How to Confess Your Love - The Secrets of Ukrainian Men

Musicians, TV presenters, actors and politicians now speak only of love. Through their portraits, they're revealing their most intimate feelings. 

The idea of establishing a project like this came to the author in a dream. 

[Yuli Vorontsova, Photographer, Organizer of the Exhibition]:

"A young man was confessing his love to me and I am taking pictures of him, I realized that it was not just something simple and something had to be done with it." 

Judging from the photos, Ukrainian men love to confess, but not many of them want to remember their first experience. 

[Alexey Litvinov, President of the Ukrainian Council of Ballroom Dancing]:

"I was afraid to utter these words, but when I said them, it seemed to me that I just crashed under the floor. It took me a while to regain my senses, I don't know why". 

[Dmitry Dikusar, Choreographer]:

"When you confess your love it is a shock, a state of shock". 

[Vladimir Bystryakov, Composer, Honored Artist of Ukraine]:

"For me it was a kind of shock, like a shell explosion. You confessed and you do not know what will be there: either the ceiling will fall on you, or a brick, or she will say no to you, or as in our Ukrainian custom, will bring a pumpkin to you."

And some participants remember their first recognition of love for their whole lifetime. 

[Amador Lopez, Choreographer]:

"I remember I was 4 years old, and it was my teacher. I made a flower out of paper and presented it to my teacher. I was just very fond of her, because she was blonde." 

[Oleksandr Bryhynets, Kiev City Council for Cultural Affairs]: (male, Ukranian)

"I was about 13, and this girl was a classmate. And I climbed over a big stone fence to get flowers for her. There was broken glass on the top of that wall. I was all scratched and bleeding”.

At the moment of confession everyone has their own flowers and their own words. However, Ukrainian men agree on one thing - their feelings have to be expressed frankly. 

[Oleg Panyuta, TV host]: (male, Ukranian)

"For women your eyes, your heartfelt feelings which you express very-very important, when you sincerely say: honey, I love you."

[Vladimir Virchis, Boxer]:

"I believe that a man should always be ready to confess his love". 

As it turned out, Ukrainian men are willing to confess love not only with their girlfriends and wives. 

[Igor Pupkov, TV host]:

"Mother, dear, beloved, if you see me now, I love you." 

And whether its reciprocated or not does not matter. 

[Yan Tabachnik, Musician, Accordionist, People's Artist of Ukraine]:

"To love someone brings even more happiness than when someone loves you." 

Cheerful and thoughtful, funny and serious - they are all so different, but all share one thing - the desire to express their feelings beautifully. 

NTD, Kiev, Ukraine.