Bogdan Huliai has become a new member of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers. His work goes beyond traditional reportage photography - Bohdan explores deep themes of memory, existence, and personal stories, which he skillfully conveys mostly in film photographs. Some of Huliai's projects require a long time for deeper reflection, and sometimes even re-reading the Bible to find a new perspective on classic stories.
When asked “who do you position yourself as at this moment?” Bohdan Huliay answers that he defines himself as a photographer without narrow limits. “When it comes to photography, I'm a photographer in the broadest sense,” is how he describes his approach to the profession. Bohdan's experience covers a wide variety of genres and tasks: from reportage work for the media to the art of nude photography.
Bohdan does not limit himself to one area, believing that a true photographer should be versatile. He believes that the technical features of the tool dictate the rules of shooting, but the choice of the subject is a matter of personal interest: “If a person is a photographer, he or she doesn't care what to work with. Because the tool defines certain rules, and then it's all about your interest in the subject.”
Bohdan Huliay says that his first acquaintance with photography began in his childhood, and this story has turned into a personal legend that he often tells to people interested in analog photography.
“The inspiration came from an older cousin who had a Shift 8 camera. For me, it was something fantastic - how a person could take a picture and get a ready-made image,” Bohdan recalls. This passion gave rise to a desire to have a camera of his own, but at the time the family could not afford to buy one right away.
It was only when Bohdan was 12 that his parents were able to give him a camera with a scale focusing system. “You had to focus on the pictures: one person up to the chest, two people in the frame, or a group of three,” Bohdan shares his memories. He was actively taking pictures, developing film in a dark room, and was fascinated by the magic of the process: “I remembered those moments when images gradually appeared in the bath for the rest of my life.”
Like many children, after a while Bohdan cooled off from his hobby. But as an adult, he returned to photography. He started with a simple “soapbox”, taking pictures of everyday things: “My beloved girl is holding the sun on the seashore”, “My friends and I are on vacation”, but he felt that it was still not something that really inspired him. “I was not satisfied with what I was seeing. I bought a better camera and tried to shoot for color, and things started to change,” he says.
A funny incident helped him find his inspiration. One day Bohdan returned home and found his old camera, but it turned out that his parents had started using the bathtubs in which he used to develop photos as drinking bowls for rabbits. “I had to buy new tubs and prepare everything for developing film,” Bohdan laughs, ”and it was then that I realized I was back where I was really interested, and that's what inspires me.
Bohdan Huliay does not consider photography to be his life's work. For him, it is rather a tool of self-discovery that helps in personal development and the search for freedom. “Life's work is about self-development, understanding yourself and your place,” he explains. Photography is a pleasant activity that supports these processes.
Like many Ukrainian amateur photographers of the past, Bohdan combined photography with his main job. At the time, he worked for a local media outlet.
Working as a journalist became a way for him to combine text and photography. “The editorial office was saving money: I wrote articles and took photos at the same time, receiving one salary for two jobs,” he recalls. This approach allowed him to enjoy the creative process and at the same time get his hands dirty in photography. While taking digital photos for the editorial office, Bohdan worked with film for his own pleasure. “I also read books, was interested in military and street photography, etc. At that time, it was a rather expensive hobby - film was not cheap,” the photographer recalls.
For more than 15 years of photography, Bohdan has managed to realize many of his creative ideas. One of them is the “Scratchy Days” project, which demonstrates a deep, personal look at the photographer's experiences. Bohdan says that for him, this work is a collection of images that reflect his internal emotional states at different moments. “From naked women to dead mice, everything I felt and saw is reflected in this work,” he says. This series shows how photography can be a means of self-reflection. Bohdan considers it one of the most coherent and consistent works of his body of work.
