Today we’d like to introduce you to Yeva Panchina.
Hi Yeva, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ll start from the very beginning! I was born in Portland, Oregon in 2001. When I was eight months young, my family moved to an unrecognized country named Transnistria (located between Moldova and Ukraine), where my mom and sister were born. I spent 16 years of my life there and in 2017, I finally moved back to the United States. So when I introduce myself, I’m saying: “My name is Yeva, but you can call me Eve. I am Ukrainian, who speaks Russian, was born in the US and grew up in part of nowhere (Transnistria).” I discovered my passion for photography in one of the hardest years for all of us, in 2020. However, this year was such a blessed year for me. Not only because I decided to open up my own business but also because of many other great things in my life. Praise God! But if you want to know where it all started, we have to go back down to 2019. On my 18th birthday, I got a GoPro 8 as a birthday gift from a close friend. He knew that I love to film mini vlogs on my phone, but the quality was really poor. I was so happy when I realized that from that moment, I could post my vlogs on bigger social platforms like Instagram or Youtube. I even created an Instagram page named “VisionByEve” and at that time I couldn’t even dream to give an Interview one day to LA magazine! Let me just say WOW!
I started to post on my Insta page mini-films about my little getaways. A couple of weeks later I reached out to a photographer couple from my church, offering my services for free, just because I wanted to get into the wedding industry. They kindly agreed to help me out, but when they realize that I do not have a camera but just a GoPro, they suggested to I wait a bit and as soon as I will get a camera reach them back. A few months later, a good friend of mine reaches out asking to film her wedding. I was very surprised and said, “Dude, I can’t film your wedding with just a GoPro”. She answered: “Why not? Do you think you could buy a camera any time soon?”. At that moment, I was going through hard times in my life, doing full-time college, working 6 hours as a tutor, and helping my mom with her cleaning business at night every single day. I barely could save up some money for my dream camera. Praise the Lord, the day had come. I got notified that one of our church members selling the camera. My dream camera! I reached out to him, asking about the price. It was expensive for me. I tried to ask for a discount, and while waiting for his response, I prayed to God about this situation, keeping a specific price in my head that I could afford. Guess what… he texted me back a few hours later, naming the EXACT price I was praying for. This is only God! Only He can do things like that. Upcoming Sunday I meet with the guy at church and my dream camera was in my hands. I think I was the happiest person on the planet Earth.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It was never a smooth road! I’ve had so many sleepless nights trying to learn how to edit, color grade, and retouch films and images as professionals do. I was so exhausted that I even wanted to drop out of a program that I just started at Central Washington University. I was going for Math and Science Middle school teacher. It was so hard to find clients, specifically the ones who would appreciate all your hard work. A few months later I filmed a wedding of a good friend of mine. Let me tell you this… I was very nervous, super excited and to be honest, didn’t even know what I am doing, but this was the BEST experience of my life!!! Slowly after I discovered my passion for not just filming weddings but also shooting them. Since then, I became not just a videographer but also a photographer. Went through very hard times, however only with God’s help this year did I become Ms.Panchina, graduating from CWU, additionally enjoying my life working in a dream career with the best clients in the world and throughout the earth!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in wedding photography and filmmaking. As my clients leave a review, I’m known for accountability, reliability, and hard work. When clients reach out about my packages, I answer them within a few minutes. Giving final product from a wedding within weeks or even days. So I guess I am pretty fast at my services. I am very proud of my ability to know more than 1 language and use it on the wedding day if needed. I speak English, Russian and Ukrainian. To be very honest, I do not like saying good things about myself. But in my life, I’ve never met a photographer that would play with every single detail on every single photo from a wedding day. I’m talking about retouching. I do it. Maybe I’m just too crazy about it, but I am trying to give my clients a gallery of at least 500 perfect images. Not one pimple on my face, not one dirty rock on the ground, not one detail that will make an image not satisfy my standards. It has to be perfect!
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I could never dream in my life to be where I am right now. However, I’ve got greater plans for the future, and I know that only with God’s help, I’ll be able to get everything I wish for (If of course, it’s His will). First of all, in 5-10 years, I see myself glorifying God through everything I do. As it says in the Bible, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” 1st Corinthians 10:31. I see myself traveling more and more around the world becoming a well-known destination photographer/filmmaker. I see myself teaching and inspiring other starting photographers/videographers. I see myself having a studio with a team of great photographers/videographers who’ll be doing what they love to do in life. I see myself opening a donation center, helping homeless children, and helping missionaries to spread the truth about salvation through Jesus Christ around the world. I see myself in really good shape because “my help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth” Psalms 121:2.
Contact Info:
- Website: visionbyeve.com
- Instagram: @visionbyeve
Image Credits
All images are taken by me. VisionByEve
