Misha von Shlezinger isa Toronto-based art and portrait photographer. She draws her inspiration from a variety of contemporary sources like the Scandinavian electro sounds of Röyksopp,avant-garde visual arts, evocative cinematography and emerging street fashion.
Her signature “dark beauty” style employs decadent aesthetics, highlighting the inconsistencies and duality of human nature. Other themes that run through her work include neurodivergence, social justice, queer rights, and climate change.
Growing up in an academic family, Misha had an insatiable curiosity for arts and culture,completing a Ph.D. in Slavic Languages.
Once a news editor and copywriter, she found her true calling in professional photography, completing a degree at the prestigious FAMU International in Prague. Ever the activist, she landed an editorial photographer role at one of the pillars of Moscow’s LGBTQ+ community,Kvir Magazine before moving to Toronto in 2010.
Her Toronto-based clients include Airbnb Corp., Waddington’s Auctioneers and Appraisers, George Brown College, Next Models Canada, Grapes for Humanity, Real Sports Bar, Insomnia Restaurant and more.
Misha has participated in various exhibitions and art shows, including the Artist Project.
Her work has been featured in many publications,including ELLE, The Globe & Mail, Toronto Star, MOB, Elegant, and Confetti Magazine.
Misha works from her industrial loft in the High Park area of Toronto that provides brilliant natural lighting.
Misha is available for shoots in the GTA, Canada and abroad.