Sandra Schildwächter works as a freelance photographer in  Frankfurt am Main, Germany. She has a degree in communication design with a major in photography from the University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt. Her reportage focus includes human interest stories, daily news and portraits about cultural and social topics. Her work has appeared in magazines and newspapers including Spiegel, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung F.A.Z., GEO, Greenpeace, Chrismon, Eltern family, and de Volkskrant, among others. 

IVLP Impact Award Project: Documenting the Life of Ukrainian Refugees in Germany

Sandra photographically documented the lives of 14 Ukrainian refugee households living in Germany. In a series of digital format color photographs, she documented their issues of identity and loss, integration, feelings of security, transitional solutions, and the difference between accommodation and home. She titled the work "Should I stay or should I go?" It can be accessed through this link: "Should I stay or should I go?" 

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"I like that there are different personalities here, with different thoughts, plans, and desires, which nicely reveals that every situation is different even though they are all from Ukraine." - Project Translator

IVLP Exchange Experience

Sandra participated in the IVLP Project A Global Moment in Time: Photojournalists Document the Challenges and Opportunities in the COVID Era, organized by the U.S. Department of State and World Learning.

Sandra's exchange experience led to the development of her IVLP Impact Award Project: "IVLP enabled me to get in touch with international photographers and professionals in the journalism and to exchange experiences that enrich my own work."

U.S. Communities Visited Virtually 

Washington, DC; Tampa, FL; Minneapolis, MN; Santa Fe, NM; Portland, OR; Dallas, TX; Charlottesville, VA; Milwaukee, WI

Country: Germany

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