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Natallia Dorash (1953–2025) was a Belarusian photographer from Hrodna.

Natallia was born on March 30, 1953, in Hrodna. Her father was a career military officer, and the family often moved — spending seven years in Legnica, Poland.

She began taking photographs with her father’s Zenit camera. Her grandfather, who lived in Hrodna, had a home photo lab, and Natallia used it as her creative workshop.

Dorash named Viktar Kostsin, a photographer for Hrodnenskaya Pravda, as her mentor in photojournalism. He taught her much about the craft. Yet, the greatest influence on her artistic outlook came from the works of Lithuanian photographer Antanas Sutkus, whose images helped her realize that photography begins long before the shutter is pressed.

In addition to Hrodnenskaya Pravda, she worked for many years as a photo correspondent for the regional builders’ newspaper in Hrodna. There she created one of her most notable series — portraits of women construction workers.

Interestingly, Dorash once served as a telephone operator in a communications regiment. In the 1990s, she also worked as a cartoonist, with her drawings published in the satirical magazine Vozhyk.

In the 1980s, Dorash’s husband was ordained as an Orthodox priest after leaving his former service to dedicate his life to God — and Dorash became a matushka (priest’s wife). Faith was not foreign to her: her grandmother had served as a psalm reader in rural churches. In the 1990s, Natallia Dorash became editor of the diocesan newspaper “Hrodnenskie Eparkhialnye Vedomosti.”

After her marriage, in the 1970s, she moved to Bukcha village in the Palesse region, her husband’s homeland. There, she became the chronicler of local life, capturing its people and everyday scenes for decades. These works were later gathered into her well-known series “Paleshuki” (“People of Palesse”).

Dorash also photographed her native Hrodna with deep affection. She constantly documented the landscapes of her village and shared them on social media. Without exaggeration, photography was her way of life. Even two days before her passing, a new photograph appeared on her Facebook page — accompanied by her familiar caption: “See you tomorrow.”

She belonged to the circle of renowned Belarusian photographers of the “old school.”

Education:
Natallia Dorash graduated from the Faculty of Journalism at Belarusian State University in Minsk.

Sources:
• Facebook Profile — Natallia Dorash
• Беларускае грамадскае аб'яднанне фатографаў

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