Aftermath of a Revolution: Kyiv, Ukraine

The first time I visited Ukraine, I came through Krakow, Poland and visited the western Ukrainian city of L’viv. After my time in L’viv, I went deeper into Ukraine and after an overnight train ride from L’viv, made it to Kyiv.

It was winter time and the Maidan revolution had just recently occurred. Ukraine -a newly formed country after the dissolution of the USSR- was moving towards allying with NATO and the west.

The Ukrainian president was Victor Yanukovich. He appeared to be a Russian puppet and had refused to sign an agreement with the European Union in favor of allying the country more with Russia. The people did not want to be aligned with Russia since not too long ago, the soviet government under Stalin committed a genocide against Ukraine in a forced mass starvation of the population. This genocide is known as the Terror Famine or Holodomor. When it became clear Yanukovich was controlled by Russia, mass protests erupted and the clashes grew to a showdown between opposition leaders and the government. While thousands of people amassed in the central square, violence broke out between the police and protestors and about 130 people were killed. The government was eventually overthrown and Yanukovich fled his opulent mansion to Russia.

Shortly after -and in retaliation- Russia began it’s invasion of Ukraine through mercenaries and attacked the eastern cities of Donetsk, Mariupol and others while invading and taking the whole Crimean peninsula from Ukraine.

Putin, a product of the Soviet Union and a former KGB officer, will not allow Ukraine to be independent from Russia which is why he is currently amassing even more military forces on the border. Many people fear a full invasion and takeover of the country, we will soon see what happens.

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I would love to help with your photography, video & website project. Whether you’re looking for wedding photography, a graduation session, a professional headshot, an event, or if you’re a model wanting to build a portfolio I can help. Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

Based in South Bend – Notre Dame, Indiana and willing to travel. No destination too far!

I would love to help with your photography project. Whether you’re looking for wedding photography, a family session, a professional headshot, or if you’re a model wanting to build a portfolio I can help. You can also reach me directly at [email protected]
Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

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Josef Samuel Photography is AMAZING! From photos to videos he has a GIFT! If you want your precious moments captured with beauty, creativity, talent and professionalism then Josef is your guy! :) Most Definitely 5 star quality! :)

Rachel Martino, Bride

He was great. I felt very heard through the process of making sure my engagement pictures were exactly what my fiancé and I wanted. He took extra care to make sure it was a surprise and went above and beyond. You won’t go wrong with Joe!

Noah Adams, Fiancee

Josef was an absolute professional. He was timely, hard-working, creative and did not miss a single thing. Even many of my guests commented on his personal stride for excellence and dedication to his job. My photographs turned out fantastic…He is what a true professional should be!

Jeremiah Diaz, Groom
Josef was great to work with for our wedding. He was very responsive via phone and email before the wedding date and attentive to my vision. Our wedding shots turned out great! …He went above and beyond. I would recommend Josef for any event!
Bianca Rivera, Bride

Josef was our wedding photographer and did a fabulous job! He was so laid-back and easy to work with. He didn’t make the picture process stressful at all, which was very much needed on a big day like that! I would highly recommend him for any type of photography that you need!

Jonathan Anderstrom, Groom

Joe did a fantastic job of photographing our wedding…We could not be happier with the photos and Joe’s commitment to delivering stellar service – I would recommend him wholeheartedly to anyone throwing an event (wedding or otherwise) who needs an awesome photographer.

Justin Brandon, Groom
We had NO idea how much we were about to fall in love with his Photography! We’ve also been able to snatch him up to do our photo shoots for album covers we’ve released. Josef has an incredible eye, expertise and professionalism that is so refreshing in such a saturated industry.
Joanna Beasley, Artist

As MichaelAngelos The Event Company, we were honored to be on the vendor team with Josef Samuel. His work is inspiring and it was a pleasure working with him. His photos capture sheer joy and love!

Rosemary Kozak, Michaelangelo's Event Company
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MY PHOTOGRAPHY WORK HAS BEEN PUBLISHED IN THE NEW YORK TIMES, FOX & FRIENDS MORNING SHOW, FEATURED IN THE NOTRE DAME MAGAZINE, IN INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATIONS, and MORE

South Bend Notre Dame Wedding Photographer Josef Samuel

About Josef Samuel

I’m a professional wedding, portrait & event photographer and website designer based in South Bend & Notre Dame Indiana. I also love to travel and have visited numerous countries around the world. I am very passionate about what I do and would love to talk to you about photographing your wedding or event. Looking forward to working with you!