What's up everyone, welcome back to another episode of Sombra Y Cultura. If this is your first time listening, welcome in.

Today, we're talking about an Argentine photographer whose work reminds us that some of the most meaningful photographs aren't made in a single afternoon. Sometimes, a story takes years to unfold, and the photographer has to keep coming back, watching as people's lives change.

His name is Alejandro Kirchuk, and one of the projects that brought international attention to his work was a deeply personal series about his own grandparents and their experience with Alzheimer's disease.

What makes this story particularly interesting is that Kirchuk wasn't documenting strangers from a distance. He was photographing people he had known his entire life, while witnessing changes within his own family.

The more I researched his work, the more I realized that his photography raises some interesting questions about documentary photography. How do you photograph someone you love? How do you tell a personal story that other people can connect with? And what does it take to stay with a project long enough to understand the people you're photographing?

Let's get into the work of Alejandro Kirchuk.

Alejandro Kirchuk was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1987. He works as a freelance photographer, balancing commissioned assignments with personal documentary projects.

Much of his work focuses on Argentina and other parts of South America. Rather than limiting himself to one subject, he's explored different aspects of everyday life, from family relationships to sports and environmental issues.

His photographs have appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Guardian. He's also received recognition from organizations such as Pictures of the Year International, commonly known as POYi, and the Fulbright program.

But if there's one project I think is particularly important to understanding Kirchuk, it's Never Let You Go.

What's interesting is that the project began with a subject he knew very well: his own grandparents.

And that personal connection would become central to the way he approached the story.

One thing that stands out about Kirchuk is his commitment to long-term documentary photography.

Instead of photographing a subject briefly and moving on, he often returns to a story over an extended period. That gives him the opportunity to document not just what something looks like at a particular moment, but how it changes.

You can see that approach in several of his projects.

His work includes The National Game, which explores football culture in Argentina, and Invisible River, a multimedia documentary project examining the Riachuelo River basin, including environmental pollution and the lives of communities living nearby.

These subjects are quite different, but they share an interest in people's everyday realities and the circumstances that shape their lives.

Kirchuk has also explored ways of presenting documentary stories beyond still photographs, including video and virtual reality. He completed further training in transmedia, video, and virtual reality at the New York Film Academy.

I find that range interesting because it shows that documentary work doesn't have to fit into one format. Sometimes still photographs are the right way to tell a story. Other times, video, sound, or additional forms of presentation can help provide context.

But to me, his most personal example of long-term photography remains Never Let You Go.

Never Let You Go follows Kirchuk's grandparents, Marcos and Monica, who had been married for 65 years and shared an apartment in Buenos Aires.

Monica was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2007. Kirchuk began photographing their lives in 2009, documenting the changes the illness brought to their relationship and their daily routines.

As Monica's condition progressed, Marcos took on more responsibility for caring for his wife. The photographs show different stages of their lives together, including the physical demands of caregiving and the quiet moments of affection that remained between them.

Monica passed away in July 2011.

What makes this project especially significant is that Kirchuk wasn't simply photographing the effects of Alzheimer's as a medical condition. He was documenting how the illness affected two people who had spent decades building a life together.

And because these were his grandparents, the project also involved his own memories and family history.

On his website, Kirchuk explains that photographing them gave him a reason to spend extended periods in their home again, reconnecting with a place that had been important to him during childhood.

I think that detail helps us understand the project a little differently. The camera allowed him to document a difficult period in their lives, but the process also brought him closer to his own family history.

In 2012, Never Let You Go received first prize in the Daily Life Stories category of the World Press Photo contest.

That recognition brought wider attention to Kirchuk's work, but the project is worth exploring beyond the award itself. It offers an example of how a long-term photographic story can document a very personal experience while also addressing something that many other families recognize.

Kirchuk's other projects show that his interests extend well beyond family.

In Invisible River, he examines the Riachuelo River basin, where industrial pollution, contaminated water, waste, and the challenges surrounding relocation affect communities living in the area.

The project combines photography with video and other forms of documentary presentation. It looks at an environmental problem through the places and people affected by it, rather than treating pollution as an abstract issue.

His sports photography offers another perspective on everyday life in Argentina. Through The National Game, he explores football and its place in the country's culture.

Together, these projects show the range of subjects Kirchuk has pursued while maintaining a focus on sustained documentary work.

Kirchuk's career offers a useful example of how personal documentary photography can reach an international audience.

His recognition includes the World Press Photo award in 2012, a third-place award in POYi Latinoamérica's Daily Life Stories category in 2013, and selection for the World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass in 2017.

He also received support and recognition through programs including the Fulbright grant and Argentina's National Fund for the Arts.

These achievements helped bring attention to his work, but I think his approach is just as important to consider.

His projects demonstrate how photography can connect intimate experiences with larger subjects, whether that's caregiving, environmental inequality, or the role of football in everyday culture.

And by combining still photographs with other media when appropriate, he shows how documentary projects can develop beyond a traditional photo essay.

I think there are two practical lessons photographers can take from Kirchuk's work.

The first is patience.

When you're working on a long-term project, you can't always predict what will happen next. You have to keep returning, paying attention, and allowing the story to develop instead of trying to force it into a predetermined ending.

The second lesson is to consider your relationship with the subject.

Kirchuk's connection to his grandparents gave Never Let You Go a very personal foundation. But that connection also meant documenting difficult moments within his own family.

For photographers, it's worth thinking about how trust, access, and personal involvement affect the way we tell a story.

And remember, a long-term project doesn't necessarily require traveling somewhere far away. Sometimes the subject is already part of your life. What matters is taking the time to look more carefully.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS

The more I researched Alejandro Kirchuk, the more I kept thinking about the difference between taking photographs and staying with a story.

It's easy to go somewhere, make a few pictures, and move on to the next assignment. But projects like Never Let You Go show what becomes possible when a photographer continues documenting a subject as life changes.

What stood out to me most was that Kirchuk's work about his grandparents was also an exploration of his own family history. He was documenting their lives while reconnecting with a place and a part of his childhood that meant something to him.

I think that makes the project worth studying, especially for photographers interested in documentary work. It reminds us to think carefully about why we're photographing something, how we relate to our subjects, and what we might discover if we give a story more time.

Thank you for listening to another episode of Sombra Y Cultura.

If you'd like to explore Alejandro Kirchuk's photographs and learn more about his projects, you can find his official website, along with additional resources and information in these links (Kirchuk's Website | World Press Photography Bio | and his work can also be seen through my instagram in my "repost" section

If you enjoyed this episode, consider following the podcast, leaving a rating or review, and sharing it with someone who enjoys photography, documentary storytelling, or learning about photographers from around the world.

I'll see you next time.