Natural talent

It’s already been a long day for Polina Plotnikova by the time we sit down to chat over Zoom. The award-winning photographer was recently invited to join the assessment team at the Royal Photographic Society and has spent much of the day learning how to grade visual art panels. ‘It’s very different from all of my previous experience of judging,’ she smiles. Polina is very much in demand and looking at her beautiful, perfectly executed flower photography it’s easy to see why. The balance of energy and precision in her work is perfectly suited to her bubbly, highly analytical nature. Each picture is flawless, and yet fizzing with life.

Photography has been part of Polina’s story since she was 12 years old. ‘My first camera wasn’t that reliable – it was Russian-based technology, although Russian