VOLHA SHUKAILA

Volha Shukaila is a Belarusian photographer, photojournalist, and photo editor based in Warsaw, Poland. She was born in Minsk, Belarus, in 1988, and started her career as a photojournalist at the end of 2012.

 

She graduated from the Minsk State Technological College with a degree in photography and from the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts with a degree in culturology.

 

At the beginning of her career, Volha assisted wedding and commercial photographers and ran workshops on the basics of studio photography. She has been curating photos for personal and group exhibitions, as well as taking part in the organization process. From 2019 to 2020, she was a guest lecturer on photo editing at the Belarusian State University (Faculty of Advanced Studies and Retraining).

 

Volha began her career at TUT.BY Media, the largest independent online media in Belarus, in 2014 as a photo editor and part-time photo reporter. From 2017 to June 2021, she worked as a staff photo reporter at TUT.BY, covering events both in Belarus and abroad. On May 18, 2021, the authorities blocked and destroyed TUT.BY, and 15 of her colleagues, including the CEO, editor-in-chief, and journalists, were arrested. For safety reasons, Volha was forced to leave the country.

 

In Poland, Volha's primary focus is now on commercial photography, specializing in portraits, events, business breakfasts, conferences, and other types of shoots for private clients, businesses, and NGOs. She also continues to collaborate with media and an international photo agency, with professional interests that include migration, human rights, social issues, and women's empowerment.

 

Volha is open to working and collaboration opportunities in Poland and the EU.

 

E-mail: o.shukailo@gmail.com

Telegram: volhashu
Facebook: volha.shukaila

Instagram: volha.shukaila.pro

 

 

PUBLICATIONS

TUT.BY, Le Monde, Der Spiegel, Stern, National Geographic Poland, Vanity Fair, SLEEK Magazine, and others.

 

LANGUAGES
Belarusian, English, Polish, Russian

 

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2023 – Screening during the annual conference “War, Dictatorship and Human Rights”, Tallinn, Estonia
2022 – Group exhibition "Belarus. Signs" at Haus der Statistik, Berlin, Germany
2022 – Online group exhibition "Heroes of Dark Times" by European Economic and Social Committee
2022 – Online panel discussion "Journalism Under Siege" by SDN / ZEKA Magazine
2022 – Group exhibition* in Chicago, USA
2021 – Group exhibition "War, Revolution, Protest Through a Female Lens" at Dom Norymberski, Krakow, Poland
2021 – Group exhibition* in Paris, France
2021 – Group exhibition* in Copenhagen, Denmark
2021 – Group exhibition* in Berlin, Germany
2021 – Group exhibition* in Łódź, Poland
2021 – Outdoor photo projection "The Future of Belarus, Fueled by Women" at MO Museum, Vilnius, Lithuania
2020 – Group print and virtual exhibition "The Future of Belarus, Fueled by Women" at Fotografiska Tallinn, Estonia
2020 – Group exhibition "Beijing in the Eyes of Photographers from Belarus" at Dong Yue Art Museum, Beijing, China
2015–2019 – Group exhibitions "SPRAVAZDACHA: Best Pictures of TUT.BY Photo Department" (manager, curator, and participant)
* – Details available upon request

 

WORK EXPERIENCE

2024 – Curated and selected photos for Sergei Gapon's personal exhibition 'Melting Horizons: A Journey through Changing Scandinavia' at Copenhagen City Hall as part of the Copenhagen Photo Festival
2024 – Mentor for ProWomen.by and private clients
Since May 2022 – Contributor photographer for SOPA Images International Press Photo Agency
2022–2023 – Content photo and text editor, assistant community manager at Press-Club Belarus / Belarus in Focus Foundation
Since June 2021 – Freelance photographer for media, businesses, and NGOs
2020–2021 – Press photographer at BELAPAN News Agency
2019–2020 – Guest lecturer in photo editing at Belarusian State University (Faculty of Advanced Studies and Retraining)
2018 – Backstage photographer for “HER STORY” documentary video project in Ohrid Region, North Macedonia
2014–2021 – Press photographer and photo editor at TUT.BY Media
2010–2013 – Assistant to wedding and commercial photographers
2011–2012 – Trainer of workshop series "Where Does a Studio Begin?"
2009–2012 – Photographer, content editor and studio manager at Photo Company Znyata

 

KEY EDUCATION PROGRAMS

2024 – Mentoring program "Boost School" by ProWomen.by
2022 – Online course "Creating Visual Content for Instagram" by Veronika Geidarova
2021 – Workshop "Video Journalism" by ECPMF
2020 – Online course at Zero Waste & Sustainability School
2016 – Workshop "Understanding the Truth of Conflict Photography: Personal/Moral Decisions & Physical/Logistical Knowledge" by Christopher Morris (TIME Magazine), Minsk, Belarus
2016 – Online course "Photo Composition" by Artem Chernov (Photopolygon.com Project)
2014 – Workshop "Personal Project: Photo, Multimedia, Promotion" by Pep Bonet (NOOR), Vilnius, Lithuania
2014 – Workshop "Create Your Multimedia Project" by Andrei Lenkevich, Minsk, Belarus
2013 – Workshop "Contemporary Photography and Personal Projects" by Stanley Greene (NOOR), Vilnius, Lithuania
2013 – Photo School at Belarus Press Photo Competition "Working on Personal Projects" by Andrei Polikanov, Yuri Kozyrev, Tatiana Plotnikova, Minsk, Belarus
2011 – Workshop "The Way to Success: Photo Stories and Working with News Agencies" (free listener) by Sergey Maximishin, Minsk, Belarus
2010–2015 – Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts, Minsk, Belarus
2005–2009 – Minsk State Technological College, Minsk, Belarus