Karelin’s name is closely associated with Nizhny Novgorod where he lived for almost forty years. After graduating from the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg and a two-year stay in Kostroma, he moved to Nizhny Novgorod in 1886 with his three young children — the newly born Andrei, Lyudmila and Apollo, after the death of his first wife. Here, in the second marriage with Olga Lermontova three more children were born — Olga, Tatyana and Raphael.
All family members shared Andrew’s passion for creativity. The family was dominated by the spirit of love and mutual respect. A close-knit team of craftsmen also worked in Karelin’s photo studio. He helped many of them find a profession, find the secrets of craftsmanship, taught them devotion to the work that they serve. In 1881, Karelin accepted Fomin as his assistant for performing technical work; his new apprentice showed diligence, managed to master the profession of a photographer and later opened his own studio.