Save Historic Engel Stadium in Chattanooga, TN
Historic Engel Stadium in Chattanooga, TN - Photography by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography
Historic Engel Stadium - Chattanooga, TN
As a kid one of my favorite places to go was to a Chattanooga Lookouts game at Engel Stadium. I remember my first game when I was probably around six years old. I’d just started playing little league baseball and I was on the Reds, so my parents took me to a Lookouts game, who were the Double A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. I don’t remember anything about the game other than the banging of the wooden seats to the rhythm of the organ, the sound of the beer man calling out “ice cold beer, get your ice cold beer here!”, the first time hearing Take Me Out to the Ball Game, and grabbing ice cream at Dairy Queen down the street in a mini baseball helmet.
Over the years, and many trips back, I made so many other memories. I met Chipper Jones without realizing it when he signed a baseball for me before a Southern League Championship game when he was with the Greenville Braves. I got Jason Varitek to sign a Mariners helmet for me that I still have to do this day. For those that didn’t know Jason was actually drafted by Seattle before becoming a star for the Red Sox and helping break the Curse of the Bambino. I saw Ozzie Canseco hit an inside the park home run, before leaving the stadium the back way to try to avoid signing autographs for the fans. I have so many more memories of players many may not remember as well. I remember Pokey Reese of the Reds, back when he was Calvin and have multiple autographs with his real name. Some of my favorite players were Scott Pose who got drafted by the Marlins in the Expansion Draft, Brian Koelling who once signed a card for me with a broken finger, and Steve Gibralter.
Historic Engel Stadium in Chattanooga, TN - Photography by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography
I have so many memories of visits to Engel with friends. One of my best friends as a kid and I went to see the Memphis Chicks play when prospect Phil Hiatt was with the team and he hit a homer into the street. One of the craziest experiences was when Michael Jordan played for the Birmingham Barons and I got to see him play twice that season. I’d never seen that many people at a Lookouts game before or since.
Historic Engel Stadium in Chattanooga, TN - Photography by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography
Engel Stadium is one of the oldest parks still standing in America. It was built in 1930 by Joe Engel, who was a scout for the Washington Senators and had been hired to go and buy a team to become the Senators first minor league affiliate. Engel Stadium opened it’s gates for the first time in 1930 for games and was an active stadium until 1999 when the Lookouts moved to their new stadium in Chattanooga, AT&T Park.
Historic Engel Stadium in Chattanooga, TN - Photography by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography
A lot of major league baseball teams, and touring teams made up of major league players and all-stars used to do barnstorming tours in the early half of the 20th century. During a trip that the New York Yankees made to Engel Stadium in 1931, a young female pitcher named Jackie Mitchell struck out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig during one of these exhibitions.
In both the 1920’s and 1940’s, Engel Stadium was also a part of the Negro Baseball Leagues. The great Satchel Paige actually played here at Andrews Field, which was the Lookouts field before Engel was built, and which was on the same site as Engel Stadium. It was noted that he threw his first professional pitch at Andrews Field before he left and joined the Birmingham Black Barons. In 1940 - 1946, the Chattanooga Choo-Choo’s played their home games at Engel Stadium. The Great Willie Mays played for the Choo-Choo’s while he was still in high school in 1945 and 1946.
Among some of the other baseball greats that have played or coached at Engel Stadium have been Henry Aaron, Harmon Killibrew, Rogers Hornsby, Ferguson Jenkins, and Kiki Cuyler. Many, many more modern stars came up having played at Engel, as well as other Negro League Players visiting the Choo-Choo’s. I remember reading a story in Cool Papa Bell’s biography with a story about an incident after visiting the Choo-Choo’s but haven’t been able to find it online.
Historic Engel Stadium in Chattanooga, TN - Photography by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography
Sadly the Stadium was given to the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and they have proposed to demolish the stadium to build other athletic facilities on the property, even though the stadium has been designated as a historic site. I have reached out to the university to try to get access to take some photographs of the inside of the stadium, such as the scoreboard, the historic Coke sign, stadium seats, but I have yet to hear back from them in any capacity. I just want to document the stadium as thoroughly as possible.
I truly believe that landmarks such as these should be preserved. The stadium is currently in desperate need of repairs and I hope that eventually Chattanooga could turn this into a place for baseball and baseball history. Maybe a place for traveling teams to play and as well as a baseball museum of the history of America’s National Past Time in the Scenic City. It certainly has had it’s fair share of memories throughout the years.
