«Do you have a favorite song?» Meet Maksat — Minsk's most famous street videographer
«Oh, Maksat, greetings, we were wondering when we'd meet you,» — this is how videos by blogger Maksat Rejepguliyev often begin. Yet, in his videos, he doesn't feature himself or any celebrities, but ordinary passers-by. In less than half a year, the guy's social media accounts grew to a total of half a million subscribers. Comments are overflowing with admiration. Onliner spoke with Maksat.
«It happened that I pointed the camera at a person and at the last moment: oh, never mind»
It's hard to believe, but Minsk's most famous street photographer and videographer has been doing street photography for a little less than three years. Maksat even names the exact date when the idea to dedicate his blog to it came to him — February 14, 2023. Before that, the guy worked in public catering for many years, and professional shoots were mostly conducted in his imagination. He says that although his interest in photography and cinema was from childhood, in reality, things didn't come together for a long time.
A magical push came at some point from his wife: she noticed that Maksat was very good at shooting with his phone and suggested he try something more serious. This "serious" turned out to be a Fujifilm X-T3 camera — not the easiest device for a beginner. Maksat admits: he tried it himself, couldn't figure it out — he had to enroll in courses to master the basics. After finishing photo school, he didn't hesitate — he immediately went out to practice on the streets.
— At first, of course, I took bad photos. I still scroll through my old videos and think: how could I have done that... But any activity has a beginning, first mistakes. I found my style in the process, though from the very beginning I imagined what kind of shots I wanted to take: something with a soft effect, blurs, as if in a dream.
I was inspired by a street photographer from Moscow for content with passers-by. I found the format interesting when you don't just shoot people from afar, but immediately share the result with them, see their emotions. I also started approaching people, asking something elementary like their name and profession (just to make them a little more favorably disposed), showing them how to pose better. That's how the blog began.
Maksat says that he primarily paid attention to a person's style. If there were no particularly unique clothes — just their face.
According to the photographer, cool people always reveal themselves through their gaze.
He uploaded everything to the network then, except for obviously unsuccessful shots. Something later had to be deleted at the request of the heroes.
— This happened much more often when I stood, for example, on Nemiga and just photographed passers-by. After publications, about 10 people out of 100 asked to delete them — even really cool photos. They usually didn't give reasons, at most: "I don't want my face to appear anywhere." It's frustrating, but what can you do?
Once I photographed an interesting man, showed him the pictures, and asked for permission to upload them. For some reason, he immediately became aggressive, demanding that everything be deleted immediately. He turned out to be a foreigner, by the way.
Belarusians are very tolerant of street photography — in most cases, everyone is just happy to be in the lens.
«In the comments, people write that I have a talent for revealing people, like a psychologist»
Maksat's videos gradually began to attract not only subscribers but also clients. The guy decided to quit his job in public catering and switch to a full-time video format.
— Once I was walking somewhere listening to music, and I was so "carried away" by the vibe of the song that I started imagining myself in a music video. I think this happens to everyone. That's when I thought it would be cool to help random passers-by embody similar fantasies. I decided I would approach them, get to know them, ask about their favorite song, and shoot an entire music video to it. But at some point, I realized it was too resource-intensive. Energy and motivation quickly ran out: I was too obsessed with editing and the visuals.
In the end, Maksat reformatted the idea into the genre of those "walks". In the six months that the guy has been showing how Belarusians beautifully stride to Imagine Dragons, Moby, or "Pesnyary," his Instagram audience has grown to 330 thousand, and TikTok to 160 thousand. Among them are stars like Maxim Galkin.
Meanwhile, Maksat continues to shoot videos for passers-by for free, earning a living through advertising and freelancing.
— Gradually, I began to focus more on mini-interviews. The audience really likes to learn what kind of person someone is inside, how they think about life. Confidence appeared when I gained recognition and people started recognizing me even without a camera.
Currently, Maksat approaches people of all ages, except children. He says he hears refusals in approximately 40% of cases. It's harder in winter: Minsk residents, wrapped up to their eyebrows, rush by very quickly. Last week, for example, the guy walked around with his camera for half a day and only successfully caught three people, which, he says, is very little compared to warmer months when almost everyone agrees to be filmed. Then, during one walk, he can shoot 12-15 "walk-throughs," 10 of which will definitely make it into the blog.
— In the comments, people write that I have a talent for revealing people, that I'm like a psychologist... It's nice, of course, but sometimes I feel awkward receiving such compliments. Because I'm a shy person myself: a couple of years ago, I would hardly have even agreed to this conversation. It's self-work. I constantly have a dialogue in my head: "Yes, Maksat, I know you're very shy, but let's put that aside now and you'll just go up to that person." That's how I overcame my fear of communication.
— In general, a piece of each person's soul from my videos stays with me.
Almost all people remain in my memory: sometimes I see one of the heroes in the city — they might not recognize me anymore, but I remember filming their walk-through.
One encounter will be remembered forever: during a shoot with a heroine, I learned that she didn't have much longer to live. She asked me not to post that part, but the video came out — it was impossible to understand anything from it. But I myself was in a stupor then, didn't even know what to say, and just kept silent... Perhaps that was the most appropriate reaction.
«In Belarusians, I most appreciate tolerance»
Maksat is from Turkmenistan, from the city of Mary. He came to Belarus almost 14 years ago, studied to be an engineer-economist at BNTU. When asked why he decided not to return to his homeland, he smiles: our climate turned out to be more pleasant, and besides, he simply fell in love — with the new country and with his future wife.
— I met my wife here, but she is also from Turkmenistan. We lived in the same dormitory. She's a mestiza, like me: her father is Turkmen, and her mother is Ukrainian. My father is also Turkmen, my mother is ethnically German. I practically don't visit Turkmenistan anymore — not since my mother passed away. I think I last flew there two years ago when I needed to renew my foreign passport. I communicate with my father, we call each other, but, you understand, a father is a father... Still, I used to visit mostly because of my mother. And when her illness took its toll, I stopped, so as not to be overwhelmed by memories. Perhaps for me, it's a kind of comforting moment: as long as I'm here, it feels like my mother is also somewhere there.
— I want to ask you the same questions you ask your heroes. Describe yourself in three words.
— Probably kind. Somewhat pedantic (I can rewash dishes several times). And the third — dreamy.
— What do you dream about?
— Generally speaking, I dream that racism and discrimination will be eradicated forever, that there will be no wars in the world, that people will respect the planet — our common home.
— What makes you happy?
— My family, my wife, my work. But honestly, I primarily make myself happy. It's my life, I choose my path. I chose mine — and I'm happy.
— What habit would you like to get rid of?
— The habit of overthinking things too much: what if it doesn't work out, or maybe I should do this differently... In a way, it might be necessary, because if you don't "push" yourself a little, you're unlikely to succeed. But sometimes I get too fixated and fall into depressive states. I recover by watching nostalgic films or cartoons. I believe that thoughts are material: the more often you visualize a goal, the closer you are to it.
— What do you value most in people?
— I'll probably answer the same way most of my heroes do: kindness and honesty. Also, perhaps, the ability to understand other people without words. When a person understands from just a glance which topics can be raised with you in communication and which should not, — that's what I value.
In Belarusians, I most appreciate tolerance. Of course, there are people who might somehow pay attention to my appearance, or comment on it. But mostly, communication with Belarusians is wonderful. You are very kind, empathetic people. Even just on the street, you can read all of this in the eyes of most people. And when I approach them, I rarely make a mistake.
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