Aleksandr Drankov

Alexander Osipovich Drankov (Russian: Алекса́ндр О́сипович Дранко́в; 1880 – 1949) was a Russian and Soviet photographer, cameraman, film director, and film producer. He is considered a pioneer of Russian pre-revolutionary cinematography. Drankov was born Abram Iosifovich Drankov (Абрам Иосифович Дранков). Despite having no formal education, Alexander Drankov and his brother Lev founded a photography studio in Saint Petersburg. Alexander worked as a foreign photography correspondent for the Illustrated London News and L'Illustration, and was an official photographer for both the Duma and Nicholas II. Drankov also filmed Russian language title cards for French movies. His studio was on the cutting edge of technology, owning a Pathé camera and electric lighting.