Historic Engel Stadium in Chattanooga, TN - Photography by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography
Historic Engel Stadium in Chattanooga, TN - Photography by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography
Historic Engel Stadium in Chattanooga, TN - Photography by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography
Kodak Tri X Test Roll Results... Still Life Work at the Studio
Send in the Clowns…. Kodak Tri X Film - Still Life Studio Photography by TRD Photography
During my last film session at my studio I had a little bit of a lighting issue. So today I wanted to do a test shoot to see if my suspicion of the issue was right. To test the roll, I decided to setup several different still life scenes. My brain gets pretty random when I do still life photography. So I put on Sierra Ferrell on my iphone (I just discovered her music and am loving it.) and then started going through some of my props putting some scenes together. The lighting turned out better than I expected.
I shot a roll of Kodak Tri X 120 film on my Mamiya 645 camera for this. On that roll you can expect to get somewhere between 13-15 shots per roll. When I do still life sets I generally take 1-3 shots per setup from varying angles/lighting movements. Out of 14 shots that came out, 12 of them were good solid usable shots. These were just my favorites of the setups. I’d love to hear what you guys think of these.
Baseball Still Life Photography - Kodak Tri X Film - TRD Photography
Da’ Bears - Football Still Life Photography - Kodak Tri X Film - TRD Photography
Dark Academia Skull Still Life Photography - Kodak Tri X Film - TRD Photography
Eat My Heart Out - Dark Art Still Life Photography - Kodak Tri X Film - TRD Photography
Documenting America with TRD Photography - Jesus or Hell?
Scenes from the South Series - Kodak Tri X Film - TRD Photography - Chattanooga, TN
Scenes from the South - Jesus or Hell?
So one of the things that I’ve been doing a lot of lately is exploring small towns and different places around the South. I have a lot of fun getting out and just finding different places and documenting kind of a different way of life. One of the things that I’m working on in my series is religious signs.
When I first started this series I remembered seeing lots of signs growing up along the roadways that we traveled. Even though I grew up in a strict, Christian conservative home, I was always taken aback by the signs. As an adult, I’ve actually been deconstructing alot of the things I was taught. I believe in God but a lot of the teachings seem to be in conflict to the teachings of Jesus. So I feel more inclined as I look around and see things, I want to capture it and have conversations about these things.
This sign I found going down into Georgia on a recent trip to take some photos at Old Car City USA. I knew I had to photograph it on the way back. It was in the Dalton, GA area and they had actually purchased the same billboard on both sides so they could hit people coming and going on the interstate.
When it comes to these signs, I don’t know if people understand how it comes across. I truly believe that all these signs do is to cause separation from those they think they are witnessing to. I do think that some of them have good intentions but they are so out of reality that they don’t realize how they come across. I’ve been in that boat before at times myself. It’s something where when it comes to your beliefs you’re never going to change minds by yelling and telling people how wrong they are. Changes come from relationships and true connections.
Anyways, about this photo, it’s just the first of many to come in this series. I shot this on Kodak Tri X Film.
Raw - No Photoshop/No Makeup Shoot - Holly
No Photoshop/No Makeup Shoot - Holly - Ricky Davis
RAW Shoot with Holly
I first met Holly and her boyfriend Jeff last fall for my Native Portrait Series. They both have become two of my best friends. Recently Holly and I got together to do a raw, no photoshop/no makeup shoot. These are some of my personal favorite shoots to do. To this point most of my raw shoots I've done digitally, or a combo of digital and film. With Holly's I shot both, but these photos are all from the film portion of the shoot AND this is the first RAW set that I've shot outside of the confines of the studio as well. The ultimate goal with these shoots is I want to give people a glimpse from another perspective. So many times we've become caught up in a certain look, or with an ideal of who we are or what we have to look like. There's nothing wrong with makeup, but I think it's important to not allow your identity to become shaped by what products or style that's in at a given moment. Beauty is in who you are.... Below is more photos from the set as well as what Holly had to say about her shoot. Photos are Kodak Tri X 35mm film pushed to 800.
