Beauty Redefined Series - Kendra Sumpter - TRD Photography

Beauty Redefined Series - Kendra Sumpter

"I've always been different. I see tattoos as art. Surprisingly, I get more older people that love my tattoos and tell me how beautiful I am with them. My tattoos make me feel like who I'm supposed to be. Different. Set apart from everyone else." Kendra

Raw No Makeup/No Photoshop with Brittney Berlin

Raw Shoot with Brittney

Back in 2015 I decided to do a few raw, unedited shoots because I really love the message that it conveys. How you are beautiful as you are instead of you're beautiful because someone with photoshop skills. A lot of people really loved the images that came from those sessions. Some did the shoot sans makeup, others wanted to still wear their makeup. I've been wanting to do some more raw shoots because honestly, I want to do more work that actually makes a statement and isn't just "cool" to look at. I recently got to do a no makeup/no photoshop session with Brittney who is a model and hair/makeup artist here in Chattanooga. Because the whole "no photoshop" thing means different things to different people, the only thing done to these images was putting them into b&w. I also want you to read what Brittney had to say about her session as you check out these images... Read below.

Raw Photoshoot - No Makeup/No Photoshop - Brittney Berlin - TRD Photography

" A few years ago if you asked me to do a photoshoot without make up, my hair unfixed, and the photos would be untouched meaning not at all edited I would have refused. In fact I wouldn't have even let anyone see me like that! I was very caught up in what society views as beautiful and I was trying to obtain that standard."

RAW - No Makeup/No Photoshop - Brittney Berlin - TRD Photography

" I'm not going to lie, going into the photoshoot I was nervous. It's something I had never done before but I was still excited. I was having a lot of fun with the photoshoot but as soon as Ricky showed me the camera screen for a sneak peek of what it was looking like a huge smile came across my face and a feeling that sparked inside I can't really explain but I immediately got pumped! It was so empowering. Here I was with my hair a mess and no make up on to hide behind and I loved it! "

Multi-Exposure - Raw No Makeup/No Photoshop Shoot - Brittney Berlin - TRD Photography

" It boosted my confidence even more which I didn't expect to happen. I left the shoot feeling so good about myself and what I accomplished. Being able to look back at where I was and how I felt about my self then to now holding the confidence and love for myself and being comfortable doing something like this it a pretty remarkable feeling. " Brittney

RAW No Makeup/No Photoshop Session with Brittney Berlin - TRD Photography

RAW No Makeup/No Photoshop Session with Brittney Berlin - TRD Photography

RAW No Makeup/No Photoshop Session with Brittney Berlin - TRD Photography

RAW No Makeup/No Photoshop Session with Brittney Berlin - TRD Photography

"What Makes You Feel Beautiful?" Allie - TRD Photography

"What Makes You Feel Beautiful?" The Series - Allie - By TRD Photography

"What makes you feel beautiful?" 

"It's hard for me to speak on beauty in the conventional sense, but I'm sure that's not what you're looking for anyways!  I believe in beauty radiating from the inside. Finding positivity, confidence, dedication, compassion, and originality in your life and highlighting it. For me, after a hard night in the kitchen I am filthy and sweaty. I've put everything I've got into what I'm passionate about and know that I've made delicious food. I think I feel the most beautiful then, cracking a beer and reflecting on an honest day's work." Allie 

"What Makes You Feel Beautiful?" Krysten B.

"What Makes You Feel Beautiful?" Series - Krysten B.

"What makes you feel beautiful?"

"There are a lot of things that can make me feel beautiful. From simply having a good hair/makeup day all the way to wearing no makeup and having messy hair and someone telling me I'm beautiful anyway. I've always had self esteem issues so feeling that way is very few and far between."  - Krysten

"Why do you think we put such an emphasis on beauty in America?"

"The 'standard' of beauty has always been a part of the media. It obviously changes over time, but it's always there and it will always be there. I think there is such an emphasis on it because everyone will always want to be beautiful. Maybe not the standard beauty that is pushed to us through magazines/tv/movies, but in their own way." - Krysten

"What Makes You Feel Beautiful?" Series - Krysten B - Photo by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography - Film Photo - Kodak Tri X

Stay tuned for more from this series coming soon...

