Andrew B. Barkhatov

@abbsound.bsky.social

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On Old Arbat, a man removes the head of a plush animal — and for a moment, the person inside the role becomes visible. The blurred frame turns motion into a state: the mask rests, and the city sees itself through a human face. ⚙️ Technical Credits: Date: April 17, 2019 Location: Moscow, Arbat Street Camera: Pentax Spotmatic SP II (№5247478) Lens: MC Macro-Revuenon 28 mm ƒ3.5 Film: Tasma FN 100 [USSR B&W film, 07.2005] (Expired, EI 100) Development: D‑76 Lab: sreda.photo lab Scan: Noritsu HS‑1800 Philosophy: Sometimes a person becomes visible only when the mask is tired. The old Arbat suddenly decided to flow like poorly brewed tea. Everything spun: the streetlamps, the cobblestones, the passersby, all turning into a single gray vortex. The stringer raised his camera on the run, not even taking a moment to glance through the viewfinder, and pressed the shutter. And in this vortex, in its very epicenter, one solitary, motionless moment suddenly froze. Someone in a bear’s skin, tired of endlessly framing the world through foam-rubber eyes, simply took off his large plush head and placed it on a wooden bench, next to a sign reading "FOR RENT," which was also drifting somewhere in the distance. The world saw a human face—weary, with features of a resident of the vast steppes of Central Asia. The man composedly pulled out a pack of cigarettes, flicked a lighter, and exhaled blue smoke, which instantly mingled with the Lomo-Punk vortex. It turned out that even the mythical Arbat animals have the most ordinary, human harmful habits. They too grow tired, want to smoke, and remove their beastly masks just to breathe. And the expired Soviet emulsion, as if knowing the truth, captured this moment in coarse brushstrokes of silver grain.
Two people rest on a bench like temporary files of the metropolis that the system forgot to delete. The sun backs up the shadows, and at their feet stands a clear vessel holding the day’s fatigue. The city freezes, rebooting through their sleep, becoming for a moment not a street but an interface glitch. ⚙️ Technical Credits: Date: April 22, 2019 Location: Moscow, Arbat Street Camera: Pentax Spotmatic SP II (№5247478) Lens: MC Macro-Revuenon 28 mm ƒ3.5 Film: Tasma FN 100 [USSR B&W film, 07.2005] (Expired, EI 100) Development: D‑76 Lab: sreda.photo lab Scan: Noritsu HS‑1800 Philosophy: Rest is a form of resistance to time.
«Street photography is always a bit of a guerrilla war for reality. When people in hard hats try to hide their faces from the lens, they intuitively defend their right to remain the invisible force that maintains order. But the expired Soviet emulsion knows no mercy: it catches their grumbling and turns a fleeting flash of street discontent into an eternal monument of lomo-punk».
“Indoor Ether of Old Journalism” The pipe has grown cold. In the monocle's soft mist — The old Zeiss Ikon. A pipe lies on the table, and inside the pipe, there is darkness. Behind the pipe sits a large German Zeiss Ikon camera, but it doesn't spy on anyone because the Jupiter-8 monocle has conjured up so much fog that all the letters in the manual got mixed up. Smoke was coming out of the pipe, but it turned into pure silver on the ADOX CHS 100 II emulsion. The spirit of old photography walks around the room in woolen socks, coughs, and looks for its newspaper clippings from the last century. Time sat on the edge of the table, wrapped itself in a negative, and decided to wait until the D-76 developer completely dissolves all minor details. There will be no news today; only the Pakon remains, quietly scanning this absolute silence. Total peace and positive inaction. ⚙️ Technical Credits Camera: Pentax Spotmatic SP II (№ 5247478) Lens: Monocle (custom modified from "Jupiter-8" 2/50) Film: ADOX CHS 100 II + dev. D‑76 Scanner: Pakon F235+ Date: 6 June 2018 Subject: Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta B2 531 in background Philosophy: “The best ideas are born not when you look into the viewfinder, but when the pipe goes out and the camera simply waits.”
Someone aims at reality — it doesn’t matter who. Youth photographs itself, unaware of where the frame begins or ends. Laughter becomes the flash, observation the way to exist. ⚙️ Technical Credits Date: May 25, 2019 Location: Moscow, Red Square Camera: Pentax Spotmatic SP II (№ 5247478) Lens: Jupiter‑37A (1982, № 8252566) Film: Fomapan 100 Classic (expired 03.2007) + dev. D‑76 Scanner: Noritsu HS‑1800 Film Scanner Philosophy: “Every smile is a trap for the hunter.” A person strikes a playful pose and presses the shutter, and time turns into a dried flower. Seven years flew by, brushing their wings against the cobblestones, and now the young women from the square have gone to feed their children or write annual reports, but their laughter remains pressed between the pages of the expired Fomapan. Our Pentax Spotmatic acted like a herbarium press: it pinned the second against the glass of the Jupiter, dried it in D-76, and left it to be stored in the dark. The hunter thought they were hunting, but they were simply collecting leaves that had fallen from someone else's youth. Time stands nearby, flipping through our album and quietly sneezing from the silver dust. And I laugh. I laugh because I am old. I shoot the young, who shoot the world, and the world shoots us all. The Fomapan, awakened after twelve years of sleep, looks on and thinks: “Again, these people with their little boxes. Nothing has changed.” And maybe that is true. Nothing has changed — except the cobblestones, worn a little deeper. And me. And her. We all grow older.
“School is Over or The Last Bow Before the Step into the Unknown” (Fomapan 100) She stands on the border — between childhood and what they call “adult life.” Her ribbon still holds its shape, but her gaze already knows too much. The city watches as a dream takes its first step across the cobblestones of reality. ⚙️ Technical Credits Date: May 25, 2019 Location: Moscow, Red Square Camera: Pentax Spotmatic SP II (№ 5247478) Lens: Jupiter‑37A (1982, № 8252566) Film: Fomapan 100 Classic (expired 03.2007) + dev. D‑76 Scanner: Noritsu HS‑1800 Film Scanner Philosophy: “Every farewell is a rehearsal for freedom.” Yesterday she was solving equations with X. Today, X is her. Unknown, standing on the threshold. The sash across her shoulder says: "Graduate." But the sash doesn't say who she will become. The sash is silent anyway, it's just fabric with letters. The white apron is a flag of surrender to childhood. The black dress is mourning for the pioneer neckerchief. The bows are two white clouds stuck in her hair. She is posing. Of course she is posing. Who at sixteen doesn't pose? The world is an Instagram, even when there's no Instagram in the frame. The Pentax camera looks at her from above (or from below, who can tell where up is here?). The film, asleep since 2007, sees this girl and thinks: "I thought I had seen everything. But here — a new generation." The cobblestones of Red Square remember parades. Today they remember a graduate. Parades pass. Graduates remain. At least, on film.
