Romance and realism in Russia: 31 years of Boris Savelev

Girl in a box, 1981: "This girl was painting the walls of the Hermitage gallery in Leningrad, in that box-car with a pulley attached. I asked if I could photograph her inside it, she was flattered and then very quickly applied her lipstick. It was a posed-for portrait, 10 seconds and three shots in all" Photograph: Boris Savelev/PR

Red Square Girls, 1981: "This was a tourist group from the provinces. I followed them for a while and caught this moment just before they visited the Lenin museum. This definitely isn't one of my favourites – it's reportage and not really representative of my style, which is more elaborate and constructivist – but everyone else seems to like it. It's reprinted endlessly, but I think it's too simple" Photograph: Boris Savelev/PR

Dirty Window, 1981: "This is a favourite, taken on a coach in Russia. I was sitting on the opposite bench; everyone was staring ahead at the sun and I was looking at the dirty window when I nailed the composition for this. I don't like subjects to see me with my camera – they change and move and it becomes artificial. It shows there is a skill in pushing the button. It's instinctive' Photograph: Borias Savelev/PR

Broken Slide, 1982: "This was part of my first series experimenting with colour. It was taken on the outskirts of Moscow, in a wasteland of tower blocks. It has a very ghostly, ethereal feel but it's very true of that area, of that time. People waited an age for buses and there was an everyday despair. It's all built up with cars and buildings now" Photograph: Boris Savelev/PR

Piatka, 1982: "This was a mother and daughter, taken in Gorky park in Moscow, in early summer and early morning. It's one I printed on aluminium sheets, using the kallitype method. It's incredibly laborious but it gives a beautiful depth and high representation between light and dark" Photograph: Boris Savelev/PR

Antiflies, 1987: "I love this photograph. I was inside a pub with friends. Just as I was making to go, I saw the sun catch these ribbons, these flies. It's a very simple photo but a very powerful composition; the light comes against the man behind the curtain. I take a lot of photos when I'm drinking and they usually come out well. Sometimes, if they're not happening, I'll just drink some more" Photograph: Boris Savelev/PR

Red Girl, 1987: "I don't know who the girl was, she was just stood outside a homewares shop in my town of Czernowitz. I can sense when something's there and this was totally spontaneous – not set up at all. I passed her, pushed the button, and moved on. The light and composition is perfectly representative of my style over the last 20 years" Photograph: Boris Savelev/PR

Red Bag 1988: "I don't like my subjects to see me, so I compose my shots very quickly; I have a one-click chance. It's the best way to get natural faces, ones that are alive. This was taken in Leningrad, 1990, at a time when Russia was on its knees and the city was falling down. People struggled to make ends meet and they took to the street with empty bags to see what they could find. It was very sad and difficult for the country, but a very rich time for a photographer" Photograph: Boris Savelev/PR

Flag, 1996: "This is entirely in reportage style. I was walking across Moscow river with a very powerful wind against me; there was a strong hailstorm minutes before. I think, even to the untrained eye, you can see a massive amount of detail in the light and dark – all the different shades of grey are astonishing, and I hope it gives a sense of real visual wonder" Photograph: Boris Savelev/PR

Moncloa, 2008: "This is a very recent work, from last summer in Madrid. I managed to capture three very distinct eras of Spanish history through the architecture here, I think – Isabelline, Moorish and modern Franco, in a single shot" Photograph: Boris Savelev/PR