Hi, I'm Marina. I'm a photographer based in New York City and Chicago.

I started photographing the people in my life when I was fifteen and living in Chicago, teaching myself how to capture my family and friends on film. What made me fall in love with portraiture wasn't the camera, it was the way that film softens the edges of a person. Film carries a forgiveness, an honesty, that lets people be beautiful without forcing them to perform.

When I photograph someone, my goal isn't to change them or fit them into a concept. I'm not interested in making a person a prop for an idea. I want to collaborate with who they already are. I value people for their personality, not their identity. The most important part of my work is trust: I trust them to be themselves, and they trust me to see them clearly.

I take time to compose carefully: to notice the moments in between, the way light sits on a face, how someone laughs shows me a different side of them. On a calm shoot, I'm relaxed, curious, and fully present, letting the conversation shape the photograph. On higher-stakes production days, I shift into a focused, intentional rhythm: meticulous about composition, prepared, and committed to creating imagery that feels cinematic and true.

Film became an extension of me long before I ever called myself a photographer. I used to sneak a camera into places it didn't belong just to make sure I didn't miss what I saw. I still remember images I missed five years ago and I still feel the same rush when I'm waiting for scans.

My work lives in a nostalgic, intimate, cinematic world. I hope when you look at my images, you feel like you could live there too.