“A Casual Conversation with the Ghost of 1937“ Manezhnaya Square functioning as a market for cheap historical counterfeits. Here we see a clinical session of global desensitization. A citizen whose cap and mustache are meant to represent Joseph Stalin (despite the resemblance being practically non-existent) lazily negotiates with a visiting tourist. The meta-irony hits like a brick: the most terrifying ghosts of the 20th century have been reduced to street-side cosplayers, entertaining guests from Germany, the USA, or Brazil. Generational trauma? Historical reflection? No, just a quirky guy with a pipe who poses for a small fee. This is pure, distilled Oberiu theatre: form has utterly consumed tragedy and spat it out as a tacky tourist souvenir. The Samsung Vega and Kodak Vision3 film capture this encounter with merciless, documentary-grade clarity. Capitalism defeated communism in the most sophisticated way possible—by hiring its dictators to work as jesters at the foot of the Kremlin. History repeats itself: first as tragedy, second as a cheap impersonator on the cobblestones. 📷 Technical Credits: Location: Russia, Moscow, Manezhnaya Square Camera: Samsung Vega 77i QD Film: Kodak Vision3 200T (motion picture film) Developer: D-76 Date: 02.08.2017 Scanner: Noritsu LS-1100 Subject: Street animator dressed as Joseph Stalin Philosophy: Symbols never vanish — they just pick up extra shifts.
He walks behind them, not chasing people but light sliding across their outlines. The girls don’t know their steps are already part of the chronicle, and the hunter — part of their motion. Red Square becomes a stage where everyone plays the observed. The photo‑shadow moves, and the city records itself. 📷 Technical Credits: Location: Russia, Moscow, Red Square Camera: Samsung Vega 77i QD Film: Kodak Vision3 200T (motion picture film) Developer: D-76 Subject: Yuri (@lomografik), TV director and photographer (The Hunter) Date: 02.08.2017 Scanner: Noritsu LS-1100 Philosophy: "Every hunt for light ends with the hunter inside the frame." A chronicle of double surveillance set against the backdrop of late summer, 2017. "Lomografik" lowers his panoramic "periscope," the Nikon KeyMission 360, right to the ground, stealthily capturing a street portrait of two walking girls from a radically low angle. It’s pure photographic espionage wrapped in a street-art aesthetic. But the system encounters a glitch: the hunter himself is targeted by another camera, capturing him from behind. The Kodak Vision3 motion picture film, developed as black-and-white in D-76, turns this casual walk into a tense piece of photo-journalism. The white lane markings guide the eye toward the blurred domes of the cathedral, while the motion-blurred legs evoke a sense of a chase. This is pure Oberiu absurdity: reality has split into three distinct layers—the girls who are simply walking, "lomografik" who is stealing their perspective from the cobblestones, and the author who is stealing the very act of that theft.
“The Engineering of Total Vision on Red Square” He stands on Red Square like a hunter who knows that light is the prey. The domes behind him are scenery for a film about eternity, and in his hands — a device that captures the moment from every side. Moscow watches, and he records its watching. The photo‑hunt goes on, but the beast is the frame itself. 📷 Technical Credits: Location: Russia, Moscow, Red Square Camera: Samsung Vega 77i QD Film: Kodak Vision3 200T (motion picture film) Developer: D-76 Subject: Yuri (@lomografik), TV director and photographer Date: 02.08.2017 Scanner: Noritsu LS-1100 Philosophy: "Light behaves better when it knows it’s being watched." An optical conspiracy in the very heart of the capital. "Lomografik" calibrates his analog-digital interface. Perched atop a metallic monopod is the Nikon KeyMission 360—a tiny black box designed to swallow the surrounding space whole, without leaving a crumb, in all 360 degrees of its existential emptiness. In the background stand the unflappable domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral and the skeleton of a construction crane. The cathedral has seen tsars, revolutions, and parades. Now it sees a man with a stick. The absurdity is perfect. This is pure Oberiu-esque poetry of the digital age: a man utilizes a flat screen to control a spherical eye, while a Korean Samsung Vega point-and-shoot captures this act of high-tech shamanism on American motion picture film. The texture of Kodak Vision3, developed in D-76, commits a noble act of stylistic violence upon the frame—it strips the modern gadget of its high-tech sheen, transforming this 2017 techno-hunt into a classified archive from a Cold War-era Optical Research Institute.
At the threshold of Red Square, history does not end — it repeats in every ray of light. The Kazan Cathedral stands as a memory of a prayer addressed to the city. The film does not record architecture; it transforms it into the breath of time, where each dome resonates like a note of old Moscow. ⚙️ Technical Credits: Location: Russia, Moscow, Red Square (passage Resurrection Gate) Subject: Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God Camera: Canon Prima Zoom 80u Date (AiAF) [zoom 38-80mm] (№8405914) Film: Svema KN-5D (release date: January 1991), cinema film negative B/W Date: 27.04.2021 Philosophy: "The ancient Russian spirit hiding in the silver halides" The Cathedral of the Kazan Icon stands where Red Square meets Nikolskaya Street. It is small compared to the Historical Museum and the GUM department store, but it does not care. The Svema KN-5D film, born in January 1991, looks at this church and sees... grain. So much grain. The emulsion is tired. It cannot hold the details. The ornate facade dissolves into silver fog. The onion domes float above the modern buildings like memories of a different Russia. People walk past. Some enter. Some pray. The film grain makes the sky look like ancient parchment. This is not a photograph of a church; it is a photograph of the idea of a church, filtered through thirty years of chemical decay. The ancient Russian spirit is still here, hiding in the silver halides, waiting for someone to notice.
“The Stone Vessel of the Old Faith” (Svema KN-5D) The chapel stands above the water like thought above time. Its reflection is not a copy but a memory of what was spoken without words.The film preserved not architecture but the breath of faith dissolved in grain. Technical Credits: Location: Russia, Moscow, Rogozhskaya  Sloboda (Old Believer Church) Subject: Water-sacred chapel «Jordan» (Vodosvyatnaya Chapel) Camera: Canon Prima Zoom 80u Date (AiAF) [zoom 38-80mm] (№8405914) Film: Svema KN-5D (release date: January 1991), cinema film negative B/W Date: 26.09.2020 Condition: Heavy fog (вуаль) and contrast drop Philosophy: "The camera did not change. The chemistry changed the world." The Rogozhskaya Sloboda is a quiet paradise in the middle of a dusty, noisy city. Here, among blooming roses and resident ducks who raise their families every year, stands the Vodosvyatnaya Chapel, the "Jordan". The arches curve over the dark water, holding the weight of history. The Svema film, despite its age, captures the stone with stubborn clarity. It is a physical object. It was built by hands, it holds water, it reflects the sky. The grain is heavy, but the structure is solid. This is history, documented in silver. The Old Believers kept their traditions alive through centuries, and the stone remembers. Once a year, after Easter, a fair comes alive here, and a procession walks through these arches. The chapel is not a museum; it is a living heart of the Old Faith.
