Growing up in the town of Palekh, Russia 150 miles northeast of Moscow, it was a given that Valentin Sivyakov would grow up to be some kind of artist. His family comes from a long lineage of painters, and Palekh is renowned as the epicenter for Russian miniature craftwork and religious iconography. But thanks to his older sister and homemade cassette recordings of 80s MTV radio broadcasts, his artistic influences came more from a lace-clad Madonna singing “Like A Virgin” than chaste paintings of the Holy Mother.

As his musical tastes became more refined, Valentin gravitated towards harder rock and metal, finding joy in the head-banging beats of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Nine Inch Nails, Pantera, Guns N’ Roses, Metallica and Nirvana. He also became a devotee of a local garage band, where he found acceptance and camaraderie among the hardcore musicians by capturing the action at the shows. “Photographing for bands allowed me to take part in the scene,” he says, recalling his first piece of photography equipment was a disposable camera. “When other people rejected me, these are the people that took me in.”

Born with radial and hip dysplasia, a condition that shortened his forearm and pelvic bones due to an iron deficiency in the womb, Valentin spent his childhood in Russia managing his disability and suffering bullying in school. In 1994, he traveled to the Shriners’ Hospital in Springfield, Massachusetts, for the last three surgeries out of 13 total operations in his childhood on his hips and hands, each one improving his ability and mobility.

Though he had already graduated from high school in Russia, he completed another senior year during his recoveries at Cheshire Academy in Cheshire, Connecticut. While his foster family provided an incredible amount of support and love, Valentin still had a hard time feeling like he belonged in his adopted American town. Again, he found refuge in the local metal scene, quickly becoming well-known for his unique photography of the bands and crowds.

After he graduated from high school, Valentin attended the Savannah College of Art & Design, earning his degree in photography and graphic design in 2009. He still lives in Savannah, Georgia, where he works as a commercial,  wedding photographer and photo editor by day. At night, he is a familiar fixture at clubs and music festivals, where he continues to document the energy and force of local and international musicians. “Taking pictures is what I have to contribute,” he muses. “I’ve learned that everyone is challenged in one way or another. You never know what someone is going trough.Be kind at first. Always! ”