Aleksandr (Sasha) Gleyzer.
I was born in 1969 to a family of engineers and scientists and grew up in historical city of Lytkarino, south-east of Moscow, Russia during the Soviet era. My mother, senior chemical engineer Eleonora Munevna, introduced me to photography when I was 7. At night she would set up a dark room in our tiny kitchen to print family photographs. Those magical moments changed my life forever. I grew up with Russian and world classical literature, studied theatre and classical dance in school, when playing soccer for the city team. My interest in photography was growing. But then came "Perestroika". In 90s, like many others I was searching for my place in a new and very different world: I was a security guard, taxi driver, tax inspector, and finally a manager in very respectable company. In 1998 after receiving bachelor degree in economics, I felt that I needed a fresh start. Than, I moved to New York, where I had to start all over from the bottom. Like many immigrants I worked in a restaurant as a busboy 12-16 hours a day. Likely, I met world class portraitist, an extraordinary man - Leonid Lubianitsky. Coming from generations of Russian photographers, in 1970’s Leonid came to New York to work with Richard Avedon, who he considers to be the best portrait photographer. Leonid was assisting Avedon for few years. Later he had his own very successful carrier in NY as portrait photographer. As a friend of Mikhail Baryshnikov Lubianitsky helped him to find a new way for artistic expression and became his photography mentor. Leonid was a curator of first Mikhail Baryshnikov photography exhibition in the Movado Gallery.
We became friends with Leonid. That time I already was freelancing for various Russian newspapers. Inspired by Leonid, I became passioned about photography like never before. I gravitated toward artistic photography and eventually left media, focusing my efforts on landscapes and architecture. From Lubianitsky I learned much of what I know about the art of photography. Between a year of 2000 and 2008 I created a "New York Collection" portfolio, which is an expression of my artistic vision and of my "love affair" with New York. To continue my education I studied alternative photo printing technique at famous Art Students League of New York and became known for timeless sepia photographs of New York City under the name of Sasha Gleyzer.
During the last few years I was privileged to work on projects for such a respectable organizations as: the Fordham University, Beth Israel Hospital, Ringling College of Art and Design, the city of Hoboken, the “New Light” restaurant and other restaurants in New York. I am a member of Bay Professional Photographer's Association since 2008 and a host of a world music radio show on WSLR community radio station in Sarasota, FL, where I spend last 4 years.
My photo art is in collections of the Russian Minister of Finances, the Russian Consul in The United States and a number of Russian celebrities as well as collectors in The United States and world wide. "New York Collection" portfolio was taken globally in printing by Canadian company "Art In Motion".
We became friends with Leonid. That time I already was freelancing for various Russian newspapers. Inspired by Leonid, I became passioned about photography like never before. I gravitated toward artistic photography and eventually left media, focusing my efforts on landscapes and architecture. From Lubianitsky I learned much of what I know about the art of photography. Between a year of 2000 and 2008 I created a "New York Collection" portfolio, which is an expression of my artistic vision and of my "love affair" with New York. To continue my education I studied alternative photo printing technique at famous Art Students League of New York and became known for timeless sepia photographs of New York City under the name of Sasha Gleyzer.
During the last few years I was privileged to work on projects for such a respectable organizations as: the Fordham University, Beth Israel Hospital, Ringling College of Art and Design, the city of Hoboken, the “New Light” restaurant and other restaurants in New York. I am a member of Bay Professional Photographer's Association since 2008 and a host of a world music radio show on WSLR community radio station in Sarasota, FL, where I spend last 4 years.
My photo art is in collections of the Russian Minister of Finances, the Russian Consul in The United States and a number of Russian celebrities as well as collectors in The United States and world wide. "New York Collection" portfolio was taken globally in printing by Canadian company "Art In Motion".