What made photographers join the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine? How has the photo changed, and they themselves, since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine? What did I have to give up and what to get used to? We talk with photographers Valentin Kuzan, Oleg Palchik and Sergey Mikhalchuk.
Valentin Kuzan is a well-known portrait photographer in Ukraine, currently serving as a photojournalist of the public relations service of the 72nd separate mechanized brigade named after the Black Zaporozhtsy.
Valentine's love for photography appeared in adolescence. He begged his father for a camera to capture something for himself. The first combat baptism, that is, commercial filming was a wedding job that had to be shot by a 10th grader with no experience because his father mistakenly booked two events for the same date. “I was very worried at the time. I thought to myself: “God, this is a once-in-a-lifetime wedding for people. What will it be if I do something wrong?“Valentina's father explained that it should be filmed, and what should be done at will. “Those were the times when they were photographed like the groom is holding the bride in the palm of his hand or they are peering through the tree. Mostly near the birch”, — Valentyn recalls those times with a smile.
He met documentary photography in 2014. He was inspired by the works of photographer Alexander Gladielov, who came to Uzhgorod with exhibitions. “It gave me the opportunity to fill photography with a new meaning, - says Valentyn, - and to consider the documentary as a language in which to speak about the important“.
Then Valentin stormed Alexander with questions about how to film the war and how to get there, but then the matter did not progress further: “As long as I remember myself as an adult — I always have children. I have four children and one of them is always small. Therefore, in truth, then the situation was not favorable for long trips to dangerous places“.
He returned to his desire already in 2022, after evacuating his family from Kiev to the West and “the situation has become more or less stable and understandable“. Together with the project Ukraіner, he filmed military near the capital, was involved in a series of works about intellectuals and artists who went to the army. After that, he was invited to document for a week how missile troops work in Donetsk region. “One of the first aid packages has just arrived in Ukraine. It was a weapon similar to Himars, just a manufacturer from another country. This was my first shooting at the front. Even then I learned that this is not allowed to anyone to photograph and so far there is a big problem with admission to this. This is an attractive target for the Russians.” — says Valentyn.
Then several photos, namely portraits, from this series, were published on the page of the then current Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny. “It made me terribly happy. That's how cheerful was my start in military photography!” There is no hiding the joy of the photographer.
After that, there were no more opportunities to fight the war directly, but Valentine took on everything that was somehow connected with it. He began to cooperate with various media: The Ukrainians, Kunsht and Local History.
“Together with The Ukrainians, we filmed two UPA veterans and political prisoners. One was 94 years old and the other was 99. However, four days after the shooting, he should have turned 100. It was in Kolomyia. This uncle commanded a unit of the UPA, which became famous for the fact that in one battle they destroyed about 400 Encavedists. His name is Miroslav Simchych. His son is fighting now. It was a very interesting story. It's about the continuity of generations and the constant enemy“.
After that with Ukrainener he shot the project “Victory Units“about the fighters of the 93rd OMBR “Kholodny Yar” and the 72nd OMB named after Chorny Zaporozhtsy, it was in the last brigade that he found new friends. “Although we were there for about a week, but then I saw how good I felt being there. This work is filled with maximum meaning for me.” In the fall of 2023, Valentin was mobilized in this brigade as a photojournalist.
Since 2016, Valentyn's focus has been portraits of Ukrainian artists and artists for the project “Sultprocess” as an analogue to the portraits of contemporaries of the artist Anatol Petritsky — the generation of the “Shot Renaissance”. During this time, the photographer shot thousands of shots with Ukrainian writers, musicians, artists and other people who shaped our culture during the Independence period. But now he has defenders in his sights.
“It is important for me now to highlight who is protecting us and to work to ensure that the memory of these people in the visual dimension is represented as adequately as possible, as far as I can,” Valentin explains.
He had to refuse to take his favorite photos — black and white portraits. Since after the invasion, such pictures are associated with the death of a person. “Not to frighten anyone. So now I work only in color. It's a crazy challenge for me to work with colors in a portrait.”
Even before mobilization, Valentine invited people to portrait shooting in the studio to meet with himself. People came to look at their photos and at the same time their changes. “In a year of full-scale war, everything was visible on the face. These tons of stress are in their eyes. But it was also noticeable how people still give themselves advice. This path was in the eyes of people,” Valentin explains.
