iMPACT DOC

Our thoughts are with Ukraine - yesterday, today and the many fearful times to come, we are afraid 💛💙

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Back in 2018, .keo spent time in Ukraine creating a portrait of the self-proclaimed breakaway state, Donetsk People's Republic – "The first time I visited the region, it was after a conversation with Jérôme Sessini in 2018. I was curious to know what had become of the self-proclaimed state, the Donetsk People's Republic. Led by pro-Russian rebels, it was interesting to see how life was trying to continue despite the war. I was in surreal scenes where I felt like I was in a stage show and in the middle of a commercial; I remember listening to a young girl with a beautiful voice in a school, singing in Russian as a slideshow of a burning house played behind.”⁠
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He continues, “It was one of the most difficult and stressful stories of my life, I crossed the Ukrainian front lines losing a bullet proof vest and a camera, which I recovered much later. I was followed, observed and my translator spoke in a low voice and looked behind him when we discussed sensitive subjects. One evening I was controlled by the secret police on the street as I was walking back to my apartment, they looked at my pictures on my phone and camera. There was a false sense of calm where anything could happen." ⁠
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Photos left to right: ⁠
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(1) Museum of war. Donetsk. Ukraine. 2018. ⁠
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(2) Krasny-Partizan school, 30 km from Donetsk, a child during the anthem of the self-proclaimed state. Krasny-Partizan. Ukraine. 2018. ⁠
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(3, 7) Krasny-Partizan school, 30 km from Donetsk. Krasny-Partizan. Ukraine. 2018. ⁠
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(4) A young girl sings in front of a slide show that tells the story of the war in Ukraine from the beginning. Krasny-Partizan. Ukraine. 2018. ⁠
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(5) Outskirts of the city of Donetsk, destroyed by bombing. Donetsk. Ukraine. 2018. ⁠
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(6) Saur Mogila, national commemoration day of the 1943 victory in Saur Mogila, soldiers prepare to march towards the top of the hill. Saur Mogila. Ukraine. 2018. ⁠
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(8) National commemoration day of the 1943 victory in Saur Mogila. Security service. Saur Mogila. Ukraine. 2018.⁠
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© .keo / Magnum Photos

🌳🚨 Great opportunity alert via NOOR: Final call for Tanzanian and Kenyan photographers to participate in the advanced workshop, free of charge and led by . Link in bio 🔝

Intended for those with prior photojournalism experience and those whose practice already documents the impact of the climate crisis, successful candidates will engage in a 4-day all-expenses-paid workshop in Dar es Salaam and have their work curated into an exhibition.

✍🏻 To apply, you must identify as either Kenyan or Tanzanian, be under the age of 34, be proficient in English and have a photography-based practice. Please also upload a current CV and a selection of 5-20 images that best represent your work.

, 📸 via

🌍🍀💚 Yesterday was earth day. Today is earth day. Everyday should be earth day. Because where are we without the earth? 🌍💚🍀

Congratulations for winning 1st prize in the category ‘Environment’ (singles).

A curious California sea lion swims towards a face mask at the Breakwater dive site in Monterey, California, USA.

California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) are playful animals, native to western North America. With COVID-19 lockdowns in place across California, outdoor and natural beauty spots with plenty of wildlife became a popular focus for local travel. In many countries the wearing of face masks outdoors was obligatory. Similar destinations around the world became littered with abandoned masks. The BBC reported an estimated 129 billion disposable face masks and 65 billion throwaway gloves being used each month through the pandemic. Such personal protective equipment (PPE) can be mistaken for food by birds, fish, marine mammals, and other animals. PPE also contains plastic, and so contributes to the eight million tons of plastic that end up in the oceans every year. According to World Animal Protection, every year an estimated 136,000 seals, sea lions, and whales die from plastic entanglement. Surgical masks break down into millions of microplastic particles over time, which are eaten by fish and other animals, and therefore carry contamination back up the food chain, potentially also affecting humans.