Photographer Irina Rozovsky on how she captures considered moments across the globe

When looking through the projects of Russian-born, American-raised photographer Irina Rozovsky the immediate theme is the global ground she has covered with her camera. From Yugoslavia to a three year ongoing project in the US, then to Cuba and Israel before heading back to her birth place Russia, Irina’s lens doesn’t have many boundaries in terms of its content.

Despite the far reaching journeys Irina has embarked on, the photographer’s projects are linked thematically by her use of gentle light that seeps from one image to the next. The counterpart to this, which makes Irina’s photography so unique to her, is the way each photograph contains an element of the unexpected. “I am a firm believer that once I leave the house and enter the flow of life, with feet on the ground and eyes open, that things start to happen,” she tells It’s Nice That. “The unexpected and naturally occurring, which is outside my control, is always more interesting than what I could imagine, stage, or plan for.”

As a result Irina’s photography has a distinctive pace to it. None of the images appear rushed or forced, each one almost documenting an isolated moment she has stumbled across. “It’s a lifelong craft,” she says, “learning to not make plans but be prepared for what may come.”

When discussing the various continents Irina and her camera have crossed she explains that “places are important to me”. “I seek out geographies that speak volumes about what it means to be alive, home and migrations, free will, captivity and freedom.” The photographer’s images cover these topics with consideration, never too directly so they are sensitive to the subject at hand. “I think a photograph should on one level be very simple and accessible,” she explains of this approach, “but then slip like a live fish through your fingers and make you chase its meaning, never to be entirely caught. I believe in the power of beauty.”