Cleveland Wedding Photographers and Filmmakers
about
Human Artist Photography + Cinema is a wedding photography and film studio based in Cleveland, Ohio. Yevhen and Julie Gulenko founded it in 2013. We photograph and film weddings across Northeast Ohio and travel for the right ones.
Our Approach
The work is documentary at its core. We spend most of the day watching closely, staying out of the way, ready for what’s about to happen. When we do step in, it’s brief direction, not a posing session, and the results tend to lean clean and editorial without feeling staged.
We’ve been doing this long enough to know that the photographs couples reach for years later are rarely the formal ones. They’re the ones from the in-between moments, the ones nobody planned.
Yevhen
I grew up in Kyiv, Ukraine and came to the U.S. in 2002 to study philosophy and theology. That’s an unusual path to photography, but it makes sense to me looking back. Both disciplines are about paying close attention to what’s actually there, not what you expect to find or want to find, but what’s there. Photography done honestly is the same work.
Julie and I started Human Artist in 2013. We built a small team over time, people whose instincts we trust on a wedding day.
Outside of work I take cold plunges, lift kettlebells, make music, and read. I have two boys who keep life full and remind me regularly that the small moments are the ones worth paying attention to.
Julie
My interest in photography and my marriage to Yevhen started around the same time, which means the two have always been connected for me. The first wedding we shot together was a Ukrainian-Romanian celebration that ran long and felt like a whole world. I’ve been in love with wedding days ever since.
I’m also a trained opera singer, which turns out to be useful preparation for this work. Performance teaches you to read a room, to feel the energy of a space, and to stay present when everything is moving at once. I bring that to every wedding I assist on.
I’m a mother of two, which has made me more detail-oriented than I ever expected. On a wedding day I’m watching for the things that are easy to miss when you’re moving fast.
Serhii
Serhii is from Ukraine and has been working in film and video for years across Europe and the United States. He’s shot hundreds of weddings and has worked on commercial projects ranging from TV spots to fashion coverage for brands. He edits the way he shoots: with a clear sense of what the story is and what doesn’t belong in it.
Who We Work Best With
Couples who want to be present on their wedding day, not performing for it. People who care about how the images look but don’t need to be the center of attention to get there. If you have an appreciation for good design, real food, music, or travel, we’ll probably get along.