“Three Acts of Light” On the square where stone remembers every march, three girls play at the army of light. One commands the flash, another obeys the frame, the third waits for a signal from the air. It feels as if Moscow itself is taking the picture — on film already expired by time. 📷 Technical Credits: Camera: Canon Prima Zoom 80u Date (AiAF) [zoom 38–80mm] (№8405914) Film: Svema KN‑5D (release date: Jan 1991), cinema film negative B/W Location: Moscow, Red Square Date: April 27, 2021 Scan: Fujifilm Frontier SP‑3000 Philosophy: Light obeys only those who salute the absurd.
«Sbarro Noir: The Accidental Masterpiece of Frame Zero» Silence as a form, dialogue only its trace — light writes the version. It was frame zero. The film was merely being pulled, a mechanical ritual to advance the celluloid. The camera sat on the table of an underground Sbarro, a 1963 Zeiss pretending to be a spy. The shutter stayed open. Time stretched. The man and the woman dissolved into a dialogue of shadows, their words becoming indistinguishable from the grain of the expired Svema. And there, in the background, the word "ВЫХОД" (EXIT) glowed with the quiet desperation of a neon saint. They were talking about something important, or perhaps about the weather. The long exposure doesn't judge; it only blurs. We are left with a Lomo-Punk masterpiece born from a test shot: two ghosts sharing a meal, while the exit patiently watches them forget how to leave. Technical Credits: Camera: Zeiss Ikon Colora (1963) Lens: Novicar 50mm f/2.8-f/22 Focus: Zone focusing (Fixed on the table, approximately 1m) Exposure: Long exposure (via photographic cable release) Film: Svema A-2Sh (expired 2003) Location: Russia, Moscow — Okhotny Ryad, Cafe Sbarro (Underground) Date: 13.05.2017 Note: Frame #0 (Test shot / Pulling the film) Scanner: Epson Stylus Photo RX500 Philosophy: "The best frames are the ones you didn't mean to take"
“Luminous Metric of the Moment” (Tasma Isopan-Chrome Type 42) Light splits the second, two faces check themselves — the world writes a formula. The Bolshoi Theatre has stood for centuries, hosting operas about gods, tsars, and tragic lovers. Today, it hosts two girls checking if their hair looked good in the last photo. The fountain throws water into the air—a useless, beautiful gesture, not unlike the act of taking a selfie. They lean over the glowing rectangle, seeking validation from pixels, while the 1963 Zeiss Ikon watches them through a layer of expired Soviet silver. The film doesn't care about their angles. The film only cares about the light. "Well, what pictures have we got?" we ask. The pictures we got are of people asking what pictures they got. A perfect, closed loop of modern existence, frozen in the grain of a dying factory's last breath. The theatre waits. The water falls. The screen scrolls. ⚙️ Technical credits: Location: Russia. Moscow. Theatre Square (Fountain at the Bolshoi Theatre) Camera: Zeiss Ikon Colora (1963) Lens: Novicar 50mm f/2.8-f/22 Focus: Zone focusing (approximately 1.5m—the distance of self-reflection) Film: Svema A-2Sh (expired 2003) Date: 13.05.2017 Scanner: Epson Stylus Photo RX500 Philosophy: "The pictures we got are of people asking what pictures they got"
«A Relfie for Those Who Refuse to See» Round glass hides the eyes, The sun burns through expired grain— We are half a frame. We composed a relfie. But since we wore round pieces of dark glass, we saw neither ourselves nor each other. This is the highest form of the genre. Yuri, speaking the ancient dialect of Lomo-Punk, and I, merely holding the 1963 Zeiss, decided to become two dark circles with legs. The sun, either setting, rising, or simply confused by the calendar, agreed to burn a hole in the sky. The Svema film, completely bewildered by this much light, turned the heavens into boiling milk and our faces into shadows of shadows. We are a half-frame. We are the missing half of a thought that nobody started. The moon was full, or the sun was angry. In black and white, the difference is purely philosophical. We looked at the world, the world looked at us, and both parties politely pretended not to notice. Technical Credits: Camera: Zeiss Ikon Colora (1963) Lens: Novicar 50mm f/2.8-f/22 Focus: Zone focusing (Infinity, or perhaps the distance to the sun) Film: Svema A-2Sh (expired 2003) Location: Russia, Moscow — Theatre Square Date: 13.05.2017 Scanner: Epson Stylus Photo RX500 Style: Lomo-Punk / Half-frame Philosophy: "To see nothing clearly, yet record it with absolute certainty"
«Echoes of the Unseen» Shadows whisper — in film remain memories of light. Spring dissolves in grain, and the city turns transparent. People are reflections of the future, or ghosts of those who were. Film doesn’t capture a moment — it keeps the breath, the time that hasn’t happened yet. Variations on a theme «...with a film across Moscow» Russia. Moscow, Gorky Park Photo taken: 29.04.2018 Camera: Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta B2 531 Lens: Carl Zeiss Tessar 7.5 cm ƒ3.5 Film: Tasma Isopan‑chrome Type 42 (expired) Developer: Silberra Ascorol (10 min) Scanner: Epson Perfection 4490 Photo (+VueScan) Note: multiple exposure and veil effect; silver halide ghosts visible in emulsion. Subjects: figures and silhouettes in motion — spectral dialogue of light and memory.
“Spring Fluids” (Tasma Isopan‑chrome Type 42) Film trembles — a kiss dissolves the city in grain. Evening hasn’t turned to night yet, but film has already remembered the breath. Light couldn’t handle the feeling, and the frame drifted — like spring itself. It’s not a mistake — it’s a confession that love is always slightly out of focus. Variations on a theme «...with a film across Moscow» Russia. Moscow, Muzeon Arts Park Photo taken: 29.04.2018 Camera: Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta B2 531 Lens: Carl Zeiss Tessar 7.5 cm ƒ3.5 Film: Tasma Isopan‑chrome Type 42 (expired) Developer: Silberra Ascorol (10 min) Scanner: Epson Perfection 4490 Photo (+VueScan) Note: manual cut of wide film, single perforation visible; low light and small ISO created fluid motion blur.
