Love and War: A Profile of two photojournalists as they document the war in Ukraine as partners and parents

As partners in both work and life, photojournalists Brendan Hoffman and Oksana Parafeniuk share a unique journey marked by courage and an incredible devotion to documenting the ongoing war in Ukraine and bearing witness to history as it unfolds. However, away from the front lines and behind the camera, they take on more profound challenges amid conflict: those of the everyday realities and demanding responsibilities of raising a child. Drawing from two separate interviews—one with Hoffman and another with Parafeniuk—this profile explores what it means to live, love, and raise a child, all while committed to documenting war.

American photographer Brendan Hoffman never figured he’d be a photojournalist, let alone document one of the most pivotal wars of the 21st century. Hoffman's career began while based in Washington, D.C., covering protests and high-profile events on Capitol Hill. Over time, and as his work gained momentum, Hoffman eventually secured several assignments with major publications, leading him to photograph global events, including the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

The next major milestone in his career saw Hoffman traveling to Ukraine during the Maidan Revolution of 2014, a popular uprising for democracy and integration of Ukraine with the European Union (EU). It began after the Ukrainian President  Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign a political association and free trade agreement with the EU, instead choosing closer relations with Russia. 

Like many, Hoffman initially viewed the Maidan Revolution as just another demonstration, unaware that later on, Russia would invade Ukraine. As tensions grew and the uprising shifted, Hoffman began traveling to Eastern Ukraine, unintentionally positioning himself at the beginning of a turning point in history: of what is not only a geopolitical assault on Ukraine but a direct provocation to national borders worldwide and the very principle of democratic sovereignty.

The Russian-Ukrainian War has become one of the most widely covered conflicts in contemporary politics, luring journalists from around the world to document its painful realities. Instead of parachuting into the conflict—dropping into a hotspot only to leave shortly after— Hoffman dedicated himself to documenting the full arc of the war, a dedication that has kept him in Ukraine for the past 11 years. 

It was while documenting the Maidan Revolution in 2014 that Hoffman met and fell in love with Oksana Parafeniuk. Now a Ukrainian photojournalist, Parafeniuk began her career as a fixer, coordinating between the local communities and foreign correspondents—one of whom was Hoffman. Parafeniuk shifted her career to photojournalism in 2017, but Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 propelled her work into a new urgency. She began collaborating closely with leading photojournalists, including her now-husband, Hoffman, to document the harrowing realities of war in her country. Amid the onslaught of Russia’s invasion and bound by a shared passion for photography, together Hoffman and Parafeniuk learned to navigate the conflict not just as photojournalists but as partners and soon-to-be parents.

“The experience of war is unlike anything else. There are a lot of contradictions and complexities of war. In a certain way, life can be completely normal, and then in other ways, life is totally different and absurd. This is an experience that is so fundamental to war and so hard to explain. My photography is a way of communicating to people what war really means,” said Hoffman. 

Since the outbreak of war in 2022, the couple has experienced a whirlwind of shifting realities, marked not only by hardship and uncertainty but also by moments of joy and enduring hope. As photojournalists, they’ve grappled with the emotional and moral weight of documenting conflict, constantly questioning their role as storytellers and the responsibilities that come with bearing witness to violence. However, what was an already complex calculation, and amid the turmoil of war, they welcomed their first child, Luka, while stepping into the demanding role of parenthood. 

Now, as a mother covering the war, Parafeniuk found herself balancing the complexities of motherhood with the challenges of working as a photojournalist in Ukraine. Throughout most of her pregnancy, Parafeniuk and Hoffman remained in Ukraine, continuing their work as photojournalists. While they largely stayed away from the front lines, their commitment to documenting the war and its impact on everyday life never wavered. Even when Parafeniuk turned down numerous high-risk assignments from major publications to prioritize both her own safety and the safety of her unborn child, she continued to dedicate herself to documenting the Ukrainian resilience and quiet realities away from the front lines. When the time came to give birth, the couple traveled to Poland, only to return with their newborn to Kyiv shortly after. 

Motherhood, as Parafeniuk came to understand, would occupy a complicated space in her line of work, demanding emotional resilience and a constant balancing of her personal and professional worlds. She came to realize that motherhood provided her with unique access to certain stories, even as it limited her ability to pursue others. Rather, Parafeniuk channeled this limitation, now shifting her focus to long-term, community-driven stories, documenting the seemingly quieter but equally profound experience of war away from the front lines.

For Hoffman, parenthood and war became so intertwined that he often finds it difficult to separate the two. 

“I don’t know what it would be like to be living in this war without being a parent, and I don’t know what it would be like to be a parent without living in this war,” he admits. 

