Ksenia Kuleshova

"For me, the starting point in every project is my curiosity and my questions about a particular situation, story or event," says Canon Ambassador Ksenia Kuleshova. "By working on these stories, I get answers and understand more about the people I photograph. I hope I can give them as much as they give to me. It's always an exchange of energy, stories and experience, and a process of growing together."

Ksenia's positive and sensitive approach, together with her determination to follow a story and her innate visual ability, has made her one of the most prominent documentary photographers of her generation.

During her time as a student, Ksenia not only built a freelance professional career but also began two major personal projects. The first was a series on Abkhazia, an unrecognised state in the South Caucasus that suffered significant damage during the Georgian-Abkhazian war in the early 1990s, and is still considered by most countries to be part of Georgia. These photographs document the lives and traditions of ordinary Abkhazians, capturing significant moments, such as religious ceremonies and sporting events, but also recording everyday scenes, such as the popular beachfront promenade – a favourite spot for people-watchers.

"Abkhazia is a conflict area," says Ksenia, "but I'd heard a lot about it from my parents, who spent vacations there, so I also knew it was a very beautiful region. I had many questions about it. I read about its history and found its name means 'country of the soul', so I wanted to find this soul. I first went there in 2015, fell in love with the place and have been there every summer since."

Running concurrently with her Abkhazia project is a separate series, Ordinary People, which documents the daily lives of LGBTQ+ people in Russia, where laws passed in recent years have strengthened the restrictions on the freedom of expression around LGBTQ+ issues. The 2020 amendments to the Russian Constitution continue to outlaw same-sex marriage, among other changes.

The series began when Ksenia met a gay couple from St Petersburg in Copenhagen Airport. "I later found them on Instagram and saw they were an openly gay Russian couple," she continues. "I had lots of questions about gay people living in Russia so I thought I should start the project." She has since photographed a number of people from Russia's LGBTQ+ community, often in their homes and focusing on their everyday lives.

"I want to advocate tolerance and understanding through the stories I photograph," she says. "I'm a realist about photography; I don't think it can change your life completely. However, if I find answers to my questions, help others find the same answers and raise awareness about a situation, I will have achieved my aim."

What did you learn from studying photography at university?
"It gave me time to learn more about myself and the opportunity to begin my Abkhazia project, which was the first time I found myself as a photographer. I learned I had to believe in myself and that it doesn't matter what people tell me, I have to follow my intuition."

How do you approach your projects?
"I aim to bring out the positive in every situation. I see that as my mission, as a photographer and also for me as a person. When we look around there are so many crazy and sad things in the world. If only we could concentrate on the positive it would be better for us all. I can't say I'm 100% optimistic, I'm more a realist, but with a positive viewpoint."

Your Ordinary People images often show LGBTQ+ people in intimate situations – how did you get people to trust you?
"Before I started to take pictures, we spent a lot of time together, got to know each other and had so much fun. They also knew I had a sincere interest in the topic and wanted to know more about it. When people understand you're genuinely interested in them and you're not doing this work for fame or other reasons, they trust you to tell their story."

How much equipment do you use when shooting your documentary work?
"On my personal projects, I usually work with one Canon body [a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV] and one Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM lens. I usually photograph with natural light and don't normally take a tripod as it's too much to carry."

What do you like about shooting long-term projects?
"I really enjoy taking time to develop my relationships with my subjects, who I call my 'heroes'. I know what I ultimately want to do, but I leave space for surprises. I never know what will come up and that's what makes it exciting."

"The most important thing about being a documentary photographer is to follow your intuition and do what you think is right, not what you think you need to do to make a story successful. Of course, it's important to have a general plan, but documentary photographers should be open to new experiences. If something doesn't go right you can always change the direction. So be curious, be open to surprises and be ready to change plans as a story develops."

Instagram: @ksukuleshova

Twitter: @KseniaKuleshova

Website: www.kuleshova.de