Veniamin Leontyevich Metenkov was born in 1857 in Miass, in the Southern Urals. From a young age, he was fascinated by photography, although his Old Believer family did not support this passion. Despite this, Metenkov chose photography and moved to Yekaterinburg, where he soon became well-known.

His skillfully executed individual and group portraits began to appear in the albums of Yekaterinburg residents. Metenkov had a talent for accurately conveying the character of people while maintaining their connection to reality. In addition to portraits, he also photographed and published views of the mountainous Ural region. In 1887, his works were awarded a silver medal at the Siberian-Ural Industrial Exhibition, and in 1899 he received a gold medal at the World Photography Exhibition in Paris. By the early 20th century, postcards featuring his photographs were known throughout Europe.

In 1896, Metenkov purchased a house at the intersection of Klubnaya Street and Voznesensky Avenue. Soon, the first photographic shop and photo studio in the city opened there, equipped with the latest technology.

Metenkov also became one of the first to develop cinematography in the Urals. Starting in 1904, he began selling movie cameras in his shop, and from 1910, he produced films about life in the Urals.

In 1919, Metenkov left Yekaterinburg with his family and lived for a time with relatives in Tomsk. In 1920, his house and equipment were nationalized, and the premises were occupied by an agitation department and a photo laboratory of a telegraph agency.

Unable to bear the separation from Yekaterinburg, Metenkov returned to the city in 1922. Without his own housing, he temporarily lived with acquaintances and worked in various publishing houses. Veniamin Leontyevich Metenkov passed away in 1933, and the location of his burial is unknown.

In 1993, it was decided to create a photography museum of the Urals in his former house, and later the 'Metenkov Photography Shop' began operating there. Thus, the name of the famous Yekaterinburg resident once again took its rightful place in the history of the city.