With the start of the full-scale invasion, Bohdan Hulyai faced deep internal questions about the role of his photography in the war. He says he was prepared for the invasion: “I packed up all my valuable things - cameras, negatives, prints - and transported them to Lviv.” However, the photographer did not immediately return to filming: "I did not see the point of shooting the war myself. There are many professional photojournalists who do it better.” At that time, instead of photography, Bohdan decided to devote himself to volunteer work. For a while, he worked in a restaurant cooking for the Armed Forces of Ukraine: “I helped to pack, transport, unload - just did what was needed.”
But at the end of March 2022, the photographer felt that he wanted to shoot again: “After a few months, my hands were literally itching. It became clear to me that I needed to get back to filming, although I didn't know what I was going to shoot right away.”
Bohdan didn't try to compete with reportage photographers, he didn't want to record the war with a classical approach. His view was more personal - he took pictures that reflected his own perception of events: “For me, photography became not so much a tool of documentation as a way of self-expression and reflection.”
This is how the Memory of War project was born. According to Bohdan, the photo series is not a classic reportage, but rather an attempt to convey the personal experience of people who survived the war without taking part in hostilities but felt its consequences.
“There are many reporters who have devoted their lives to photojournalism. I decided to shoot what I can convey better-the experience of people who stayed behind after the front moved on,” says the photographer.
The project took place in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions, in the regions affected by the Russian invasion. This project reflects the feeling and perception of war as a moment that leaves its mark on everyone. This series has become especially personal for Bohdan because his mother survived the occupation in these regions and his friends were under siege. “A lot of people work with the phenomenon of memory, but I think there are few such consistent and deep projects. Of course, others have to evaluate this, but I think my project belongs to them,” he notes.
Bohdan emphasizes that his approach to photography differs from popular conceptual trends. “The more conceptual photography appears, the less I want to do it,” he says. Instead, he is interested in capturing everyday moments: “I want to capture life as it is and show what it looks like at a certain moment in time, from a certain angle.”
The photographer admits that this approach is not commercially viable: “These works are not for sale. Of course, beautiful photographs can be sold, but this is not.” However, for him, the inner content and the process of creation are more important than commercial success: “I do it just because I like it.”
Nowadays, Bohdan Huliay focuses on large-scale long-term series, where shooting lasts for years. “I joke that if a series lasts less than four years, it will be superficial,” the photographer laughs. He shared that he is currently continuing to work on a project he started in 2020. This project requires him to carefully study religious themes: “To realize the idea, I have to read the entire Bible. The last time I read only the New Testament was many years ago.”
Bohdan's new project is about rethinking biblical themes through the prism of female characters. The photographer says that this project has no name yet and is still under development: “If the project is not completed, it is difficult to talk about it. The main idea is to move away from the patriarchal tradition and make women the central figure.”
For those who want to try their hand at photography, Bohdan advises first of all to develop curiosity and openness to the world. “The world is huge and incredibly interesting. No screenwriter can imagine what can happen to you on the way to the Nova Poshta branch. The photographer recommends always having a camera with you and not hesitating to take pictures of even seemingly insignificant moments: “Take a picture of something that seems uninteresting, and then you'll find out that you've caught something important.” He also warns beginners who decide to take up analog photography with a smile: “Be careful with film! It drags you down and drains your budget, and it will be impossible to break away from it.”
Bohdan Huliay lives and works in Kyiv and has been engaged in artistic photography since 2010. He is a member of the Ukrainian Photographic Alternative and the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers. His favorite tool is a film camera, and most of his works are printed in classic analog techniques, such as silver-gelatin printing, litho printing, and hand coloring. Guliai's main themes are memory, physicality, sexuality, and the impact of war on Ukrainian society. He studies how physical and symbolic elements influence the perception of history and emotions. Especially important for the artist is the production of art books by hand, where each copy becomes a unique art object. Bohdan's works have been exhibited in Ukraine and abroad - in the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Spain, Lithuania, Sweden, and other countries.
