Canon Ambassador Ksenia Kuleshova has been working on her Abkhazia project since she was a student. In this image, a group of Abkhaz men convene in Brehalowka, a popular hangout in the city of Sukhumi. They talk politics and religion, drink lots of black coffee and play chess, backgammon and dominoes, often staying until late into the night. Taken on a Canon EOS 5D Mark III (now succeeded by the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV) with a Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM lens (now succeeded by the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM) at 1/250 sec, f/3.5 and ISO640. © Ksenia Kuleshova
The 32-year-old Canon Ambassador, who also took part in the 2017 Canon Student Development Programme, has since been published in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and is now working towards a Master's degree in photography at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Her career trajectory, even as a student, has been shaped by unique personal documentary projects that have resulted in awards such as the 2020 W. Eugene Smith Grant for student photographers. Here, Ksenia discusses her career path to date, and shares her insights on how to succeed in the field of photojournalism.