The Valentine Ryabov Gallery

Born in 1962. In the fourth grade he found a photo camera “Smena” in a cloakroom and started photographing. In the sixth grade joined a childrens’photo studio of the Pioneer palace on Leninsky Hills.
1970-1978 – School № 825 of the Academy of Pedagogic Science.
1978-1982- Moscow Radio technical college.
1982-1984 -Service in the Soviet Army. Cosmodrome Plesetsky.
1984-1988 -Graduated from the Moscow State Institute of Culture, chair of cinema and photo craftsmanship. Specialty – director of a photo studio. Photographed in the Malaya Bronnaya theatre. In the 90-s attempted to start a business in the movie industry. Turned back to photography as a profession in 2001. Worked in such profile magazines as: “Pipeline transport, theory and practice”, “DVD expert”, “Dolce Vita”, “Banko” information service, tourist magazines “Hot line tourism”, “Chuk & Gek”, “Automobile and service”. Starting from 2003 photographed the Russian fashion week shows.  Leading photographer of an advertising studio “InterGlobalPhoto”- cover page photos, creation of advertising images, catalogs etc.
 Participant of the “Silver camera”, “The naked world” Art Salon  and “X’show –adult exhibition 2007” contests in Moscow. 
Good knowledge of professional equipment and lighting. A free lancer at the moment, photographing for “IQ” and “Travel technologies” event-agencies, photo banks, magazines and privatecollections.
Member of the Union of photo artists of Russia.

Creative biography, written by a journalist and writer Alexander Nesterenko.

Alexander Kopelev was born in Moscow in an industrial suburb of five storey “Khrushev” buildings. Gloomy surroundings formed a thirst for beauty, and the hypocritical times of stagnation - aspiration for the forbidden –photography of naked models- NU. Clashes of the epoch, that Kopelev was part of, were reflected in his full of eroticism works. Hence the nude and mysterious images of the female models, that radiate genuine pleasure from the photography process. Professional models, as well as ordinary girls who like to be photographed in the nude pose for him.
Of course one may say that Kopelev in his works quotes Helmut Newton. But there is no "déjà vu" feeling. In contrast to the glamorous inaccessible beauties of Newton, Kopelevs’ ladies don’t look beyond the reach. In life they are not beautiful women, but on photos they are maidens from dreamland, who make men in the street turn their heads and freeze in astonishment. On Kopelevs’ photographs they miraculously turn into heavenly beauties…