Stas was introduced to the world of photography at an early age. In the Soviet Union, where he was born, photo laboratories were scarce and costly, so he learned to develop and print family photographs at home alongside his sister. After immigrating to the United States in the early 1990s, Stas discovered the work of legendary fashion photographers through his mother’s magazines. After high school Stas worked as a newspaper photographer, yet he knew his ambition was to learn from the greats of fashion photography. He moved to New York, where he refined his craft by assisting photographers such as Michael Thompson, Mikael Jansson, and Willy Vanderperre. Eventually, Stas was selected by Steven Meisel to serve as his first assistant. The six years he dedicated to working with Steven were a dream come true, and Steven proved to be a truly generous and inspiring mentor.

Stas’ images have appear in British Vogue, Interview Magazine, German Vogue, Vogue Poland, Vogue Spain, Vanity Fair, and W Magazine. His advertising work includes projects for Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Zara, Calvin Klein, Jimmy Choo, Coach, Sacai, Ralph Lauren, Moncler, Khaite, Levi’s, and Tommy Hilfiger.