Rokas Darulis [Ro:kəs Dərulis] is a photographer and, overall, a really nice dude. He has made quite a name for himself, flying around the world shooting scales as a freelancer. Yet, when you bump into him, say, in the middle of the night in Vilnius, he’s super simple and easy to talk to. Our conversation started just like that; back in the summer of 2018, on a slightly chilly and rainy night, when we shared falafels on Pylimas street and talked about feeling anxious and sometimes needing a break from work - no matter how much you love it.

HOW DID YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH PHOTOGRAPHY? DO YOU REMEMBER THE MOMENT WHEN YOU DECIDED TO MAKE IT YOUR CAREER?

Around 2003 or 2004, I discovered my granddad’s charming old Kiev photo camera - those things are very aesthetically pleasing, just like classic cars. He saw how much I loved it and reluctantly, at first, gave it to me. I felt inclined to learn how to use all of the buttons and wheels, which were sort of like the ones on old computers. After developing the first few rolls, and realising the kind of moments this apparatus can catch, there was really no turning back. Of course, it started out as a hobby but quickly developed into a magical affair. Only after a long while, I could wrap my mind around the idea that I could do this as a job and make a living off of it. But if these things hadn’t happened in that consecutive order, I’m sure I wouldn’t have experienced all of the various endeavors that followed.

DISCOVERING YOUR PASSION IS ONE THING, BUT HOW DID YOUR CAREER ACTUALLY BEGIN?

My first real step towards a career in photography started in 2006, after finishing high school and going off to study in London. Yet, the “aha” moment probably happened during the last year of school. I originally applied to graphic design, because I really liked graphics, programming and animation but while taking off more and more time to photograph, I gradually felt that I wanted photography to become my career. Those were the days when photography wasn’t popular, at least in Lithuania. There was no Facebook, Instagram or iPhones. Every now and then someone would have a digital camera, but we were the local “artists” who used Zenit cameras (an old Russian camera brand). These were the times when everybody went off to study business management or law, and this choice of mine to go after photography probably did not make my family very happy, but at that time it was the thing that I wanted to do the most. Somehow, there were no doubts that I’d find a way to go and do it.

You can read the full article in -What do people do? magazine, order at our online shop.

WORDS: RASA JUSIONYTĖ

PHOTOS: JULIJA STEPONAVIČIŪTĖ