Background
Shagin, Ivan was born in 1904 in the Iaroslav Oblast’. Son of a peasant.
Shagin, Ivan was born in 1904 in the Iaroslav Oblast’. Son of a peasant.
At the age of 11, began working in a small shop in Moscow. Later earned a living as a sailor on a Volga steamer. In 1924, returned to Moscow and worked in co-operative enterprises.
First as a labourer, then as a salesman and instructor. In 1919, became interested in photography and began taking amateur pictures. By 1930, had become a professional photographer.
Worked as a press photographer for the newspapers Nasha Zhizn’ and Kooperativnaia Zhizn’, also for Selkhozgiz, the state agricultural publishing house. From 1933-1950, photo-reporter for Komsomolskaia Pravda. Also worked for the magazine USSR in Construction.
During World War II, war correspondent for Komsomolskaia Pravda. Produced many illustrated books and picture reports for the Izogiz art publishing house, also for Sovetskii Khudozhnik, Progress Publishers, Pravda and the Novosty press agency.