Ricky Davis 6/18/26 Ricky Davis 6/18/26

A Blast from the Past - Stans Record Bar in Lancaster, PA…

stans record store lancaster pennsylvania, throwback record store, record store photography, vinyl record stores, nostalgic record store, black and white photography, lancaster pa, trd photography, ricky davis — Photo of Stans Records, a hometown record store in the heart of Lancaster, PA. Photo taken by photographer Ricky Davis of TRD Photography on Kodak Tri X Film.

Who can forget the old record stores from the 70’s and 80’s? The signs, the boxes of records, the flyers and neon in the storefront. It was an awesome time. I’ve been working on a vinyl record series of photographs, and one so one of my favorite things in my travels is finding old record stores that keep that nostalgia alive. Lets face it, a lot of the modern record stores just don’t have that same retro feel. A lot of them have more of a sleek, modern vibe and those ones I typically bypass because it’s just not that feel for me.

Let me tell you a little about Stans Record Bar up in Lancaster, PA. I first went to Lancaster back in 2023 for a Peanuts convention my wife was apart of. One morning I went out exploring in Lancaster and lo and behold I came across Stan’s. It was like stepping back in time. The sign out front was what caught my attention but I had a blast flipping through the boxes. I went back to Lancaster again in 2025, and again I made a point to go check out Stan’s and it was just as great as I remembered.

The store was founded back in the 1950’s, and it’s definitely kept the yesteryear vibe. It’s such a breath of fresh air seeing shops like this still kicking. So if you’re ever up in Lancaster, or close by, definitely take the time to support a shop keeping the dream alive.

Ricky

Ricky Davis 6/17/26 Ricky Davis 6/17/26

Capitol Theatre in Bowling Green, KY… A library?

Capitol Theatre in Bowling Green Kentucky, Classic Theatres, Old movie Theatre, Cinema Treasures, TRD Photography, — The Capitol Theatre in Bowling Green Kentucky, photographed by photographer Ricky Davis of TRD Photography on Kodak Tri X Film.

Earlier this year I was driving up to Evansville, Indiana and I had to pass by Bowling Green, Kentucky so I decided to take a detour and check out the historic downtown. As some of you know I always love finding old classic movie theatres and Bowling Green had a beauty!

It’s a historical landmark in Bowling Green and the property can trace it’s history back to the late 1800’s in use as an old saloon. I’ve seen a lot of old theatres over the years through my travels. Some are vacant and run down, some have been fixed up and are in use as event venues, and some have been converted to host shows and movies once again. The Capitol Theatre in Bowling Green was the first I’ve seen in use by the library system! It hosts a small used book store, as well as the library has movie nights and other events for the community. It was one of the coolest uses for such a historical landmark that I’ve seen and I really wish that more cities would do things like this. It’s a great way to preserve the history as well as making it an integral part of the community with the next generation as well.

Well done, Bowling Green, well done.

Ricky

Ricky Davis 6/16/26 Ricky Davis 6/16/26

POW/MIA Tribute - Bosse Field in Evansville, Indiana from my Baseball Series.

pow/mia tribute, bosse field, evansville indiana, baseball history, historical baseball stadiums, black and white film photography, trd photography — POW/MIA Tribute at Bosse Field in Evansville, Indiana. Photographed by Photographer Ricky Davis of TRD Photography on Kodak Tri X Film.

Earlier this year I visited Historical Bosse Field in Evansville, Indiana. Bosse Field is the third oldest baseball stadium still in use in America. It’s the home of the Evansville Otters, an independent league team. It was also used in the filming of A League of their Own. I’ll be doing a blog post about Bosse Field overall soon for my baseball series.

I wanted to share this photo as one of my photos of the day however. When I was walking into the stadium to look around and take some photos one of the first things that caught my attention was this POW/MIA Tribute seat. It took me off guard as I’ve not seen that before but I thought this was such a great tribute and remembrance of our soldiers that never made it home from foreign wars. I’ve always been an avid reader about military history and especially reading about the POW’s in Vietnam, it was horrific. I just wanted to thank the Bosse Field officials for doing something like this to honor the sacrifice of these soldiers and also honoring the ones here at home that never got that closure.

Ricky

Ricky Davis 6/15/26 Ricky Davis 6/15/26

Religious Sign Series - Springfield, TN find…

Bizarre religious signs, anti abortion, pro life, southern gothic, cross, springfield tennessee — Sign found in Springfield, TN - Photograph taken by photographer Ricky Davis of TRD Photography on Kodak Tri X Film

As I’ve posted about previously I’ve been working on a religious sign series since last year. I stop at various signs I come across while traveling and take the photos in hopes that stopping and looking at how some of these come across, we think about the way we go about things.

