Hey guys! Today I am in kinda nostalgic mood so I decided to look for a topic for my new post in the folders “2015” on my hard drive. And I thought that it could be kind of fun to show you my first photoshoots, as in 2015 it was not that crazy too much of it and I was able to organize each session in a proper folder on the computer. So, sit back and relax – the story of how Kate Ri was born: provocative facts, unpublished photos, lots of greetings and some “long time ago, when I was young and beautiful” bla-bla.
Modeling as a hobby happened to me when I was at my last years of studies in Belarus. I think it was about 2012 or so… Probably I will show you pictures from that period one day:) But the real story starts in 2014 when I met Tomasz Brodawka at the Woodstock festival in Poland. He was a photographer who was organizing together with his girlfriend Paulina the photo meeting “Plener w Starym Mlynie” where they invited me. For me coming there was a crazy idea simply because I had no money to make visa and to travel too often and also because I knew that guy just for about 10 minutes in the real life and then only chatting online. But I came there and it was a fate-determining decision. I spoke no polish, I was shy and lost… but many people who I met there are still my good friends:
Photos by: Lukasz Saturczak, Andrzej Klonowski, Grazyna Nodame, Maciek Lesniak, Albert Finch, Jan Kowalski. Co-models: Agnieszka Gomolka & Patryk:) Mua: Joanna Manicka, Katarzyna Skowronek
And this first feeling of being a real model was quite addictive. After 2 months I came back to take part in my first commercial shootings. I remember how crazy complicated it was – how much should I charge, what I need to discuss before shooting and all that stuff… And I need to say thank you 1000 times to Tomek who was my “mother agency” without any profits:) He was explaining to me how the modeling market in Poland is looking like, where should I promote myself at the beginning and all other important stuff. Unfortunately, the year after he died very young and I regret that I didn’t tell him how important for me was that we knew each other…
Photo: Albert Finch, Prague, 2015
Anyway, the story goes on. Very surprisingly we get to know with Monika Pietraszewska and I appeared at Podlaski Plener – 2 days in Poland, between staying in a hospital and coming back to my guiding job in Minsk. That time I was sure that other photographers and people who organize photo events in Poland had no idea about my existence. So I was quite surprised that Monika found and invited me and I had no other answer for her invitation than “yes” 🙂
Photos by: Grazyna Nodame, Radoslaw Pujan, Albert Finch, Darek Pietrzak, Michal Dabek, Katarzyna Skowronek, Piotr Czarny. Mua: Monika Zielinska, Anita Swistak-Antonowicz. Podlaski Plener – July and September 2015
And the 3rd part of my total change from a guide to a model is September, 21th 2015. I quitted my job in a library where I was a guide!:) It was Monday, normally we don’t work on Mondays, but that day I was there. I did my last excursion at 12:00 and jumped into a bus to Berlin at 15:00. And next day I was in Germany, ready to adventures:) I hope that Ilja Jenzer is reading that and I can say how I appreciate our friendship and remember all our crazy photoshoots:)
Some photos from autumn 2015: Berlin, Bursztynowy plener, Krakow, Poznan.
Photographers: Gregor Laubsch, Norbert Sokolowski, Michal Buddabar, Renata Mlynarczyk, Albert Finch, Andrzej Zalewski, Piotr Pietryga, Szymon Malecki, Marcin Glabus
Mua: Hania Piotrowska, Joanna Maria Bleja
Also at the end of 2015 there was my first photo workshop with Michal Buddabar – another wonderful person who supported me a lot during my first not easy year of modelling. Our 2nd shooting – street nude in Warsaw – is still one of my best.
Photo Michal Buddabar, Warsaw, Dec 2015
Workshop with Michal Buddabar, photos: Dariusz Banderowicz, Bozena Pazgan
In the end of November, I started to torture all my friends with my modeling name elections:) It was literally the list of over 15 names, made of Kate-Kaciaryna-Ekaterina and everybody had to tell me which version is better. So that is how I choose the name that you see now at the top of the page. Nothing very serious at the beginning, but later on it came the nice explanation that ‘Ri’ – is a new chemical element of sensuality that I am made of 😛
And to finish this post full of postcards from my 2015, small compilation of pictures by Albert Finch who motivated me actually to do all that modeling stuff and who started to call me The Star before that became mainstream:D
P.S. There were, of course, many other wonderful people in my 2015 who are connected with my first tries in modeling, not only abroad but also in Belarus, it is just impossible to find all that photos and tell all that stories in one evening. So, to be continued!..
The next nostalgic post will be about Plener w MichaÅ‚owicach – another important photo event that i keep visiting till now.
So follow me to be sure you will not miss it;)
New photos every day: instagram.com/kaciaryna_ri New photos almost every day: facebook.com/kaciarynari My blog in Russian: t.me/kaciaryna_ri For all jobs and collaborations: kateri.booking@gmail.com
Kate Ri 