RAW - Holly - Ricky Davis
"I had to talk myself into doing a raw photo shoot. The concept is foreign to me, as I rarely leave the house without makeup. On my way to the shoot, my most intrusive thought was about how these pictures were going to be something I would cringe at when it was all said and done and that what little confidence I had would be crushed. Ricky got started and I was telling him all of these fears while he was working. He started laughing and turned the camera around and I felt silly for having doubted his eye for art. I feel more powerful for having done this, as it's another fear confronted and conquered. " Holly
RAW - Holly - Ricky Davis
RAW - Holly - Ricky Davis
RAW - Holly - Ricky Davis
Beauty Redefined Series - What is it?!?!? - TRD Photography
Beauty Redefined Series - What is it?!?!?!
I'm giving you a break from photos for a post. As you might have noticed, the past several days my posts have centered around what I call the beauty redefined series. Last summer I started shooting for a series of photos that I wanted to do a couple of things with. 1. I wanted to share peoples stories about different elements of their life and 2. In light of those stories, I wanted to construct a broader view of how we look at our fellow people. From the first part of the series, listening to people share their stories and struggles, I learned so much.
A lot of the series that really interest me revolve around the concept of beauty. I think it's an interesting concept for a few reasons. Honestly I think beauty is one of the words that we all know what "it" is, but the definition differs from person to person. It's ingrained in our heads, in our cultures. It's this ideal that we strive for but never quite achieve and in my mind it's because it doesn't exist. There can be no clear cut definition of what beauty is. It differs from person to person. Freedom is another similar kind of word. We all have a different take of what freedom is. We're told that we live in the land of the free, but how far does that freedom actually go? Beauty is something that's preached, but what does it actually entail?
A lot of times we're taught that beauty and ugliness go hand in hand, and it's true, you can't have one without the other. However we're taught to look at outward appearances and judge them. I think ugliness isn't anything appearance based. It's in our actions, in our emotions. Hate & brutality, greed, these are things that define ugliness to me personally and I feel that beauty is in our imperfections. It's in our differences. It's what makes us, us.
The Series for me is something that is a continually evolving project. I'm learning from each person that I've gotten to work with. My goal is to share the stories and the differences, and each of us has a story. My goal is to tell those stories, touch on issues of our time, and my goal is to photograph the individuals in a way that it's not about the identity of who one is, because these stories could belong to your neighbor, your brother, your sister, your co-worker, the person you pass at the grocery store, the guy you nod to that's coming out of the bathroom.... These stories could be any of us. And that's the point.
I'm about to start shooting round 2 of the series. If you'd like to be considered I'll be organizing an upcoming date to shoot round 2. It's all shot in studio on 35mm film. To be considered you must email me your story and why you'd like to be part of the project. We will take several photos but only one is used for the series. If your story is sensitive, you are more than welcome to use the handle of anonymous when we share your story. I realize that some are more of a private nature. We hope you'll share your story with us. If we don't receive your story, we won't be able to set anything up for this series. No photoshoot experience required. Male and Female welcome. Signed release required at shoot.
Raw No Makeup/No Photoshop with Brittney Berlin
Raw No Makeup/No Photoshop set with Brittney Berlin - TRD Photography
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
Minolta XG1 Find and Test.....
Minolta XG1 Find and Test Roll
So last summer when I first started to learn to work with film, I had picked up a Minolta XG1 off of ebay. It came in, in horrible condition and literally fell apart after three rolls of film. The sad thing was, the photos I took with it were really awesome. So I've had an eye out for one at a decent price ever since. Last week I found one at a local yard sale for twenty bucks. It appeared to be in great condition, so I picked it up. So far I've tested one roll of film so far over several modeling sets.
The first tests were with my pal, Jennifer Edge. She's a tattoo artist at Main Line Ink in Chattanooga. I had a portrait session lined up with Jennifer but we threw in a few fun shots on the XG1. With my style of work, I like to have a good time with it. Jennifer gets my irreverent side. ;) As far as the camera, it's been awhile since I've worked with a manual focusing camera and several of her shots came out really blurry. Kind of the consequences when you have bad eye sight.
This second lady is Josey. I was attending a shootout this past weekend with the plan of trying out the Minolta as well as a new (to me) Canon EOS 1N. My first shoot of the day had been rescheduled but I wanted to make sure my new gear was in working order, so Josey came early and let me try it out on her. Again, in the studio lighting, the XG1 was a little soft of focus, but that very well could be nailing down my settings. Josey's set did turn out abit more crisp as I'd had time to get back in the groove a little bit.