First Minolta XG 1 Experience - Street Photography in Chattanooga - Photographer Ricky Davis

Test Run with Minolta XG 1 - Chattanooga, TN - Photographer Ricky Davis

Recently I shared some film that I shot in Nashville. I've still been shooting some film as I can, and I recently scored an old Minolta XG 1 camera cheap! I decided to put a battery in it and see what I could do. I popped in some expired Neopan SS film.

Rat Rod - Worlds Longest Yard Sale - Film - Expired Neopan SS - Camera - Minolta XG 1 - Photographer Ricky Davis

Originally my idea to test the camera out was to take it on the worlds longest yard sale with me. I got it out to shoot a couple rat rods that I saw, but having never shot this camera before, the shutter sounded like it was sticking. That frustrated me and I put the camera up thinking all my shots were going to be overexposed.

Rat Rod - Worlds Longest Yard Sale - Film - Expired Neopan SS - Camera - Minolta XG 1 - Photographer Ricky Davis

I put the Minolta up, but a few days later my Canon 6D made a similar delayed sound on the shutter, and I saw that the photos were still coming out normal, so luckily I decided to take the Minolta back out and finish up the role of film to see what it would do.

Street Art - Chattanooga, TN - Film - Expired Neopan SS - Camera - Minolta XG 1 - Photographer Ricky Davis

So I commenced to round two of taking the test run and I wasn't disappointed. Because of the shutter sounding delayed, I just decided to walk around Chattanooga one morning for an hour or so and just capture what caught my eye. One of the things that really catches my eye though is street art. I love graffiti, sculptures, anything. And anyone that knows me, knows anytime I come across Zero's work, I gotta get a shot of it. I'm just a huge fan.

Anti-Social - Street Art - Chattanooga, TN - Film - Expired Neopan SS - Camera - Minolta XG 1 - Photographer Ricky Davis

Here are a few more of Zero's work that I came across that morning....

Zero - Street Art - Chattanooga, TN - Film - Expired Neopan SS - Camera - Minolta XG 1 - Photographer Ricky Davis

Doorway - Street Art - Chattanooga, TN - Film - Expired Neopan SS - Camera - Minolta XG 1 - Photographer Ricky Davis

Another thing that I really love is seeing sculptures and statues, and looking for different angles. By looking for different angles and such, how the light plays off of them and such, it's really fun to see what moods and emotions they project. Here are a few street sculptures that I found.

Sculpture in Chattanooga, TN - Film - Expired Neopan SS - Camera - Minolta XG 1 - Photographer Ricky Davis

Street Sculpture in Chattanooga, TN - Film - Expired Neopan SS - Camera - Minolta XG 1 - Photographer Ricky Davis

"Sometimes you have to look up, just to see hell." Street Sculpture in Chattanooga, TN - Film - Expired Neopan SS - Camera - Minolta XG 1 - Photographer Ricky Davis

"Sometimes you have to look up, just to see hell" From a different angle.. Sculpture in Chattanooga, TN - Film - Expired Neopan SS - Camera - Minolta XG 1 - Photographer Ricky Davis

And here are a few more random photos that I took in Chattanooga that day. I was really surprised by the Minolta photos. They were by far my favorite shots that I got back in that batch of negatives, which included some work that I did while I was still on vacation. I'm really stoked to use the Minolta more, and I recently did another set using Portra 400 film with the Minolta and I'm awaiting those negatives to come back in from processing. Hope you guys enjoyed. Next time I plan on definitely doing some more street portraiture as well with it to see how it handles.

"Nope" Lightpole in Chattanooga, TN - Film - Expired Neopan SS - Camera - Minolta XG 1 - Photographer Ricky Davis

Store Window - Chattanooga, TN - Film - Expired Neopan SS - Camera - Minolta XG 1 - Photographer Ricky Davis

Peeling Street Art - Chattanooga, TN - Film - Expired Neopan SS - Camera - Minolta XG 1 - Photographer Ricky Davis

It's all about the eye. Street Art - Chattanooga, TN - Film - Expired Neopan SS - Camera - Minolta XG 1 - Photographer Ricky Davis

Spirit of 45- 70th Anniversary of V-J Day.

