Aleksei Makarenok

I am a photo-artist, fashion designer, decorator, and videographer. In a single phrase, I consider myself a director of a single frame. I capture fine art cinematic portraits and create short films.My work is deeply intuitive. I reject AI, filters, and digital manipulations. I compose and mix colors manually, guided by my soul, making each of my pieces unique and impossible to replicate. Utilizing low-key lighting techniques, I draw inspiration from the masters of the past, such as Rembrandt and Caravaggio, fusing their timeless principles with my own life experience and deep psychological insight. I hold the official status of an Awarded Photographer on the curated global platform 1X Gallery. As a synesthete, I literally see music as vivid cinematic scenes from films that have not yet been shot. Music is my primary source of inspiration; it triggers my vision regardless of its genre or popularity. This allows me to observe the flow of time and seal it within a single moment.My process is a synergy with women and young muses—subjects of profound depth, intellect, and ancient souls who can feel my thoughts without words. Together, we create something far greater than a mere photograph. We create a silent dialogue about life, filled ...

Degree in Fashion Design & Independent Art StudiesFashion Design: Obtained a specialized degree in fashion design, which laid the foundation for creating unique hand-crafted garments, styling, and character development for my art.Photography & Visual Art: Completely self-taught photo-artist and videographer. My education is rooted in classical analog photography (learning shutter speed, aperture, and composition on a vintage film camera) and deep, long-term independent research of cinematography, masterfully compositioned frames, and lighting.Psychology & Method: My artistic approach is driven by strong natural empathy and intuitive psychological interaction with models, combined with a lifelong background in oil painting and manual color mixing since childhood.

International Photography Awards & Recognitions: 1X Gallery(Uppsala, Sweden) — Officially Certified "Awarded Photographer" status. Multiple fine art works selected and awarded by the head curators of the world's most exclusive curated platform.

11th 35AWARDS International Photography Award (June 2026) — Recognized among the TOP 35 Photographers in Latvia and TOP 10 Photographers in Riga out of 112,600 global participants.

35AWARDS Distinction — Ranked in the TOP 4% globally in the "Female Portrait" and "Child Portrait" fine art categories.