This third lady is model Avery Blansit. We took this photo at the shootout on Sunday with natural lighting. The Minolta was considerable crisper with the natural lighting, which again, is probably just brushing up on my settings and getting the hang of it again.
I'm super stoked with the camera and I'm excited to continue to adjust to it. I couldn't be happier with the photos I've gotten from it so far. Not too shabby for a yard sale find.
Pack of Wolves - Live at Mayo's in Chattanooga - TRD Photography
Pack of Wolves - Live at Mayo's - TRD Photography
I don't do a ton of concert photography, actually I think it's been about a year since the last show that I shot, but recently I was asked to do a set for local Blue band Pack of Wolves. I was a little nervous on it because concert photography isn't a specialty of mine, but I was stoked because I actually shot some of the show on film as well. Pack of Wolves is a powerhouse band and I was really stoked to get the honor to shoot them and their new lineup. While I did get some pretty sick shots on film, most of what I'll be sharing from the show I shot with my Canon 6D.
I hope you enjoyed the photos. If you'd like me to shoot your show, feel free to shoot me an email at trd@trdphotography.com I'd def like to do more concert work in the future.
Ricky
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.
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.
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.
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.
Here are a few more of Zero's work that I came across that morning....
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.
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.
WWII/Vietnam Veteran Master Sgt. Cletis Bailey, Air Force - Photographer Ricky Davis
WWII & Vietnam Veteran - Master Sgt. Cletis Bailey
Meeting Mr. Bailey has been one of the most pleasurable experiences that I have had. This man is so good natured and friendly. His was a very interesting story and actually spans two of America's biggest conflicts as he served not only in World War II, but he also served two tours in Vietnam.
"I was drafted and took my basic training in Camp Blanding, Florida. About seventeen weeks of intensive training and pretty soon I found myself in Germany. I was assigned to the 84th Infantry Division and that was at the tail end of The Battle of the Bulge. I think I joined up with them in Belgium and then we went into Germany, up on the Roer River. We kinda dug in there and waited for the crossing. It had flooded. I joined as a replacement. Later on, when the situation had normalized, we made that river crossing and headed on into Germany. :
"Being in infantry, we did a lot of walking. The main activity that I was involved is was there was three of us after we finally took this town. We had lost 8 or 9 men taking that town. It was well defended with German paratroopers. After we had finally crossed the field, there was three of us assigned to go back across that field because we was short of ammunition. I didn't volunteer for that either. I didn't have a chance to back out. So anyway, we made it but there was a German sniper firing at us all the way over there. You could see the bullets hitting in between us. So one of the guys said I ain't about to go back over there. We'll get killed. But with all the stuff happening over there, tree bursts and mortars we'll surely get killed if we'd stayed over there. So we made it back across the field. But with all the shelling coming in, when we were heading out one of the guys up ahead got decapitated. "
"At the end of the War I was at the Elbe River. I came back to the States in 46, and stayed in the reserves for a little bit. I was working in Chattanooga but all of my friends had gotten out or left, so I decided to get back in the service. I went and got a little better education and then I was able to get in the Air Force. I still keep in contact with two or three guys I served in the 84th with. One of them was talking about when we shared a hole on the river. The Germans were across the river and they'd take shots across the river. They called us 'Roosevelt's Henchmen'. They say 'Roosevelt's Henchmen we're going to annihilate you.' So that was interesting. The was my introduction to German soil. That's where I earned my combat infantry.
I feel like I really played a small role. We had lost so many men, that's why I was selected as a replacement because we'd lost so many men at the Battle of the Bulge. They are the ones the did it. It was tragic as it was getting close to the end and losing so many men. I loved the old timers. One fella that I had hunkered down with the night before taking one stinking town, he got killed. Another one told his buddy that he had a feeling that he wasn't going to make it. They called him Chief because he was Indian. He got killed taking this town. They told him to just stay back, but he said no. I've been with you this long. He had been with them a real long time. That's the way it happens some times. "
"In Vietnam, it was a lot different. I didn't have to go on any patrols or anything like that. It was a different story in Vietnam though. I had a desk job, I was in accounting and finance taking care of military pay and travel. I needed some information from personnel next door. I walked over there and was talking to the sergeant and got what I needed. I stepped back outside and a rocket came in and took off the whole end of the building. It killed him. That was pretty close. So you never knew when you were gonna get it over there. Whether you were at a desk or out with the infantry in the field. The rockets were always coming in. But I led kind of a charmed life over there. I'm glad to be here, I'm glad to be anywhere, I enjoy living. "
To finish talking with Mr. Bailey I asked him "with serving in both World War II and in Vietnam, what was the difference in the way that the soldiers were treated coming back from the war."
