Polaroid Diaries: Kyiv (Kiev)

As you probably remember, I traveled to Scotland only to find out that my Onestep+ was defective. I had to return the camera and get a new one. That said, for my upcoming journey to Kyiv, I’d have to deal with a new camera. Insecurity struck me in the airplane: what if the new camera was also not working? Could I work on Polaroid Diaries: Kyiv (Kiev), or would I have a hard time again? Nonetheless, I was looking very much forward to shooting polaroids in the capital of Ukraine.

I got the camera one day before departure and, therefore, I didn’t have enough time to test it. When I arrived in Kyiv, I took an Uber from the airport, and on the way, I loaded the first film. I thought of taking a polaroid out of the window, but then I skipped the idea: it might be too blurry. I knew I had to wait. Unfortunately, I arrived late at my accommodation in Kyiv, and the sun has already disappeared.

The next morning I took my Polaroid Onestep+ with me, and I started taking photos. And it worked! The photos were great, and the colors looked fine. I kept walking around the streets of Kyiv, and I started collecting instant moments. After having a hard time in Scotland, I thought of shooting as many photos as possible. But I knew I had to be more thoughtful: the film is expensive, and the subjects are not always exciting. But, once again, I was on the road with an instant camera, and I could work on Polaroid Diaries: Kyiv.

What you’ll see in the Polaroid Diaries: Kyiv

The camera received quite some attention in Ukraine. Especially on the busy streets of Kyiv, the locals would ask me about the camera. Unfortunately, not that many people speak English in Ukraine, and I couldn’t communicate with them. One of them asked me for a photo. I proposed to shoot two: one for him, one for the diaries. He didn’t quite understand the pantomime, though, and he left straight after having his photo. Oh well, it doesn’t really matter.

I felt that people are rather introverted in Ukraine. Therefore, it was not so easy to shoot portraits. While with the Ricoh GR ii is relatively easy to do some street photography, with a polaroid camera is pretty hard. The subject has to stand still, the photographer, too; otherwise, the photo will be too blurry. I had some blurry photos that I left them intentionally out of the Polaroid Diaries: Kyiv. But that’s the beauty of polaroids: you never know what it will work.

The weather in Kyiv was not optimal, either. Although it wasn’t very cold, the sun appeared only on the day of my arrival. All the other days were relatively cloudy. Polaroid cameras always need sunlight in order to perform, but in Kyiv, it was challenging. However, I had the chance to take a few eerie shots, with a distinct atmosphere. Despite having four films with me, I shot only two rolls. The main reason was the absence of light, and also the fact that I had to take photos with the Ricoh for the blog posts.

The Polaroid Diaries: Kyiv worked out pretty well. I’m glad that I have a functioning Onestep+ camera again and that I can work on the project. So, let’s start.

Polaroid Diaries: Kyiv (Kiev)

If you travel to Eastern Europe, you will come across little kiosks selling coffee. They can be found everywhere: on a side street, in a park, or even in the middle of nowhere. Sometimes, the kiosks occupy the trunk of a car too. All these colorful spots sell good coffee at very low prices. I saw plenty of them while walking around Kyiv, and I thought of taking a photo of one of them. In the first polaroid, you’ll see a woman buying coffee from a small kiosk on the edge of the park.

One of the most beautiful areas in downtown Kyiv is the district of Podil. This is somehow the laid-back neighborhood of Kyiv, and there’s always a nice vibe there. I visited Podil several times during my stay. On the main square of Podil, there was a Ferris wheel, and behind it, there was a church. Religion and entertainment are not a very common combination; therefore, I thought of taking a photo.

No doubt, one of the most famous landmarks of Kyiv is Maidan Square. This is a lively place, also known as a spot for political activism. It’s in this very square that the Euromaidan Revolution took place in 2013-2014. It was not so easy to isolate a subject, and I couldn’t use fast shutter speed due to low light. I did, however, take a photo of some people walking.

Now, the next shot is one of my favorite polaroids of all time. It was late in the afternoon, minutes before sunset. There was no sunshine, and Kyiv started being really dark. Close to the St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery (a detail of which you see in the background), you can spot the statues of Princess Olga, Apostle Andrew, Cyril, and Methodius. From the spot I was standing, I could see the hand of Apostle Andrew covering the golden dome of the Monastery, while Princess Olga kept overlooking the Mykhailivska Square. The blue hour together with the natural blue tint of the polaroid film created an eerie photo.

One of the following days, I ended up at the hill, where the Motherland Statue is observing Kyiv. Unfortunately, at the time of my visit, the Motherland Statue was backlight; that said, I didn’t stand a chance to take a polaroid. But there are plenty of landmarks to see there, and one of them is the Memorial to the Victims of World War II. It’s a colossal memorial, and I thought of shooting a detail of it. Remember that Polaroids are not ideal for distant shots. Apart from good light, you also have to be close if you want to get a usable image.

While walking towards the World War II Memorial and the Museum of the Great Patriotic War, I saw an odd object. It was the so-called Fire of Glory, which is also part of the Memorial complex. In front of it, you can see the map of Ukraine filled in with red roses.

The red color above turned out really well, so for the remaining polaroids from Kyiv, I thought of taking a couple of photos with a red element. It was my last day in Kyiv, and soon, I ended up once again at Maidan Square. There was no adequate light, though, so I had to wait. Soon, a guy wearing a red jacket appeared at the square. He stood there for a while, and I took a photo.

Kyiv was full of graffitis and messages on the walls. I always like to think of these as messages from the city’s subconscious. Close to the place I was staying, I saw a message on the wall. Since it was in red, I thought of using the last shot of my film. It read: “Don’t waste your youth growing up.” Unfortunately, I have no idea what it’s written beneath it.

So, these were my eight polaroid photos from Kyiv. I must say that I felt pleased with the results, given the darkness of Kyiv. The fact that my replaced Polaroid Onestep+ was functioning perfectly gave me lots of pleasure. I have two packets of films in Berlin, and I’m going to take some photos there too. I’m really looking forward to loading film and presenting here the next installment of my Polaroid Diaries. Stay tuned!

More Polaroids: The full Polaroid diaries & My OneStep+ review

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Last Updated on July 11, 2020 by George Pavlopoulos