Hope is Coming…Scenes from the South

Hope is Coming - Religious Sign series - Scenes from the South - St Elmo, Chattanooga, Tennessee. Photo by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography. Kodak Tri X Film Photography

One of my absolute favorite series that I started working on this year has been my religious sign series. It’s something that I should have started years ago. Just the response I’ve received from it so far this year and the amount of amazing conversations that I’ve gotten to have with people about it, it’s been astonishing.

Recently here in Chattanooga, there has been these “Jesus is Coming- Repent” signs popping up everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Many places I’ve seen 2 or 3 of them on the same poles. When I’ve seen them, I’d been out shopping with family or on the go and didn’t have my film camera at the ready. So this past Sunday I had a photoshoot that morning and I planned to go hunting some of these signs down afterwards.

Needless to say I was driving to my shoot and lo and behold I came across this beauty. I made a U-Turn and stopped my car in a driveway so I could hop out and take this photo. What I love about it is it could be taken a couple of ways. You could say “Obama is coming. Repent” as if saying that with the idea that Trump may try to run for a third term, Obama could be cleared to run for a third term. The other way, and the way I like to read this is “Hope is Coming-Repent.”

What is hope? It’s different for different people. For a lot of people in these uncertain times, hope is all we have. I just wanted to share this find with you guys. I hope you guys find it as thought provoking as I do.

Ricky