“Spring Captures Itself” (Tasma Isopan‑chrome Type 42) Spring takes a photo — water smiles back, film stays silent. A photograph within a photograph — a mirror unaware of who it reflects. The city watches, and film records not faces, but the attempt to remember a moment. Spring is a frame that captures itself. Variations on a theme «...with a film across Moscow» Russia. Moscow, Gorky Park (Central Fountain area) Photo taken: 29.04.2018 Camera: Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta B2 531 Lens: Carl Zeiss Tessar 7.5 cm ƒ3.5 Film: Tasma Isopan‑chrome Type 42 (expired) Developer: Silberra Ascorol (10 min) Scanner: Epson Perfection 4490 Photo (+VueScan) Note: manual cut of wide film, single perforation visible; soft contrast and motion blur enhance reflective composition.
“Girl Grown from a Branch” (Tasma Isopan‑chrome Type 42) Book on a branch — pages rustle with wind, the tree is reading. Spring isn’t sure it’s real yet. Trees try to read people, and film tries to read light. The veil devoured contrast but left breath, so the frame now sounds like a lost line from the park’s diary. Variations on a theme «...with a film across Moscow» Russia. Moscow, Gorky Park Photo taken: 29.04.2018 Camera: Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta B2 531 Lens: Carl Zeiss Tessar 7.5 cm ƒ3.5 Film: Tasma Isopan‑chrome Type 42 (expired) Developer: Silberra Ascorol (10 min) Scanner: Epson Perfection 4490 Photo (+VueScan) Note: manual cut of wide film, single perforation visible; veil effect reduced contrast, enhancing organic texture.
Dialogues with Stalin — Backstage, Muzeon Arts Park. Stalin is silent — Natasha smiles, the frame holds absurd balance. Marble and woman — both tired of posing. The focus error turns the meeting into a dream where history and irony share the same stage. Technical Credits: Series: Lomo‑Punk Documentary Line Location: Moscow, Muzeon Arts Park Date: 08/08/2018 Model: Natasha Sycheva Camera: Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta B2 531 Lens: Carl Zeiss Tessar 7.5 cm ƒ3.5 Film: Svema 65 type 120 (expired April 1980) Developer: Kodak D‑76 Scanner: Fujifilm Frontier SP‑3000 Format: 6×6 cm B/W negative Category: lomo‑punk / experimental photography
Backstage, Bread Factory No. 9 — The Model Examines the Evidence of Her Own Image. Anna counts the frames — fatigue develops in the grain, the screen whispers: “you were.” Series: Lomo‑Punk Documentary Line — Bread Factory No. 9 Location: Moscow, art territory of former Bread Factory No. 9 Date: August 2018 Model: Anna Ars Camera: Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta B2 531 Film: Svema 65 type 120 (expired April 1980) Developer: Kodak D‑76 Scan: luch.lab Format: 6×6 cm B/W negative Category: lomo‑punk / experimental photography
White light holds the form, centuries mirrored in stone, silence knows the name. The cathedral stands as a formula of light — no breath, only memory. Each edge marks time, each shadow signals presence. It’s not a look into the past, but the past itself turned into light. The Cathedral of the Savior of the Holy Image, Spaso‑Andronikov Monastery, Moscow Founded around 1360 by Saint Alexy the Metropolitan, after his miraculous salvation from a storm on the Black Sea. The first abbot was Saint Andronik, disciple of Saint Sergius of Radonezh. The present stone cathedral was built between 1420–1428 under Metropolitan Photius, by architects Andrei Rublev and Daniil Cherny. Fragments of Rublev’s frescoes survive inside. After the monastery’s closure, the building served various secular functions, including an archive in the 1940s. Restoration began in 1954 under architect L.A. David; the Andrei Rublev Museum of Old Russian Art opened in 1960. Since 1989, divine services have resumed. Moscow, Spaso‑Andronic Monastery, Cathedral of the Savior of the Holy Image Camera: Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta B2 (531) Lens: Carl Zeiss Tessar 7.5 cm ƒ/3.5 Film: Svema 65, type 120 (expired 04.1980, + dev. D‑76) Scanner: Fujifilm Frontier SP‑3000 Photo taken: 13/08/2018
“Kebab House Beside Oblivion” (Svema 65) Shade and heat, taste as memory, smoke as prayer. Here, time grills itself on coals, and space smells of spice and dust. The façade becomes a stage where life repeats its ritual of taste and waiting. ⚙️ technical credits Moscow, Gagarin Square (Vavilova Street 5, bld. 6) Roadside kebab stand (no longer existing) Camera: Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta B2 (531) Lens: Carl Zeiss Tessar 7.5cm ƒ/3.5 Film: Svema 65, type 120 (expired 04.1980) + dev. D‑76 Scanner: Fujifilm Frontier SP‑3000 Photo taken: 17 / 08 / 2018 This roadside kebab joint once stood a few steps from the darkroom “Sreda,” a place where film lovers surrendered their negatives to chemistry, hope, and the occasional miracle. The kebabs here were famously described as “deliciously wrong,” a phrase that worked less as praise and more as a declaration of artistic intent. The building looked like it had been assembled from leftover decisions, yet it held its ground with the confidence of a structure that knew flavor could outlive architecture. Both the darkroom and the kebab stand have vanished, leaving behind nothing but a stubborn aftertaste in the city’s memory. In this photograph, the ordinary becomes myth: smoke as narrative, grease as philosophy, and a humble shack as the last honest monument in a neighborhood that has since forgotten how to be imperfect.
"Memory Standing in the Mud or A Toast to the Vanished Home," (Adox Silvermax 100) Three shadows drink — a puddle keeps reflection, the house awaits. Description: On the site where Andrei Tarkovsky’s house once stood, street artist Zoom created the installation Funeral Repast on the Tarkovsky’s House. Three figures from Stalker gather around a bar table, as if discussing the fate of memory, art, and the city itself. Now both the house and the installation are gone — only this photograph remains, a trace of dialogue between time and oblivion. Moscow, as in Tarkovsky’s films, becomes the Zone again — where past and present dissolve in mud and reflection. 📷 Variations on a theme «…with a film across Moscow» Series: «Just Moscow» Camera: Kodak S1100 XL Film: Adox Silvermax 100 Date: 21/11/2015 Scanner: Epson Stylus Photo RX500
A weary profile — stone pondering the quiet after the world fades. Moscow. The Donskoy Monastery. Necropolis. Camera: Nikon Lite Touch Zoom 120 ED (AF), No. 3431629 Film: Kodak Professional Tri‑X 400 Black and White Negative Film Expired stock; storage conditions unknown. Exposed at box speed. Scanner: Pakon F235+ Date taken: 13 September 2018
Historical note: The Small Cathedral of the Don Icon, part of Moscow’s Donskoy Monastery founded in 1591, blends early Baroque elegance with old Russian devotion. Among the monastery’s graves and trees, centuries seem to rest in quiet balance. 13 September 2018 Moscow. The Donskoy Monastery. Necropolis. Camera: Nikon Lite Touch Zoom 120 ED (AF) (№3431629) Film: Kodak Professional Tri‑X 400 Black and White Negative Film (expired, storage unknown; exposed at nominal ISO) Scanner: Pakon F235+
Domes rest in soft shade, Pencil traces their silent lines — Paper holds the day. Moment of creation: two girls sketching the Small Cathedral of the Don Icon of the Mother of God, at the entrance to the Necropolis, Donskoy Monastery. Shot September 13, 2018 on Nikon Lite Touch Zoom 120 ED with Kodak Tri‑X 400. ____________________ 📷 Technical credits: 13 September 2018 Moscow. The Donskoy Stavropegial Monastery. Entrance to the Necropolis. Camera: Nikon Lite Touch Zoom 120 ED (AF) (№3431629) Film: Kodak Professional Tri‑X 400 (expired, storage unknown; exposed at nominal ISO) Scanner: Pakon F235+
“Carving and Breath: When Stone Speaks Back to the Craftsman” (Kodak Tri-X 400) Fingers trace the grooves. The capital holds its breath — The stone whispers back. A restorer working with the gravestones of the Donskoy Monastery Necropolis — where stone and time learn to align again. Moscow. The Donskoy Monastery. Necropolis. 13 September 2018 Camera: Nikon Lite Touch Zoom 120 ED (AF) (№3431629) Film: Kodak Professional Tri-X 400 Black and White Negative Film [Expired, storage unknown, exposed at nominal ISO] Scanner: Pakon F235+
Above the tall grass, a memory of quiet - wind answers softly. The “Century-Old Pine” (Great Palace Glade, Tsaritsyno). Age: approximately 150 years. A cluster planting of two Scots pines pretending to be a single tree. Direct successor to a Weymouth pine that was blown down by a hurricane in 1904. Camera: Nikon Lite Touch Zoom 120 ED AF – a point‑and‑shoot with delusions of grandeur. Film: expired Kodak Tri-X 400 – much like the pine, though it holds up better. Scanner: Pakon F235+. Taken 06.09.2018. The glade is empty. The pine remains. No interviews today – it’s resting. Russia. Moscow. Tsaritsyno Palace Glade. Central pine planted in the mid‑19th century. Camera: Nikon Lite Touch Zoom 120 ED (AF), serial number 3431629. Film: Kodak Professional Tri‑X 400 B&W Negative (expired film, storage conditions unknown; exposed at box speed) Scanner: Pakon F235+ Date: September 6, 2018
Three friends, one float. The bucket rehearses hope - no fish, just the dark. Evening fishing at the Upper Tsaritsyno Pond — a quiet moment where the city dissolves into water and conversation. A few fishermen, soft light, and the gentle grain of expired Tri‑X turn the scene into a small chronicle of a Moscow evening. Shot in Tsaritsyno, Moscow. September 2018. Russia. Moscow. Tsaritsyno Park Upper Tsaritsynsky Pond Camera: Nikon Lite Touch Zoom 120 ED (AF) #3431629 Film: Kodak Professional Tri‑X 400 B&W Negative (expired film, storage conditions unknown; exposed at box speed) Scanner: Pakon F235+ Date: September 6, 2018
Stone breathes in its sleep, the pond keeps her quiet lore — evening softens all. Stone, time, ripples. The Tsaritsyno Sphinx — part of the wharf reconstructed in 2006–2007 near the Upper Tsaritsyno Pond. There are two sphinxes – this is the one facing the water, not the footpath. The sculptures were created by Moscow artist Alexander A. Pirogov and have become one of the park’s signature details. Shot on expired Kodak Tri‑X 400, adding grainy texture and a soft silver tone to the scene. Tsaritsyno, Moscow. September 2018. No riddles were asked – everyone had already rented a rowboat. Russia. Moscow. Tsaritsyno Park Upper Tsaritsynsky Pond Camera: Nikon Lite Touch Zoom 120 ED (AF) #3431629 Film: Kodak Professional Tri‑X 400 B&W Negative (expired film, storage conditions unknown; exposed at box speed) Scanner: Pakon F235+ Date: September 6, 2018
The pond strokes the sky, trees rising like a quiet wall - the day drifts away. The photo captures the Eastern Arched Bridge at Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve, Moscow. Designed by architect V.S. Keremetchi and constructed in 2005–2007, this elegant structure connects the main entrance square to the «Podkova» (Horseshoe) island across the Middle Tsaritsyno Pond. Key features: Style: delicate lattice design with arches, blending functionality and aesthetics; Role: a key link between the park entrance and the island; Setting: surrounded by lush greenery and reflecting in the calm pond waters; Details: ornate street lamps line the bridge, adding a classic touch. Shot with Nikon Lite Touch Zoom 120 ED (AF) on Kodak Tri-X 400 film (expired, scanned on Pakon F235+). Black-and-white format enhances the timeless charm of the scene. Russia. Moscow. Tsaritsyno Park Middle Tsaritsynsky Pond Camera: Nikon Lite Touch Zoom 120 ED (AF) #3431629 Film: Kodak Professional Tri‑X 400 B&W Negative (expired film, storage conditions unknown; exposed at box speed) Scanner: Pakon F235+ Date: September 6, 2018
Russia. Moscow region. Ryazanovskoe settlement, Mostovskoye village (Equestrian club «KSK Reward») Camera: Nikon Lite Touch Zoom 120 ED (AF) (№3431629) Film: Kodak Professional Tri-X 400 Black and White Negative Film [The film is expired, storage conditions are unknown. The film was exhibited at nominal ISO] Scanner: Pakon F235+ Photo taken: 08/09/2018
A random frame from the amphitheater in Zaryadye. People scattered across the steps, each in their own small world, while the film added its own layer of noise. Sometimes the city speaks this way — without a story, just by being there. Series: LomoPunk Documentary Line Location: Moscow, Zaryadye Park Date: August 8, 2020 Camera: FED‑4 Lens: Industar‑26m Film: Svema KN‑5D (release date: Jan 1991), cinema B/W negative Develop & Scan: @luch.lab
“Motherhood Among the Trees” (Svema KN-5D) Bronze beneath the trees - the deer listen to the quiet, wind holding the light. The sculpture Deer with Fawn stands quietly among the old trees - gentle, tender, almost alive. Through the grain of the film it feels less like bronze and more like a breath the park has held for a moment too long. Sometimes you only need to pause to see how the past and the present brush against each other. Informational note: “Deer with Fawn” is a bronze sculpture by Alexander Belashov, installed in 1976 in the Memorial Park of the Heroes of World War I (Sokol district, Moscow). It stands on a granite pedestal that once held another work by the same sculptor — Boy with a Doe. The park occupies the former site of the Moscow Brothers’ Cemetery (approx. 17,500 burials), destroyed in the 1930s; the graves were never relocated and remain beneath today’s paths and lawns. The sculpture is known to have several copies, including one in Kamianske (Ukraine) and porcelain miniature versions. Technical Credits: Series: LomoPunk Documentary Line Subject: Deer with Fawn sculpture (A. Belashov, 1976) Location: Moscow, Memorial Park of the Heroes of World War I Date: August 8, 2020 Camera: FED‑4 Lens: Industar‑26m Film: Svema KN‑5D (release date: Jan 1991), cinema B/W negative Develop & Scan: @luch.lab
August in still air - a streetlamp guards the quiet, the monastery breathes. A quiet corner of Zabelina Street. The streetlamp stands like a point of balance, and the monastery in the distance dissolves into the August air. Here, Moscow speaks in a whisper. ️ Technical Credits Series: LomoPunk Documentary Line Location: Moscow, Zabelina Street Date: August 8, 2020 Camera: FED‑4 Lens: Industar‑26m Film: Svema KN‑5D (release date: Jan 1991), cinema B/W negative Develop & Scan: @luch.lab
Two sweepers walking - the city breathes in their steps, morning without haste. A documentary #LomoPunk frame shot on expired Svema KN‑5D. Two municipal sweepers from “Zhilishchnik” (a Moscow city housing‑and‑utilities service) walk down Zabelina Street, pushing their carts and talking quietly. A glimpse of everyday Moscow — the part that keeps the city alive. Technical Credits Series: LomoPunk Documentary Line Location: Moscow, Zabelina Street Camera: FED‑4 Lens: Industar‑26m Film: Svema KN‑5D (release date: Jan 1991), cinema B/W negative Develop & Scan: luch.lab
“Guardians of the Gogol Wind” Lions guard the shade — memory shifts its footprints, stone remembers all. A rare frame shot on heavily expired Svema KN‑5D cinema B/W film (expiration date: January 1991), taken on July 15, 2020 with a FED‑4 camera and Industar‑26m lens. The photo shows the lions at the base of the new Gogol monument on Gogolevsky Boulevard. These sculptures are original elements of the 1909 Andreev monument, created by architect N. A. Andreev and manufactured at Erich Wheeler’s factory. When the pre‑revolutionary monument was moved to Nikitsky Boulevard in the 1950s, the lions and lanterns remained in their original place — silent witnesses to shifting eras and changing aesthetics. Developed and scanned by @luch.lab.
Cathedral, factory, tsar Sky sets the spotlight on stage Moscow plays its part Sometimes the sky decides to become a director. On February 6, 2016, walking from Muzeon to Krymskaya Embankment, I witnessed a theatrical performance where clouds were the set designers and a rare beam of winter sun was the lighting technician. On this stage, three main actors: on the left, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, a silent witness to history; in the center, "Red October," snatched from the gloom by a ray of light like the protagonist of a drama; on the right, Tsereteli's 98-meter Peter the Great, frozen in anticipation of applause. Between them flows the Moskva River, the connecting thread of time. Above them, gloomy clouds create the perfect contrasting backdrop. And one ray of light that turns an ordinary cityscape into a theatrical stage. The black-and-white Adox Silvermax 100 film enhances the drama, removing unnecessary colors and leaving only the play of light and shadow. The Olympus μ[mju:]-II captured the moment when the sky decided to put on a show. Moscow is always a multi-layered performance. You just need to find the right angle and wait for the spotlight to turn on. 📍 Location: Bolotny Island Spit, view from Krymskaya Embankment, Moscow 📅 Date: 06.02.2016 📷 Camera: Olympus μ[mju:]-II ️ Film: Adox Silvermax 100 ️ Scan: Epson Stylus Photo RX500 (as-is, no corrections) Objects in frame: Left: Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (restored in 2000) Center: "Red October" art cluster (former chocolate factory, founded 1851) Right: Peter the Great Monument by Zurab Tsereteli (1997, height 98 m) The director of this shot is the sky itself, choosing the perfect moment for theatrical lighting of the main "actor"—"Red October."
"No Flood, Only Snow or The Absurd Ark" (Adox Silvermax 100) Mazay stands steady, hares argue about rescue - the accordion laughs. A direct line from Nekrasov to the park: Ded Mazay in his coat is more than a poem’s hero — he’s an archetype of the Russian people, calm and steady. The boat is crowded with hares of character: two on the bow parody Titanic, one plays the accordion, another the balalaika, one clutches a carrot, one naps, the rest gossip about weather and fate. In this scene folkloric kindness meets domestic irony; absurdity becomes a metaphor for endurance, self‑mockery, and the public theatre. The sculpture is not merely a depiction but a question: who rescues whom, and what do we call “the people” in a moment of trial. Shot on Olympus μ[mju:]-II, film Adox Silvermax 100, scanned Epson Stylus Photo RX500 in “as is” mode. At the time of shooting (06/02/2016) the composition was installed in Muzeon Art Park, Moscow. Title: “Ded Mazay and the Hares” Authors: Alexander M. Taratynov and Glafira Taratynova Artist credentials: Alexander Taratynov — Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Arts, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation; the work was created in collaboration with his daughter. Year: 1999 Material and technique: artistic casting; principal elements cast in bronze (metal alloy), with possible armature and mixed‑material pedestal; monumental sculpture, casting and finishing. Subject: inspired by N. A. Nekrasov’s poem “Grandfather Mazay and the Hares,” combining folklore, pop‑culture references and a humorous treatment of the hares. Exhibition history: long exhibited in Muzeon Art Park (Moscow); suffered vandalism requiring restoration (including re‑casting of some figures); moved between storage and exhibition sites; after restoration parts of the composition were installed in Nekrasovsky Garden, Saint Petersburg (2020). Note: at the time of shooting (06/02/2016) the composition was installed in Muzeon Art Park, Moscow.
“Silence Carrying Itself” Stone exhales its dusk, the cross grinds against the sky — wind speaks by staying still. Sculpture: “The Way of the Cross” (2000) Artist: Alexey S. Grigoriev (1949–2002) Material: limestone; carving and polishing Dimensions: 255 × 174 × 110 cm Location: Muzeon Art Park, Moscow Collection: Gorky Park Museum Collection The work is part of the “White Stone Sculpture Hall” and symbolizes the path of trials, spiritual endurance, and the inner movement of a human being. 📷 Technical Credits Camera: Olympus μ[mju:]-II Film: Adox Silvermax 100 Date: February 6, 2016 Location: Muzeon Art Park, Moscow Scan: Epson Stylus Photo RX500, “as is” mode
Among Their Kind - “Seventy Percent Silence” A zero holds a face, silence measures what we are - our noise doesn’t fit.
