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Imagine life without escapism. If you think the world is angry and divided now, a world without escapism would probably be rather tumultuous. It’s one of the most sacred and powerful things we, as individuals, have. Whether it’s fiction, music or dare I say alcohol, everyone has a form of escapism available to them. And even if all our books are taken away from us, we’ll always have our imaginations. Until the thought police turn up.

But photography isn’t typically filed alongside escapism. After all, original pioneers of photography were more interested in its scientific uses due to the literal nature of the format. And here at 17�Թ�����, we often see photography being used as a way of highlighting injustices in the world and using powerful imagery as a catalyst for change. For anyone who wants to detach themselves from life, photography sounds like a terrible medium to do that.

Of course, there are many disciplines in photography. And the act of photography is inherently escapist. When out in the field, we often retreat into ourselves, reduce our form in a bid to become as inconspicuous as possible so that we can observe unnoticed, catching brief moments in time that others have missed. But there’s one 17�Թ����� photographer who doesn’t do that at all. She’s much more deliberate in the way she weaves fully-formed worlds with alluring beauty. She is portrait photographer, Evgeniya Litovchenko, who has a penchant for fantastic worlds.

Like many people these days, Evgeniya didn’t really know what she wanted to do when she was younger and fell into photography because it was the closest thing to her at the time. Perhaps this early struggle is what brought her to create fantasy worlds. Life is complicated and full of questions we don’t quite know how to answer. In our dreams, everything is easy.

Evgeniya started her journey processing images she found on the internet in Photoshop and then transitioned into photography even though she couldn’t afford a camera and had to borrow one. She tells me “these were hard times.” Evgeniya made it through the struggle though and is now working as a professional photographer in Vladivostok, Russia. Despite the difficulties, it just goes to show that making it in photography is possible even if you struggle securing that first camera and proves that learning the fundamental principles of photography is more important than having the latest and most expensive kit.

But to even begin developing a body of work, you need an idea or in Evgeniya’s case, dreams: “In life, I am a very uncommunicative person who loves to dream and live in my own world. Therefore, I’ve always had a craving for fantasy and fairy tales. In my dreams, life is more interesting than reality.”

When your dreams of full of witches and princesses from whimsical worlds, real life would seem pretty boring! Then again, the dreams could also be the product of a classic – the dreamer. Couple this with the fact that Evgeniya was a self-proclaimed goth, you start to build an idea of where these magical images come from. With a wistful tone, she explains: “I think about what my life would be if I were someone with a different character, appearance, born in another country, or in another family and did different things in life.”

In many ways, INFPs are the perfect architects for fantasy photography. And translating those dreams into something that we can all experience is the role of an artist. After a quick glance through Evgeniya’s collection, you’ll see that she has an impeccable eye for colour and detail.

Her process is long and far-reaching. It may begin as a dream but dreams are vague and murky, so she does everything she can to conjure a convincing world: props ensure the model’s hands aren’t awkward; small plot lines are developed to help build a character and models are carefully selected to fit all these prerequisites. Even once all the physical elements are in place, a huge amount of work goes into the post-production too: sharp backlighting drapes her ghosts, soft textures for more whimsical worlds and heavy vignettes turns the moodiness up to eleven. She’s so meticulous with her process that the only people she trusts is her hair stylist and make-up artist. And the costumes?

“Part of the costumes were purchased by me already. I look for costumes all over Russia and abroad. And other parts of the costumes are sewn by me. I pay a lot of attention to clothes because with simpler clothes, the photos are ordinary and boring in my opinion.”

Well they’re certainly not boring and a good source of inspiration for . The detail often feels symbolic as the ruffles on this purple character mirror the texture of the crashing sea creating a connection between nature and the model as if to convey the perennial relationship we have with the sea. And the sea is a common motif in fantasy with its mysterious happenings away from the prying eyes of land dwellers.

But working by yourself can be quite daunting. Especially when you’re starting out. Will people understand the work? Is it accessible enough? Evgeniya doesn’t recommend listening to other people’s opinion’s much: “People often told me that I was doing something wrong, that it was not fashionable. It was too strange, gloomy and incomprehensible. Doing what you like is very important.”

The hallmark of Evgeniya’s photography often involves a strong colour profiles, dreamy compositions and models with pale skin and sharp facial features. Her work employs a range of emotions too; some are optimistic and regal while others are ominous and haunting. After journeying through what feels like an array of enchanted worlds, I wonder what the intention is.

“I would like people to feel me. I don’t have a goal of evoking certain feelings. I just express my emotions through photography. When I was shooting ‘The Ginger Queen’, maybe I was subconsciously angry at someone. When I was shooting ‘Girl in Black Wings’, maybe subconsciously I wanted to fly somewhere. It’s cool if people feel what I feel in the photographs, but this is not necessary.”

Spoken like a true escapist, Evgeniya’s images don’t tell you how to feel or what to think. They are just there as a vehicle for escape to distant fanciful worlds where you can wander at your own pace and come to your own conclusions of meaning. These dreams might live in Evgeniya’s head but the realm she conjures are for us all to experience in our own way. As Evgeniya eloquently puts it: “Everyone has their own feelings, depending on what they currently care about in life.”

Feel like exploring Evgeniya’s dreams? Lose yourself here.