Conversations with Volodymyr Petruniv

Today we’d like to introduce you to Volodymyr Petruniv. 

Hi Volodymyr, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Ukraine. I went to medical college and then to medical university and graduated as a pharmacist. I worked in pharmaceutical industry for about 13 years. But always I had a hobby – photography. Hobby became my side hustle. I did weddings, family photos, and headshots sessions. And always was dreaming to transfer my hobby to a full-time job. In reality, I couldn’t do it because pharmaceutical career made me bigger and more stable income. In 2017 I’ve got a chance to immigrate to United States. That was a chance to change life in different perspective. I can’t work as a pharmacist here with my degree, and honestly, I don’t have a big desire to do it. I decided to find my new-self in a country, where dreams come tru. To be a photographer, you need to have a community. Word of mouth in this business is the best advertiser. But my problem was when I came here – I knew nobody here and also my English was very bad. So, I started working on fixing those two key things – my English and my community. But another part of our life is our monthly bills. So, I needed a job to survive in my new home. For last 5 years, I had very different working experiences. I worked as a mechanic, then I met Ukrainian guy, who offered me to work in dental lab as a dental technician. I worked there for 3 years until COVID happened. During pandemic quarantine, I was driving Uber Eats. Right after that, I was hired as a sales associate at Furniture Row store. After that and now I’m working at tech company in digital email marketing industry. As you can see for a last 5 years I had a lots of experience in different industries, but always on a side I have my photography. Hobby, what helped me to find new friends, to build my own community. People, who like my work, who always recommend me to their friends. I did family photo sessions to almost all my friends. I have a Real Estate partner, so I always take photos for them. During pandemic, where all communications were close to “0” I learned how to do product photos and also food. I did jewelry photos for my friend’s Etsy Shop. I built very good relationship with local coffee shop Kochi doing coffee and tea photos for their social media and Amazon store. I diversify my photo skills and also, I delved into the video production, what helps me a lot. I met a journalist from Voice of America TV News Channel. She was looking for a cameraman to make a news videos. As a result, now we are working together and also became a good friends. My life journey still going on. And I’m excited what’s waiting on me in a future. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It wasn’t smooth at all. Language barrier was a biggest challenge. On a second year being in a new country, I tried skiing for a first time and broke my leg. I had a surgery on my knee and walked on crutches for a long time. And also, loneliness is always a big challenge. All my family and close people live in Ukraine. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Now in photography, mostly I like to do products photos. I like it because it requires a huge attention to details, which I love. Lots of creativities at my home-studio setup. Usually, it looks so messy, but result worth it. And as an introverted personality, I love sometimes work just by myself. 

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
You need to tell about yourself and your art work to as many people, as you can. And don’t hesitate to do work for free. You’ll always get paid later. And usually in bigger amount that you can charge now. Patience is a key for success. 

Contact Info:k

• Email: hello@petruniv.name
• Website: petruniv.name
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/provizorr/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001249087540