Interested in photography since his school days, Gueorgui Pinkhassov studied cinematography at the Superior Institute of Cinematography in Moscow from 1969-1971. After serving in the military for two years, he worked in a team of cameramen and later as a film stills photographer for the studio Mosfilm. In 1988, he joined Magnum Photos and became a Member in 1994. Pinkhassov moved to Paris in 1985, where he is still based.