Former journalist, translator premieres emotional portrait exhibit

Feathers. Exotic gowns. Angel wings. Nudity.

Bloomington artist Yelena Yahontova knows no bounds.

The Belarusian-American photographer’s exhibit decorates the walls of Bloomington’s Wandering Turtle Art Gallery & Gifts. Her artist’s reception will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Known to clients as “Photographer of Joy” for her ability to capture emotion, Yohantova will display select portraits until Sept. 19 as part of her photo exhibition, “The Best of Yelena.”

The gallery, located on the north side of the Courthouse Square, will feature 20 portraits hand-picked by Visual Arts Director and gallery owner Jaime Sweany. Many of the portraits have never been exhibited before.

“I like Yelena’s work because she loves her subjects, and her passion for people shows through in her portraits,” Sweany said. “She can capture an intimacy between people that sometimes eludes other photographers.”

Yahontova’s studio is white-walled and lined with portraits.

A mother and son adorned with feathery white wings embrace and smile, a family surrounded by green, leafy trees laughs together and women pose in lavish costumes. All come from Yahontova’s personal collection.

Her colorful, laminated flyers persuade potential patrons – “Imagine your family as a work of art.”

“It’s been my love for so long,” said Yahontova, a former journalist, poet and translator with a doctorate degree in Slavic languages.

“Photography became a huge hobby when I was 15 or 16,” she said. “My friend and I would dress up and photograph each other all night, sometimes for 16 hours straight.”

Since moving to Bloomington seven years ago, Yahontova has established steady clientele, but photographs no more than two sessions a day.

“I like to spend a lot of time with my clients,” she said. “We sometimes spend two or three hours at a time at a location of their choice. It’s about value, and value is priceless. People will cherish these photos for the rest of their lives.”

Sweany said she advises photography lovers to seize the opportunity to see new art and meet Yahontova.

“This selection of her work is a wonderful representation of portraits that have not been shown before,” she said. “Her fans will be pleasantly surprised by her versatility.”