He notes that the military view is different, and it is in this contrast that he decided to mobilize for himself: “Anxiety is a come-no-fly, it is permanent, it is oppressive, and you think all the time that you could do more. And when you are in the army, it is scary, but the anxieties recede - you have already made your choice and are already here.”
Despite the fear he felt himself, he sees peace in the eyes of his fellow officers. “Oddly enough, because people are calm about their choices, and that they may not be ashamed in front of their relatives, descendants or fellow citizens.
A large percentage of the people I meet here are volunteers. They know what they are here for. Their eyes are full of meaning.” Valentin says that he also sees zeal, courage, and a little humor, as well as heaviness and fatigue in the eyes of his brothers: “The looks say: “We have been here for two years, and could someone change us?” In principle, I also reacted to such a phrase when I decided to mobilize,” the photographer admits.
When asked what kind of photograph he would like to take, he replied: “I would like every soldier to have a quality photo portrait. Unfortunately, now in cities and villages we see alleys of dead Heroes, and not everyone has pictures worthy of them and their feat.”
Valentyn added that after the war, he would like every soldier to have his beautiful photo in military uniform, so that in 50-60 years he could look at this photo and realize how important work he was doing in his time.
“It's hard to kill a Ukrainian” — photographer, junior sergeant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleg Palchyk quotes the words of one of the heroes of his numerous photo reports, the combat medic “Lata”. Until 2022, he was a commercial photographer, engaged in subject, portrait and reportage shots. Oleg lived in Kharkiv for many years, and now lives in Kyiv. The war has come to each of the cities he calls his own. That is why, since February 24, 2022, his photos have also changed with him.
On February 24 and 25, 2022, he went to the TCC twice to mobilize for the troops, and then he was not taken without experience. Therefore, Oleg volunteered and continued to look for a way to become useful for the state. So he attached himself to one of the special police units, began to document military actions in the Kiev region. In the end, in May, Oleg managed to officially become part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Since then, he has been documenting the war for TRO Media.
Oleg considers his public relations service unit one of the best in the army. “We are engaged in coverage of historical events, filming documentaries about brigades and about people. We shoot stories, record stories, make photo portraits. Anything that can be covered in media — we do it!” — the soldier shares.
Currently, a photobook is being prepared for printing based on the works of Oleg Palchyk. Also in Ukraine and abroad you can see photo exhibitions with his photos. The photo exhibition “Long into War” is a joint work of two authors: Oleg Palchyk and Colonel Alexei Dmitrashkivskyi. These are two separate projects, “Faces of War” and “On the Other Side of Peace”, which were combined into one joint exhibition. Hundreds of pictures are constantly supplemented with new materials. “This is the Kyiv region after the de-occupation, the Kharkiv region before a large-scale counterattack, and the everyday Donetsk region and Zaporizhzhia. The exposition presents portraits of defenders in combat positions, photographs of civilians living in de-occupied territories or near the front line. As well as military training and combat work of artillery and other weapons. In general, the consequences of Russian aggression, etc.,” says Oleg Palchyk.
Among hundreds of his pictures, it is difficult for Oleg to choose the ones that are most dear to his heart or those that are most imprinted in his memory. However, special for him are the photos of the flames when Russia struck the gas pipeline in Kherson. “It looked very surreal,” recalls the photographer. “Although the explosion was far away, and the flames were very bright. Already on the spot we saw a fire larger than a 5-storey building. The whole city saw this glow. It was both beautiful and scary at the same time.”
Basically, Oleg focuses on people and their stories. One of these is a photo of the commander of the 68th Yeheran Brigade, Valery “Roland” Dorokhov, who was killed along with his brother Oleg Barna during the storming of enemy positions in the Donetsk region. “This story, to put it mildly, knocked me out of the rut. I was shooting Roland. A few hours before his death, we communicated, he made edits to the material. I sent him photos, but he did not have time to read my message,” says Oleg.
Oleg believes that Ukrainian documentary photographers demonstrated a very high level during the full-scale invasion: “It seems to me that they did not even take a step forward, but jumped far above their heads. We have a lot of really professional photographers. I am sure that their documentary photographs will serve as a model in the post-war era!”