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Editor-in-chief: Viacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary editor: Yulia Futey
Website manager: Vladyslav Kukhar
Bogdan Huliai has become a new member of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers. His work goes beyond traditional reportage photography - Bohdan explores deep themes of memory, existence, and personal stories, which he skillfully conveys mostly in film photographs. Some of Huliai's projects require a long time for deeper reflection, and sometimes even re-reading the Bible to find a new perspective on classic stories.
When asked “who do you position yourself as at this moment?” Bohdan Huliay answers that he defines himself as a photographer without narrow limits. “When it comes to photography, I'm a photographer in the broadest sense,” is how he describes his approach to the profession. Bohdan's experience covers a wide variety of genres and tasks: from reportage work for the media to the art of nude photography.
Bohdan does not limit himself to one area, believing that a true photographer should be versatile. He believes that the technical features of the tool dictate the rules of shooting, but the choice of the subject is a matter of personal interest: “If a person is a photographer, he or she doesn't care what to work with. Because the tool defines certain rules, and then it's all about your interest in the subject.”
Bohdan Huliay says that his first acquaintance with photography began in his childhood, and this story has turned into a personal legend that he often tells to people interested in analog photography.
“The inspiration came from an older cousin who had a Shift 8 camera. For me, it was something fantastic - how a person could take a picture and get a ready-made image,” Bohdan recalls. This passion gave rise to a desire to have a camera of his own, but at the time the family could not afford to buy one right away.
It was only when Bohdan was 12 that his parents were able to give him a camera with a scale focusing system. “You had to focus on the pictures: one person up to the chest, two people in the frame, or a group of three,” Bohdan shares his memories. He was actively taking pictures, developing film in a dark room, and was fascinated by the magic of the process: “I remembered those moments when images gradually appeared in the bath for the rest of my life.”
Like many children, after a while Bohdan cooled off from his hobby. But as an adult, he returned to photography. He started with a simple “soapbox”, taking pictures of everyday things: “My beloved girl is holding the sun on the seashore”, “My friends and I are on vacation”, but he felt that it was still not something that really inspired him. “I was not satisfied with what I was seeing. I bought a better camera and tried to shoot for color, and things started to change,” he says.
A funny incident helped him find his inspiration. One day Bohdan returned home and found his old camera, but it turned out that his parents had started using the bathtubs in which he used to develop photos as drinking bowls for rabbits. “I had to buy new tubs and prepare everything for developing film,” Bohdan laughs, ”and it was then that I realized I was back where I was really interested, and that's what inspires me.
Bohdan Huliay does not consider photography to be his life's work. For him, it is rather a tool of self-discovery that helps in personal development and the search for freedom. “Life's work is about self-development, understanding yourself and your place,” he explains. Photography is a pleasant activity that supports these processes.
Like many Ukrainian amateur photographers of the past, Bohdan combined photography with his main job. At the time, he worked for a local media outlet.
Working as a journalist became a way for him to combine text and photography. “The editorial office was saving money: I wrote articles and took photos at the same time, receiving one salary for two jobs,” he recalls. This approach allowed him to enjoy the creative process and at the same time get his hands dirty in photography. While taking digital photos for the editorial office, Bohdan worked with film for his own pleasure. “I also read books, was interested in military and street photography, etc. At that time, it was a rather expensive hobby - film was not cheap,” the photographer recalls.
For more than 15 years of photography, Bohdan has managed to realize many of his creative ideas. One of them is the “Scratchy Days” project, which demonstrates a deep, personal look at the photographer's experiences. Bohdan says that for him, this work is a collection of images that reflect his internal emotional states at different moments. “From naked women to dead mice, everything I felt and saw is reflected in this work,” he says. This series shows how photography can be a means of self-reflection. Bohdan considers it one of the most coherent and consistent works of his body of work.
