Alina Tsvor

Seeing Other People

Whether it’s family, friends, teachers, or strangers on the Internet, encouragement is often essential to providing an artist that confidence they need to continue pursuing their craft. We spent the last month traveling around the country with Vans Vision Walks, a series of photo walks led by photographers in their home cities. In Chicago, Alina Tsvor led a group through the streets of Pilsen, the neighborhood where she lives, sharing tips and tricks; and more importantly, providing a space for participants to inspire and encourage each other.

Juxtapoz: When did you first become interested in photography?

Alina Tsvor: I first picked up a camera in a high school yearbook class. At the time, I really didn't know anything about photography, but with MySpace and all these social media platforms, I just kind of put it out there. And people would tell me, "Oh, wow, this is really good," and I thought, "Oh, okay, maybe I should keep doing this." It was then that I decided to go to Chicago and study photography at Columbia College. I wouldn't say I had much experience before that. It wasn’t really until I got thrown into it that I realized that it was really happening.

How important was that encouragement from others? Was it the combination of that and the enjoyment of shooting?

I definitely enjoyed capturing candids of my friends and because I knew them so well they came out pretty naturally. I think it was because of that that I thought it could be a good career path. But also people saying they were good encouraged me to think that there was something in me that could do this.

How do you approach your commercial projects? Do you usually pitch something or do they come to you with something to execute?