When Srdjan
turns 13, his father, Dragan, gives him a most precious Christmas gift: his
first camera. Photography enchants him for life. His camera has always been somewhere
at hand, ever since. He even walks the distance from Šmartno to Litija to have
his films developed at the Foto Zofi studio.
When
choosing his profession, he first enrols in Secondary School for Electrical
Engineering but soon realises this was a mistake. His mother, Hermina, advises
him to choose a profession with frequent contact with people. The following
school year, he enrols in the Secondary School for Photography and, assisted by
his mentor, Ms Vladka Kobal, completes his education. While attending theory
classes, the practical part of his education occurs in the Delo Photo
Department, where photojournalism becomes his life’s passion. He gets his first
job as a photographer at Institut za varilstvo (Welding Institute) but spends
the weekends at Delo.
Working for
the “Cultural Caravan by Cankarjev dom”, he meets his wife Urška, who has stood
by his side ever since and remains an endless source of love and inspiration.
In 1985,
getting a job as a journalist photographer at Delo is a dream come true.
Mentored by Joco Žnidaršič, he works there until 1992.
In 1989, he
submits, for the first time, a photo to the Yugoslav “Photograph of the Year”
Competition, organised by the Tanjug Press Agency, and wins. His photo with the
title of “Working class fighting for bread” dates from the time Yugoslavia
starts falling apart as a federation. As an icon of the time, it continues to
provoke emotions for years.
Srdjan
Živulović persistently requests his employer, Delo, to send him to hot zones, such
as Kosovo, Iraq, Turkey, Romania, or Israel.
On the last
day of the Slovenian War for Independence, he becomes a member of the Reuters
team.
Srdjan and
his colleague Jože Suhadolnik set up a photo agency, Bobo, to support the
newspaper Republika. With their diligent and planned activities, they create an
impressive archive of photos related to the creation of the new state. The Bobo
team become the official photographers of the President of the Republic of
Slovenia, its Prime Minister, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, travelling with
them around the globe.
Following
the ongoing events, he is always on the front lines. He is also there during
the first migrant wave in Slovenia.
In 2015,
together with his Reuters colleagues, he won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for
his photo of refugees on a dyke near Brežice.