"That was a different story wasn't it? That war just wasn't accepted. So Vietnam Veterans just got the short end of the stick so to speak, they got mistreated. Through no fault of their own, we were just doing our job. It was a lot of politics I think. We lost a lot of men over there. I went to Washington DC and visiting the Memorial. I found Sgt. Dark's name, the fella that got killed, and I made an impression. "
I thoroughly enjoyed my time speaking with and listening to Mr. Bailey. He had so much life and zeal about him. He really brought a ray of light into my world and I hope that his story resonates with you and touches you as well.
If you know any World War II Veterans, Korean Veterans, or Vietnam Veterans, I would love to include them in my project and share their story. Please email me at trd@trdphotography.com
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Seeing Yourself in Beauty and in Decay...Photographer Ricky Davis
Seeing yourself in the Beauty and the Decay – By Ricky Davis
Back in 2013, I began a series which I titled Beauty in the Decay. I had been inspired by the work of the amazing Karen Jerzyk who goes into abandoned buildings and shoots nude models. The work is mind blowing and very powerful. Now I don’t shoot nude models, the most that I shoot is implied, but I really liked the idea of doing a series that pits beauty in the midst of decay, from my perspective. I feel that this can open up a lot of questions. What is beauty, really what is decay?
I shot two photos for the series in 2013, and none in 2014. I got a little off track. Recently I decided I wanted to began it again and had the opportunity to work with the amazing Liz Price for a new image to add into it.
A few weeks ago I posted the image above on Facebook and Instagram and I asked the question of what people feel, or what are their thoughts regarding what’s happening in the photo. I held my own opinion back until now. I wanted to share a few of the responses that I received about this photo.
“She feels alone in a society that says her body doesn’t fit the standards for beautiful.” Amanda C.
“Longing for her dreams, hope that’s lost” Carol Ann M.
“She’s feeling embarrassed or shunned. Lack of confidence, yearning to be accepted.” Kellie H.
“I see someone who has hit rock bottom, and this is the moment she decides to take her life back!
I feel like her thoughts are, “screw the world! Wait until they see what I have coming for them!” (In a positive sense)
For me, it seems like a moment of transformation!” Trevor L.
“Remembering what once was…” Christy G.
” I see someone reflecting waiting for a change who is to know if it is good or bad” Kennedy G.
“Loneliness looking out into the darkness for a single ray of light.” Gregory A.
Those were responses on Facebook, here’s some of what people on Instagram had to say.
“A very foreboding, dark, & sinister look. Emotionally I’m intrigued on what the subject sees outside the window.” VIntageterrance
“I feel sad. I feel like she got left at the alter and she is soo misrable she still has on her wedding crenlen slip, and is staring outside waiting for her groom to show up…..” Mrsham1993
“To me it feels forlorn…like she’s waiting on someone who never came” DarthCrowe
As I started reading the comments as they were being posted, the thought resonated with me, especially as I knew a few of the people commenting, with things that were going on in their lives. They weren’t necessarily just viewing Liz as a model in some far off photograph, some were seeing themselves in her place. My idea was justified a few minutes later when Carol Ann commented ” You know, after reading everyone’s response, I think that our critique is how we actually feel unsure emoticon or maybe it’s just me.”
So what is the purpose of art? Sometimes I think it’s helpful for us to grow and to sort through things that we are dealing with when we can step out of ourselves and see it in third person. Much the way that some were able to step into Liz’s position and relate.
For me, this photograph is a symbol of hope and beauty. Yes, the room is trashed, and it’s dark and bleak. Yes, she’s not airbrushed, liquified, and the like. It’s gritty and the location doesn’t seem too inviting. The curtains to the window are drawn, except for where she’s holding them apart. She’s not looking behind her at the disheveled mess that’s in the past, but she’s looking forward through the window into what’s to come. Too often we focus on the distractions around us instead of looking ahead. We don’t know what’s to come, but we already know what’s behind us. That’s what it makes me feel anyway.
I hope that you like the image and will stay tuned for more.
