Meet Yana Tsi | Film Photographer and Video Editor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Yana Tsi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yana, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
Other than deciding to work for myself, the single most important decision I made that contributed to my success was to stop asking for permission to be myself.
Once I let go of trying to fit into systems, timelines, or people’s expectations, my work became sharper, my voice stronger, and my energy cleaner. I chose authenticity over approval — and that changed everything.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art is rooted in photography — but not just the kind that captures a moment. I’m interested in what lies between the moments: the raw, the unspoken, the fleeting energy that makes a frame feel alive. Whether it’s backstage at a fashion week, shooting a 30km open water swim from a boat at sunrise, or quietly capturing someone’s essence during a one-on-one portrait session — I’m always chasing truth, not perfection.

What sets my work apart is my ability to blend reportage with emotional precision. I come from a mixed background — part telecommunications strategist, part analog romantic, part silent observer. I’ve worked on personal branding shoots, fashion campaigns, media coverage, and projects that aim to raise awareness about autism and neurodiversity. Each one is different, but the red thread is always the same: I care deeply about people. And it shows.

Has it been easy? Not even close. I left the stability of the corporate world to start from scratch — as a woman, an outsider, and an artist with an opinion. I had to fight for space. For voice. For financial survival. At times, I had nothing but my camera and some serious belief in the vision. But those moments? They taught me how to trust my gut, protect my energy, and turn my artistic work into a language people can actually feel.

What I want the world to know is this:
My brand is about seeing people — really seeing them. I don’t shoot for the likes. I shoot for the aftertaste. That moment when someone sees themselves through my lens and goes, “Wait… that’s me?”
That’s when I know I’m doing something right.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Honestly? No one directly. I didn’t grow up with cheerleaders on the sidelines. No mentor, no “you got this” calls.

But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t support — it just came in different forms. I found inspiration in people who kept going despite everything. I watched those who reached incredible heights without needing permission to be great. And, equally important, I observed those who got stuck in routine, lost their spark, and slowly faded.

Some showed me who I wanted to become. Others — who I absolutely refused to become.

So if I had to dedicate a shoutout, it would be to both: the silent warriors who lit the way by example… and the cautionary tales that made me pick up the torch and say, “Not me. I choose different.”

Instagram: yanatsi_photographer.jpeg

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yana-tsykhotska-4739b1352/