Hanna Baranouskaya found her passion for food photography while preparing desserts when her children were asleep. Inspired by other photographers, she seized the opportunity to reorient herself in 2022.
With a self-furnished studio in her loggia and a love for aesthetic food, she creates fabulous compositions. Her greatest motivation is the freedom she has found in her creative work. Find out in our interview what else has shaped her on her path to food photography and what her funniest work accident was.
Hanna, how and why did you become a photographer?
I’ve always loved creativity. I went to school with a preference for art and architecture, but then didn’t combine my life with art and became an engineer instead. Nevertheless, I’ve always done something with my hands – I’ve drawn, sewn, knitted, woven or designed interiors. When my first son was born in 2016, sleep was out of the question and I started making desserts. It became my outlet, my meditation, and I’ve always had a weakness for sweets. I discovered new recipes, new ingredients and new flavor combinations and that inspired me a lot.
In my search for new recipes, I then discovered the profiles of food photographers whose work seemed magically beautiful to me. Somewhere deep inside me, a feeling of “I wish I could do the same” spread. At the time, I had a steady job in a computer network that I didn’t enjoy. It wasn’t until the end of 2022 that I decided to change all that. My New Year’s wish was to learn photography. I bought my first full-frame mirrorless camera with a kit lens and completed my first training in food styling and photography. So in my case, it was food first and then photography.
What do you find so fascinating about food photography?
Apart from my great love of delicious food, what I like about food photography is the fairy-tale world, the little parallel universe that I immerse myself in by stylizing and photographing the composition. I also like food photography because of the opportunity to do something with my hands – to paint a new background or sew new tablecloths and napkins.
When did you start taking photos and what were your first subjects?
I had my first ordinary camera in my hand when I was still at school. And when my parents gave me my first digital camera, it was a dream come true. Back then, I photographed everything that came in front of my lens – from pets to landscapes, from food to portraits of people. Incidentally, my mother printed out one of my pictures of a picnic and hung it up in the kitchen. Maybe it was a sign.
What are your favorite pieces of equipment and why?
I love my little collection of serving boards and can never get enough of them. My favorite is acacia boards – they are the most textured and beautiful.
What is your inspiration?
Inspiration is changeable. It can be an interesting new recipe, the purchase of a beautiful new prop or the colorful market stalls with fresh seasonal produce. I now think of it as my palette. Of course, the work of other food photographers can also be very inspiring; when a photo catches my eye, I always try to understand exactly how it was taken.
What is your life like in Mogilev?
I was born and raised in Belarus. Now I live in Mogilev, Belarus, in a bright apartment on a high floor with a beautiful view of half the city and the Dnieper River. I shoot in my own small studio, which I set up on my loggia, where I can use the natural light.
What do you strive for in life? What is important to you?
At the moment, what’s most important to me is my freedom – the freedom to do what I want, the freedom to manage my own time and give my family as much time as I want.
And I’m dreaming more and more often of having my own house, a spacious studio and a small garden. With my family – my beloved husband, with whom I am very happy, my two children and two cats, because my home is where they are.
To finish, tell us about your funniest experience at a shoot.
That was when a poorly attached heavy backdrop fell onto a cake and everything fell over. But the cake was delicious.