Among Their Kind — “Those Who Stand in Our Place” Motionless figures, while we flicker in the glass - afraid of our twins.
Bronze rises through cold - a step from “Woe from Wit” into winter air. --- The final frame of the roll captures Alexander Sergeyevich Griboedov from a low, dramatic angle — a perspective that makes him appear as if he is stepping forward, rising from bronze into motion. The monument, usually reserved and static, becomes unexpectedly dynamic: the coat thrown over his shoulders, the clenched hand, the forward stance — all amplified by the upward view. The title echoes this duality: Griboedov Ascending reflects the visual momentum, while Woe from Wit anchors the image in the writer’s legacy. It’s as if the monument momentarily bridges the distance between literature and street, between the 19th century and a winter morning in 2018. Shot on expired Ilford HP5, the grain and contrast emphasize the monument’s texture and presence. A fitting end to the roll — a figure of Russian culture caught mid‑stride, poised between history and imagination. Technical details: Variations on a theme “...with a film across Moscow” Camera: Pentax MZ‑7 Lens: Takumar‑F 70–200mm ƒ4–5.6 Film: Ilford HP5 Plus 400 (exp. 08.2014), dev. Xtol Photo taken: 13/02/2018 Scanner: Noritsu LS‑1100 Location: Chistoprudny Boulevard, Moscow The monument to Griboyedov is a sculpture of playwright Alexander Sergeevich Griboyedov in Moscow, at the beginning of Chistoprudniy Boulevard, near the exit of the metro station of the same name. (Sculptor: A. A. Manuilov, Architect: AA Zavarzin Building: 1959)
Three halos in snow - February keeps their trace on a vanished wall. This photograph captures a now‑vanished piece of Moscow street art by Ivan Simonov, one of the key figures of the new wave of Russian urban intervention. Simonov is known for his long‑running project “Little People”, launched in 2016, where he integrates miniature human figures into the cityscape. His works often depict passers‑by, police officers, workers, or marginalized individuals — tiny silhouettes placed into unexpected architectural corners. The project is built on documentary photography and micro‑posters, turning everyday characters into part of the city’s visual narrative. Simonov’s approach is both social and poetic: he shows how small a person can seem within the massive machinery of the metropolis, yet how expressive a single gesture or posture can be. This particular work — three police officers with halos and wings — once appeared in the archway of the “Khodasevich” bookstore. It was a sharp, ironic commentary on authority, innocence, and the blurred lines between order and mythology. Like much of Simonov’s art, it was short‑lived: painted over, erased, or simply lost to time. This photograph, taken on expired Ilford HP5, preserves a moment of this fragile urban mythology — a trio of “holy patrolmen” standing in a snowy Moscow passage, caught between satire and sanctity. Technical details: Variations on a theme “...with a film across Moscow” Camera: Pentax MZ‑7 Lens: SMC Pentax‑FA 80–320mm F4.5–5.6 Film: Ilford HP5 Plus 400 (expired 08/2014), developed in Xtol Scanner: Noritsu LS‑1100 Photo taken: February 13, 2018 Location: Archway of the “Khodasevich” bookstore, Moscow, Russia
Winter bends the street - Maroseyka drifts softly through the morning light. ___ Another February frame from the same roll - Maroseyka stretching forward in a gentle winter bend, lined with lamps, old facades, and bundled figures moving through the cold. Cars glide along the wet pavement, pedestrians weave between patches of snow, and the street holds its familiar rhythm, a blend of history and everyday motion. Shot on expired Ilford HP5, the monochrome grain turns the scene into a quiet documentary fragment. Nothing dramatic happens here - just a winter morning on Maroseyka, a street that has carried centuries of footsteps and still feels alive in its understated way. _____ Technical details: Variations on a theme “...with a film across Moscow” Camera: Pentax MZ‑7 Lens: Takumar‑F 70–200mm ƒ4–5.6 Film: Ilford HP5 Plus 400 (exp. 08.2014), dev. Xtol Photo taken: 13/02/2018 Scanner: Noritsu LS‑1100 Location: Maroseyka Street, Moscow Street Maroseika - street in the Central Administrative District of Moscow. It passes from the Ilyinsky Gate to the Pokrovka street. The numbering of houses is from the Ilyinsky Gate Square. In addition to those mentioned, streets lead to the street: c odd, north side - B. Zlatoustinsky, and with even - B. Spasoglinischevsky and Petroverig.
Snow on quiet signs - Pokrovka keeps its rhythm in the winter light. A simple February moment on Pokrovka: snow on barrels, wrought‑iron awnings, a lone passerby, and the soft glow of shop signs half‑hidden by winter light. This street has its own rhythm - a mix of old Moscow charm and modern storefronts, where even the smallest details become part of the city’s quiet choreography. The snow softens the edges, the wet pavement reflects the day, and the scene turns into a small monochrome vignette of everyday life in the center of Moscow. Shot on expired Ilford HP5, the grain and contrast give the frame a gentle documentary feel - a winter sketch, nothing more, nothing less, but full of the atmosphere that makes Pokrovka what it is. ________ Technical details: Variations on a theme “...with a film across Moscow” Camera: Pentax MZ‑7 Lens: Takumar‑F 70–200mm ƒ4–5.6 Film: Ilford HP5 Plus 400 (exp. 08.2014), dev. Xtol Photo taken: 13/02/2018 Scanner: Noritsu LS‑1100 Location: Pokrovka Street, Moscow
Stone maidens watching - winter folds around their robes, Rumyantsev’s silence. These five frames capture the sculptural details of the historic building at 17/6 Maroseyka Street - once the palace of Count Nikolai Petrovich Rumyantsev, statesman, collector, and one of the great patrons of Russian culture. Today the building houses the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus, but its façade still carries the artistic language of its earlier era. The classical female figures adorning the façade have no recorded names. They are anonymous allegories - embodiments of knowledge, arts, virtues, or simply the decorative ideals of the late 19th‑century architectural imagination. Their gestures, drapery, and symbolic attributes hint at a forgotten narrative, one that once suited the grandeur of the Rumyantsev residence. Photographed on expired Ilford HP5 in the cold February light, these sculptures reveal a quiet dialogue between stone and winter. Their robes catch the shadows, their faces remain calm, and the ornate architectural framing turns each figure into a scene from a silent classical drama. This series preserves not only the craftsmanship of Moscow’s architectural heritage, but also the lingering spirit of the Rumyantsev Palace - a place where history, culture, and allegory still live in stone. Technical details: Variations on a theme “...with a film across Moscow” Camera: Pentax MZ‑7 Lens: SMC Pentax‑FA 80–320mm F4.5–5.6 Film: Ilford HP5 Plus 400 (exp. 08.2014), dev. Xtol Photo taken: February 13, 2018 Scanner: Noritsu LS‑1100 Location: Former Rumyantsev Palace (now Embassy of the Republic of Belarus), Maroseyka 17/6, Moscow Title: Stone Maidens of the Rumyantsev Palace — I–V
Evening subway car. He holds the world in pause - the city keeps moving. Falling onto the bench of a late‑night subway car, I saw a figure that felt almost out of place, out of time. I’ve been building my collection “Life in the Metro” for years, capturing all kinds of faces, but this one was different: the face, the clothes, the whole presence - as if he had stepped out of a novel. He wasn’t posing; he was simply living inside his own thoughts. I tried, as any documentarian should, to remain invisible, not to disturb his quiet and not to let the image dissolve into the air like a wisp of smoke.
