Maria Kitaeva

I’m an artist and photographer from Ukraine, where I was born and spent most of my life. Over the past three years I’ve been based in the Netherlands and work across Europe.

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My journey with photography began around the age of 12 — my mom was working as a school photographer, and when her camera came into my hands I discovered a new way to explore the world. Since then, photography has never left my life. It has been a long journey of finding my direction, developing my style, and discovering my voice — a process that brought me to who I am today.

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I studied fine arts in Odesa. This education deeply shaped the way I understand composition, colour and form — it still guides how I see a scene, choose a frame, and interpret light. Photography, for me, is the extension of that visual language: a way to translate the feeling of a moment into something lasting.

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I don’t limit myself to a single type of photography. I love people — getting to know them through the camera and, in turn, introducing them to themselves through portraiture. I also believe that wedding photography can be artistic and cinematic, a way to tell a story and capture moments with emotion and depth. At the same time, I enjoy working on creative projects and still life — any opportunity to explore form, color, and light, and to express my own artistic vision.

 

For me, photography is about curiosity, exploring the world and the people around me and sharing my own impression of it.