VOLHA SHUKAILA
Volha Shukaila is a Belarusian photojournalist, photo editor based in Warsaw, Poland. She was born in 1988 in Minsk, Belarus. She began her career as a photojournalist in late 2012.
Volha graduated from Minsk State Technological College with a Degree in Photography, and from Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts with a Degree in Culturology.
Volha had experience of studio, wedding and commercial photography before she started her career in photojournalism. A great influence on her was a course in photojournalism runned by Andrei Polikanov, Yuri Kozyrev, Tatiana Plotnikova and Stanley Greene.
Volha started her career as a photo editor and part-time photojournalist in 2014 at TUT.BY Media – the largest independent on-line media in Belarus. Her favourite topics were working with agencies' archives, creating thematic photo collections, editing of reportages and photostories. She taught photo-editing at the Belarusian State University (Faculty of Advanced Studies and Retraining) from 2019 through 2020. From 2017 until June 2021 Volha worked at TUT.BY as a staff photojournalist. On May 18, 2021 her media was blocked and destroyed by the authorities, 15 of her colleagues were arrested, including CEO, editor-in-chief, journalists and others. Because of safety reasons Volha was forced to leave the country.
Her professional interests are human rights, social issues, women's empowerment, and the environment.
Open for an assignment in Poland and EU.
E-mail: o.shukailo@gmail.com
Telegram: volhashu
Facebook: volha.shukaila
Instagram: volha.shukaila.pro
EDUCATION
2016 – Workshop «Understanding the truth of Conflict Photography. Personal/moral decisions & physical/logistical knowledge on the subject». Christopher Morris, TIME magazine. Minsk, Belarus.
2016 – On-line course «Photo composition». Artem Chernov, Photopolygon.com project
2014 – Workshop «Personal project: photo, multimedia, promotion». Pep Bonet, NOOR. Vilnius, Lithuania.
2014 – Workshop «Create your multimedia project». Andrei Lenkevich. Minsk, Belarus.
2013 – Workshop «Contemporary photography and personal projects». Stanley Greene, NOOR. Vilnius, Lithuania.
2013 – Photo school at Belarus Press Photo Competition «Working on personal projects». Andrei Polikanov, Yuri Kozyrev,Tatiana Plotnikova. Minsk, Belarus.
2011 – Workshop «The way to success. Photo stories. Work with news agencies» - free listener. Sergey Maximishin. Minsk, Belarus.
2010 – 2015 - Balarusian State University of Culture and Arts. Minsk, Belarus.
2005 – 2009 - Minsk State Technological College. Minsk, Belarus.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Freelance photojournalist – from June 2021.
Photojournalist – Belarusian portal TUT.BY from 2014 to 2021.
Photo editor – Belarusian portal TUT.BY from 2014 to 2017.
Assistant of wedding and commercial photographers - from 2010 to 2013.
Photographer, editor, teacher, manager - Photocompany Znyata from 2009 to 2012.
Works published in TUT.BY, IMENA, Le Monde, Der Spiegel, SLEEK magazine and others.
OTHER
Coordinator and participant of the photo exhibitions “SPRAVAZDACHA. Best pictures of TUT.BY photo department” from 2015 until 2019.
Backstage photographer for “HER STORY” documentary project. Macedonia, 2018.
Languages: Belarusian, Russian, English, Polish.
Hobby: solo traveling, rock climbing.