Mockva, Moskva, Mockba, Moscow… whatever – Grandpa Genrikh, his Cameras and Portraits

“My grandpa Genrikh is visiting from Kiev and he brought a bunch of cameras with him. Could you help me sell them on eBay?”

“Sure,” I replied to Micah. She was one of six non-Hispanic students out the 105 kids that were enrolled in my three sections of photography at Watsonville High in California. Micah had only been in the states for 10 months, but she had already developed a host of friends because they enjoyed her humor, weird Ukrainian clothes, and the funny accent she had when she spoke Spanish. I mean she spoke Spanish well! This girl was a wiz at everything she did.  Check out this photo for the Edgerton assignment. That’s my wrinkled hand in Micah’s shot.

‘A bunch of cameras’ was an understatement. Grandpa Genrikh had brought 2 frayed leather covered steamer trunks full of cameras with names like Zorki, Zenit, Horizon, Moskva, Kiev, Fed, Chaika, Smena, and others. The family had set up several tables in the garage to sort through the collection of cameras, dolls, and religious icons. Micah and her grandfather hoped I could help them price the cameras and list them on eBay. It was an overwhelming task.

We began by doing eBay searches, which back in 2017 did not list every brand. Interest in film cameras was a lot lower then than it is now. More to the point, the asking price for film cameras was low and I could see the disappointment on the faces of the family as we organized things.

We took a break after a couple of hours and sat down to a dinner of dishes that seemed to come right out of my Ukrainian grandmother’s kitchen. The story of how Genrikh had acquired these cameras and how he hoped they would be a windfall for the family unfolded.

Genrikh had been a photographer all his life and owned a photo shop that sold equipment and processed pictures. When his wife passed away, he decided to retire. He sold off the best inventory and was left with boxes of gear nobody wanted. Somebody had told him Americans were wild about Russian stuff. Apparently not. As the reality of the situation sunk in, the family switched gears and brought out the vodka, platters of baked goods, and a stack of great photos grandpa had brought from the old country.

This is where my memory starts to get fuzzy, because I’m a lightweight with alcohol. Genrikh spoke no English and I spoke no Russian or Ukrainian, but the family was fluent in Yiddish, so I could understand about 10% of the animated conversation. It has always amazed me that people with a difficult past can laugh about life.

Around midnight the room was spinning, and I needed to get home. Micah’s father drove my car and her mother followed in the family station wagon. When I awoke the next day, which was fortunately a Saturday, I was in my underwear beneath the covers of my bed with no memory of how I got there. My wife later related how it had been a group effort to put me to bed, involving much laughter. On my kitchen table were a few nice cameras. That’s how I acquired my Moskva.

I last saw Genrikh when the family came to school to view the student photo show. I photographed him in the photo studio, which I had set up in a vacant classroom. I used the Moskva for some pix, but the digital shots look much better, so I’m using them for this posting. I think the family did okay on the sale of cameras, little Matryoshka dolls, icons, and jewelry. They are nice people and I think things are working out for them.

Here are some shots taken with the Moskva.

The first attempts with the Moskva had overlapping frames because the counter is broken. I rather like the double image in this picture of Lauren, my wife. After this roll, I relied on the little red counter window to avoid overlapping.

You need to stop the lens down to at least f/8 to avoid sharpness loss in the corners. This shot was at f/4 and the corners are not sharp.

This shot was done on a tripod with a cable release. Straight print from the negative, with no sharpening or other alterations. Considering the age of the camera and the lack of lens coating, I think the result is pretty darn good.

Let’s have a last look at Grandpa Genrikh, the man that gave me my Moskva, or Mockba, or however you say it.

Technical notes: All of the portrait images in this posting were done handheld with a Nikon D-610 and 24-80 Nikkor zoom lens. Lighting was accomplished with strobes. The shots taken with the Moskva are scans of negatives except the last one, which is a scan of a sepia print.

Final comment

These Moskva cameras are available in 6×4.5, 6×6, 6×7, and 6×9. If you’re looking to buy one, I’d recommend investing in a film tested clean version, even though the price could be $150 or more. There’s a lot that can go wrong with old folding cameras, like bellows leaks, sticky shutters, and fungus in the lenses. Just like anything else in the vintage world, buyer beware. I paid with a hangover and I think that price was worth it.

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