Pasha Francuz was born in Chernivtsi, in western Ukraine, but left eight years ago, living in Poland and Italy before settling near San Francisco with his wife and teenage daughter.
“A friend in Kyiv, Oleg, is a fashion designer, and sent me a few pairs of his socks to take some marketing shots of. It was one of the hottest days of the year, so I was down by our apartment complex’s pool with my friend and neighbour Nick. We took a series of photos, then Nick jumped in the water and this shot happened,” Francuz says.
He edited the photo using the VSCO app. “I played with the colour, to make it more vibrant. Whether you’re a photographer, designer or just human, we’re all drawn to colour,” he says. “Oleg was so happy with the result, and Apple featured it on their Instagram account; not bad for a day by the pool.”
Francuz and his family hope to return home one day; his daughter in particular misses her family; he misses the culture, too. Having moved around so much, Francuz has embraced the benefits of phone photography. “Using expensive, heavy cameras is outdated now. We’re in a new era, and the iPhone makes fantastic photos. But we must remember, the camera is just the machine; the thinking, feeling human behind it is crucial, too.”