Ricky
If you’d like to work with me, trd@trdphotography.com
WWII Veteran Photographic Series - Pvt. Ralph Davis - Photographer Ricky Davis
WWII Veteran Photographic Series - Private Ralph Davis
Before I begin to share my experience with Mr. Davis, I’d like to share my inspiration for doing this portrait series. I have long been interested in military history, particularly Vietnam and World War II. As I’ve watched current events unfolding before our eyes, I feel that it is imperative that we chronicle and preserve the history of those in “The Greatest Generation” because we are losing a lot as a country and forgetting what has made us great. If we let these heroes that fought for our freedom pass on without learning the lessons that they can teach us, who knows if we will ever find our way back as a country. That is my ultimate goal with this series.
I had ultimately planned to begin this project when I returned home from Oregon but upon arriving I found out that my mother-in-law knew two local World War II Veterans living here in the area. I got to meet Mr. Davis, no relation to me, on Wednesday evening. When I was first told about Ralph, I was told that he doesn’t remember very much about the war because he is suffering from dementia a little bit. Upon getting to sit down and visit with him I was honored to talk about life, and a little more about the war than he had spoken about in the last thirty years.
Ralph enlisted in the Army soon after Pearl Harbor. He was assigned to infantry and was an artilleryman in Germany. I asked him when he arrived in Germany but he didn’t remember. He mentioned that he was in a few battles but not that many. He said ” I was scared. You didn’t know what was going to happen. But times are worse now than they were before. There’s no telling what’s going to happen.”
One thing that was really important to Ralph, was that even in the height of the war, with the Army giving out cigarettes to all the soldiers, he never smoked or drank. He said ” I didn’t even drink coffee. It was way too bitter.”
When I asked Ralph about where he was at when the war ended, he said he was in Otterberg, Germany. He told me that memories of the war were hard, that there was so many things that happened that he just wanted to forget. From talking to family members, they said he never really talked about the war that much.
In conclusion with this this first blog in my World War II series, I really think I learned a lot with this first session and interview. In a lot of the books that I’ve read, and the documentaries that I’ve seen, and even letters I have received, most of the servicemen have wanted their stories known. But there are different faces, different stories, and different viewpoints, even among those that lived through those times. Some came home and dealt with their experiences by sharing, and some dealt with their experiences by trying to forget. Everybody is different and there’s no telling how we would react in those circumstances. One thing that is absolutely certain, when freedom was on the line, and our Country called, these men answered the bell. Thank you for reading, and thank you to the veterans that have helped to make our country what it was, what it is, and what it will become.
P.S.
I wanted to say a couple of more words. Originally I posted this blog on Wordpress site while I was still on vacation in Oregon. I photographed Ralph using both my Canon 6D and also I shot some expired Kodak T-Max film. Since I posted the original blog while on vacation, my film wasn't back yet, so I added some film shots of Ralph here, mixed in with the digital photos. Each one is marked. I really hope you enjoy his story, and the photos. Stay tuned for more in this series to come.
Keeping Portland Weird - Perspective with Film by Ricky Davis
Keep Portland Weird....
It's a slogan you see everywhere in Portland, or at least in all the Made in Oregon stores. This summer I made my third trip to the City of Roses in the last four years. This time I really didn't have time to do a whole lot of anything IN Portland. Sadly, our plans got kind of redone when my wife's uncles unexpectedly passed away and we made a trip down to California for his memorial service. That was really unfortunate but it did allow us to see family that we wouldn't have had the chance to see.
I was able to make my way into Portland one morning for a couple of hours while I was out there. There were things that were the same, and things that had changed a bit since the last time I wandered around downtown.
One thing that has changed in the time I left, I went into some record stores in Portland, actually looking to pick up some records. In 2013, I actually had sold my records before going out because I didn't want to move them across the country. When we came back to TN, I didn't really think about albums but started picking them up again some last year. I honestly didn't want to pick any albums up this year because I didn't want to have to ship them back, but I found a copy of Shooter Jennings debut "Put the O Back in Country." and a Waylon that I didn't have, so yeah, I got them back.
Sadly, one thing that hadn't changed was the amount of homelessness in Portland. In 2013, it was bad. Under every bridge it seemed like a community. This year, when we first arrived I didn't see anyone. I thought maybe things had improved. When I went walking around downtown though, people were everywhere. Some were extremely nice and talked, some definitely had some mental issues. One thing that really impacted me was walking down the sidewalks and the amount of people just sleeping. All around them, people were walking by without seeming to notice. It was almost like two different worlds operating in the same vicinity.
