Nikolai Rakhmanov (1932-2021) was born in Moscow in the family of a theatre composer and conductor N. N. Rakhmanov. Nikolai Rakhmanov’s father was a passionate amateur photographer, and from ayoung age, the boy helped him in his photographic experiments. In 1953, Rakhmanov got a job at the TASS Photochronicles Office. In 1960, he became a photojournalist of the newspaper «Nedelya» (Sunday supplement of the journal «Izvestia»). It was during these years that Nikolai Rakhmanov began filming Moscow, and this topic will remain the main one for him. He tries to convey the beauty and grandeur of the city, its parks and architectural ensembles. He is the master of the photo essay: «Masked Men», «Anthem to the Wheel», «Lamps of the 20th Century», «Men Dress Like This», «New Adventures of Three Musketeers and D’Artagnan in Moscow» — essays that were published in the press and the readers loved it.
Moscow by Nikolai Rakhmanov is recognisable, shown not only with technical skill, but also with a sincere love for his hometown, and genre photographs of this period are those traces that are already studying the history of the country.
Until the mid-1960s, the photographer shot on black and white film, and then switched to colour. The author himself emphasises this: «My black and white period is over. And I began to develop a new area for me — colour photography».
In the early 1970s, work began on books and albums. In 1972, the Planet Publishing House Moscow photo album received the Grand Prix and the Gold Medal at the international competition «The Most Beautiful Book of the World» in Leipzig. Over the course of 15 years, this album has been re-released eleven times. In 1983 — 1984, his album «Treasures of the Moscow Kremlin», published in Switzerland, received the international prize «The Most Beautiful Book of Switzerland» and the Diploma, the award of the Kodak company — «Kodak Prize book». The album was published in all European languages. In total, since 1970, Nikolai Rakhmanov has released about sixty copyright books and photo albums.
Nikolai Rakhmanov is a laureate of the Golden Eye of Russia, International Guild of Professional Media Photographers of Russia, For Dignity and Professionalism. He was awarded the Badge of Honor of the Union of Journalists of the Russian Federation and the Austrian Knight’s Order of the Lokhen House Castle.