for different individuals, too.

Q: You began taking footage at 12 years outdated. What was it about taking footage that captivated you?

A: The moments that we are able to freeze, the second of time I may freeze and are available again to years later, or days later or months later. It freezes second in time, it freezes reminiscence in time, it freezes one thing in time, and it turns into timeless. What fascinates me is it may well make a change in our lives, one thing that we are able to come again to, or one thing we are able to take a look at, could make adjustments. If we take a look at all of the documentary images, for years since images was invented, images created a number of adjustments. It made individuals aware of issues or occasions, it’s not simply freeze this second in time, but it surely’s additionally such a robust medium of creating adjustments.

Q: Your web site talks about utilizing images and portraiture as a way of discovering self-love and acceptance; are you comfy sharing what your individual journey towards self-love and acceptance has seemed like?

A: I undoubtedly know that the method of photographing myself helped me as a result of I began creating my very own nudes. It’s very susceptible place to be as a result of I can rely occasions, in all probability on my fingers, what number of occasions I used to be taking a look at myself within the mirror, bare, and I used to be like, ‘Oh, I’m truly trying good.’ It was at all times judgment. This means of placing myself in entrance of the digicam nude helped me to see. When I used to be trying on the photos, I used to be like, ‘Oh, I’m truly lovely.’ It’s sort of prefer it helped me to see myself otherwise and cease being so judgmental to myself, which was an enormous step for me. Before I did that, I believe I solely like my face. This was the one one a part of my physique that I used to be having fun with, however the remainder was actually a number of judgment. Other individuals would say how I seemed good, however this isn’t what I noticed in mirror, so it simply helped me sort of remodel the best way I checked out myself and it introduced a number of acceptance.

Q: What are you at present engaged on, or what’s taking place subsequent, together with your nonprofit and your advantageous artwork images?

A: I’ve fairly few initiatives, vital initiatives, proper now. When I work with breast most cancers survivors, by way of my “Portraits of Resilience” program, I’m creating the physique of labor that I can showcase sooner or later and inform the tales of those ladies. My concept is to finally have the ability to {photograph} ladies everywhere in the world and inform the tales of breast most cancers, how breast most cancers appears to be like and what ladies undergo. What they’ve right here, in California, it’s a very nice assist for breast most cancers sufferers, but when they go to Nevada, it’s utterly a special state of affairs. If we even go to completely different states in United States, we discover utterly completely different issues. The sources that ladies have aren’t the identical from state to state. I wish to inform this story by way of this undertaking, in order that’s what I’m creating. I might love to start out touring internationally and photographing ladies who’ve breast most cancers in several nations, and see what it means to have breast most cancers at present on the earth as a girl. I don’t know when that’s going to occur, but it surely’s going to occur.

Also, as an artist, I obtained a grant from Chua Vista, a performing and visible arts grant that they maintain yearly, and I’m engaged on a undertaking proper now with Stage 4 breast most cancers survivors. It’s solely stage 4 as a result of metastatic breast most cancers is terminal. There is not any treatment for that. Every time I give it some thought, I’m at all times crying as a result of it’s very emotional. I believe we’ve a lot to study from these ladies who reside with this terminal sickness each day-the humility, the humanity, how they deal with daily, the gratitude. There’s a lot extra that this prognosis adjustments in individuals’s lives, and I wish to inform the story for this undertaking. The title of the undertaking is Dream Beyond Tomorrow as a result of with a terminal sickness like a Stage 4 breast most cancers, you by no means know in the event you’re going to have tomorrow. You reside in the future at a time, in order that’s the undertaking that I’m engaged on proper now and I’m nonetheless on the lookout for Stage 4 breast most cancers survivors, ladies right here in San Diego to be a part of this undertaking. We’re additionally going to create a brief movie about this undertaking and the exhibition goes to be in May 2026, and it’s going to be in Chula Vista.

Q: What is the most effective recommendation you’ve ever obtained?

A: I believe greatest recommendation I’ve ever obtained is “halfway is better than no way” as a result of I’m a perfectionist and I are likely to have a tendency to attend when the issues will line up completely advantageous. Felena Hanson, the founding father of Hera Hub coworking areas, she advised me, “Galina, halfway is better than no way. Even if you have something already, just go with it. It’s going to move you further than if you don’t make any steps. It doesn’t have to be perfect.” I believe that was the most effective recommendation for me as a result of I ended myself from doing issues as a result of I wished them to be good, however there isn’t a perfection.

Q: What is one factor individuals can be stunned to search out out about you?

A: That I’m a really shy particular person.

Q: Please describe your very best San Diego weekend.

A: My very best weekend in all probability can be have a brunch with my mates — I’m a brunch particular person — and attend some lovely artwork opening reception.