I can’t remember if I took this shot early this year or late last year. I was up in Nashville and was out exploring. I was eating at Taco John’s in White House, TN and saw some signs about some antique stores in Springfield, TN, so I decided to go check them out. As I was driving over there I drove past a church that had this giant cross and signs about abortion out front. To be honest it kind of shocked me. Just the wording and terminology used. I had cars behind me and wasn’t able to pull over then and I wanted to kind of digest it a little bit to be honest. I took the photo on the way back from Springfield. As I did, apparently the church had a school or day care and I was being passed by carloads of young kids and families as I was taking this photo.

This sign I’ve been wondering ever since what to say about it. It’s not the typical bizarre religious sign. It’s definitely not one of the funny ones that makes you roll your eyes. A little about me, I grew up in a strict religious GOP home. As a kid I constantly heard religious radio talk show hosts talking about the horrors of abortion and it being made that basically people are out having unprotected sex and then just using abortions to get rid of the results of their behavior. Do I personally like the idea of babies being aborted? I don’t because I believe life is valuable HOWEVER abortion is way more complex than what is brainwashed in the Christian republican community. There is so many aspects of women’s health, rape, incest, and other issues that come into play. It’s very rarely I believe used as just a “get out of a kid free card” that we were taught to believe.

This sign really bothers me because I think of the women who pass it and may have had an abortion at one time. It already takes a mental toll and I know people whom have felt so ashamed because of what they are taught in Christian churches. Using such language as executed and such and then later seeing that many kids pass by this everyday. It just kind of hit me. I think it’s so incredibly important to think about the way we affect people with our words.

Ricky Davis 6/5/26 Ricky Davis 6/5/26

New Prints Available!!!

Headstone in Historic Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah Georgia. Photographed on Kodak Tri X Film by TRD Photography — Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, GA - Kodak Tri X Film - Photographed by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography

New Prints Available

It’s been awhile but I’ve been working on updating my Etsy listings with new prints. Every show that I do people ask if my work is available online, but I have had so few listed online. I’m in the process of updating that. This week I’ve added 20-30 new prints so far and over the next few weeks that’s one of my big priorities is to get my catalog online for people. So if you’d like to check it out, please click the link to Prints on my navigation and check out my Etsy shop. Thanks so much for all of the continued support!

Ricky

Ricky Davis 4/26/26 Ricky Davis 4/26/26

The Cross Garden - No Ice Water in Hell…

The Cross Garden - Prattville, Alabama. Photos by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography - Kodak Tri X Film Photography

As I travel a decent bit, I love keeping an eye out sites like Roadside America. Early this year I saw an article pop up somewhere about The Cross Garden in Prattville, Alabama. It caught my eye as I’ve been working on a series of photographs since last summer covering different religious based signs in the South and beyond.

The history of The Cross Garden is quite fascinating. I read a couple articles about it on Roadside America as well as some other sites that actually got to talk with W.C. Rice, who built this amazing site. Mr. Rice has since passed and it’s been upkept by his family. After my visit, I was contacted by a family friend who lives on the property and had seen my TikTok clip from taking photos. I enjoyed getting to talk with her a lot and she shared with me some more information.

Since Roadside America has their article with their interview with Mr. Rice, I’m going to share some of what I discussed in messages with the family friend who reached out. She told me that as a child, Mr. Rice and her granddaddy were family friends and she remembers listening to their conversations. “Mr. Rice was very well-read and quite intelligent.” She stated their are a lot of odd rumors about why he started The Cross Garden but it truly was built as an expression of his faith and a conversation started to witness to others.

So one of the things that struck me the most about The Cross Garden is the dedication to ones faith that one must have to undertake a project like this. Whether you agree with the sentiment or not, this was done by someone who truly believes and is trying to practice what they preach. It’s easy to put up a billboard sign on the road but never have to answer for the message in your personal life, but building something like this at your home and then being willing to talk and discuss things with people who visited, it’s definitely something that someone was following what they believed and I find that commendable. I was told that back in the 70’s and 80’s in the early stages of The Cross Garden, the visitors and interactions were quite memorable.

According to Roadside America, Mr. Rice passed away in 2004. When I found the place it was a lot smaller than what I had seen online from the past. The family friend I was talking with told me it has had a lot of vandalism issues, so it’s not to where it used to be.

As a photographer who enjoys traveling around America, the South in particular, I feel blessed to have gotten to visit and take these photos. I wish that I’d been able to to see more of the site, but there were some no trespassing signs up now, so I worked to stay basically from the road taking photos where I saw the signs. I always try to be respectful of things like that, especially with this being a private residence.