Oleg says that with the beginning of the invasion, his photos received more freedom, the frames became freer, because they demonstrate completely different values. “According to my feelings, all the tinsel just disappeared,” says Oleg Palchyk.
Despite the large portfolio, he believes that he has not yet taken his best photo. “But somehow I was asked in the comments to film the Ukrainian parade on Red Square in Moscow. This is the photo I would probably really like to take,” laughs the photographer.
“When it's very scary, you take the camera in your hands, you work and it becomes easier,” says Serhiy Mikhalchuk. Although there are times when it is necessary to hold the machine in your fingers until the blue, otherwise tomorrow will not come, but the camera is still his favorite weapon. He has been inseparable from her since 1979.
“My journey to photography began a long time ago. Someone says that creative personalities do not even live that long. However, photography is a major part of my life, and it is from it that my profession as a cinematographer began,” he says.
Sergey always liked documentary photography because of the nature of the work, the transmission of emotions and the living state of things. He documented the Revolution of Dignity on the Maidan, so he repeatedly filmed in Donetsk region, in particular the events in Slavyansk and Debaltseve. Therefore, he believes that it is quite natural that even during a full-scale invasion, he continues this business.
Serhiy has been a volunteer since March 2022. For the first 16 months, he documented the war in one of the special forces. “These images are unlikely to ever be published. Even after the end of the war, I will speak about these events with great caution, or I will not speak at all,” Serhiy says. Now he serves in another unit at the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Sergey explains his decision to mobilize by the fact that he has no illusions about Russia, with which Ukraine has long been imposed friendship. “I realized that as long as we exist, they will try to destroy us. Perhaps as a civilian photographer I would be more useful, but going to the army is the right moral choice,” Serhiy shares.
He admits that his profession was realized in Russia, where he worked on various projects for almost 15 years starting in 1996. Sergei has more than 40 projects, one of them loudly premiered in the summer of 2023 — the film “Dovbush”. He was a production operator, that is, he was fully responsible for the visual part of the picture. “This film has become so relevant now because the war has escalated. Although it has been going on for 10 years. The fact that we are fighting has become a revelation for many in reality. Now the war has come to almost every home. It's so scary that no one knows if this struggle will end for our generation,” Serhiy shares.
The film has a lot of meanings and ideas. “I want Ukrainians to be proud of their country, proud of their mountains and appreciate the fact that they live on this land,” concludes Serhiy Mykhalchuk, director of the film “Dovbush”.
Despite the fact that the film thundered a few months ago, Sergey has already hidden this creative part of himself somewhat: “I have already assimilated so much in the army in two years that even now I feel more like a soldier than a cameraman. Although I worked with him for more than 30 years and managed to shoot about 40 paintings.”
Serhiy notes that war is always about extremely strong emotions that are too bursting into memory: “Even if they are short-lived, they can become the most basic emotions of your whole life. You will always remember them.”
Now it is difficult for Sergey to highlight or choose key ones among his photos. He says he can't stay away from emotions or from the troops at the moment because he's in a whirlwind of events, but notes that maybe years from now he will have a different view of his documentaries.
“War has become a part of my life. The whole world is also getting used to it, and this is a very worrying trend. You're already starting to feel part of it. That's why we need to keep covering everything. We need to be reminded of the tragedy,” he said.
Sergey says that for him every photo is important: the first photos from Irpen, and pictures from Bakhmut or from any other military operations. “The cameraman is taught to shoot like it's the last frame of your life. Maybe that's how I feel about all my images,” the soldier admits.
For now, his task is to convey the state of affairs and the condition of people at war. Sergey believes that often a person's eyes or movements can be the most eloquent. That is why, as a native of game cinema, he tries to speak the language of symbols and images. Sometimes a photo helps him to remain himself even when it is very scary.
“If they shoot nearby, then you seem to fall into another reality. It works in your mind like a charm. You're just doing your job. Like real warriors, if this is your last moment and you leave with your weapon in your hands. Actually, that's the camera for me.”
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Bildeditor: Vyacheslav Ratynskyi
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
What made photographers join the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine? How has the photo changed, and they themselves, since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine? What did I have to give up and what to get used to? We talk with photographers Valentin Kuzan, Oleg Palchik and Sergey Mikhalchuk.
