The photographer behind the picture.
Twenty years, thirteen disciplines, three continents — and one belief that has never changed: a photograph is only as good as the job it does for the person who needs it.
Riga, Latvia
A Latvian eye on the world.
There are photographers who document moments, and photographers who own them. After two decades, I know which one I am — and I built that certainty one demanding assignment at a time.
Where it begins: Riga
I'm Andrejs Zavadskis, and I make my living and my life with a camera in Riga, Latvia. It's a city whose medieval cobblestones, Art Nouveau facades and low Baltic light seem almost purpose-built for photography — the kind of place that teaches you to see before it teaches you to shoot. I trained formally, completing a photography course recognised by the International Education Society (IES LTC), but I'll be honest: the certificate was the beginning, not the education. The real schooling happened in the field, on real jobs, with real stakes.
Over the years that field widened in ways I never planned. What started as portraits and weddings in Latvia grew into commercial campaigns, editorial assignments, motorsport, expeditions and travel work spanning Europe, the Middle East, Africa and beyond. I've never wanted to be the photographer who only does one thing. The variety is the point — every discipline teaches the others something.
The assignments that shaped me
Some commissions change how you work forever. A few of mine:
- Forbes USA. I photographed Vinted CEO Thomas Plantenga for a Forbes USA digital cover feature — the kind of portrait that has to carry a global business story in a single frame.
- The Dakar Rally, Saudi Arabia (2020). Working motorsport's most punishing race meant making sharp, publishable pictures in heat, dust, speed and chaos, where there is no second take and no comfortable position.
- Formula 1, Singapore (2024). A night race weekend — precision, pressure and atmosphere, photographed at the highest level of the sport.
- Gumball 3000 — five times. I've been chosen by different competing teams to photograph them across five editions of the Gumball 3000 rally, and my photographs were printed in the official Gumball 3000 photo book.
- Playboy Latvia. A featured photographer for the Latvian edition.
- Danish cinema. I featured on the Latvian set of the Danish feature film Hvidstengruppen II.
- Burning Man & Kilimanjaro. From the dust of Nevada's Black Rock Desert to the 5,895-metre summit of Africa's highest peak, I've photographed where the conditions, not the studio, set the rules.
- Brand campaigns. Commercial work for names including Nordea and LMT — the discipline of making someone else's vision look effortless.
And running quietly underneath all of it: the weddings, the family afternoons, the business headshots, the restaurant menus. The everyday work that taught me photography is, in the end, almost always about people.
The recognition that matters most
Of all the credits, the one I hold closest is being named Wedding Photographer of the Year by the LKFA, Latvia's leading wedding photographers association. Motorsport and magazine covers are thrilling, but a wedding is someone's once-only day. To be trusted with that — and recognised for how I handle it — means a great deal.
How I actually work
My approach is simple enough to say and hard enough to do well: understand the job the images have to do, then build every frame to do it. A Forbes portrait, a product on a seamless, a first dance, a factory floor — each has a different purpose, and the photography should serve that purpose first and show off second.
On location I stay calm and fast. I read a room before I lift the camera. I'd rather earn a real moment than manufacture a fake one, and I'd rather over-prepare than improvise under pressure. Clients tell me the experience feels easy; that ease is the result of twenty years of preparation doing its job.
The equipment
Gear is a means, never the message — but the right tools let me disappear into the work. I shoot with a considered kit:
- Leica Q3 — a full-frame compact and my constant companion.
- Leica M10 — rangefinder purity, for when I want to slow down and see.
- Hasselblad 907X + CFV II 50C — medium-format files for the work that demands the very best.
- Nikon Z9 & Z8 — flagship speed and resolution for reportage, sport and events.
- Nikon Zf — retro soul, modern mirrorless, perfect for intimate sessions.
Beyond the camera
I'm also Business Development Manager at Files.fm, the Latvian-founded EU cloud platform with over 4.3 million users, built for photographers and creative professionals. It keeps me close to the working realities of the people I photograph for — and to the future of how visual work is stored, shared and licensed.
A short timeline
- Formal photography education recognised by the International Education Society (IES LTC).
- Wedding Photographer of the Year — recognised by the LKFA, Latvia's leading wedding photographers association.
- Gumball 3000 — five editions, shooting for different competing teams; photographs printed in the official photo book.
- Dakar Rally, Saudi Arabia — motorsport photography in extreme desert conditions.
- Formula 1, Singapore — a night-race weekend at the top of the sport.
- Forbes USA, Playboy Latvia and the Danish feature film Hvidstengruppen II.
Let's make something.
Whether you're a brand with a campaign, a couple with a date, an agency with a deadline or a family with a moment you don't want to forget — I'd like to hear about it. The work I'm proudest of almost always started with a simple, honest brief.