Photographer shares how she turned the feeling of anxiety into an enchanting photo

Butterflies in your stomach – such a familiar feeling, isn’t it? Ukrainian photographer Anya Anti was inspired by this feeling, and turned it into a gorgeous image she named “Butterflies in My Stomach“. It took quite some time to shoot and post-process the images, but the result is an interesting composite well worth the effort. The artist has shared the idea behind the image with us, as well as more information about the gear she used and the shooting process.

The shooting required Anya to take multiple shots: of the skeleton with the shirt and with butterflies, and of herself opening up the ripped shirt. She tells us that preparing the set and taking the shots took her about 2-3 hours.  I just love the idea with the beige shirt to resemble the skin, it’s so simple, yet it gave great results.

After the shooting, it was time for the editing and creating the final image. Again, it took some time to pick the best photos and turn them into a single image that expresses the artist’s idea. Anya shares the speed edit video where he shows the shooting and editing process. It only lasts a couple of minutes, but in reality – it took her 3,5-4 hours to edit the images.

Now that you’ve seen the props she used, here is the gear and the settings

• Nikon D600
• Helios 77m-4 lens
• Broncolor Move 1200L battery pack
• Broncolor MobiLED flashhead
• Broncolor 60 x 60 softbox
• Broncolor RFS 2.2 transmitter
• f/ 1.8, shutter 1/1000s, ISO 50

While I connect butterflies in the stomach with being in love, Anya sees the feeling differently, and maybe many of you do. This feeling of anticipation in the stomach can also be negative, and it’s connected with stress and anxiety. These are the emotions Anya has been struggling with over the past couple of years. So, her photo is a bit moody and dark, with blueish tones, showing a different feeling from being in love. In her image, she symbolically releases these “butterflies” out of her, and representing her “attempt to reconsider [her] life and to be reborn into a new person.”

I like the concept and admire the execution of this photo. I can also relate with the feeling and the message Anya wants to convey. Her work is gentle and dreamy, telling stories and causing emotions, and she is a really inspiring artist. This photo is only one of her amazing works, and if you’d like to see more, make sure to visit her pages and follow her work.

About the Artist

Anya Anti was born in Ukraine, but she’s currently based in New York, where she works as a commercial and portrait photographer. She has been into photography since 2009, and surrealistic female portraits are her favorite genre. To see more of her work, visit her website, like her Facebook page and follow her on Instagram, 500px and her YouTube channel.