Interview: Mollie Pie

We recently spoke to Mollie Pie, a fashion photographer from Russia, Mollie told us about her life and how it was affected by photography.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and why photography is important to you. What was it that first got you interested in photography?

Hi! My name is Mollie, I'm a fashion photographer from Russia/Germany ( I live a little bit everywhere) I'm obsessed with photography and it basically changed my life and influenced me a lot as a person. It all started when I was around fourteen. I moved from my parents in Russia to Germany and my mom completely forgot to take her camera back. I never used it until I found my first friend in a new country. This girl was obsessed with Instagram (still one of my best friends). I started helping her out, and it slowly turned into a challenge. I didn't like how I took photos especially when I saw other photographers' work. It was a great mystery to me. I knew I could do much better. So I started studying it by myself. I could spend nights researching it and exploring Photoshop. So that's basically how my addiction started. To this day, I still think I can always do better and I definitely will. That's why I love photography, it keeps that fire in me and motivates me to grow.

Who or what are your main sources of inspiration?

I mostly get my Inspiration from people. It's always a challenge for me to see a person who I'm shooting with and find the way to capture their true image or some crazy idea. I am always hunting for personalities. Other photographers inspire me a lot too. I am always down for some healthy competition. When I find something amazing that a talented photographer has created, it motivates me to work. There's always more you could do, there's always something else I can climb.

What do you look for in a model when you are planning a portrait session?

As I already mentioned In a model I am always looking for a character, a person with individuality. Confidence is also a big factor. I love working with confident models; they know how to enjoy the process and realise their worth. I also enjoy when models are down for experiments and new ideas. This always makes process more fun when we get to create together something we both enjoy.

I am always hunting for personalities. Other photographers inspire me a lot too. I am always down for some healthy competition.

I feel like one of the most important things any artist should remember is not forget to do it for yourself.

What has been your favourite photography project to work on so far?

That's a tough question... When I think about all the exciting projects I've taken part in, I can't really pick one. All of them were such an experience for me, so it's hard to say which one was the most exciting. I am more than sure my perfect project is gonna happen in the future, pretty soon I'd say!

What would be the best piece of advice that you could give a new photographer?

I feel like one of the most important things any artist should remember is not forget to do it for yourself. A lot of factors can distract you: money, popularity, the feeling of pleasing everyone. But your photography will only grow if you work on it, enjoy it and be passionate about it. Self-development and constant growth are things that gonna keep your photography alive.

What’s next for you? Are you working on anything you can tell us about?

Yes, a lot of exciting things have been happening lately! I'm really proud that photography is taking a big part of my life now. I can't say anything specific now. But it for sure includes a lot of traveling and working with crazy minds. I'm excited to hop on a plane soon and start creating! I'll definitely let my followers know what's up really soon!