"I asked my sister to print photos from my account and send them to me in the colony." Larysa Shchyrakova talks about ethno-style photo shoots

— Larysa, please tell us, how did your fascination with ethnography begin?

— My fascination with ethnography and folklore began in 1994. As a student of the History Department at Gomel University, I joined the youth public local history organization "Talaka" and became interested in Belarusian folk culture, our tradition.

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Larysa Shchyrakova. Photo from Larysa Shchyrakova's archive

— As a member of this organization, I went on ethnographic expeditions around the Gomel region, collected materials, saw woven and embroidered artifacts, and delved into the culture of the region. I was madly captivated by all of this back then. And I started collecting woven and embroidered towels, old textiles, linen, and cotton clothing.

— How was your collection formed?

— The collection was formed in various ways — I received some items as gifts during expeditions, and I acquired others.

One of the ways to replenish my collection was the Gomel flea market — authentic towels, bedspreads, and clothing could also be found there.

— Do you have a favorite region in Belarus?

— Yes, it's Gomel region — my ancestors came from there, I lived in this region, went on expeditions, and researched this particular area. I love the village of Nehliubka in Vetka district. A rich weaving tradition has been preserved there, included in the List of Intangible Historical and Cultural Values. And I also like Kalinkavichy district — I admire its traditional costumes; I consider them the most beautiful in the Gomel region.

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Photo from Larysa Shchyrakova's archive

— You organized ethno photo shoots in Homel, and now you continue this practice in Białystok. How did you get into photography?

— I've been passionate about photography since childhood. When I was twelve years old, my parents gave me one of the most expensive Soviet cameras — a "Zenit."

My dad used to take pictures with a "Smena," but I already had such an expensive and complex camera. I took photos, then developed and printed them myself.

Then I didn't exactly lose interest, but I stopped photographing. I returned to photography again when I started collaborating with "Belsat." That's when all my photo and video skills became more relevant.

Thanks to my extensive experience, I have an understanding of composition, poses, depth of field, shots, and everything else. But I also understand that art photography, portrait photography, has its own peculiarities. It's not that simple to take truly artistic shots, so despite my experience in photography, I constantly strive to develop.

— How did the idea of doing ethno photo shoots come about?

— My first attempts at ethno photo shoots were back in 2019. Back then, I was just starting, did a couple of photo sessions, and then stopped — I probably lacked inspiration. The second attempt, which was more successful, was in the second half of 2022, when I was out of work because the media resources I collaborated with were recognized as "extremist." For safety reasons, I decided not to continue the cooperation. Then the question arose as to what I should do. And I thought: I have a large, good collection of authentic Belarusian clothing, towels, I have knowledge in the field of photography, and a lot of free time — I should do ethno photo shoots.

And I very quickly began to implement this idea: I registered as an entrepreneur, created an Instagram profile "Ethno Photo Shoots Gomel," and began actively advertising, inviting people.

— Were you able to interest Belarusians in your creative project?

— I think I was quite naive at first. I was passionate about this project because it's about our own — native, Belarusian.

It seemed to me that it was enough to dress a person in an authentic Belarusian shirt — and it was already incredibly beautiful.

But it turned out to be not easy to interest people — not my acquaintances or fellow enthusiasts of Belarusian culture like myself, but wider circles.

I had to work hard on the material basis before real interest in my ethno photo shoots appeared.

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Photo from Larysa Shchyrakova's archive

— What makes your photo shoots distinctive?

— The distinctive feature of my photo shoots is that I use authentic clothing. This means that the items in which I dress the participants of the photo shoots are 80-100 years old. And it's visible in the photos that these are not "newly made." Primarily, my collection includes costumes from Kalinkavichy and Vetka districts. There are also some from other places, but literally in single copies.

— Did you manage to promote the ethno photo project in Poland?

— Frankly, right now I don't have many people eager to participate in ethno photo shoots. I understand that there are reasons why it's not easy to revive the project — for example, I was convinced that I had a popular Instagram account as a tool for promoting services, and that it was still like it was in 2022. Back then, it worked well for me, bringing in clients. But when I resumed the project and started posting photos, I quickly realized that Instagram was no longer the same.

Now I've discovered Threads, and the situation there is a bit better. Threads, in terms of likes and subscribers, reminds me of 2022, so I don't lose hope and believe that I will succeed. I am currently in the process of promoting this endeavor.

— How can one book your photo shoots?

— You need to write to me on Threads or Facebook or Instagram. Larysa Shchyrakova. We'll arrange a time and do a photo shoot.

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Photo from Larysa Shchyrakova's archive

— Where and how do your photo shoots take place in Poland?

— I photograph in Białystok and its surroundings. The person comes to my house, changes into a costume. Then there are two options: a studio photo shoot or an outdoor photo shoot.

Studio shots are taken against a background of woven bedspreads, towels, and carpets. There is also one location that I really like — the Podlachian Museum of Folk Culture, which is located not far from Białystok.

There are peasant houses there, it's a wonderful place where you can take photos in traditional costumes. Traditional clothing looks very organic there. How the national costume looks against the background of gray unplaned logs is what I like most of all.

— Larysa, you are a former political prisoner, please share, did you have the opportunity to engage in creativity behind bars? Did you manage not to lose yourself and your love for ethnography in difficult conditions?

— Creativity? Well, of course, there could be no creativity there. But behind bars, everyone knew that I was fascinated by ethnography and did ethno photo shoots. I asked my sister to print photos from my account and send them to me.

In prison, I had a very, very large stack — about forty photographs of my works. And as soon as a new person appeared in the detachment with whom I communicated well, I showed my works and tried to tell them about costumes, towels, our culture, and tradition.

So, yes, I had a peculiar mission behind bars to preserve Belarusian tradition.

— In your opinion, how can the development of traditional culture in Belarus be promoted?

— Traditional Belarusian culture has very great potential, which, in my opinion, should be used. For example, one can engage in weaving in the Vetka Museum, in Homel, in Nehliubka. But the weaving tradition needs to be expanded not only through museums — I mean rituals, crafts, and ethnography in the broadest sense. All of this is very important, and it needs to be supported and popularized.

I recently read an article about how regions bordering Ukraine have suffered greatly in terms of tourism. The state compensates, supports, and encourages people to still go there and support local tourism.

I believe that traditional culture is closely linked to tourism, which needs to be developed in Belarus.

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— What other projects do you plan to implement?

— I want tradition to be integrated into modern life.

Naturally, people won't wear traditional costumes every day. But it's worth using as many elements as possible — patterns, ornaments — in modern design, so that tradition lives on, not remaining exclusively museum-based, documentary. For me, it's important that tradition continues to exist alongside us. That's why I strive to develop in this direction.

For example, I had a Nehliubka shirt in very poor condition. I cut off its sleeves — completely woven, red. I also have various towels, mostly embroidered. I laid out these sleeves, put one towel, then a second, a third, and asked ChatGPT to create dress sketches. And the results were very interesting. This truly stimulates creativity.

I want to photograph my entire collection: lace, patterns, clothing — absolutely everything. And offer it to people so they can use these motifs in accessories and clothing.

— What is Belarus to you today?

— Today, Belarus is an unattainable dream for me. I cannot, but I really want to return home. I live not far from the border, fifty kilometers away. I look at this border and wait for only one thing — when it will be possible to come back. I want to live at home and also die at home.

You can sign up for an ethno photo shoot and get acquainted with Larysa's work via this link.

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