Spirit of 45 - The 70th Anniversary of V-J Day - August 14 2015

As those of you that have been reading a lot of my recent posts, I've begun work on a WWII Veteran Photographic Series. Recently a friend of mine shared with me information about a V-J Day event taking place here in Chattanooga, TN. I'm so glad that she did! I hadn't heard of the event but it really had an amazing impact on me.

A WWII Veteran being brought to join fellow Vets before the ceremony. Photo by photographer Ricky Davis of TRD Photography - Film - Kodak Tmax100

Growing up I've heard of different events such as this, but this is the first time I've gotten to attend. I honestly didn't know what to expect. I arrived about forty-five minutes before the ceremony was set to take place because I hoped to get to talk to some of the Veterans. When I first arrived I met David Cox, who happened to be performing Taps on the bugle for this event. Not only have I never been to a military event like this, I've never really shot at ceremonies other than weddings. I also shot this entire event in film only, which was another first. I was just crossing my fingers that they'd turn out.

Bugle Player - David A Cox. Photo by Photographer Ricky Davis of TRD Photography. Film - Tmax 100.

Having no experience at an event like this, I didn't take as many photographs as I would have liked. So many of the parts of the ceremony we were standing, with our hand over our hearts. Sometimes these days we become so embittered with politics and bi-partisan fighting that we have forgotten what our country was founded on, what our men and women in the armed forces have fought for. It can be enough to really question what the whole thing is about anymore, and to be honest, I've been guilty of that myself. 

V-J Day Anniversary - Photo by Photographer Ricky Davis of TRD Photography - Film - Tmax100.

Midway through the ceremony I had such a surreal moment that really just made me stop and question so much. A singer stood up and started singing our National Anthem, a song that we all have heard countless times before. Shortly into the song, softly I heard a raspy voice from where the WWII Veterans were standing start to sing. Slowly, more voices joined in. The voices weren't loud, but they were passionate. It was such a haunting experience for me hearing these men that are all pushing 90 or round about singing about their love and commitment to this great country that we have. That one moment stands out to me as not only a highlight of the event, but a highlight in my life.

Wreath Laying Ceremony - Spirit of 75 V-J Day Event - Photo by Photographer Ricky Davis of TRD Photography - Film - Tmax100

Originally I went to this event hoping to visit and talk with some WWII Veterans, and hopefully meet some men for my WWII Photographic Project. Both before and after though, I sat down and just listened. I listened to grown sons, one of which served in Vietnam, talking about their dads. One had brought framed flags and such that his dad had brought back from Japan. A local school attended as part of a field trip, and while a lot of kids were goofing off, I watched as this veterans son took the time to talk and show some of the kids these WWII relics and telling them stories of his dad, and I saw these kids eyes light up and take it all in.

Medal of Honor Recipient - Charles Coolidge - Photo by Photographer Ricky Davis of TRD Photography - Film - Tmax100

I watched as many of the WWII veterans gathered afterwards in the heat, waiting in a line to say a few words to Medal of Honor Recipient Charles Cooldige. He was a celebrity among these American Heroes. Look him up and read his story. It's amazing.

V-J Day Ceremony - Photographer Ricky Davis of TRD Photography - Film - Tmax100

So while I had planned on visiting, I took the day to just take it all in. It was such a privilege to see how happy these men were seeing each other and talking, at every turn someone was talking to someone else and waiting to give out hugs and pats on the shoulder. I feel so honored to be an American. Seeing these men, not fully understanding the sacrifices that they made for us, but starting to see a glimpse of that, really makes me want to do what I can to make a difference. I hope, I pray, that some of the stories that these men are sharing, that are out there will help make a difference in your life as it has in mine. Our country hasn't always been perfect, and it's not perfect now, but we are extremely blessed to be a part of it. And we owe the freedoms that we have, to these men and women. So next time you see a Vet, please be sure to thank them for their service.

V-J Day Event - Photo by Photographer Ricky Davis of TRD Photography - Film - Tmax100

If you know of someone that served in World War II, Korea, or in Vietnam - please send me an email to trd@trdphotography.com I would love to work with them on my Veteran project. Thank you!

Ricky