Valentin Kuzan is a well-known portrait photographer in Ukraine, currently serving as a photojournalist of the public relations service of the 72nd separate mechanized brigade named after the Black Zaporozhtsy.
Valentine's love for photography appeared in adolescence. He begged his father for a camera to capture something for himself. The first combat baptism, that is, commercial filming was a wedding job that had to be shot by a 10th grader with no experience because his father mistakenly booked two events for the same date. “I was very worried at the time. I thought to myself: “God, this is a once-in-a-lifetime wedding for people. What will it be if I do something wrong?“Valentina's father explained that it should be filmed, and what should be done at will. “Those were the times when they were photographed like the groom is holding the bride in the palm of his hand or they are peering through the tree. Mostly near the birch”, — Valentyn recalls those times with a smile.
He met documentary photography in 2014. He was inspired by the works of photographer Alexander Gladielov, who came to Uzhgorod with exhibitions. “It gave me the opportunity to fill photography with a new meaning, - says Valentyn, - and to consider the documentary as a language in which to speak about the important“.
Then Valentin stormed Alexander with questions about how to film the war and how to get there, but then the matter did not progress further: “As long as I remember myself as an adult — I always have children. I have four children and one of them is always small. Therefore, in truth, then the situation was not favorable for long trips to dangerous places“.
He returned to his desire already in 2022, after evacuating his family from Kiev to the West and “the situation has become more or less stable and understandable“. Together with the project Ukraіner, he filmed military near the capital, was involved in a series of works about intellectuals and artists who went to the army. After that, he was invited to document for a week how missile troops work in Donetsk region. “One of the first aid packages has just arrived in Ukraine. It was a weapon similar to Himars, just a manufacturer from another country. This was my first shooting at the front. Even then I learned that this is not allowed to anyone to photograph and so far there is a big problem with admission to this. This is an attractive target for the Russians.” — says Valentyn.
Then several photos, namely portraits, from this series, were published on the page of the then current Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny. “It made me terribly happy. That's how cheerful was my start in military photography!” There is no hiding the joy of the photographer.
After that, there were no more opportunities to fight the war directly, but Valentine took on everything that was somehow connected with it. He began to cooperate with various media: The Ukrainians, Kunsht and Local History.
“Together with The Ukrainians, we filmed two UPA veterans and political prisoners. One was 94 years old and the other was 99. However, four days after the shooting, he should have turned 100. It was in Kolomyia. This uncle commanded a unit of the UPA, which became famous for the fact that in one battle they destroyed about 400 Encavedists. His name is Miroslav Simchych. His son is fighting now. It was a very interesting story. It's about the continuity of generations and the constant enemy“.
After that with Ukrainener he shot the project “Victory Units“about the fighters of the 93rd OMBR “Kholodny Yar” and the 72nd OMB named after Chorny Zaporozhtsy, it was in the last brigade that he found new friends. “Although we were there for about a week, but then I saw how good I felt being there. This work is filled with maximum meaning for me.” In the fall of 2023, Valentin was mobilized in this brigade as a photojournalist.
Since 2016, Valentyn's focus has been portraits of Ukrainian artists and artists for the project “Sultprocess” as an analogue to the portraits of contemporaries of the artist Anatol Petritsky — the generation of the “Shot Renaissance”. During this time, the photographer shot thousands of shots with Ukrainian writers, musicians, artists and other people who shaped our culture during the Independence period. But now he has defenders in his sights.
“It is important for me now to highlight who is protecting us and to work to ensure that the memory of these people in the visual dimension is represented as adequately as possible, as far as I can,” Valentin explains.
He had to refuse to take his favorite photos — black and white portraits. Since after the invasion, such pictures are associated with the death of a person. “Not to frighten anyone. So now I work only in color. It's a crazy challenge for me to work with colors in a portrait.”
Even before mobilization, Valentine invited people to portrait shooting in the studio to meet with himself. People came to look at their photos and at the same time their changes. “In a year of full-scale war, everything was visible on the face. These tons of stress are in their eyes. But it was also noticeable how people still give themselves advice. This path was in the eyes of people,” Valentin explains.
