RVA ’24

Richmond is a photogenic city. It’s been a pleasure being forced to slow down and appreciate the beauty right outside my front door. From Church Hill to Huguenot Flatwater and everywhere in between, I’m excited to find where to explore next in the River City. Shot on a Nikon D5300 up to Better, then shot on a Fujifilm XT2.

Besides Belle Isle, Maymont is where I go to walk around, contemplate, and just exist the most in Richmond. As a kid, I always loved visiting the Japanese Gardens specifically, to the point it’s where I’d want to visit for my birthday. Now everyday can be my birthday, cake notwithstanding.

There’s a beauty in camaraderie.

These statues in Maymont have always caught my eye – there’s a certain intimacy to them.

A personal favorite. Being able to get parking for Belle Isle at the Tredegar Street lot is like winning a golden ticket, but lower stakes.

My packraft doesn’t provide me the most stability for sharp shots, but I occasionally get something I dig.

I bet ducks love cities – so much free bread.

In some ways, midday light can provide more vibrant pics than golden hour light.

It’s been a good year for clear skies, though the river rat in me has wanted a bit higher water levels than what we’ve been provided with.

Fun little anachronism from the VMFA parking garage.

Taken from North End Juice Co in the Museum District. Their Ernie McCracken bowl is one of the few things guaranteed to always get me out of a funk.

Love layered shots like this. I’m glad Richmond retains a lot of brick buildings, there’s a character to them these modern shacks just don’t have.

I’m not immune to wanting to photograph every older car with half-decent lighting I see.

Love a good in-frame frame.

Have you considered I just want to look at the trains and admire some of the train tag art? Nothing harmful about that!

can i pet that cat

Walking back from Union Market, wine in hand, listening to jazz. The ultimate Richmond hipster.

Sunset from Jefferson Hill. Everything seems calmer when we all look up.

Yeah it feels like that sometimes..

Pretty sure this is art done by local schoolkids. They care more about depicting the world as they see it rather than how it is. Lots to learn.

Skateboarders intimidate me. You mean to tell me you’re going to bomb that hill with no brakes? No way of quickly stopping? Strange.

Probably my favorite building in Church Hill. It’s simultaneously anachronistic while also blending right into the surrounding area.

Gnome time like the present…

The VMFA is one of the jewels of Richmond. The fact that it’s free makes it all the much better.

I’ve always wondered if neighborhood watch signs are just empty threats. Do people really have scheduled nights they just watch from their window, waiting to see if anyone looks suspicious?

Strolling around the Museum District. Not pictured is me nearly busting my ass on leafs.

I’m not usually lonely, until I end up behind a couple like that.

If this isn’t related to making Richmond easier to cycle in I don’t care for it.

There’s always beauty, wherever you are. Oftentimes, this beauty takes time.

I love natural framing elements – this photo was deceptively difficult to shoot, but the effort was worth it.

Low effort, prohibitory signs like this always amuse me. Oh no, stop.

Trees are smarter than we give them credit, I think. I’d also like to just take off the entirety of winter.

Honestly just liked the contrast in this. I’ve always wanted to climb up to one of those.

Saw this torn up sign shortly after election day. My political hot takes are worth an actual post, if I wanted to do them justice. Regardless, this picture does speak a thousand words.

These three buildings, the Federal Reserve Building along with the RIverfront Plaza buildings, are what I think of as the “core” to Richmond’s skyline.

I’ve always wondered what the changeover to a largely cashless society has meant for buskers. Nothing good, I imagine.

We need more secular buildings with the same juice religious buildings have. Life is worth worshipping.

The sun sets on the Altria, known for hosting sunsetting acts. Fitting.

I think I like Richmond’s flag. Or I’m at least coming around to it.

I know it’s amateurish to like lens flare in some circles, but I’m an amateur and I like lens flare, sue me.

Seeing chairs in odd places always piques my curiosity – who would carry a chair all this way, just to leave it?

He was doing some sort of water testing, I assume. In summer, these rocks are crawling with people, the rocks a technicolor mosaic of sun-bleached towels. Now it’s just us.

Conifers just make me happy, what can I say?

Still not sure if I was supposed to be back there, but the doors were open.

One of my favorite little corners of Maymont.

The maples in Maymont were particularly vibrant this fall. The deep reds act as a perfect segue between late fall and the holiday season.

So how would this grow without us here to inform its direction?

Not sure what’s going on here but I found it damn striking.

What I think the ideology of “form follows function” lost sight of is that form is in fact a function. We see the same issue now with arguments to defund the liberal arts. Life isn’t about sterile efficiency.

It’s easy to be cynical about the world when you don’t go out and live in it. Glad to see public spaces used by the public.

Something about this shot makes me think of Tex Crick’s “Nothing Will Change My Mind.”

Trains have been an important part of Richmond’s story. I can only hope we’ll see plans for HSR come to fruition.

I think we all feel some sort of compulsory need to have a mark in the world that exists independent of ourselves. A reminder that we were really here.

I’m glad families still value time outside. I sound like a curmudgeon, but I seriously worry about these kids being raised by tablets and brainrot.

Brutalism is hard to get right, but it can be done right. While this isn’t quite brutalism, it’s proof concrete can be beautiful, at least as light allows.

Dominion Energy tries so desperately to be seen as a force of good. Some of my favorite Richmond events and institutions are funded by Dominion as their PR folks work overtime. Earth-killing bastards.

From the ruins of one bridge, another arises. Burned bridges are replaceable ones.

The James has been a constant companion in my life. As beautiful as I found this scene to be, the drainage pipe acts as a reminder to how contradictory our attitudes towards nature can be.

I’ve always been fascinated by graffiti as a form of folk art, I’m sure there’s an art history essay here about this modern take on Kilroy Was Here.

Jefferson Hill has a certain glow around sunset that makes golden hour even moreso.

Christmastime isn’t the same as when I was a kid, but a live tree market does help to rekindle some of that youthful joy.

I could do a whole project just on the precarious places these damn scooters end up…

Yeah, that fisher’s fly.

Got room for one more?

Snoopin

How’d they get through?

The Jim Green’s getting broken in

Water, the ultimate carver

On the fall line

One more day of warmth…

Encroaching winter

Love a good moon shot

Some sort of solitude

better. XT2 switch.

The world’s a store, and all the men and women are merely shoppers…

Angsty plate

Gorgeous greenery

I’ve always wondered when and how folks pull this sort of graffiti off

Old bridge, meet new bridge

The life cycle of infrastructure

Yet it grows

Onwards..

Can’t park there!

And behind this door…

Peepin in

Weird ornament

From Below. Fuji XT2 — From below

Spotlight

Veneer

Rickety.

•

Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply