Alexander Danilov
photography, scanning, retouching
Windsurfing
Sea and wind. What could be better? Skiers and snowboarders are telling me — mountains and snow!
Yeah, probably. But only partially. Because there is no sea in the mountains. When the wind lifts you out of the water, a board grows from below, and a sail from above. You can fight the wind, try to control it, or you can just trust it. Yesterday it was throwing you off the board all day. Today, you understood why. And if the wind is strong enough, it perfectly blows away all the fog from your head.
You go out to the sea as a one person, and you come back as a completely different one. It happens every time.
Hong Kong
Let’s grab some cheap tickets and get ready to sleep on the plane. It’s the perfect place to fly to when you’re in a bad mood, have nothing to do, or nothing to wear. Or if you’re just hungry.
Take the subway from the airport to the very city center. From there, take a ferry to a small hotel on Lama Island for just $20 a night. Or stay in the center for $500. Have lunch and dinner at one of the approximately 22,543 eateries scattered throughout the city. Don’t be surprised if you see a dumpling place having a Michelin star. This is Hong Kong, it’s a norm. Go to the Big Buddha. Go to Disneyland. Buy things for youself and for the kids, pack everything into two suitcases bought right there. Watch the light show on the bank.
The hardest part is finding the strength to leave.
Dubai
It’s a wonderful opportunity to see a city in the middle of the desert, touch the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, which just doesn’t fit in the photo because of its size. Drop a heavy sum at the Dubai Mall, ride the autopilot subway, drive an SUV across the dunes, dive into the waters of the Persian Gulf, and try not to melt.
It’s hot. Very hot.
Rhodes
Rhodes is a small Greek island.
You can drive around it in one day, making a few stops on the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. One on the left, one on the right. One has sand, the other has pebbles.
Go windsurfing at the Bertrand Pro-Center Station. Spend another day strolling along the bank near the old town, by the fortress. The Colossus of Rhodes once stood there. Stop in Prasonisi to see how the Aegean Sea meets the Mediterranean.
Just don’t leave your car on the beach—it’ll get stuck.
Paris
Paris is wonderful.
You can leave home in the morning, around eight o’clock, wander around the city all day, and return after midnight. You can climb a tower, or the Montparnasse skyscraper. Then you’ll see the tower in its entirety. You can go to a museum. Or spend half a day in a cafe on the boulevard, and then the afternoon in Montmartre listening to street musicians. Or drink wine with a baguette on the banks of the Seine.
If you’re in Paris, stop by the restaurant Les Pates Vivantes, at 46 rue du Faubourg Montmartre. If it’s not closed yet, of course. They serve delicious Chinese noodles, made just right in front of you. And the beer is poured into Ikea glasses “made in Russia.”
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is a fairly small city.
You can slowly explore it in one day. The next day, you can visit Volendam—it’s a half-hour bus ride away. There, you gotta buy some salted herring from a merchant, eat it delightfully, and then drive to Zaanse Schans to see the windmills. There’s a workshop where they make traditional klompen shoes and another one with cheese.
Return to the city in the evening and have a beer in the Red Light District. Most importantly, if you want a coffee, don’t go to a coffeeshop. Otherwise, the boats on the narrow canals and the ringing of bells will keep you busy for a long time.
Bulgaria
When you tell your friends you’ve been to Bulgaria, for some reason everyone recalls the saying, “Chicken ain’t a bird, Bulgaria ain’t abroad.” The older ones will smile, the younger ones won’t get it. Not sure about the chicken, but here in Bulgaria there are many interesting places where you can roam around for hours with a camera in your hand while enjoying lots of warm sea, lots of delicious and cheap food (and wine!).
The kids really love Bulgaria—it’s warm and fun! Next time, we’ll go together.
Maldives
The Maldives are many small islands in the ocean. They’re called atolls because they don’t have anything but sand and coral at all. You absolutely have to visit them, at least once. The Maldives are “no shoes, no news.” The Maldives are slowly sinking, and soon all the islands will be gone. We need to hurry. And return again.
