Photography + Psychology

People who are able to regard their photos as starting points rather than end products, and who can use them to initiate questions and explore feelings, can learn a great deal about themselves in the process.

Photos with meaning. No editing. On film.

Hi, I’m Rita Pakhlova

Taking photos for the sake of photos is boring. Don't you think? Photography for me is a combination of several interests: psychology, search for deeper meaning and the visual artist in me.

As a trained psychologist-consultant I see photography as a deeply underestimated field. My attitude towards it be like - photos are metaphors and photo session is a "little life" we live together. It's about being in a safe space, experiencing yourself and capturing the moments that serve as powerful reflections of your own journeys of self-discovery.

My 3-step process

1. Defining a goal

This is a meeting where I help you formulate your personal goal which we will explore and experience with the help of photos

2. Therapeutic photo session

3. Phototherapy

It’s about trust, presence, allowance and letting go. The location, clothes and props are not that important – they are facilitators and not the main players. The heroine is you and your goal

Phototherapy is a psychological consultation with the use of photos. Its objective is to explore feelings, discuss the experience and insights from this journey of self discovery through photos

My thing:

Boudoir and portrait photography. On film. No editing. Only women.

I work with:

Sexuality, aging, trauma, self acceptance, self esteem, intimacy and closeness, body image, trust, identity, etc.

Location:

Vilnius & Kaunas, Lithuania | Bogota, Colombia | Hyderabad & Bangalore, India | LA, United States

"1000% level of delicacy"

"amazing photo artist @rita.pakhlova, a person who feels the state of the soul very subtly and has a highly artistic vision, which is not found in every experienced art person.I had long dreamed of a photoshoot where I would be who I am, how I feel and see myself. Rita said she wanted to give me a photoshoot, a photo therapy, and even on film, which was already amazing and magical for me.Everything fell into place right away, from discussing ideas to the process itself. We photographed with a sense of fullness and admiration for beauty, without tension, in the flow. Rita simply asked me to enjoy the process, do what I felt, and that is the perfect version of a photographer - she wisely and lovingly, like a parent and an observing artist, captures everything on her magical film and then conducts a therapeutic analysis of the photoshoot with you, which is also very interesting! 1000% level of delicacy and empathy, cooler than many experienced psychologists)) And all this can be seen in the photos: the atmosphere, the state, the light and the color! We got a lot of cool photos.Thank you, Ritul! It was cosmic❤️ I'm a happy person!)If you want to come to yourself faster and experience magic - you need to go to Rita, she is a conductor of light energies))."

- Arina Kukh

"This is a declaration of love!"

"This is a declaration of love! I love this photoshoot! I am delighted with the photographer 😍! During the two day photo session, we had a complete dissolution in the process💫. Trust between two people who accept each other is priceless!!!"

- Tiana Kovaleva:

"Where I need to work on myself"

"I have learned many lessons from this experience, a... Only now I realized that my self image is very different from reality. Others see and perceive me in a completely different way to how I look at myself in the mirror. My inner critic turned out to be much harsher than the opinion of people who are important and close to me, and even more harsher than reality itself. I have learned many lessons from this experience, about self-acceptance, taming of my inner critic, acceptance of one's femininity and beauty. I saw many moments where I need to work on myself and on my perception of reality. Phototherapy can be painful, it can expose and open wounds. Our wounds may differ but the story they tell is about real you. Was it helpful? Definitely yes! Thank you Rita. There is some magic in what you do ❤️❤️❤️."

- Anastasia Baranchuk

"Thanks for excavation of me"

"It was magical both the process and the result 🙌🏻 thank you for your delicate and honest look at my reality, my world and my acceptance of all this ❤️ Thanks for excavation of me ❤️"

- Marina Kirova

"Resistance was strong"

"The resistance [to photoshoot] was strong. I just understood that afterwards it can not be the same."

- Nina

"Decision to be yourself"

"This is the case when you have only one MOMENT, one shot, one move, one pose and the decision to BE YOURSELF. There are no other options. Rita, you expose souls. It’s an honor for me to discover a new dimension of myself through your lens!"

- Julia Green

What clients are saying

"Relaxation for the soul"

"The photo therapy you prepared for me was interesting and unique. Firstly, it was like a relaxation for the soul - with beautiful music and a relaxed atmosphere. Secondly, you were able to capture not only my mood, but also my feelings, and all of it is recorded in the photos, which by the way, I really like because they were taken by a talented person. Thank you 😊."

- Alona Kohan

"Photoshoot could be so easy"

"I never thought that a photoshoot could be so easy. We walked, talked and just enjoyed ourselves. Rita's energy is simply comforting. Every shot is created with ease and the result is just wow. Each one communicates me, my personality."

- Olga Galik

"This is not a digital camera!"

"Dear God, this is not a digital camera! There is only one shot and that's it! Every time after the click, she froze, as if she was watching the northern lights. The entire photoshoot went on in one breath, even though it lasted for 4 hours."

- Gayane Arushanian