Mariya Filippova

I was born in a small town in Russia, the youngest of three girls. When I was five, my family moved to Moscow and that\'s where I spent the rest of my childhood. It\'s a beautiful city that I always remember fondly and always yearn to visit again and again. When I was 16, we moved to Maryland, and that\'s where I went to university. Despite the years spent on the east coast, I never felt like I belonged there though. So finally when I ended up in California for work, I decided I was going to put down my roots here. It\'s a beautiful area that has something to offer to anyone - tall mountains, evergreen forests, snow, art galleries, delicious food, and opportunities to do anything you can imagine. I started photography many years ago, when I was still at school. It gave me a creative outlet that I didn\'t feel I had in my studies. It let me experiment in seeing the world through a new lens. That\'s why I continue with this hobby of mine to this day.