With the start of the full-scale invasion, Bohdan Hulyai faced deep internal questions about the role of his photography in the war. He says he was prepared for the invasion: “I packed up all my valuable things - cameras, negatives, prints - and transported them to Lviv.” However, the photographer did not immediately return to filming: "I did not see the point of shooting the war myself. There are many professional photojournalists who do it better.” At that time, instead of photography, Bohdan decided to devote himself to volunteer work. For a while, he worked in a restaurant cooking for the Armed Forces of Ukraine: “I helped to pack, transport, unload - just did what was needed.”
But at the end of March 2022, the photographer felt that he wanted to shoot again: “After a few months, my hands were literally itching. It became clear to me that I needed to get back to filming, although I didn't know what I was going to shoot right away.”
Bohdan didn't try to compete with reportage photographers, he didn't want to record the war with a classical approach. His view was more personal - he took pictures that reflected his own perception of events: “For me, photography became not so much a tool of documentation as a way of self-expression and reflection.”
This is how the Memory of War project was born. According to Bohdan, the photo series is not a classic reportage, but rather an attempt to convey the personal experience of people who survived the war without taking part in hostilities but felt its consequences.
“There are many reporters who have devoted their lives to photojournalism. I decided to shoot what I can convey better-the experience of people who stayed behind after the front moved on,” says the photographer.
The project took place in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions, in the regions affected by the Russian invasion. This project reflects the feeling and perception of war as a moment that leaves its mark on everyone. This series has become especially personal for Bohdan because his mother survived the occupation in these regions and his friends were under siege. “A lot of people work with the phenomenon of memory, but I think there are few such consistent and deep projects. Of course, others have to evaluate this, but I think my project belongs to them,” he notes.
Bohdan emphasizes that his approach to photography differs from popular conceptual trends. “The more conceptual photography appears, the less I want to do it,” he says. Instead, he is interested in capturing everyday moments: “I want to capture life as it is and show what it looks like at a certain moment in time, from a certain angle.”
The photographer admits that this approach is not commercially viable: “These works are not for sale. Of course, beautiful photographs can be sold, but this is not.” However, for him, the inner content and the process of creation are more important than commercial success: “I do it just because I like it.”
Nowadays, Bohdan Huliay focuses on large-scale long-term series, where shooting lasts for years. “I joke that if a series lasts less than four years, it will be superficial,” the photographer laughs. He shared that he is currently continuing to work on a project he started in 2020. This project requires him to carefully study religious themes: “To realize the idea, I have to read the entire Bible. The last time I read only the New Testament was many years ago.”
Bohdan's new project is about rethinking biblical themes through the prism of female characters. The photographer says that this project has no name yet and is still under development: “If the project is not completed, it is difficult to talk about it. The main idea is to move away from the patriarchal tradition and make women the central figure.”
For those who want to try their hand at photography, Bohdan advises first of all to develop curiosity and openness to the world. “The world is huge and incredibly interesting. No screenwriter can imagine what can happen to you on the way to the Nova Poshta branch. The photographer recommends always having a camera with you and not hesitating to take pictures of even seemingly insignificant moments: “Take a picture of something that seems uninteresting, and then you'll find out that you've caught something important.” He also warns beginners who decide to take up analog photography with a smile: “Be careful with film! It drags you down and drains your budget, and it will be impossible to break away from it.”
Bohdan Huliay lives and works in Kyiv and has been engaged in artistic photography since 2010. He is a member of the Ukrainian Photographic Alternative and the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers. His favorite tool is a film camera, and most of his works are printed in classic analog techniques, such as silver-gelatin printing, litho printing, and hand coloring. Guliai's main themes are memory, physicality, sexuality, and the impact of war on Ukrainian society. He studies how physical and symbolic elements influence the perception of history and emotions. Especially important for the artist is the production of art books by hand, where each copy becomes a unique art object. Bohdan's works have been exhibited in Ukraine and abroad - in the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Spain, Lithuania, Sweden, and other countries.
The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Editor-in-chief: Viacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary editor: Yulia Futey
Website manager: Vladyslav Kukhar
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.
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