Meet Linda Kasian

Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Kasian. 

Hi Linda, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I was born in the USSR to parents who were professional musicians; my mother played cello and my stepfather played the violin. I grew up on the stage of Moldovian orchestras and was inspired by the classical music of Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Schubert, and Beethoven to name a few. At age 15, when perestroika started and the international gates of the USSR opened, I moved to Israel. Once I got there, I was amazed to see and experience the warmth and kindness of another culture. I had to learn a new language and serve in the Israeli army. Meanwhile, I also enrolled in college and chose the major of architecture. After finishing the military and my schooling, I decided to visit my biological father in Los Angeles, California. He had moved from the USSR to Los Angeles when I was just three years old, so it was my first time seeing him in 17 years. Instantly, I fell in love with the urban and freedom feel of California. After a few years, I myself moved to Los Angeles with my new husband and began my career in architecture. As life continued and I was growing professionally in the architectural field, at age 29 I gave birth to my only son and made the decision to become a stay-at-home mom. From day 1 of his birth, I could not stop taking pictures of my newborn with my flip-phone at the time. I ended up making a book online with all the photographs and by way of luck, the book ended up in the hands of a professional architectural photographer. He gave me great feedback and encouraged me to do this for a career. I thought to myself, “well anybody can click a button, how could this be a career?” and continued to work in architecture, not knowing how wrong I was. Four years later, in 2009, my husband and I separated. It was not a mutual decision and my heart ached deeply. At the same time, the 2009 recession hit, and I found myself not being able to find a job within my profession. With my new life as a single mom, I knew that I had to earn an income to provide for my son which ultimately led me to switch professions. As a single mom, I learned that I needed to push myself to survive in the beginning and thrive after, and that’s exactly what I did. I found myself jumping around with a camera at my son’s friends’ birthday parties and I was absolutely loving it. Children have this sense of sincerity and the ability to be genuine and transparent with their feelings. My soul connected with my camera, and I was mesmerized by capturing those unmasked faces with my soul through the lens. As adults, we all learn how to put masks on. So, I started getting hired for jobs taking pictures of children and child parties which filled my life with joy. Slowly, I started taking bigger and bigger events and developed skills in my new profession as a photographer. Now I have expanded my realm to include maternity shoots, real estate photography, headshots, and much more. I fell in love with seeing people blossom in front of the camera… as their shoulders and chin rise up, and their inner confidence comes out. As much as I love photography, my passion truly lies in bringing out people’s personalities and seeing their reactions to their photos. As of today, I am a happy woman with an amazing 17-year-old son and am successful, professional photographer and business owner. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I believe I am most known for event photography, specifically bar, and bat-mitzvahs, but really any kind of event. I also specialize in maternity and family photoshoots, as well as architecture photography. 

The thing that sets me apart from others in my field may sound like a cliche, but I am not great at reading other people and am not that emotionally intelligent. However, as soon as I look through my camera lens, seeing emotions becomes very clear to me and I know exactly when I need to push the button and capture that special moment. I instantly am able to connect to my client’s emotions and recognize exactly how to catch the beauty and aura of the moment. 

What I am most proud of is being able to work through my challenges and get to a point in my life where I am constantly happy and see only the positive in everything. I live my life having no fear with what’s coming next and look forward to every day. Going through huge life changes can make you doubt you will ever get to this point, so I am so grateful and glad that I have. 

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
In the year 2020, during the challenging COVID times, life was unknown and on hold for the whole world. As a non-essential worker, I could not work, but nonetheless, my creative mind was restless. I had heard on the news about this photographer in Kansas that was doing front-yard photoshoots for families while fully complying with all required Covid guidelines. So, I decided to do the same and go out there to try to bring some joy and excitement to all the families cooped up in their homes. I added one of my favorite photography techniques, levitation photography, which created these amazing, unforgettable images for families to remember this weird period of time. (See attached photos) The idea was to capture how families spent their time during quarantine, like moms drinking wine and cooking, dads doing housework, kids making TikTok, and playing around. I created a composite image for families doing levitation photography and front-yard photography, all while following Covid-19 social distancing rules. It brought joy to the families at home- women were dressing up and putting makeup on, kids were excited to be involved in something hands-on, and surprisingly, dads were the same! 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lindakasiqnphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindakasianphotography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LindaKasianPhotography
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/linda-kasian-photography-woodland-hills-3?osq=linda+kasian+photography
• Other: www.iphotographyhomes.com

Image Credits
Jerry Ghionis
Linda Kasian