The Inspiring Journey of Photographers Yevgeny Kanaplyov and Yulia Leydik

Yevgeny Kanaplyov and Yulia Leydik are renowned photographers from Belarus, whose creative endeavors have been gaining significant attention lately. Their work has been featured in various publications, and they have achieved notable milestones in their careers. They designed a photoshoot for the international marketing and advertising festival, White Square, and their project, Le Petit Prince, was published in the New York-based Elements magazine. Additionally, they won the Golden Belarus: Mobile Lifestyle photo competition and are set to attend the prestigious Saint Martins School of Arts and Design in London. This is just the beginning of their promising journey.

Anapa: A Place Close to Their Hearts

Yevgeny: Anapa is Yulia’s hometown, a wonderful place where one can gaze at the stars, spend evenings by the sea, and enjoy barbecues or shashlik. It’s warm and cozy there. This year, we finally visited Anapa with our children, free from work and phones.

Yulia: We, along with our four children (our two kids and two nephews), spent days exploring Anapa. There are places in Anapa that you wouldn’t want to visit again, but there are also hidden gems known only to locals, where few tourists venture, and the wild, beautiful nature remains untouched. We explored such places with the children. By the way, we traveled to Anapa by train, just like in our childhood.

You travel, drink tea from glasses in holders. By the way, I like to add thyme to my black tea; it reminds me of Anapa because it grows in the mountains there. When you climb one of those mountains, you can smell the thyme, and it warms your heart.

Overcoming Theft and Challenges

Yevgeny: Once, we lost all our photography equipment.

Yulia: We had just started dating, and we didn’t have much money or work at the time.

Yevgeny: We were returning from Anapa by car, exhausted from lack of sleep. Upon arrival, we had to shoot a friend’s wedding. After the shoot, we were ready to leave. I placed the equipment near the car, and while we were talking, someone stole the case. We were left with nothing, and the next day, we had another wedding shoot scheduled. We had to find all the necessary equipment and spend the night at the police station.

Yulia: Talent is essential, but equipment is a tool, and it was challenging for us initially. However, we almost found the camera: a friend of Yevgeny’s told him it was being sold. You can set your details in the camera settings, which helped identify the owner. We found out the address where the sale was supposed to take place and informed the police. They didn’t make it in time, and the thief escaped. As it turned out, he sold all our equipment for pennies.

Yevgeny: Life probably taught us a lesson for being careless with our belongings.

Garikula: A Hidden Gem for Creativity

Yulia: Garikula is located about 20 km from Tbilisi. Not all Georgians know about it. In the 1920s, it was a gathering place for avant-garde artists, but it was inactive for some time. A few years ago, it started to revive. Now, many creative people gather there. They pay for their stay not with money, but with work: cooking, cleaning, repairing. There is only one house, surrounded by mountains.

Yevgeny: People go there for inspiration. For example, Tamara Kvesitadze created the Batumi sculpture “Ali and Nino” in Garikula, and there is a model of this sculpture there.

Dreaming of a Home

Yevgeny: I dream of a small house in a picturesque place where our family can live and have our own studio. Currently, I’m practicing by renovating our apartment. The kitchen is already done, and the other rooms are next. Of course, everything doesn’t happen at once. But as soon as we finish the apartment, we can start realizing our dream of a house.

Yulia: The thought of a house scares me because, with our pace of life, it will be challenging to maintain order and take care of it. This is despite the fact that I grew up in a house. When I came to study in Minsk, I couldn’t understand how people live in apartments. It was a shock for me!

They didn’t give me a place in the dormitory, so I went to look for a room in private sectors. And they told me: “Girl, do you even know what our climate is like?” And they looked at me like I was strange.

The Power of Desires

Yevgeny: Desires shape the path of life. We voice our desires together, and they come true, albeit slowly but surely.

Yulia: If Yevgeny strongly desires something, it will come to pass.

Yevgeny: Within reasonable limits, of course. A desire arises, then it turns into a goal that is achieved.

Yulia: Much depends on a person’s aspiration and what they do to realize it. The main ingredient in making a wish come true is that it comes from a pure heart.

Beauty in Everything

Yulia: I am a hunter of beauty. I seek it everywhere, from books to flowers. Yevgeny doesn’t buy me flowers because I know I can choose better ones myself. He takes me to where they are sold, and I look, we might even buy flowers with roots.

I need beauty before my eyes: unusual jars, dolls, figurines. Beauty for me is something you can look at for a long time: relax and meditate.

Yevgeny: We are photographers; we perceive the world visually. We look and find beauty in every person, in every shot. The eyes seek the most beautiful and genuine.

Island Adventures

Yevgeny: Two years ago, we were on the island of Losinj in Croatia; we were invited to shoot a wedding. Together with musicians, we traveled for two days in a minibus to the destination…

Yulia: For me, the island of Losinj is paradise. Upon arrival, we only had time to catch our breath and wash up. We worked on the first day and rested on the second. We had to do everything: walk through the streets, visit cafes, enjoy the air. The air there is amazing!

Yevgeny: We rented bicycles and rode around the island all day. Yulia swam in every harbor. This trip became one of our brightest impressions.

The Ideal Father

Yulia: I think Yevgeny is the most ideal father there can be.

Yevgeny: Fatherhood brings me absolute joy. I think I am a born father and family man. I never thought I would be a free spirit seeking adventures. I am happy in my family, and it reflects in everything.

A good father is a friend to his children; it’s fun with him, and you can ask him for advice. For example, in my father, I feel protection and reliability.

Life with Pets

Yulia: In my childhood, I had a toy poodle named Grumbler, the only one and, I think, the last. After his death, I don’t want to have dogs anymore because it’s a big responsibility. And I am against them living in an apartment.

Yevgeny: In my family, there were always dogs, so perhaps we will have a pet, but later. Most likely, when we have our own house.

Health Challenges

Yulia: A year ago, I had my thyroid removed. I think such things should not be hidden because it is a fairly common problem. I don’t even cover my scar.

Yevgeny: In fact, Yulia’s psychological state before the operation was significantly worse than after. Many are afraid of surgery and going to an endocrinologist.

Yulia: Among my acquaintances, almost every second person has thyroid problems. And everyone is afraid to take hormones or have surgery. Indeed, the scariest thing is the realization that you will be deprived of a vital organ. For two years, I prepared myself; it seemed that after the operation, I would perceive the world differently and feel photography differently.

When the thyroid began to grow, they said that if it was not removed, it would turn into cancer. And I decided. Then I experienced very strong psychological stress, and there was also wild fatigue. Probably, thanks to the love in the family, I somehow coped. The main thing is to get to a good doctor. And the fact that the day starts with a pill is not the scariest thing.

For more information on thyroid health, you can visit the American Thyroid Association.

Their Journey Together

Yevgeny: It seems to me that this is about Yulia. I see myself in her. We rarely meet couples who can keep up with our pace and always be together. We were separated only when Yulia had surgery and during childbirth. At work, at home, on vacation – we are together.