Alexander Karev. A photoshoot for a poet

Alexander Karev is an author of poetry and historical epics about Ancient Rus. We created a series of portraits for him to use in his literary communications.

The main goal was to convey the depth and historical significance of his poems through photography, as well as his connection to literary heritage.

Location: The Anna Akhmatova Museum in St. Petersburg

For the shoot, we chose one of the symbols of St. Petersburg — the Anna Akhmatova Museum. On that day, an exhibition dedicated to Joseph Brodsky was taking place in the museum’s courtyard. Its texts, imagery, and philosophical motifs became the context for our work, strengthening the connection with themes of eternity, time, and identity, which are also essential to Karev’s poetry.

As a result, we captured shots that intertwine historical, literary, and philosophical motifs. The atmosphere of the museum helped create a visual bridge between the legacy of great Russian poets and Alexander Karev’s works.

These photographs are used at literary festivals, in books, for public readings, and on social media.

Alexander Karev. A photoshoot for a poet

Alexander actively uses the images — for example, he set one of the photographs as his profile picture on the the Stikhi.ru website and other platforms.

One of the photographs was published in the book “For Rus' — with a pen! For Rus' — with a sword!”, released by the LISTOS publishing house in December 2024.

In the image, the poet is holding his previous book — the poem “The Battle of Petropavlovsk”.

Photographs from our sessions continue to live on in the author’s works.

One of them is published in the new collection “Truth and Tales for Word of Mouth” (LISTOS, December 2025).

Publication in 6XMEDIA PORTRAIT magazine

The series of photographs “WAITING FOR A LETTER” was published in 6XMEDIA PORTRAIT magazine. The book in the poet’s hands is not a random prop. It is his own epic poem, “The Battle of Petropavlovsk” (Petropavlovsky Boy), an important part of Alexander Karev’s creative biography.

Результат съемки

On another day, we had a portrait shoot at the Museum of Photographer Karl Bulla. This location was no coincidence — Alexander is passionate about photography himself and often takes pictures during his travels across Russia.

On the potential and significance of the photographs

The photographs have taken on a life of their own — they have appeared on the pages of books, in magazines, and at festivals, becoming a recognizable part of Alexander Karev’s visual identity.