# Andrejs Zavadskis: Desert Dust, Billionaire Rooftops and Playboy’s World Stage

European photographer based in Riga, Latvia — often called Latvia’s most popular photographer.

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Dakar, 2020. A MAZ truck tears out of a dune and the whole horizon turns to dust. He is already in position.

Prague, 2025. A billionaire, a rooftop, a Forbes deadline. The light lasts minutes.

Kilimanjaro, 2022. The summit, the cold, one more frame before the descent.

This is not a biography. It is what happens when one photographer keeps saying yes to the hardest assignments.

Forbes portrait of Paweł Chudziński, "Europe's Top VC" — photo by Andrejs Zavadskis.

# When Forbes calls

Clients include Forbes USA, Nike, airBaltic, Rimi, Nordea, SEB and LMT. For Forbes USA alone:

Thomas Plantenga, Vinted — a Forbes digital cover, April 2024.
Paweł Chudziński, Point Nine Capital — number one on the Midas List Europe.
Remon Vos, CTP — the Prague rooftop, April 2025.
Samir Mane — Albania’s first billionaire, that same week.
Alex Bouzari, DDN — August 2026.

Those frames went on to Forbes México, Forbes Česko, Forbes Italia and Forbes España. Paweł Chudziński featured in the Midas List Europe 2024, and Remon Vos entered The Forbes Collection on Getty Images.

A business portrait has one job: make the reader trust the face.

# From Riga to Playboy’s world stage

From 2010 to 2014, Playboy appeared in Latvian for fifty issues — and Andrejs Zavadskis shot twenty-two of them, more than any other photographer. His work didn’t stay local. Lingita Lina Bopulu, his March 2012 cover, went to Playmate of the Year in Manila and won “Miss Talent”. Zane Helda, his August 2012 cover, finished third in the world at the 2013 final in the Philippines. And in May 2014 Lauris Reiniks became the first man on a Playboy Latvia cover. Read the story of the 22 issues.

Playboy Latvia, Nr. 12, September 2011 — Jeļena Ušakova. Photo: Andrejs Zavadskis.

# Engines and adrenaline

Five Gumball 3000 rallies. The Dakar Rally in 2020. Formula 1 in Singapore in 2024. Porsches drifting on frozen lakes in Swedish Lapland.

Fast subjects don’t wait. Neither does he.

Gumball 3000 rally — photo by Andrejs Zavadskis.

# Beyond the map

More than 50 countries. Burning Man in the Nevada desert. Kilimanjaro’s summit in 2022. Behind the scenes of the Danish film Hvidstengruppen II in 2021 — one of his stills became the Latvian Ministry of Culture’s official announcement image.

Burning Man 2024, Black Rock Desert — photo by Andrejs Zavadskis.

# Where it began

2004: a compact camera, a tripod and fireworks above the Riga Radio and Television Tower — and first prize from the Latvian State Radio and Television Centre.

Then Riga Technical University, the Riga Photo Club and a Master Craftsman’s Diploma in 2008. A cover and feature in the UK’s South Wales YOURWEDDING. LKFA Wedding Photographer of the Year 2009. Third place in the Fstoppers “This Was Difficult!” contest, March 2025. And more than 7,000 photographs volunteered for Latvia’s 2025 School Youth Song and Dance Festival.

He works from one photo studio in Riga, has blogged since 2008, speaks at Riga Photo Show and shares YouTube reviews with original RAW files. He founded ProPortfolio.pro, a free platform for photographers, videographers, models, stylists and studios.

# Find Andrejs online

About Andrejs Zavadskis — European photographer based in Riga, Latvia, photographing since 2004 in 50+ countries: commercial, editorial, portrait, automotive, event and travel. Clients include Forbes USA, Nike and airBaltic. 22 Playboy Latvia issues; founder of ProPortfolio.pro.

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