Four years ago, I sold my apartment, car and the remains of my business in Russia, packed one suitcase and moved to Portugal. I did not arrive with a finished plan or a comfortable safety net. I arrived with a clear intention: to continue working as a cinematographer and build a new creative business from the ground up.
This first vlog episode is the beginning of a series about cinematography, cameras, lighting, production, entrepreneurship and personal development. It is also the story behind my work today as a cinematographer and director of photography in Lisbon, available for productions throughout Portugal and Europe.
Discovering visual storytelling
My path into filmmaking began at school, when a friend and I ran through the streets recording imaginary action scenes. It was simply a game, but it introduced me to the feeling of creating a new reality through a viewfinder.
Later, we started a wedding video studio. We wanted to make energetic, emotional highlights rather than conventional event reports, and the business grew quickly. Then the Canon 5D Mark II arrived and changed our understanding of what a small camera could do. Interchangeable lenses, shallow depth of field and a more cinematic image opened the door to a richer visual language.
That technical shift taught me an important lesson: video is not only a record of an event. Camera position, lens choice, light, movement and rhythm can completely change how an audience experiences a story.
Learning the film industry from inside
After years in the wedding industry, I was burned out and ready for a different direction. I sold my apartment and invested in a RED Epic Dragon cinema camera, lenses and accessories, then moved to Moscow to pursue larger productions.
Owning professional equipment gave me access to sets where I could observe experienced crews, build relationships and understand how different departments work together. Alongside cinematography and camera operating, I gained practical experience as a 1st AC, focus puller, key grip, best boy and gaffer. Working closely with camera, grip and lighting teams shaped the way I approach images today.
For a director or producer searching for a camera operator, gaffer or cinematographer in Portugal, that broader production experience matters. Good cinematography is never only about selecting a camera. It depends on communication, realistic planning, lighting knowledge, crew awareness and the ability to solve problems without losing the visual intention.
Why I moved to Lisbon
The escalation of the war between Russia and Ukraine in 2022 became my point of no return. Within a few months I sold what I owned, completed the necessary documents and left for Portugal.
Lisbon offered a practical base for rebuilding. Portugal is connected to the rest of Europe, has an active international community, varied filming locations and extraordinary Atlantic light. Coast, city streets, modern architecture, historical neighbourhoods and natural landscapes are all accessible within relatively short distances.
The move was not romantic every day. Portuguese bureaucracy can be slow, the cost of living is higher than it first appears, and starting without an established professional network was difficult. But the country also gave me the space to build something new.
Today I work from Lisbon and travel for cinematography projects across Portugal and Europe, including productions in Spain, France and Germany.
Building a rental house and production space
In Lisbon I met Egor, who became my business partner and close friend. Together we created Comuna Rental House from scratch.
We searched for a suitable space, dealt with paperwork, renovated it ourselves, built the website, managed advertising and social media, and learned the realities of running a company in a new country. Today the space includes a professional camera and lighting rental, a studio with a white cyclorama and a podcast room. We have a small team and continue to expand.
Access to cameras, lenses, lighting and grip equipment is especially valuable in my work as a Lisbon-based director of photography. It allows me to test visual ideas, prepare equipment packages carefully and scale a production according to the brief. A compact documentary, music video, commercial or branded film may require very different tools, but the decision should always begin with the story.
Cinematography, photography and creative work in Portugal
My work now combines several parts of the image-making process. I shoot commercial films, music videos, documentary material, branded content, podcasts and personal projects. I also continue developing my film and digital photography practice in Lisbon.
Photography has made me more attentive to a single frame: gesture, colour, texture, negative space and the precise moment when an image becomes meaningful. Cinematography adds time, movement, sound and collaboration. The two disciplines continually influence each other.
If you are planning a production in Portugal, I can join a project as a cinematographer, director of photography or camera operator, help shape its visual approach and coordinate suitable camera and lighting resources. My on-set lighting background is also useful when working with local gaffers or designing an efficient lighting plan for smaller crews.
Starting again changes more than your career
Building a life and company from zero changed the way I think about time, health and discipline. During the hardest period, I sometimes did not know how I would pay the following month’s rent. A small library of stock footage on Shutterstock and Adobe Stock helped me survive while the new business was developing.
Gradually, uncertainty became structure. I stopped smoking, began training regularly and became more deliberate about how I use my energy. At 37, I do not feel that my professional story is finished. I feel that it is entering a new chapter.
Why launch a filmmaking vlog now?
Artificial intelligence is changing creative work faster than most of us can fully understand. Cameras, post-production, communication, marketing and the business of content creation will all be affected.
In that environment, technical ability remains important, but an authentic point of view becomes even more valuable. A personal brand cannot replace strong work, yet it can help clients and collaborators understand the person behind the images: how they think, what they value and why they make particular creative decisions.
This vlog will document that process honestly. Future episodes will explore cinematography, lighting, cameras, production equipment, building a creative company in Portugal and adapting to a film industry that continues to change.
Working with a cinematographer in Portugal
Portugal is a strong base for international productions, from Lisbon and the Atlantic coast to rural landscapes and historic locations. If you are looking for a cinematographer, director of photography, camera operator or photographer in Lisbon—or need an English-speaking visual collaborator for a production elsewhere in Europe—you can view my selected film work and contact me with your project details.
Share the format, location, dates and visual references. I will reply with availability and practical next steps for the camera, lighting and production approach.