Ricky Davis 3/7/26 Ricky Davis 3/7/26

Inside Historic Rickwood Field

Historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography - Kodak Tri X Film Photography

Several months ago I was driving through Birmingham, Alabama on a Saturday morning and I stopped off at Rickwood Field. It had been one of my most wanted places to visit but sadly that day the field wasn’t open. I took some photos outside of Rickwood but made a note that I was definitely going to be heading back one day when the field was open. That day came in February.

If you didn’t read my first post about Rickwood Field, I’m going to repeat myself on some of it. Rickwood Field is the oldest existing ballpark in America. Every member of the first Hall of Fame class which was Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Christy Matthewson, Walter Johnson, and Honus Wagner played at Rickwood via exhibitions. Rickwood was built for use by the Birmingham Barons as well as the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues. Some of the notable Negro League legends who played at Rickwood include Satchel Paige, Willie Mays, Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, and Buck Leonard among many, many others.

Historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography - Kodak Tri X Film Photography - Homestead Grays Baseball Team

When I first arrived to Rickwood Field in February I was disappointed because where I assumed you went in, the gates were still closed. I drove around to the other side after waiting a good 15-20 minutes after opening time and discovered a gate open. So definitely don’t give up if you have the same issue when you visit.

On entering the park I started with some of the displayed at the entrance of the stands. MLB hosted a game between the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals at Rickwood in 2025 and so there are still a lot of really amazing displays up. I loved this cutout of the Homestead Grays team in front of a dugout.

Historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography - Kodak Tri X Film Photography - Line Up from MLB at Rickwood Game

Above was the line-up card from the MLB at Rickwood Game between the Giants and the Cardinals. I love the framed photos of some of the legends that have played at Rickwood over the years.

This is inside the tunnel coming from the entrance and up the ramp to where you can find your way into the stadium seating. It was so awesome to see these old flyers and banners of games and series that was held at the stadium.

This was the original souvenir stand at Rickwood Field. It was leading up from the turnstills to the tunnel taking people out to the stadium. It was so cool seeing some of the historical artifacts on hand.

This was one of the photos that I was super excited to take. Here is the beauty of Rickwood Field. The only thing that I wish I had was a wider lens. I was photographing that day with my Mamiya 645 film camera and it just wasn’t wide enough for how I truly envisioned the photo, or to take in the entire beauty of the stadium itself.

Historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography - Kodak Tri X Film Photography - Baseball Stadium Seats

There’s something special about old stadium seats. Going to Rickwood Field I knew I wanted to take a lot of photos of the seats. Can you imagine what these seats have seen? The greatness that these seats have beheld. I think about the people that have sat in these seats. The different backgrounds that they came from. How many kids sat in these seats watching their idols to grow up and take this same field? It’s beautiful to think about I think. To sit here and just watch the ghosts playing on the field and milling about you in the stands.

Historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography - Kodak Tri X Film Photography - MLB at Rickwood Field - Tribute to the Negro Leagues - Baseball Dugout

Growing up playing baseball, it was always a dream to step into a MLB dugout. Obviously this was different, but this I think was more special. Stepping into the dugout, it was honestly a little bit surreal for me. This was where the players stood, and sat, and prepared to go out onto the field to play. Again, my imagination got away from me here again.

Historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography - Kodak Tri X Film Photography - Dugout Steps from Rickwood Field

Historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography - Kodak Tri X Film Photography - Historic Baseball Scoreboard

These were some of the views from inside the dugout. This old scoreboard is so classic! I’ve been trying to take photos of different scoreboards at the different stadiums that I’ve been to, but this one was by far my favorite.

If you love baseball, or even just history, I definitely recommend visiting Rickwood Field. If you’re a baseball fan, it needs to be a bucket list item to do. I absolutely plan on visiting again with some extra camera equipment. I love the b&w film but I would like to take some color photos as well next time.

Currently the field is still in use. Miles College uses it for it’s games as well as some of the Birmingham High Schools play some games there as well. The Birmingham Barons are hosting a game at Rickwood Field against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos on Wednesday May 27th of this year. I truly hope that I’ll be able to get away from work for that event, so we shall see.

Ricky Davis 1/22/26 Ricky Davis 1/22/26

A Look outside of Smokies Stadium in Kodak, Tn.