Japan
Japan is a different world. Let someone fly to Mars, but we’ll go to Tokyo. Or Kyoto, if you don’t like noisy concrete cities. Better yet, both. The distance between the cities is short, just a little over 500 kilometers. It’ll take a couple of hours by train.
Choose the prettiest train — it’s faster. Sushi and tempura are made in different restaurants. The food on the street, on the display is fake, plastic. Asahi beer is tastier than Sapporo beer. Kirin beer is even better. Sake should be drunk warm, although it’s not as tasty. But it all depends on the company.
Small earthquakes happen almost every day. There are a lot of Japanese people in Tokyo. If you get lost, ask any passerby for directions. They’ll definitely show you. It won’t be necessarily right. When you get tired of walking and looking at the temples, sit in the rock garden and you’ll find strength. Strength to come back again.
Phuket
Phuket is an island, one of the provinces of Thailand. Phuket is populated mainly by tourists, so the photos tend to have a somewhat “touristy” feel. In just a nine-hour flight from Moscow you’ll find the freshest seafood, ripe fruit, a warm ocean, and sunscreen merchants. Start with them, you won’t regret it.
And a sun hat is a must!
St.Petersburg
St. Petersburg, of course, deserves a dedicated website, not just a separate page. I’ll definitely do that someday. For now, here are some photos of Klodt’s famous horses on the Anichkov Bridge.
Swoop
Swooping is the sport of high-speed canopy piloting in parachuting, according to Wikipedia. But in reality, it’s a crazy adrenaline rush, excitement, and constant worry for these people who’ve learned to fly.
And, just as importantly, to land gracefully.
Kids
Kids are the best people.
For the first couple of weeks, they mostly sleep. Taking photos of them is very interesting. When kids are awake, they eat. During that, you can change the memory card in the camera.
A lot of people are afraid to photograph their newborns. Such parents will never have the most wonderful photos of their little ones.
The studio is brightly lit. Therefore, very young kids should not be invited to the studio. Only older ones. But they also don’t really like posing for pictures. Usually, for every successful shot, there are twenty unsuccessful ones. After a photo shoot in the studio, kids should be given candy.
The best thing for kids is walking outside. There are lots of interesting things there, and the lighting is good, so you don’t need big lamps. Well, maybe at night. And at night, kids sleep. When kids don’t notice that they’re being photographed, the most wonderful shots come out. And even if they spot you, the shots still turn out amazing.
Dancing
I’ve filmed a lot of competitive dance performances, and each time I shared the joy and excitement of the young artists' success.
And I envied the ease and skill of the older ones.
Studio
There are plenty of studios for artistic photography in Moscow. We choose, book, and transform into photo models for a couple of hours.
It’s that simple. Or even simpler. I can come to you with a complete studio set, and together we’ll transform your office, apartment, or anywhere else into a studio! By the way, the portraits of the wonderful professionals at Smartiful Beauty Studio are taken right at their workplaces.
Scooters
Studio and outdoor photography of scooters for the iconBIT company. The photographs were used for the creation of a catalog, for the design of a booth at an electronics exhibition, and as illustrations for PR support for the launch of a new line of scooters.
By the way, the technology is excellent, I recommend it and personally tested it.
Mobile photo
This is my favorite page. Without much preparation, I just “Point and Shoot “ — like compact cameras were called in ancient times. And besides, a phone is usually at hand. And there’s a camera, not just for selfies.
The photos on this page were taken in a variety of places, and they all have one thing in common: they were all taken with a phone camera. And if they’re edited at all, it’s only with apps installed on the phone.
Events
This page is closed because not all of the people are willing to post their photos online. (But if you really need to see, I’ll whisper the password.)
Parties, birthdays, various events, or just walks in the fresh air. The personalities of children (and adults too!) are revealed in such places, sometimes in the most unexpected ways. Such emotions are impossible to achieve in a staged shoot!
Interiors
Photo shooting for furniture stores and manufacturers, interior and exterior photography with an emphasis on detail and artistic composition. Real estate photography for sale or rental. We use pulsed and continuous lighting, with detailed post-processing.
Contact me
You can send me a message by filling out a simple form. I will see it and will definitely contact you as soon as possible.