Maxim Dmitriyev was born  in the village of Povalishino of the Tambov Province on August 21, 1858.

In 1877 he moved to Nizhny Novgorod and got a job in the photo studio of A. O. Karelin. Over 10 years of assisting work he mastered all subtleties of art photography and opened his own studio in Nizhny Novgorod in 1887.

Maxim Dmitriyev was a talented photo portraitist and documentary photographer. Over several years he visited all cities and towns on the Volga River, photographed Volga landscapes, scenes of town and everyday life. His works won high awards at exhibitions in Paris, Amsterdam, Chicago and New York. Russia's first Photography Museum was opened in the premises of Maxim Dmitriyev Studio.