Smokies Stadium in Kodak, TN - Former home of the Tennessee Smokies Baseball Team - Kodak Tri X Film Photography by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography

Recently I was driving to Johnson City, TN and I stopped off to check out the outside of Smokies Stadium in Kodak, TN. I grew up loving baseball and I’ve been working on a project taking photos of different ballparks, so I couldn’t not take the opportunity to photograph Smokies Stadium.

The stadium is currently empty as the Smokies moved back to Knoxville in 2025. From everything I have found, the stadium is still being decided on what will be eventually happening to it, although the last article I read was for a developer that will keep the stadium in tact.

Smokies Stadium isn’t a super old ballpark, it was opened in 2000 and 2024 was it’s final year. I didn’t get to go but to a few games here over the years as it’s a couple hours from my home, but it always had a different feel to me than a lot of the other stadiums. Although I do have some awesome memories from Smokies Stadium.

In 2009 I believe it was, I got to meet one of my childhood heroes, Dale Murphy. He was doing a meet and greet signing at the Smokies/Braves game. Jason Heyward was playing for the Mississippi Braves at the time, but I spent the whole game in the line that wrapped around the stadium to meet Murphy. I was ecstatic!

I went back for another game to see Heyward and Freddie Freeman. I also went to see Kris Bryant when he was playing for the Smokies and tearing up minor league hitting. I’ve always loved the feel of minor league games.

I’m hoping to get to swing by and check out the Smokies new park sometime in the near future. Here’s a few more photos that I took outside of the stadium. Sadly there wasn’t a whole lot outside of the stadium to photograph. I’d love the opportunity to get permission to make photograph the inside of the stadium sometime. I loved the way the outfield was setup for fans to stand at the wall. I’d love to get a photograph of the stadium from that angle.

Ricky Davis 1/20/26 Ricky Davis 1/20/26

A Peek inside Salem’s Historic Grand on 35mm film…

Salem’s Historic Grand Theatre - Salem, Oregon - Kodak Tri X Film Photography by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography

Last June I was out in Oregon doing some photography work. I love old theatre’s and Portland had a plethora of them! I’ve always enjoyed Salem, Oregon since my first trip there in 2000 so I was looking to see what was there in the way of old theatre’s and I was not disappointed!

The Grand Theatre looked so amazing on Google, so I had to take a day trip down to check it out myself. For the trip I took a Minolta XG-1 and shot some 35mm Kodak Tri X Film.

I parked a few blocks away because street parking was pretty busy that day, but that was fine because I wanted to explore around the historic downtown area of Salem as well. One of the super cool things about the experience I had at the Historic Grand, was as I was outside taking some photos, I met a guy from the theatre. Most of the time when I’m out photographing the old theatres, they are closed down tight. Whether that’s just the hours that I’m there, or sometimes they are just closed down.

I talked to him about the theatre and he shared with me some of the history of the theatre. It was originally built in 1900. The owners now have had it since 2015 and in talking with him, you can tell he has a real love for these old theatres. I asked if I could take a few photos inside and he let me come in and walk around to check it out and take some photos. I was ecstatic!

Inside Salem’s Historic Grand Theatre - Salem, Oregon - Kodak Tri X Film Photography by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography

The inside was absolutely beautiful! I kicked myself for not having taken my Mamiya 645 instead as I was a bit limited I felt like with the Minolta. It was a new to me camera, and I was still giving it a test. But I’m definitely happy with how the photographs came out, I just wish they’d been on medium format for resolution.

If you’re ever in Salem though, definitely check out this historic place. It’s well worth it! You can check out their website and their socials to see what events are happening.

You can check out their website here.
Find them on Instagram - @salemshistoricgrandtheatre

Ricky Davis 1/6/26 Ricky Davis 1/6/26

Etowah L&N Train Depot

Last year I was driving up 411 on my way to Greenback, TN and I took the day to stop at various places on the way up to snap some photos. I always love checking out small towns on my travels and one of the coolest places in a lot of small towns are the old train depots.

In Etowah, TN I came across their old train depot which has been turned into a museum for the L&N Railroad. The museum itself was closed that day but I had a blast checking around the outside and snapping some photos. I was experimenting with a new camera on this trip, a Yashica Mat LM and was shooting Kodak Tri X film.

Etowah’s downtown area was small but very nice and friendly. I met a couple of folks here at the station and had some great conversations. If you’re ever that way, it’s definitely worth a stop.

