Vasily Fedosenko

Politics, general news and sports. Sometimes I shoot conflicts in former Soviet Republics or other regions.

When I was young, I liked to watch my brother printing black pictures in our home. I remember all the preparations – closing all the windows, preparing treating solutions and equipment – and then finally seeing the photos in the developer. That’s my earliest memory of photography.

I learnt how to take photographs first from my brother. Then I learnt formally at university, before I finished my studies in construction.

When I served in the army after university, I met a military correspondent and worked with him as a stringer for a local newspaper. That got me started.

I used to go everywhere with a camera – school, university, the army.

My first assignment was on the border of Chechnya, when I covered a camp with Chechen refugees. It was difficult to see a lot of displaced women and children in tents in January.

The assignment that left the biggest mark on me was covering events in Kiev and Ukraine in 2014. It is impossible to understand why people kill each other.

I would like as many people as possible around the world to see my photos, or the accompanying story. Something usual in my country can be very unusual somewhere else. So when I shoot I keep that in mind.

If I were giving advice to photojournalists starting out in the business now, I would say to keep a small camera with you at all times; also listen to the news and be ready to react if something happens. Photographers often need to change their plans quickly.

What does the future hold for photojournalism? Newspapers and on-line publishers will always need high-quality photos. They can take the first photo of a breaking story from anyone, but only professionals can cover a story in detail.

The person I respect the most is my colleague Yannis Behrakis. That’s because of his outstanding performance in a variety of often extreme conditions to take photos and tell stories.