A quiet eye for
loudly loved lives.

I’ve had a camera in my hands for as long as I can remember. Before I was even ten, my family would hand me their film camera at gatherings, trusting me to capture the little in-between moments. That’s when I first felt it — this quiet calling to freeze real, candid life as it unfolded.

As I grew up, that never really stopped. Friends and family kept asking me to take their photos, whether they were using their cameras or their phones. Eventually, I followed that pull all the way to Rochester Institute of Technology, where I graduated with a degree in advertising photography and deepened my love for storytelling through images.

Forever Ten was born from both my story and my name. Someone once told me that my initials could be read as the number 10: the “I” in Irina resembles a 1, and the “O” at the beginning of my maiden last name, Oleksiyenko, resembles a 0. Together, they became 10 — Ten. Forever Ten is a nod to that, and to the idea of holding onto the fleeting, in-between moments that pass by too quickly.

Through Forever Ten Photography, I’m here to gently guide you, notice the quiet details, and create warm, honest images that feel like your favorite memories — held still, forever.