Yan is a graduate of the All-Russian State University of Cinematography (VGIK), the world's oldest film school, founded in 1919. As a director of photography, he works with light, composition, staging and movement to discover and reveal the deeper meaning of storytelling and to create a visual world with actors realizing the director's intent. The discipline of shooting on film has taught Yan of thinking deeply about what he is about to shoot, carefully planning every detail before he presses the record button.

Yan lived and worked for some time in New York, where he expanded his cinematic vision, thinking, and practice, and gained new experience in the production approach. As a cinematographer, he made sports documentaries, documentary film portraits, and feature-length films for the American market. His short movies have received high marks at international film festivals, including the 60th International Film Festival in Rochester and the IPFF in Orlando, where Yan was awarded Best Cinematography in 2018. He has more than a dozen music videos to his credit.

His experience leading a large commercial production team makes him a creative leader who can create an artistic vision for a concept and rally a team to achieve goals.