In this Project Spotlight we cover one documentary, one fashion and one intimate project from three outstanding photographers from Ukraine.
In light of the current situation, for this Project Spotlight, we decided to feature a couple of photographic series from outstanding Ukrainian members in our extensive community.
Read on as we highlight the creative and personal projects from three outstanding Ukrainian photographers.
‘Woman At War’ — Oleksandr Rupeta
Oleksandr Rupeta is a Ukrainian photographer working worldwide. He specializes in editorial and documentary photography and is currently based in Kyiv, Ukraine.
“The series is the result of capturing a week in the life of a young woman, an officer of the Ukrainian Army, while she was at the front line in the war zone in Eastern Ukraine. The series was taken during the next escalation of the conflict in the Luhansk region. The shellings were carried out almost every night, sometimes during the day, that resulted in military and civilian casualties.”
To see more of Oleksandr’s work visit his website and his Cherrydeck profile.
‘Zhenya‘ — Sophie Vinnichenko
Sophie Vinnichenko is a fashion, beauty, editorial, and documentary professional photographer.
“My name is Sophie. I am from Kyiv, Ukraine. I have been doing photography for two years and I love it with all my heart. Sometimes I fly in my dreams. I am studying as a linguist. I have green-brown eyes and two dogs. Occasionally, I don’t think that the word “sophisticated” includes my name. I like to listen to Janis Joplin and Bob Dylan. Wanna live near the sea. Hate to make my bed.”
About her project and subject, Sophie says:
“Her name is Zhenya. The first time we met was in summer camp, eight years ago. She was fond of drawing. I was in the fifth grade and didn’t even think about a camera. Seven years later, we met again to arrange this shoot. It happened in a village in Ukraine.”
See all the images of the series here. To fully take a look at Sophie’s portfolio, visit her Cherrydeck profile.
‘MISERERE’ — Irina Shkoda
Irina Shkoda is a visual artist born in Kyiv, Ukraine. She graduated from the School of Modern Photography Docdocdoc, Saint-Petersburg, in 2019.
The most important part of her work is dedicated to personal long-term projects that contemplate the notion of the sacred and the associated taboos. The impulse for research on this topic arose as a result of her adolescent experience when she spent a significant part of her time in a convent.
“As a child, I was to read the psalm of David twice a day, morning and evening, according to the prayer rule. In this project, I decided to recreate some significant events from my life through photography, to look at them from the outside, as does the God I don’t believe in. Each frame corresponds to both a traumatic memory and a verse from the psalm.”
Get a chance to see Irina’s full project here. To see more of the photographer’s work, visit her Cherrydeck portfolio.
As a platform with an extensive creative community, we are putting our efforts to directly support our Ukrainian members internally. To support Ukraine in these difficult times, make sure to check out this list of resources.
Furthermore, to raise the voices of our Ukrainian photographers and models, and redirect attention to the valuable information that they are constantly sharing, we are also featuring the work of a Ukrainian member every day on our Instagram profile.
If you liked these photography projects, then check out our previous Project Spotlight features.
Do you have a special project you’d like to share with us? Make sure to submit it through your Cherrydeck account!