Snow crowns the cold brow— a nameless face in winter waiting for the thaw. --- In the courtyard of the Moscow Union of Artists, sculptures stand as if forgotten by time— and winter finishes their stories with its own hand. This bust, identity unknown, carries a heavy crown of February snow. The expression is stern, almost contemplative, as if the figure is thinking about the summer it once saw, or about the stillness of stone, or simply about how fast snow falls when no one has time to brush it away. A quiet moment in a hidden Moscow courtyard, captured on expired Ilford HP5, where winter turns art into something both accidental and poetic. --- Technical details: Variations on a theme “...with a film across Moscow” Camera: Pentax MZ‑7 Lens: SMC Pentax‑FA 80–320mm F4.5–5.6 Film: Ilford HP5 Plus 400 (expired 08/2014), developed in Xtol Scanner: Noritsu LS‑1100 Photo taken: February 13, 2018 Location: Courtyard of the Moscow Union of Artists, Starosadsky Lane 5, Building 5, Moscow, Russia <i>Russia, Moscow, Starosadskiy per., 5 The sculptures in the yard of the Moscow Union of Artists Author, title of the sculpture, and the date of creation, I could not find it. As information becomes available, I will change a signature image.</i>
“Winter Guardians of Red Square” Bronze heroes in snow— winter leans on their shoulders, history keeps warm. Two frames taken on a cold February day, before the restoration of the monument, yet the bronze looks steady, alive, as if the frost only sharpens its presence. In the first image, the figures stand against fragments of Saint Basil’s Cathedral, snow settling on their shoulders like a quiet reminder of time. In the second, the camera moves closer— and Minin and Pozharsky become almost human, their faces softened by winter, their gesture frozen not only in metal, but in the February air itself. These are not just statues. They are winter guardians of Red Square, holding their silent vigil as Moscow moves around them. Technical details: Variations on a theme “...with a film across Moscow” Camera: Pentax MZ‑7 Lens: SMC Pentax‑FA 80–320mm F4.5–5.6 Film: Ilford HP5 Plus 400 (expired 08/2014), developed in Xtol Scanner: Noritsu LS‑1100 Photo taken: February 13, 2018 Location: Red Square, by Saint Basil’s Cathedral (Monument to Minin and Pozharsky), Moscow, Russia Temperature: –6°C Title: Winter Vigil — Minin & Pozharsky
Old chimneys exhale - winter turns steam into sky, the city keeps warm. ___ Industrial Winter Breath — GES‑1, Moscow On a cold February day, the city feels almost weightless, yet the old power station reminds you that Moscow still breathes in steam and steel. GES‑1, one of the oldest operating thermal plants in Russia, stands just beyond the frame - its architecture hidden, but its presence unmistakable in the rising winter plume. The chimneys exhale into the cold air, turning heat into fog, industry into atmosphere. It’s a winter cityscape where history and utility merge, a quiet moment of Moscow’s industrial heartbeat caught on expired Ilford HP5. ___ Technical details: Variations on a theme “...with a film across Moscow” Camera: Pentax MZ‑7 Lens: SMC Pentax‑FA 80–320mm F4.5–5.6 Film: Ilford HP5 Plus 400 (expired 08/2014), developed in Xtol Scanner: Noritsu LS‑1100 Photo taken: February 13, 2018 Location: Moscow, Russia
Bridge cuts winter air - Kremlin towers mark the path, horizon holds MGU. ___ Winter Axis of Moscow Turning 180 degrees from the previous frame, the city rearranges itself into a new geometry. The Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge stretches across the river, Kokorevsky Courtyard sits quietly to the side, and the Kremlin towers rise in their familiar rhythm— sharp, steady, unmistakably Moscow. Far on the horizon, almost dissolving into winter haze, stands the silhouette of Moscow State University, a distant anchor of the city’s skyline. It’s a layered winter landscape: bridge, fortress, spires, and the long echo of the Soviet vertical. A February moment where the city aligns itself into one clean architectural line. ___ Technical details: Variations on a theme “...with a film across Moscow” Camera: Pentax MZ‑7 Lens: SMC Pentax‑FA 80–320mm F4.5–5.6 Film: Ilford HP5 Plus 400 (expired 08/2014), developed in Xtol Scanner: Noritsu LS‑1100 Photo taken: February 13, 2018 Location: Moscow, Russia
Winter city sleeps - the river carries silence, the tower keeps its light. ___ Moscow River. Winter city landscape. A mild frost, just six degrees below zero, but the air has that winter ring to it. The Moscow River stretches across the bottom of the frame, a calm dark ribbon beneath the city. Above it stands the Bolshoy Ustinsky Bridge—solid, steady— and the iconic Kotelnicheskaya skyscraper, watching the city like a monument from another era. Expired Ilford HP5 adds its own grain of winter breath, giving the scene a quiet, timeless texture. This is Moscow unhurried. Moscow holding its shape in the cold. Moscow written like an architectural score. ___ Technical details: Variations on a theme “...with a film across Moscow” Camera: Pentax MZ‑7 Lens: SMC Pentax‑FA 80–320mm F4.5–5.6 Film: Ilford HP5 Plus 400 (expired 08/2014), developed in Xtol Scanner: Noritsu LS‑1100 Photo taken: February 13, 2018 Location: Moscow, Russia Temperature: –6°C Title: Winter Over the Moscow River
She aims at the world - I catch her in that instant, two hunters of light. She raised her camera to catch a moment in the winter crowd, focused, steady, unaware that someone else was framing her at the same time. Two photographers crossing paths for a heartbeat— two hunters sharing the same light without ever noticing each other. Technical notes: Photo from the series Trust Me, I’m a Photographer Camera: Pentax MZ‑7 Lens: SMC Pentax‑FA 80–320mm F4.5–5.6 Film: Ilford HP5 Plus 400 (expired 08.2014), developed in Xtol Scanner: Noritsu LS‑1100 Photo taken: 13 February 2018 Location: Moscow, Maslenitsa festival