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So we talked to Jelena about the reasons for returning the family to Lithuania, about living in emigration and here in Lithuania, about the profession and the adventures of a photographer. in the wrong place.
Tell us why you decided to return from emigration.
I lived in exile with my family for more than 10 years. First my husband and I went to the UK, then we moved to Malta. But I always wanted to go back, I missed my parents, my friends, but I had no concrete plans to return like we did, life was settled, we were planning to buy our first house in Malta.
But everything was replaced by the illness of a daughter. After living in Malta for a couple of years, he developed a severe allergy. We did research, we tried to change the environment, we noticed that the allergies had decreased in Lithuania, but when they returned to Malta, they reappeared.
We did a lot of research but they didn’t show anything, however over time we found out that my daughter was allergic to limestone in Malta. It is a sedimentary rock from which the island of Malta was formed. Limestone dusts and irritates the skin. In general, a large number of people in Malta suffer from asthma.
The daughter’s allergies were uncontrollable, not even helping with hormonal medications, rubbed from head to toe. Therefore, when we noticed that the allergy in Lithuania was decreasing, we decided to live here again. After all, nothing is more important to parents than the health of a child.
PHOTO GALLERY. Jelena Pacholčišina
And despite the allergies, how did you manage to live in emigration? Why did you decide to go abroad?
Before emigrating, my life experience was quite simple. I was young, studying at university, studying how fashionable it was in those days and specializing in business administration. I’ve been married for 21 years to a dear man we’ve been with since we were 18, so we’ve been dealing with everything ever since.
And the offer to leave was a surprise. At the time, he was entering a postgraduate course in public administration and the man received an offer from a friend who was already working in the UK for an online gambling company.
Although I never dreamed of leaving Lithuania, but we were young, we were only 23 years old, so we decided to give it a try, so we left together.
Before you leave I didn’t really consider what I would do abroad, because I was studying a master’s degree, I had to visit Lithuania often to finish my studies. Of course, they also wanted to earn money. However, the English language was poor at the time, so I had to taste the sourdough of the emigrants: hard housework in a hotel and housework working for people.
However, I do not regret or am ashamed of this work that has taught me to value hard-earned money. I also learned English, but I also did not abandon my studies in Lithuania, I graduated.
And apparently a move was not enough for us, so after spending 4 years in England, we decided to change lives. This is how Malta appeared on our horizon, where we lived for 5 years before returning to Lithuania.
When did photography appear in your life, still in Lithuania or abroad? How did you get interested?
I always liked photography, but it was just a hobby. In Lithuania I borrowed the camera from one of my parents, in England I borrowed from a friend. I photographed insects with the magnification function, nature, environment.
I always wanted to have my own camera, but only bought it in the UK when I was already expecting a baby. I wanted to capture the moments of a baby’s life. The birth of a daughter led to the photography of people. At first they were acquaintances, friends, then I started receiving orders.
I started working seriously as a photographer when I was already living in Malta. I gained experience, so more requests came up. I also worked for a large wedding photography company where I handled photos, so I had two jobs.
How did you find clients in Lithuania? What is the difference between Lithuanian and foreign clients who want to take photos?
At first it was a bit difficult, because the examples of my works were Maltese and the Lithuanians wanted to see Lithuanian examples. However, the customer base is gradually building up. I usually find them on social media: Facebook and Instagram.
Lithuanian clients are not very different from foreigners. We are all human, everyone wants to look good in photos, have nice memories.
However, the level of photography in Lithuania is much higher. Therefore, the competition is much higher here. I really admire the work of my compatriots, so I try to improve myself.
Tell us about your work day.
My workday depends on what I shoot. I have an order to take a photo of a celebration or a personal photo session of a person or family. There may be several photo sessions a day. Before everyone gets excited, I try to imagine what kind of people I will meet.
And almost every day they end with photo retouching. I really don’t like piling up work, so I try to organize my photos ASAP.
It happens that people are not satisfied with their image in the photos and ask to improve it, what do you do then?
I think all photographers face this, without exception and so do I. In such cases, I remove minor flaws, I can embellish the lines a bit, but I try never to change the shapes, that is, I don’t make the person in the photo look like plastic.
I want people to love themselves and not be ashamed of their body and other characteristics of their appearance. Usually after a while, the photos that I don’t like become so cute that you don’t even notice those little flaws.
What is the most difficult and easy thing to photograph for you? I have noticed that you photograph people more often, why exactly? Do you commit to photographing things like any product?
I am a portraitist, I photograph mainly women, families and children. I photograph weddings or christenings very rarely because I have to go through a lot of stress from the holiday bustle during them.
I also have my favorite model. This is my sister. It is very photogenic and its appearance is not Lithuanian. I mainly photograph in nature, I think that nature reveals better both my models and me as a photographer. At the moment, what I like the most is photographing women, I want to show their beauty.
I still think about photographing items, but so far I only take photos of the clothes and accessories that the models wear. However, I do not rule out the possibility that commercial photography will also appear in my life.
Tell us about the strangest or funniest adventure that happened at work.
Experience everything when shooting. There was a case in which during a family photo session a woman fell and broke her arm. We called the ambulance and took her to the hospital.
And one of the funniest adventures was when my jeans ripped in the middle of my seat during an important photoshoot in Malta. He didn’t have much to change and he had to work. So I photographed the four hours in ripped jeans. But the photos turned out very well.
Migrants often say that it is not economically worth living in Lithuania for them. Lithuania’s cool style is also often criticized. What do you think of these stereotypes? Are they true?
I am one of those people who thinks that money is not happiness. Yes, compared to the UK and Malta, wages are lower here, but you can also live perfectly here.
I feel in my place in Lithuania: here my family, friends, the nature that I love, what more do I need?
We recently bought our first home. I have always dreamed of living close to the city but with all the comforts and my own garden. At the moment we are living in it, we are installing it.
I grow flowers. Many were surprised, but I brought all the plants that I had grown in Malta to Lithuania. I leave my plants nowhere.
We put my daughter in first grade this year. Besides photography, I have another job. I am a social media administrator for a company.
And when they tell me that the sellers in Lithuania don’t smile in the stores, I always ask, did you smile first? I think you should always start with yourself. Smile at the man and he will smile at you.
I noticed that the mentality in Lithuania has changed for the better in 10 years. People are willing to help others and almost everyone already speaks English.
And I really miss the Mediterranean for living abroad. I enjoyed watching her every morning. I also miss the friends who stayed there. Of course, many good memories remained. Still, we have been happy abroad for 10 years.
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