Russian photojournalist Pavel Volkov has launched a new exhibition titled Unpublished Photos at the Balashikha Museum of History and Art in Moscow Oblast. The exhibition presents a wide collection of his documentary and street photography captured across Russia.
Volkov is an experienced documentary photographer who has covered military conflicts in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Donbas region. His work has earned top honours in major competitions, including the Istanbul Photo Awards, Pictures of the Year International, and the Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest.
In an interview with Russian news outlet Lenta.ru, Volkov discussed his career transition and his approach to visual storytelling. He explained that after spending years focusing on social hardship, disability, and conflict, he chose to shift his focus toward urban street photography.
Shift to street photography
Volkov previously focused on heavy social themes, including projects on Paralympic athletes and a series titled Phoenix about burn victims. He also partnered with several charitable foundations that support individuals facing severe life challenges.
However, the photographer noted that he reached a stage where he felt tired of dealing with personal human struggles. He clarified that he was not tired of people themselves, but rather of focusing constantly on their individual trauma and personal histories.
This shift led him to spend substantial time taking photographs on public streets, where subjects temporarily lose their individual identity in his frame. In street scenes, he views people primarily as structural objects within the urban environment.
Volkov admitted that he dislikes the phrase person as an object, but explained that he could not find a more accurate way to describe the visual dynamic.
Documentary work in remote regions
To capture everyday life outside major cities, Volkov planned independent trips to remote Russian regions. His travels took him to Yakutia, the ultra-cold settlement of Oymyakon, the Arctic coal-mining town of Vorkuta, and several other isolated rural areas.
During these trips, Volkov avoided major public events, choosing instead to document routine daily existence. He said he found deep interest in watching residents carry out tasks they have performed day after day for decades.
Drama and photography as self portrait
Volkov stated that every photograph serves as a self portrait of the photographer. He explained that out of millions of potential topics, a photographer inevitably selects scenes that resonate with their personal life experiences and internal understanding.
Drama remains a central focus of Volkov's artistic vision. He emphasized that dramatic narrative and the personal struggles of his subjects give fundamental meaning to his photographs.
While news photojournalism conveys drama through direct visual language, Volkov noted that street photography uses different visual techniques to express anxiety, dramatic tension, and loneliness. He recalled a widely circulated statement he once made asserting that photojournalism is always drama.
He added that documentary photography is naturally inclined toward drama because it works exclusively with reality. According to Volkov, documentary photographers do not invent scenes, but instead select specific fragments of time to preserve permanently.
Technique and learning from mistakes
Addressing the mechanics of photography, Volkov explained that there is no fixed formula for capturing a successful image. Sometimes the process relies on quick reflexes, allowing a photographer to raise the camera in fractions of a second and take several immediate shots.
In other cases, capturing a scene requires predicting how events will unfold. Volkov described waiting in one spot for an hour for light to fall on a specific area or for a pedestrian to pass by, resulting in just one or two shutter clicks.
He also uses a deliberate approach, targeting specific visual elements and carving them out from surrounding urban chaos to achieve a set goal.
Volkov stressed that experience comes primarily from learning from mistakes. He follows a personal rule that he calls the nightstand of unfulfilled stories, mentally filing away failed shots after analyzing what went wrong.
He explained that a photographer must determine whether a failed shot resulted from impatience, lack of observation, limited imagination, or external obstacles. Once analyzed, the failed image is left behind in the imaginary nightstand, preventing the photographer from going crazy by dwelling on unsuccessful work.
Volkov advised photographers not to whine over failed shots, emphasizing that analyzing negative experiences helps photographers improve and avoid repeating errors. He noted that anyone can build experience by going outside with a camera or a modern smartphone, which shoots well enough to produce quality images.
Overcoming cliches and finding everyday beauty
A photographer's output depends heavily on their internal state, mood, fatigue, or energy levels, according to Volkov. He noted that when walking home on complete autopilot, his vision narrows to a basic route between the metro, shop, and home, resulting in no photos.
On other days, he described clinging to every corner like a burr, stopping every 10 metres for 30 minutes to shoot light patterns, urban details, or compelling faces.
Volkov explained that his news background created reflexive habits, such as automatically triggering the shutter when seeing an unusual character. However, he actively forces himself to avoid visual cliches, such as photographing puddle reflections, to ensure continuous photographic diversity.
Comparing photography to fine art, Volkov cited French Impressionist Claude Monet, who painted simple garden flowers at home and created world art by capturing ordinary beauty. Volkov noted that while exclusive news assignments behind closed doors hold unique value, photography also serves to reveal beauty in everyday street scenes.
He recalled recently taking a successful photograph composed entirely of simple metal shields and a wall in a location he had walked past for years without noticing anything. Volkov concluded that people need to stop and look closely at the world to appreciate its quiet, everyday beauty, which does not require fireworks to be meaningful.
