Literary Ink is THIS WEEKEND!!! So for those that don’t know, Literary Ink is a tattoo convention that takes place in my hometown of Chattanooga, TN. It’s the baby of my friend Jennifer Edge who owns Main Line Ink. It’s gone through some transitions over the years. It started out as more of a Wizarding World type themed convention and then Covid hit, and interrupted life as we know it. As the show has come back, it’s been amazing to see Edge and her crew behind the convention really explore more and more literary worlds. It’s a tattoo convention, but it’s not like any other tattoo convention I’ve ever been apart of, and it’s not trying to be. One of the beauties of this show is it provides a place for those not generally part of the tattoo crowd to come in and feel at home and get to know some of us that are. One of my booth regulars last year told me that they never thought they’d be planning to go to a tattoo show every year, but here they are…
Dark Academia - Still Life Photography - TRD Photography
My booth has transitioned a lot since I started doing Literary Ink as well! In the beginning I mainly brought some toy photography art that I had done, but I’ve been working more and more with still life photography and dark academia aesthetics the past few years and it’s become my passion, especially when I photograph it on film. I also have been doing a lot of travel work and photographing a lot of film of old buildings, cemeteries, and churches. So that’s definitely going to be highly represented at my booth this year. I’m sharing a few of my newer photographs that will be available as a print at my booth in this blog. But of course, I may have a few things for my long time booth visitors as well.
Dark Academia Still Life Photography - TRD Photography
In conclusion, I think my favorite thing about Literary Ink is the people. It’s been amazing getting to vend the show every year and seeing some of the same faces year after year. It’s one of those shows that I know I’m going to see my friend Amy Kenyon, who is a badass photographer herself. I’m gonna see Edge running around like a chicken with her head cut off. I usually see Rachael, who we always talk about doing a shoot but still haven’t pulled the trigger on. I see people who show my photos of their walls with my photos in frames. That’s always an awesome experience. That people enjoy what I do enough to bring it into their homes. So I’m definitely looking forward to this weekend, and if you can, you should definitely check it out. It’s at the Chattanooga Convention Center Sept. 5-7. Check out www.literaryink.com for details.
Ricky
Dark Academia Gothic Artwork - Still Life Photography - TRD Photography
Basilica of Saint Mary - Minneapolis, MN - Kodak Tri X Film - TRD Photography