He notes that the military view is different, and it is in this contrast that he decided to mobilize for himself: “Anxiety is a come-no-fly, it is permanent, it is oppressive, and you think all the time that you could do more. And when you are in the army, it is scary, but the anxieties recede - you have already made your choice and are already here.”
Despite the fear he felt himself, he sees peace in the eyes of his fellow officers. “Oddly enough, because people are calm about their choices, and that they may not be ashamed in front of their relatives, descendants or fellow citizens.
A large percentage of the people I meet here are volunteers. They know what they are here for. Their eyes are full of meaning.” Valentin says that he also sees zeal, courage, and a little humor, as well as heaviness and fatigue in the eyes of his brothers: “The looks say: “We have been here for two years, and could someone change us?” In principle, I also reacted to such a phrase when I decided to mobilize,” the photographer admits.
When asked what kind of photograph he would like to take, he replied: “I would like every soldier to have a quality photo portrait. Unfortunately, now in cities and villages we see alleys of dead Heroes, and not everyone has pictures worthy of them and their feat.”
Valentyn added that after the war, he would like every soldier to have his beautiful photo in military uniform, so that in 50-60 years he could look at this photo and realize how important work he was doing in his time.
“It's hard to kill a Ukrainian” — photographer, junior sergeant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleg Palchyk quotes the words of one of the heroes of his numerous photo reports, the combat medic “Lata”. Until 2022, he was a commercial photographer, engaged in subject, portrait and reportage shots. Oleg lived in Kharkiv for many years, and now lives in Kyiv. The war has come to each of the cities he calls his own. That is why, since February 24, 2022, his photos have also changed with him.
On February 24 and 25, 2022, he went to the TCC twice to mobilize for the troops, and then he was not taken without experience. Therefore, Oleg volunteered and continued to look for a way to become useful for the state. So he attached himself to one of the special police units, began to document military actions in the Kiev region. In the end, in May, Oleg managed to officially become part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Since then, he has been documenting the war for TRO Media.
Oleg considers his public relations service unit one of the best in the army. “We are engaged in coverage of historical events, filming documentaries about brigades and about people. We shoot stories, record stories, make photo portraits. Anything that can be covered in media — we do it!” — the soldier shares.
Currently, a photobook is being prepared for printing based on the works of Oleg Palchyk. Also in Ukraine and abroad you can see photo exhibitions with his photos. The photo exhibition “Long into War” is a joint work of two authors: Oleg Palchyk and Colonel Alexei Dmitrashkivskyi. These are two separate projects, “Faces of War” and “On the Other Side of Peace”, which were combined into one joint exhibition. Hundreds of pictures are constantly supplemented with new materials. “This is the Kyiv region after the de-occupation, the Kharkiv region before a large-scale counterattack, and the everyday Donetsk region and Zaporizhzhia. The exposition presents portraits of defenders in combat positions, photographs of civilians living in de-occupied territories or near the front line. As well as military training and combat work of artillery and other weapons. In general, the consequences of Russian aggression, etc.,” says Oleg Palchyk.
Among hundreds of his pictures, it is difficult for Oleg to choose the ones that are most dear to his heart or those that are most imprinted in his memory. However, special for him are the photos of the flames when Russia struck the gas pipeline in Kherson. “It looked very surreal,” recalls the photographer. “Although the explosion was far away, and the flames were very bright. Already on the spot we saw a fire larger than a 5-storey building. The whole city saw this glow. It was both beautiful and scary at the same time.”
Basically, Oleg focuses on people and their stories. One of these is a photo of the commander of the 68th Yeheran Brigade, Valery “Roland” Dorokhov, who was killed along with his brother Oleg Barna during the storming of enemy positions in the Donetsk region. “This story, to put it mildly, knocked me out of the rut. I was shooting Roland. A few hours before his death, we communicated, he made edits to the material. I sent him photos, but he did not have time to read my message,” says Oleg.
Oleg believes that Ukrainian documentary photographers demonstrated a very high level during the full-scale invasion: “It seems to me that they did not even take a step forward, but jumped far above their heads. We have a lot of really professional photographers. I am sure that their documentary photographs will serve as a model in the post-war era!”
Oleg says that with the beginning of the invasion, his photos received more freedom, the frames became freer, because they demonstrate completely different values. “According to my feelings, all the tinsel just disappeared,” says Oleg Palchyk.
