We invite you to a one-day workshop inspired by the Ukrainian documentary film photography project Plus Plus, which uses double exposures to explore the intersection of military and civilian realities in Ukraine.
The workshop will begin with two online lectures by the project’s authors, Leeza Svyrydenko and Yehor Samofal.
Following that, filmmaker and workshop curator Kseniia Opria will take students out onto the streets to put theory into practice. Kseniia is making a documentary about Plus Plus, and will give expert guidance as the group creates a collective photographic project of 36 frames.
Leeza Svyrydenko is a Ukrainian director and cultural figure who made her feature-length documentary debut in 2026 with Eternal Sun. She co-created Plus Plus, a documentary film photography project with Yehor Samofal.
Yehor Samofal is a Ukrainian volunteer serviceman, military interpreter, and film photography enthusiast from Kryvyi Rih, the “Ukrainian Detroit,” where he was raised in a family of miners. After earning a Master of Law degree, he took an unconventional path into film photography, beginning with a Soviet-made Leica two years ago. Since then, he has shot around 100 rolls and built a collection of 22 film cameras. Against the backdrop of war, photography has allowed Yehor to capture moments of beauty, including double exposures created through film swaps with Liza that blend his experiences at war with relatively peaceful life in Kyiv. He later raffled his camera collection to raise funds for military equipment and has since begun building a new collection from scratch.
The event is made possible with support from CEC ArtsLink. Kseniia Opria is a 2026 ArtsLink Fellow, hosted by DCTV in New York, NY. ArtsLink Fellowships is a CEC ArtsLink program fostering transnational arts and social practice across the US and internationally. Kseniia Opria's ArtsLink Fellowship is funded by Razom for Ukraine.
Materials: All you have to bring is yourself!
Topics:
- Documentary Photography Practices
- Finding and Developing Ideas
- Choosing Cameras and Lenses
- Film Stocks and Their Characteristics
- Technical Foundations of Film Photography
- What Makes a Successful Photograph
