Beauty Seen Through The Eye Of A Photographer

What is beauty? Through out our history we have beautiful pieces of art piece displayed in museums and galleries. It seems that throughout humanity people have always been trying to capture beauty. Whether it was  beauty of the face, the body,  nature or artwork it’s almost like our perception of beauty is a touch of the divine. That anything that we consider beautiful has been graced with a divine presence and that is why we try to capture it. By capturing it, we get a sense of immortality, that this is a way we can share beauty through generations to come. This is one of the reasons why we are so keen throughout our histories to capture what we consider beautiful. We not only record history but we try to capture the nature of beauty as a way of preserving it. We hope to show this to the world and the future generations.

​One of the best ways to capture beauty is through the lens of a camera. We sat down with Toronto based photographer, Valentyn Luchyk to better understand how he captures beauty with his camera lens and about his photography journey. 

1. Tell us about yourself and how you got into photography?

My name is Valentyn, I am a photographer with 14 years of experience. I was always into fashion and the beauty industry. I started photography as a hobby but I quickly fell in love with it. It is such an amazing tool to express yourself and to show the world your perception of beauty. 

In the last few  years I worked for top beauty brands such as Maxfactor, Wella, Bourjois, Rimmel, Elie Saab, Huda Beauty. I recently moved to Toronto, and I plan to continue my career in that direction as I see a lot of opportunities here to create beauty. 

2. What is your favourite thing about beauty photoshoots?


My favourite thing about beauty photoshoots is the Freedom of creativity. It is an amazing industry where you are able to create high quality photography. One of the best parts is to work with a talented team, specially models, make-up artists, and hairdressers. Furthermore, with the right talented retouch your image can look incredible. It’s simply magical to witness what technology and talent together have the ability to produce.

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3. Is there a difference between photographing for social media and photographing for website?

I consider myself lucky enough to have worked with one of the most influential people in the beauty industry - Huda Kattan, founder of Huda Beauty which has around 50ml followers on their social media platforms. I remember her saying once that if you can’t post a photo on social platforms you can’t use it anywhere. Which means that social platforms are the modern day filters/indicators that help you gauge the perceived value of the job you produce.

Social media helps in releasing and discovering new artists, as the prices related to exploring photography have fallen low. Because I do recall a time when photography came with a certain amount of investment but as of today, anyone with a good camera phone can take a solid shot at this artistic skill. 

4. How do you feel about the influx of photography and tech apps? Do you find them useful? 

Personally I believe that technology and all the related tools can make a significant difference in the pursued outcome and blocking or even not staying up to date with this is a big mistake. I found them so helpful for beginners, of course when you reach professional level you will have the opportunity to work with more functional professional apps.

5. Did you feel that Covid had an effect on the photography industry?

It was a difficult time for everyone, and it did affect all industries. However, it was also a perfect time to refresh your knowledge, develop new skills and improve your techniques. I joined and completed the online photo editing course - Principles of Photo Composition and Digital Image Post-Production from Michigan State University. This experience taught me a lot and also gave me the break I felt I needed.
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