This photo is one of the first color film shots I took. I definitely want to work more on color film, but this sign really stood out to me. I was walking by what I guess was a lot that had been converted into a homeless camp. There was a wooden "wall" built around and tents and lean-to's inside. Outside different people had made signs to put on the wall. This sign stood out to me, with the message of having the right to dream, too. If you think about it, it just seems to be very poignant.
I love seeing different murals, and graffiti. When I was in Portland before, I never was able to really find near as much graffiti and paintings as I'm accustomed to in Chattanooga/Nashville/Knoxville. As I was walking around I saw this, and it was just gorgeous. This was my favorite photo of it. Below is one that has a lady walking next to it, just for size comparison. Whoever did this did an amazing job.
Here's another mural that was farther down on a wall from the other lady. The detail and emotion in this paintings eyes I thought was really outstanding and just drew you to it.
I love checking out different buildings, in different places. I really love buildings that are designed in this style. It's just so much more interesting than typical square buildings.
I'll wrap up this blog with this last shot, another from my Ektar 100. No Boundaries. I guess that could mean a lot of different things, to a lot of different people. It can be a good motivator, and at the same time in the wrong hands "No Boundaries" can be a horrifying thing. I choose to think of it as we tend to set boundaries on what we can achieve, or we allow others to set boundaries on what we are capable of. Really it's all on who we give control. We can choose to believe it, or we can push ourselves beyond what we're told is possible. That choice is yours.
Ricky
Film in the Studio? Finally got to try it!
Film in the Studio...Finally got to try it!
My apologies in the repost of this blog. I was cleaning out some older posts that were no longer applicable and somehow today's post got deleted as well.
Recently I have started working to learn more about film photography. When I first played around with photography it was all film. I had no idea what I was doing. When I got serious about photography, I learned by shooting digital. Now I'm increasingly interested in working to learning film. It's been an interesting journey so far!
A few weeks ago I was preparing to head off to Portland, OR for a couple of weeks, but I really wanted to try shooting film in studio before I left. That way when I got back, my negatives would be here and I could see how it worked. I was happy when an old friend of mine was able to work her schedule around and shoot with me a couple days before I was set to leave. Krysten and I have collaborated on some of my favorite photographs over the years.
Our shoot consisted of shooting two different films, expired Fuji Acros 100 and expired Kodak Tmax400. As I had no idea how film would work with studio lighting, we tried several different looks, just to make sure we tried different things to see how it would work.
The Fuji Acros 100 was my favorite film to work with that day I think. I liked the exposures on the Tmax too, but we had lighting issues where most of those ended up being scrapped. I started off shooting with high wattage constant light, and those were great! When I used my studio strobes, my shutter speed was too fast for the film to light up the whole frame.I really look forward to working on that next time.
These images haven't been edited, other than removing a few large scratches from processing. I'm really looking forward to working more with film in the studio and soon beginning to work on actual darkroom techniques and processing my own film. So stay tuned...
Ricky
Chattanooga Tattoo Convention - TRD Photography
Tattoo Artist Dietsch of Blackbeard Tattoo - TRD Photography
Chattanooga Tattoo Convention
Today starts the third annual Chattanooga Tattoo Convention at 2pm. Tattoo Artists and Tattoo Enthusiasts will be gathered at the Chattanooga Trade Center and I'm stoked to be a part of it this year. My friends, Tim Harden and Kellie Ruthless have invited me to hang out with them at the Revolution Tattoos booth. The convention has some amazing artists and a lot of cool shows planned. So if you have some time this weekend, come check it out.
As for me, I'll have prints on hand, many of which have never been in print form before, and I'm offering a huge print sale.
8x10's are $10 each or 2 for $15.
11x14's are $20 each or 2 for $30.
I'll also be booking shoots for June 2014, so come put down a deposit on that shoot you know you've been wanting to do!
Below are some more photos I took at last years convention.
Tattoo Model - Photo of the Day - Raven Lee - TRD Photography
Tattoo Model Raven Lee
Raven has become one of my best friends over the years. She's such a sweet, authentic person and that's pretty hard to find. This set we shot in North Georgia. The above photo I wanted to keep a real, natural feel to it. The only photoshop work done on this was adjusting the colors. No airbrushing/liquifying type stuff at all. I hope you dig it.
