After fifteen years away from photography, Oleg Afanasyev returned to something he had enjoyed as a child. Work had come to fill his life, and he wanted a way to step outside its pace.
During 2026, he has been taking photographs almost every weekend. The camera gives his days off a different structure: first a place to walk, then a response to what he finds there.
The cameras his father let him use
Oleg remembers being around ten in the late 1990s when his father let him photograph with Zenit, FED and Zorky cameras. He continued with varying intensity into his twenties before taking a long break.
His return began with a digital SLR given to him by his wife. He soon sold it and bought film cameras. Analogue photography became the way he chose to reconnect with the activity.
Choosing the walk before the subject
He does not describe a fixed visual style. The place he chooses for a day off helps determine what he photographs. Moscow’s railway stations suggest one set of encounters; historical streets and churches offer another.
He calls photography a form of meditation. In his account, that means making time to walk, observe and work without rushing. The camera is part of the break from work rather than another obligation to complete.
Questions a photograph cannot answer
One photograph he discussed was made in Moscow in July with a Mamiya RB67. It prompted him to think about the circumstances that lead a person to a particular point in life.
Oleg does not know the person’s story. That distinction matters: the photograph may raise questions, but it cannot supply a biography. The account remains about the photographer’s response, without pretending to explain a stranger’s life.
Taking time with the process
Oleg is willing to carry the Mamiya through the city and work handheld, including with ISO 100 film. He sees the equipment as a technical part of the process and describes checking it before leaving home.
Selection happens afterwards. He keeps the frames he likes and considers himself a demanding critic of his own photographs. The decision is personal rather than an attempt to make every exposure part of a finished project.
Large-format photography with a tripod and wildlife photography with a long lens are directions he would like to explore. For now, the renewed habit is already significant: making space in the week for something he had once left behind.
Follow Oleg on Lomography and Instagram @awesomeoleg.
Questions about Oleg Afanasyev’s photography
When did he return to photography?
After a fifteen-year break. He clarified that he has photographed almost every weekend during 2026.
Does he begin with a fixed subject?
He usually chooses where to spend his day off first and lets that setting shape his photographs.
What would he like to try next?
Large-format photography and wildlife photography with a long lens.
Explore more conversations about the people behind photographs in Developing Stories.
Based on a written interview. Interview and editing: Emiliano Vittoriosi / Berlin Photo Studio.
