»They came to us from all over Russia – and our country is huge!«
In past newsletters, we have already introduced certified DIALux trainers from Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai. This time we are going to Russia. In an interview Anna Denisova talks about her work and the special features of her region.
Anna, how long have you been a DIALux trainer and in which regions are you active?
My acquaintance with DIALux was in 2012. Then the first version of DIALux evo was released. At that time, I had already implemented several projects and firmly understood that working with light is mine. Bright ideas came to mind every day. All this has become a real passion that inspires and drives.
The only thing I missed at the time was a functional tool for designing and visualizing my lighting solutions, which would have helped me professionally deliver them to the client. I looked at different software solutions. So 3D-max was rejected as an application that required too much time and effort. Photoshop was convenient only at the initial level of idea creation.
I was just beginning to study DIALux 4, as Konstantin Tsepelev and Artlight had invited me to a seminar on a new generation program – DIALux evo 1. I couldn't even imagine that a few months after the training, I become the first DIALux evo teacher in Russia. We have started to hold our seminars since the end of 2012 in St. Petersburg, and almost immediately in Moscow. Those who wanted to learn turned out to be a lot. They came to us from all over Russia – and our country is huge!
Why do you like your job as a lighting designer and a DIALux trainer?
Teaching your own subject is always fun and interesting. Every meeting with students, every lecture is unique. You never know who will be in the next group: architects, lighting engineers, manager or electricians. What ideas they have, what knowledge they have. It is important that each of them share their experience, tell about the specifics of the market and work in their field and region. You can always learn something new and you can be charged with special energy. When everybody is united by one topic, the theme of light, you get an excellent creative and fruitful work experience.
What trends or problems are you observing when planning lighting, especially in your area?
As in any other field, there are advantages and disadvantages. I am glad that lighting design schools have started to open in Russia, and conferences and thematic meetings have appeared. We are slowly catching up with the West and America, adopting their experience and bringing something of our own into the sphere. A big plus is that architects are ready to cooperate with lighting designers in their projects. But, unfortunately, Russia is still reluctant to pay for such work and does not always consider lighting projects separately.
What was the most interesting project of all your planned projects with DIALux?
This is a huge museum complex in Moscow.
One of the most complex and interesting lighting projects I had to do at DIALux evo. The work was carried out together with a professional lighting designer Natalia Markevich. In large projects, of course, well-coordinated teamwork is important. The project included a huge number of halls, each filled with its own atmosphere. It was necessary to constantly make changes and adjustments.
A lot of time was devoted to working out the rooms and achieving the desired results.
Another project is a villa in Dubai. The customer was delighted because she had never seen such work before with DIALux evo. It is always a pleasure to receive such a response from the customer.
What do you particularly like about DIALux?
The undoubted advantage of this program is its visualization. In addition to technical parameters, it is possible to create a quality image for the customer.
The possibility of designing the interior and exterior lighting in this program is unique. Recreating the idea in the program, you can see the details that are not visible in the concept and drawings. You see the light from real light sources with real materials. That is, you can see how your project will look in the lighting even before its implementation.
You can quickly, easily and qualitatively bring your bright ideas to the customer and defend your solutions. This is all thanks to DIALux evo. There is no need to refer to third party presentation software. Everything can be done in one program. This is convenient.
If you are interested in DIALux training in the country where you work, you will find further information here about our trainer network.
Numerous free tutorials on our YouTube channel provide a first introduction to using our lighting design software.