Yelena Markina was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the The State Hermitage, one of the largest and oldest museums of the world. From the early years in her life she was introduced to the world famous fine art, sculpture and architecture and took classes of fine art history in the State Russian Museum. Her parents gave her first camera, Smena 8M, as a birthday present when she was in the 5^th grade. She shared her interest in fine art, architecture and photography with mathematics, which led her to receive an advanced degree from the Saint Petersburg State Electrotechnical University (ETU). She immigrated to the United States in 1994 and lives in New York City.

     Yelena's photography interests range from travel to landscapes and portraits and her work was published by a Russian magazine “Photodelo”.