Taya Iv joins Photo Masters as a Contributing Editor

I'm pleased to announce that Taya Iv is joining the Photo Masters team as a Contributing Editor. Taya is a portrait photographer and 500px ambassador. She started taking photos at the age of 12, when she discovered a collection of self-portraits on an art website. Over the past few years, Taya has been active writing articles about photography and interviewing talented people around the world, always hoping to encourage others to find joy and inspiration in their everyday lives.

How would I describe Taya's work? I think I'd call it "improvisational creative photography." She photographs whatever she has on hand—whether it is her neighbor's cat, flowers from a shop, or even herself (as mentioned above, she especially likes artistic self portraits)—and finds ways to get creative with composition, light, and the magic of the moment to transform the familiar into something extraordinary. Her photos are living proof that you don't need to travel to exotic locations to make compelling images, you just need an open and creative mind. Here are some inspiring examples from her portfolio (btw, I'm a sucker for cleverly cute cat photos).

Taya is going to bring a fresh perspective to the Photo Masters project. She'll also be assisting in our mission to connect you—our readers and members—with important photo news and the most talented photographers on the planet. I'm looking forward to what she has in store for us. Please join me in welcoming Taya to the Photo Masters community!

You can see more of Taya's work on 500px: https://500px.com/p/Tayaiv