Bored Panda got in touch with Katerina to learn what inspired her to start using drones for photography and how it has shaped her creative process. Here’s what she shared with us: “Before drones, I had been shooting landscapes for about 10 years. It all started with someone from the landscape photographers’ community buying a drone, so after a while, I thought, why not do that, too, and that was game-changing: new angle, new skills, new challenges, and a lot of fun in the process.”
When asked about the biggest challenges she faces when capturing landscapes from such a unique perspective, the photographer explained: “In landscape photography, aerial or not, the right weather and light conditions are the huge part of success. For most of my ideas, I need sunshine, which is sometimes in short supply. Or, for example, there are some locations in the Netherlands not far from where I stay that I know would look great if covered with snow, but there hasn't been enough snow for 3 years. And another thing, local drone laws and regulations in different countries can be tricky sometimes.”
Next, we discussed how Polischuk prepares for her shoots. We were curious whether the photographer scouts locations in advance or relies on spontaneous inspiration. She shared with us: “When I happen to see some interesting locations pictured by other photographers on social media, I note them down for myself. I actually have long lists of potential drone locations for each country I would love to visit. Sometimes, I can find an interesting spot on the map simply when planning travel routes. What I also look for is a suitable place for taking off and landing. The funny thing is, when I make preliminary plans on how my ideal shot in this certain location has to look like, the final version is always different.”
Katerina also shared her thoughts on the most rewarding aspect of drone photography—something that traditional photography often can’t capture: “There are very unique aspects in every genre of photography. With drone photography, there are bird's-eye views, top-down shots, and some patterns unseen from the ground level, like playing with shadows or photos of architectural monuments that are too big or, for some other reasons, cannot be captured in a viewable way with a regular camera.”
Lastly, we asked the Ukrainian photographer about the most memorable location she’s ever captured. Here’s what she shared with us: “Although I travel quite a lot, at some moment I realized that most of my best and award-winning images have been shot in my home country. The most memorable locations were probably pink lakes in the south of Ukraine—Lake Syvash and Henichesk Lake. The fact is, pink lakes always look much more impressive from above, especially at sunset. We also have beautiful Carpathian mountains and other regions with multiple opportunities for drone photography.”