Ricky - TRD Photography
Chattanooga, TN - www.trdphotography.com - www.facebook.com/trdphotography
FInd me on Twitter/IG/Snapchat/Pinterest - @trd_photography
Faithmarks Chapter 2 - Tattoos of Faith event
Faithmarks Chapter 2 - Tattoos of Faith Event held in Chattanooga, TN
When people start talking about tattoos and faith, the conversations can get sordid pretty quickly in some circles. Last fall I was approached by Anna Golladay and Carl Greene of St. Marks United Methodist Church in Chattanooga, TN. Back in 2013 they held the first Faithmarks exhibit, which served to get people talking about faith and tattoos and the stories of their faith that led to the tattoos.
Anna and Carl were looking to do a "Chapter Two" event and were interested in me doing the photography for this project. I was extremely stoked to be able to do this as I've always enjoyed shooting projects to challenge ideals, such as when I did the "Equality Series" back in 2013.
We set aside four Sundays to do the sessions, which eventually became five, over this past winter. It was such a unique experience for me personally. Folks would come in and let me see their tattoo, what it was and location, and then would share with me their story while I was brainstorming where to shoot it and what kind of perspective to put on it. The stories were very touching and inspiring.
This weekend was a blur, as yesterday I had to get up at 4am to be at the church to see the canvas for the first time, as well as get to be a part of a great live interview with the Faithmarks team on WTVC Newschannel 9. I was nervous to see how my work flowed with the previous exhibit pieces and that was extremely important to me to keep them fluid with what was already done.
Last night we held the event and I was so pleased with the turnout. Fifty minutes into the event I was told we'd already had two hundred people come out. It was very inspiring to see people in my community come out and support this. I saw young children standing in front of my photographs just staring intently, while moments before they were running around playing. I saw elderly people looking at the photographs and reading the stories while wiping away tears. I had people thanking me for both how I shot these photos but bringing up past work that I did with the Equality Series. It was a very powerful experience for me.
Next up, the exhibit will still be at St. Marks on display for the next little bit, but then it'll be going back out on the road as a traveling art show. Last year it traveled across the country to different festivals and churches that wanted to use it as a talking point. This year, I'm not sure if it's been worked out logistically or not, but I know there were places overseas interested in bringing it over to show as well.
Some people don't think that tattoos and faith can mix. I'd challenge you to open up your mind, read the stories, get to know people for who they are on the inside and not what they look like on the outside. You might be pleasantly surprised not just by finding out their stories, but by the renewing of your spirit as well.
Ricky
Check out Faithmarks online at www.ourfaithmarks.com
www.trdphotography.com - trd@trdphotography.com - www.facebook.com/trdphotography
IG/Twitter/Snapchat/ Pinterest - @trd_photography
Behind the Scenes at a TRD Photography Event
BTS at the Feb 22nd Blowout...
On February 22nd we offered a special event at the TRD Photography studio. We'd done some renovating and decided to celebrate by offering a big discount day. We had a great day with seven ladies booking slots. It got extremely hectic and I didn't get to video as much as I had planned, but we put together some short clips as well as some of the edited images from several of the ladies to kinda give a glimpse into the day.
I wanna thank my pal, Raven Lee, for assisting me that day. She was a huge help. Raven and I have a special video project of our own that'll be debuting here in the near future. Check out some of the final product below of several of the amazing ladies I got to work with that day!
much love and thanks for all the continued support,
Ricky
www.trdphotography.com - www.facebook.com/trdphotography
IG - Twiiter - Pinterest - @trd_photography - Chattanooga, TN
Photo of the Day - April Bijou - 2/21/2015
Photo of the Day - April Bijou - 2/21/2015 - TRD Photography
This was one of my favorites from 2015. I met April at the Chattanooga Tattoo Convention and she booked a session with me. She blew me away at our shoot! I'm really stoked as tomorrow I'll be getting to do another session with April as she booked one of my slots from my special studio session I offered recently.
So stay tuned to see some more killer work from this young lady. You can follow her FB page at the following...
www.facebook.com/pages/April-Bijou-Modeling/472890502857230
Follow more of my work at the following as well.
www.facebook.com/trdphotography - IG, Twitter, and Pinterest - @trd_photography
www.trdphotography.com - trd@trdphotography.com - Chattanooga, TN