Being both a father and journalist has proven to be demanding, yet together, they have reshaped Hoffman's approach and priorities while documenting the war in Ukraine. Like Parafeniuk, Hoffman rarely takes unnecessary risks, documenting at a distance from the front lines and avoiding extended periods away from home. 

“I'm not worried about my career. I’m doing the job I need to do. First and foremost, I need to make sure that I’m around for my family, both long-term and on a day-to-day level.”

As both photojournalists and parents, Hoffman and Parafeniuk have had to navigate immense responsibilities. The responsibility of parenthood, uniquely challenging under normal circumstances, takes on an even greater weight in a country consumed by conflict. Despite the significant challenges, the birth of their son has become a source of strength that drives their commitment to documenting the war in Ukraine, in the hopes that one of their images will help to change the course of the war and build some semblance of a peaceful future.

Although their shared profession appears challenging at times, it offers a rare and intimate understanding between them. The emotionally and physically taxing demands of photojournalism have forced Hoffman and Parafeniuk to develop new systems of navigating daily life as parents. 

“One of us has to be there,” Oksana explains. “For example, if he got an assignment first, and then I got an assignment, he would take the assignment. It’s first-come, first-served.”

While Hoffman and Parafeniuk are bound by their careers, their relationship, their duty as parents, and the responsibilities that come with all three, they also face their own individual challenges. Although they both seek to document the war in Ukraine, they do so through two distinct lenses: Hoffman, an American who had come to the conflict initially as an outsider, and Oksana, a Ukrainian whose homeland is under siege. 

When documenting a conflict as an outsider, there is a general stigma associated with it that is often rooted in questions of authenticity and exploitation. Hoffman believes that having lived in Ukraine for over a decade, and now with a Ukrainian wife and son, provides him with a unique and more grounded perspective compared to other non-Ukrainian journalists. Despite his relation to Ukraine, Hoffman often relies on Parafeniuk to see the war through her eyes, making her essential to confronting and understanding his own prejudices while covering the war.

“But, at the same time. I use Oksana as my check on whether I understand what’s going on here.  Am I internalizing a Russian narrative? How do most Ukrainians view this war? Am I missing something? I don’t have my finger exactly on the pulse the way that she does.” Hoffman remarked. 

Parafeniuk, on the other hand, grapples with maintaining an objective depiction of the war that aligns with journalistic standards while simultaneously pushing for an independent Ukraine. Through her work with foreign journalists as a fixer, she began to notice the subtle yet significant difference in how they perceived and narrated the war. Even in something as small as word choice, she describes how some people define the war as the “conflict in Ukraine” versus the “Russian invasion of Ukraine.” Reflecting on this, she acknowledges the complexities of navigating journalistic neutrality as a Ukrainian herself:

“I don’t believe true objectivity in journalism exists because we all interpret events through the lens of our own experiences and backgrounds. So as a Ukrainian, I react more sensitively to things. I believe in accuracy and fairness.” Parafeniuk stated.

Rather than seeing her identity as a limitation, Parafeniuk has come to embrace it—using her perspective and sensitivities as a Ukrainian to inform and strengthen her storytelling. That confidence, in part, fueled her to overcome barriers within photojournalism that once felt insurmountable. 

Raised in Ukraine and then working as a fixer amongst leading journalists, Parafeniuk found herself surrounded by the notion that photojournalism was mostly a male-dominated field. Whether among colleagues or soldiers, it seemed to her that no one took her seriously, making the path towards photojournalism more daunting. However, as Oksana took on more assignments and documented more stories, she learned to navigate the complexities of a male-dominated industry. 

“Most of the time, I was just a girl with a camera, but sometimes it helped me get better access, not because I was abusing the fact that I’m a woman, but because of the way people perceive you as a woman.” Parafeniuk shared. 

Through war, love, and parenthood, Hoffman and Parafeniuk have learned to balance personal sacrifice with professional duty, knowing that neither can come at the complete expense of the other. Though it may be difficult to realize, their son has illuminated the delicacies of life, moments of joy and love that war so often disrupts. With determination and a commitment to journalistic duty, Hoffman and Parafeniuk are also shaping a life of their own—one that, despite all odds, is filled with love and hope.

Alice Currey recently graduated from New York University with an individualized major in photojournalism, specifically its use in conflict resolution and collective security. Having spent her childhood in Kenya and her teen years in Uzbekistan, she has adopted a cultural insight and empathy that uniquely understand the power of visual storytelling in implementing global change. As both a writer, photographer, and editor, she hopes to contribute to preserving the practice and integrity of photojournalism.