Despite the large portfolio, he believes that he has not yet taken his best photo. “But somehow I was asked in the comments to film the Ukrainian parade on Red Square in Moscow. This is the photo I would probably really like to take,” laughs the photographer.
“When it's very scary, you take the camera in your hands, you work and it becomes easier,” says Serhiy Mikhalchuk. Although there are times when it is necessary to hold the machine in your fingers until the blue, otherwise tomorrow will not come, but the camera is still his favorite weapon. He has been inseparable from her since 1979.
“My journey to photography began a long time ago. Someone says that creative personalities do not even live that long. However, photography is a major part of my life, and it is from it that my profession as a cinematographer began,” he says.
Sergey always liked documentary photography because of the nature of the work, the transmission of emotions and the living state of things. He documented the Revolution of Dignity on the Maidan, so he repeatedly filmed in Donetsk region, in particular the events in Slavyansk and Debaltseve. Therefore, he believes that it is quite natural that even during a full-scale invasion, he continues this business.
Serhiy has been a volunteer since March 2022. For the first 16 months, he documented the war in one of the special forces. “These images are unlikely to ever be published. Even after the end of the war, I will speak about these events with great caution, or I will not speak at all,” Serhiy says. Now he serves in another unit at the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Sergey explains his decision to mobilize by the fact that he has no illusions about Russia, with which Ukraine has long been imposed friendship. “I realized that as long as we exist, they will try to destroy us. Perhaps as a civilian photographer I would be more useful, but going to the army is the right moral choice,” Serhiy shares.
He admits that his profession was realized in Russia, where he worked on various projects for almost 15 years starting in 1996. Sergei has more than 40 projects, one of them loudly premiered in the summer of 2023 — the film “Dovbush”. He was a production operator, that is, he was fully responsible for the visual part of the picture. “This film has become so relevant now because the war has escalated. Although it has been going on for 10 years. The fact that we are fighting has become a revelation for many in reality. Now the war has come to almost every home. It's so scary that no one knows if this struggle will end for our generation,” Serhiy shares.
The film has a lot of meanings and ideas. “I want Ukrainians to be proud of their country, proud of their mountains and appreciate the fact that they live on this land,” concludes Serhiy Mykhalchuk, director of the film “Dovbush”.
Despite the fact that the film thundered a few months ago, Sergey has already hidden this creative part of himself somewhat: “I have already assimilated so much in the army in two years that even now I feel more like a soldier than a cameraman. Although I worked with him for more than 30 years and managed to shoot about 40 paintings.”
Serhiy notes that war is always about extremely strong emotions that are too bursting into memory: “Even if they are short-lived, they can become the most basic emotions of your whole life. You will always remember them.”
Now it is difficult for Sergey to highlight or choose key ones among his photos. He says he can't stay away from emotions or from the troops at the moment because he's in a whirlwind of events, but notes that maybe years from now he will have a different view of his documentaries.
“War has become a part of my life. The whole world is also getting used to it, and this is a very worrying trend. You're already starting to feel part of it. That's why we need to keep covering everything. We need to be reminded of the tragedy,” he said.
Sergey says that for him every photo is important: the first photos from Irpen, and pictures from Bakhmut or from any other military operations. “The cameraman is taught to shoot like it's the last frame of your life. Maybe that's how I feel about all my images,” the soldier admits.
For now, his task is to convey the state of affairs and the condition of people at war. Sergey believes that often a person's eyes or movements can be the most eloquent. That is why, as a native of game cinema, he tries to speak the language of symbols and images. Sometimes a photo helps him to remain himself even when it is very scary.
“If they shoot nearby, then you seem to fall into another reality. It works in your mind like a charm. You're just doing your job. Like real warriors, if this is your last moment and you leave with your weapon in your hands. Actually, that's the camera for me.”
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Bildeditor: Vyacheslav Ratynskyi
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar
UAPP is an independent association of professional Ukrainian photographers, designed to protect their interests, support, develop and promote Ukrainian photography as an important element of national culture.
UAPP's activities span educational, social, research and cultural initiatives, as well as book publishing.
UAPP represents Ukrainian professional photography in the international photographic community and is an official member of the Federation of European Photographers (FEP) — an international organization representing more than 50,000 professional photographers in Europe and other countries around the world.
