Maksym Vasyliuk

Maksym Vasyliuk | Skyline Breakfast | 2025

What first drew you to architectural and interior photography?

It started with my obsession with spaces – clean lines, natural light, and how a room can feel completely different depending on the time of day. I’ve always noticed small details – how the shadow falls across a chair, how a window opens up the whole scene. Photography became a way to make those moments permanent. Over time, interiors became more than just a subject – they became a way to talk about calm, light, and perspective.

How does your European background influence the way you see and capture American spaces?

While developing my skills as a photographer in Ukraine or Asia, I constantly worked with fully furnished apartments that were filled with mixed design elements and a lived-in feel. This experience developed my skills from an early stage, teaching me to find structure in complexity, control light in real environments, and capture emotion without staging. In the United States, where homes are often empty, I continue to bring this sensitivity to my work, using light, composition and restraint to create atmosphere in even the quietest of spaces.

Maksym Vasyliuk | Patterned Silence | 2025

You describe your work as turning “spaces into emotion.” Can you share an example of a photo where you felt that deeply?

There’s one image I shot in a Manhattan apartment – just a simple corner: a chair, soft morning light, and the edge of a window frame. Nothing dramatic. But in that moment, it felt like the whole city was paused outside, and the space held its own breath. That frame stayed with me. It reminded me that emotion in photography doesn’t come from what’s there, but from how you see it – and how stillness can say more than design ever could.

How do you approach working with designers and real estate teams to capture their vision while still expressing your own style?

I start by listening – not just to what they say, but to what matters to them visually. Every designer or agent has a different focus: some care about light, others about layout or lifestyle. Once I understand their priorities, I build the shoot around that – but I always keep my eye on balance, atmosphere, and composition. My goal is to translate their intent through my perspective – so the image feels real, but also elevated.

What role does light play in your creative process?

Light is everything. It’s the first thing I look for when I walk into a space – where it falls, how it shifts, what it touches. I don’t force it. I wait, adjust, and let the space speak through it. Light gives structure emotion. It can make a cold room feel alive, or turn an ordinary wall into something quiet and cinematic. For me, light isn’t just technical – it’s the mood, the tension, the story.

Maksym Vasyliuk | Light Oak Kitchen | 2025

Do you have a favorite project that challenged you and helped you grow as an artist?

One of the most challenging projects was shooting a minimalist penthouse with almost no furniture. At first, it felt like there was nothing to anchor the frame. But that emptiness forced me to slow down, to think more about light, texture, and proportion. I realized that even a bare space can hold emotion – if you know how to listen to it. That shoot changed the way I approach composition. It taught me to do more with less.

Maksym Vasyliuk | Quiet Oak | 2025

Your images often convey stillness and depth. Is that intentional? How do you achieve that atmosphere?

Yes, it’s intentional – but not staged. I’m always looking for a certain quiet in the frame. That usually comes from light, balance, and what I choose to leave out. I try not to overload the image. Instead, I let the space breathe. I pay attention to tension in lines, the rhythm of negative space, and the way light slows everything down. Stillness, for me, isn’t static – it’s a kind of focus.