Elena Volkova

Friends, please come to the Desert Plant Event and my tintype pop up on Sunday at @rewilddc !!! Sign up for your session - link in bio, or reach out in advance! 🌹🍃🫶

Making wet plate magic with my students on location at Science Spectacular event at @stevensonsos #wetplatecollodion #tintype @suartsalive @su.graphicdesign @stevensonuniversity

Amazing time at SPE National Conference in Atlanta! I feel so rejuvenated and whole; spending time with amazing humans, friends old and new, and feeling alive behind my lens 🫶 @spenational @spemccaucus @wendel.white @pimcharlottecotton @margoduvallphoto @henreephotography @ricardo.rodrz @juliana_rico__ @lenerouge @cristobalez @kim.llerena @jonathan_trundle @annamurphmedia @brettkallusky @jjrebs @lindzgodin @parting_glances #spenational

In the “Lakeland Project,” Ukrainian-born artist Elena Volkova captures the essence of a neighborhood through the generations of people that inhabit it. Lakeland, a historically Black community that sits directly adjacent to College Park, and its residents take center stage in the collection of prints. Volkova’s goal was to create a “living archive,” documenting the present moment using both the modern digital print, and the tintype, one of the oldest forms of photography– working directly with the community to do so. Volkova challenges the question of “who gets to be archived?” which, for many years, had an answer that excluded minority communities. The 2024-2025 CAPP committee commissioned this process and community-based piece due to its encapsulation of the idea of collective future- the documenting of a community in a present moment to reflect on the past, in order to move forward. Lakeland, although facing intense gentrification, is still a living, breathing community, and like many other pieces currently on display in the gallery for “Then, Now, and Tomorrow,” the project sends a clear message: “We are here, we have been here, and we are not going anywhere.” The Stamp Gallery is FREE and open to the public. Our hours are 10AM - 8PM Monday through Thursday, 10AM - 5PM on Fridays, and 11AM - 5PM on Saturdays.

Lighting workshop in my studio at Hooper Mill w @thinstring photography students from Stevenson University. 44″ beauty dish @paulcbuffinc with diffuser. Cyan background feathered and flagged with a V-flat. Workshops in my studio later this spring. Reach out to be added to the mailing list. #baltimorephotographer #studiolighting #lightingworkshop

Hosted a lighting workshop for Professor Elena Volkova’s photography students from Stevenson University. Photographers had the chance to step both in front of and behind the lens while focusing on intentional lighting, directing, and styling to create strong studio portraits. #portraitphotography #studiolighting #ebradyrobinson #photographyworkshop #baltimorephotographer

From “Mining the Museum” to Making it More Accessible, Few Art Workers Have Left as Indelible a Mark on Institutional Practice Read:: George Ciscle, A Life in the Service of Art @georgeciscle Words: Kerr Houston Photos: Elena Volkova @thinstring #baltimore #georgeciscle #bmoreart

Teaching motion techniques to my students #photoeducation @stevensonuniversity @su.graphicdesign

Friends, please join me for the reception of a group exhibition, Then, Now, and Tomorrow, at the Stamp gallery. Last year, I started a community collaboration with the Lakeland community in College Park, displaced by the urban renewal program in the 60s. For my friends overseas - urban renewal in the US means displacing communities that lived in the area for generations and building ugly shopping centers. Lakeland lost over 75% of its land, people lost generational homes, and most importantly, their sense of belonging. I am honored to be selected as a part of University of Maryland College Park Contemporary Art acquisition program which commissioned this project. Although I feel like I’m just getting started, some of the portraits that I created are in the group exhibition featuring amazing artists who are also a part of the program. Public reception is on February 16. Artist talk March 2. In the photos: Dennis, Pam, & Billy #socialpractice #lakelandheritage #portrait #blackandwhite #wetplatecollodion

My beautiful friend ❤️ я вже сумую! не можу дочекатися нашої зустрічі наступного літа #ukrainian_portraits #ukrainiamwomen #berlin #ukraine #socialpractice #portraitphotography #ContemporaryPhotography #blackandwhitephotography #balimoteartist @rubysartistgrants @municipalartsocietyofbaltimore

My humans, 2026 @kbanchik

Good bye cancer, hello 2026! In the pictures: me in the woods enjoying sunny last days of this hard year; my last “chemo” pill; me smiling (which actually shows my usual “I’m gonna kill you” face) Thank you all my amazing family and friends who helped me through this year. I love you 😘 @kbanchik (photo by him) @bababappo @mongolina @ebradyrobinson @marandkosten @heatherheiman @alesinainna @lesliehsimpson @rubelinglori @kclindow @juliaperk and all of my friends who listened to me whine and cared for me in beautiful ways. I learned so much about myself last year (which cannot be summarized in a post)