Alina Gozin’a: Taking aim
Photographer, artist
Self portrait: photographer / artist Alina Gozin’a.
Interview by Janne Ryan | Photography by Alina Gozin’a
She absolutely did not want to be a photographer. Alina Gozin’a began her career in the corporate world chasing tax loopholes, until a lunch date with her mother changed her life forever. Having since forged a career photographing the rich and powerful, actors and icons, she is taking a further leap of faith – into the world of art.
HOW DID YOU BECOME A PHOTOGRAPHER?
Both my parents were photographers but I never wanted to become a photographer, so it's still an enigma to me how I've become one. My grandparents on my mother’s side were both lawyers … and I grew up thinking I would be a lawyer. Photography was never presented to be as something I would do. It’s actually quite ironic. [Alina’s family came to Australia from Russia in the mid 1990s after the fall of the Berlin Wall. She turned 15 on her first day in Australia.]
You were conflicted?
Well, yes. I was always equally interested in the world of business (how empires were built) and the worlds of my parents — the worlds of photography, film, painting and music. I did a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of NSW … studying a mix of finance and corporate law. I got a job with Price Waterhouse Cooper (PwC) and absolutely loved the work. I took a creative approach to it. It was like snooping around tax legislation, looking for tax loopholes that were legal. But weird at times, that internal struggle between my almost equal passions for both business and the art world.
Australian actor Vince Colosimo, photographed for the cover of The Sydney Morning Herald, Good Weekend.
Were you taking photographs on the side?
I never even touched the camera. It was so strange. My parents made sure that I stayed away from that because my dad was adamant he didn’t want me to be a creative. He still doesn’t.
“PHOTOGRAPHY IS A STORY TELLING MEDIUM AND I’M A STORY TELLER.”
Philanthropist Judith Neilson photographed for The Australian Financial Review magazine.
Judith Neilson photographed for the Australian Financial Review Magazine.
What was the turning point?
This is the most amazing story. Mum was meeting me for lunch when I worked for PwC. It was raining and I was carrying a massive umbrella with the PwC brand across it. As I walked into the cafe she said, in a very dramatic Russian way: ‘Oh my God, look at you, faceless under that [branded] umbrella. What have I done to deserve this? You must be creative. You must be. It was a massive moment. I never would have left PwC is she hadn’t said that. I wouldn’t have had the guts to leave. Her opinion was so strong that it overpowered my total disbelief that I could be creative. [Alina subsequently graduated in film production from UTS.]
Former Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd – portrait for The Sydney Morning Herald, Good Weekend.
Working in the film industry? What did it teach you?
It taught me that I wanted to be a creative, but it was a complex and very slow journey.
How do you take a great photograph?
I take very, very few shots. My father taught me one valuable lesson. He said, ‘When you are shooting, don’t click. Imagine you have a rifle, one bullet and one target. You’ve got to shoot the target with one bullet.’ You couldn’t get more Russian than that analogy.
Australian mogul Anthony Pratt, photographed with his private jet for the Australian Financial Review 2019 Rich List.
How do you approach your subject?
Actually I never do research, although I usually roughly know who the person is. Let’s take businessman Frank Lowy, for example, who I photographed in New York for the cover of The Australian Financial Review Magazine. I started the process by looking at images of him, to make sense of his face. Then I imagined what kind of energy he would have when he was at home, away from the public eye. Basically, for all shoots, I get a vibe of who I am photographing, then come up with a concept for the shoot. I’m responsible for every single inch of the photograph: what they wear, how they smell, their hair, their makeup, the look in their eye, the tilt of their head, the fold of their hands … everything is on me. People are intuitive, they pick up on the fact that I have their back.
“THE LOOK IN THEIR EYE, THE TILT OF THEIR HEAD, THE FOLD OF THEIR HANDS – I’M RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERY SINGLE INCH OF THE PHOTOGRAPH.”
Oscar-winning Swedish actress Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl) – portrait for Harper’s Bazaar.
What happens in the moment?
On the shoot itself, I’m so ridiculously prepared, and I never talk about myself on shoots. It’s all about them. In that moment they are king or queen.
What role does teamwork play?
It is 100 percent collaboration. However, hierarchy needs to be respected, right? It’s my vision, it’s my concept. It’s like being a film director, they have their vision, they know how the actor should look and perform, the way they want them styled. I work in exactly the same way.
From the exhibition Doormen of New York.
The hardest lesson you’ve learnt?
To go for quality at the expense of trying to appease egos. I’m the captain of the ship and it is my duty of care to make a call on what I think is best for the shoot. Men just say what they want, without being apologetic. Women need to do the same.
Frank Lowy, Westfield founder and former Chair – portrait for the Australian Financial Review Magazine.
Portraits (above) from the exhibition Harlem Love Stories.
Biggest challenge?
Giving female creatives the same opportunities as male creatives. We’re slowly making ground. In New York I was given so many opportunities, success there is celebrated. I was shooting massive editorial and advertising campaigns for the biggest agencies and companies like HBO. See website link below for Alina’s art projects.
Where to from here?
I’m a storyteller and photography is a storytelling medium. I’m working on some major public art projects and a film I’m set to direct. The public space is where it’s at because it’s not elitist.