ICP: How would you describe your experience of the OYC program?
Daria Petrova: I would describe the experience as an intense year that really helped me understand my strengths and weaknesses. We were taught how to organize our archives and Lightroom workflows, and how to build relationships with the subjects of our photography, what approaches are possible. We were given the fundamentals of the craft.
ICP: Can you tell me a bit about why you wanted to study this particular program with ICP?
DP: In terms of ideas, my motivation stemmed from a need for community. At that time, I had just discovered photography, had no experience with visual language, had only intuitive impulses and I had just moved to Paris after the war in Ukraine began. The isolation of practicing photography alone bred self-doubt. I needed mentors and classmates, wanted to learn faster through the people around me and have a connection, feedback.
On a practical level, I didn't receive a living stipend for New York to attend ICP’s in-person program. The online program was more financially accessible, and it allowed me to keep living in Ukraine and shoot my "homework assignments" within the context of my own culture and country.
Dara Petrova, Circle, 2025.
ICP: How did the other students and online community shape the classes?
DP: We had students and teachers from various countries, mostly from the US, of course, but also from France, Germany, Italy, India, Russia, and Israel. This made our interactions multifaceted and prevented an Americentric or Eurocentric view of photography from dominating. If such a perspective did arise, we could always discuss it.
ICP: In what ways did your location (and your cultural background) contribute to your participation in class?
DP: I think my cultural background (Slavic culture) made me somewhat reserved in speech. Or perhaps I’m flattering myself. I certainly hope the impact was positive. While in a multicultural virtual classroom, I learned to express disagreement or offer criticism in the most respectful and “international” manner.
ICP: Anything else you'd like to mention about the faculty, peers, or syllabus?
DP: I’d like to mention that the attitude toward mistakes was supportive. We were encouraged to explore without jumping to premature conclusions about the results. We experimented with various approaches and techniques. We were free to try anything. That’s something that has stayed with me to this day.
Born in Izmail, Odesa region, Ukraine, Petrova obtained a Master’s degree in Law from Odesa Law Academy in 2020, specializing in Social Security Law. Graduating with distinction, subsequent professional experience included internships at the Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office, practice in migration law focusing on the immigration process and citizenship obtaining.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Petrova relocated to Paris, France, where she began documenting the crisis faced by Ukrainian refugees.
Petrova is a member of Women Photograph, in 2025 has been selected for the 30 Under 30 Women Photographers by Artpil, Finalist of MYPH Photography Prize 2025, also is currently a student and a recipient of the Director’s Fellowship at the International Center of Photography in New York. She is the recipient of the 2026 Inge Morath Award, presented by Magnum Foundation, Magnum Photos, and the Inge Morath Estate.