Every day, we are all exposed to photography of various forms. From Instagram to searches online to professional photographs, we see thousands of photos all the time. It can be incredibly hard to stand out in the photography world because of this. Not for Vladislav Shurigin (Zuumy) however. He has made a career on photos that stand out from the crowd.
“I am a photographer/content creator specializing in automotive photography and lifestyle photography. I have a very distinct type of editing style which makes my photography stand out from the rest. I like to make my photos dramatic,” Vlad remarks.
Currently living in New York City, Vlad, better known as, Vlad is the definition of the American dream. He moved from Ukraine to the United States when he was just four years old. From there, he got his degree and began discovering his passion for photography.
“I first started taking photos of my own car, slowly progressing to shooting my friends’ cars. The more cars I shot the more people wanted photos from me, and the more I shot the better I got. Photography has taken me all over the world, and photography helped me make connections I couldn’t Imagine. I went from dreaming about exotic cars to shooting them, I went from looking at companies like lamborghini and ferrari, to shooting for them. Photography was my gateway into the life I dreamed about. It opened doors that I didn’t even know existed. My photography allowed me to become an influencer in the automotive industry. I was able to buy the car of my dreams from taking photos. I went from dreaming about driving exotics to owning one, a 2020 Aston Martin Vantage. I went from listening to celebrities to taking photos of them,” Vlad explains.
However, to say Vlad is just a photographer would be an understatement to all that he does. Not only is he a photographer, but he is also an influencer and runs two different businesses. He spent a lot of his life thinking about cars and wondering how to make a business out of them.
“I currently run 2 businesses. The first business would be my photography/influencer business. I shoot for many major brands, from Pirelli & Can-Am to Lamborghini & Maserati. Photography is my main source of income. If it has anything to do with high end exotics I usually get hired for the job. The second business is one I just started and am currently pushing. It’s called Black 11. It is a high end automotive car care product. It offers clients an aesthetically pleasing car cleaning experience. All the branding and packaging has been designed by myself. This brand is catered to the upper echelon of the automotive industry. No corners were cut when I made this company. Everything is super premium and only the highest quality of products has been used. The product is also made in the USA,” Vlad comments.
Vlad’s style is unique and different from others and that is what has helped him succeed in an industry. He has always been able to do more in his business than others and his love for it has helped drive him to the top. Instead of focusing on other competitors, Vlad does his own thing and works on creating his high quality products and images.
“Photography is art and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I shoot in my own style and some people may like it and others may not. I have adapted in my environment and brought a sense of lifestyle photography to the automotive industry. You can call it almost street photography. I shoot very fast, I have mastered my photography over the years and I like to think of myself as a very efficient shooter. I know exactly what I need to do when I’m shooting. I use natural light for all my photos and I’m able to have the same quality results in minutes that would sometimes take others hours to do. I shoot everything handheld and do not use tripods. I have my photography down to a science, almost second nature at this point for me,” Vlad remarks.
To find out more about Vlad, you can follow him on instagram here and check out his website here.