Ricky Davis 1/2/26 Ricky Davis 1/2/26

Chattanooga Lookouts and At&T Field - Minor League Stadium on Film

Chattanooga Lookouts and AT&T Field - Kodak Tri X Film Photography by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography

I grew up in Chattanooga going to Lookouts games at Historic Engel Stadium but in 2000, the Lookouts moved to AT&T Field. I don’t have as many “nostalgic” moments at AT&T Field, simply because I wasn’t a kid anymore going to games with my dad. However I did get to take my kids to games at AT&T Field over the years. Next year, the Lookouts will be moving to a new field here in Chattanooga, so I decided to stop by and take some photos from outside AT&T Field to capture the stadium as it is today.

One of the cool experiences my kids got to have at AT&T Field was being honored on school night where lots of local schools had their kids in a parade before the game. One of my favorite experiences though was my youngest daughter and I were at an early special game on a Wednesday. I unfortunately was holding my camera taking photos of the game (photographer, go figure) when I foul ball was lined towards us. It was headed for my youngest daughter but I reached out to shield her with my left hand. Unfortunately it bounced off my hand (but luckily it didn’t hit my kiddo). Someone else grabbed the ball and she was pretty disappointed. An usher came up to her and gave her a ball which made her day. It’s moments like that that make memories, especially for kids. Baseball is one of those sports that just offer those one of a kind moments.

One of the special things about baseball is the history, and how new chapters continue to be added. The Lookouts have legends, and more are made as the years go by. Some of the Lookouts legends from my childhood may have never made it big in the majors, but they are still legends to me. One of my favorites was Scott Pose. Then you had Brian Koelling, Calvin (Pokey) Reese, and Steve Gibralter. Pokey had the longest major league career of those guys.

At AT&T field though, there have been three different Major League Teams the Lookouts have represented. The Dodgers, the Twins, and then back to the Reds. In my time at the AT&T Field, I’ve gotten to see Corey Seager, Byron Buxton, Jose Berrios, and others wear the Lookouts uniform. I haven’t gotten to see them but a couple of times since they went back to the Reds due to schedule, but the Reds prospects have been stacked.

So for several years after Covid, I just couldn’t seem to work time in to go see a game. It was strange going back and seeing how things have changed with the digital age. When I used to go, I always got my tickets at the ticket booth, but now so much has gone cashless and digital. It’s weird seeing our national past time grow and change with the times. It’s easy to look at the changes and wish for the past. But there’s still so much beauty in baseball.

There’s just something about the sound of bat hitting the ball just right. The dust from a catchers mitt after a fastball strikes out the other teams cleanup hitter. The air even smells different when it’s spring and baseball season is upon us again. I have a lot of great memories from AT&T Field, and I can’t wait to make some new ones at the new stadium. I’d love to hear some of your favorite memories from the park if you got to watch a game there.

Here’s a few more photos that I got to take that day. All were shot on Kodak Tri X Film.

Ricky Davis 12/26/25 Ricky Davis 12/26/25

Revisiting Georgia’s Abandoned Asylum….

Central State Hospital - Milledgeville, GA - Abandoned Insane Asylum - Kodak Tri X Film Photography - Photographer Ricky Davis of TRD Photography

In 2024 I made my first visit to Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, Georgia. It was built in the 1840’s and was in use until the early 2010’s. I made a blog post that really focused in and showcased the history of the facility. It’s here on my blog under Walking the Grounds, definitely feel free to check it out. The history is harrowing but fascinating.

This year I revisiting Central State Hospital. When I went the first time I was mainly working with my digital camera, a Canon 6D, but immediately on arriving I was kicking myself for not having taken any of my film camera’s. So this year I made a trip to Savannah, Georgia and on the drive back, we went through Milledgeville again so I could take my film camera’s and take some photographs again. I got to spend a bit more time there this time as we visited it in the evening, spent the night in Milledgeville, and then went back for a bit the next morning. I shot some 120 film as well as 35mm. I used all Kodak Tri X Film.

So onto the photos!

I love photographing signs. This sign pointing to the Powell Building is all weathered and I regretted not taking a photo of it on my first trip. I love it in b&w.

This is another photo of the Powell Building. It was the main building at Central State Hospital and it was where patients were admitted. It is HUGE. This shot was on 35mm film. The night before I found that with my Mamiya 645, I was limited by my lenses and couldn’t get the wider angle shots that I really wanted to achieve. So I went back the next morning and used my Canon EOS 1-N.

This plaque was on one of the other buildings near the Powell Building.

This is a photo from the Walker Building. It was one of the men’s dormitories there on Central State Hospital’s campus.

This is the doorway into the Walker Building.

This “Quiet Please” sign on the front door of the Powell Building just hit me some sort of way. The energy there is very heavy when you’re walking around. So seeing some of these things there, it just has a lot of emotion to it.

This “One Way” sign was very provoking to me. With the Powell Building behind it, it says One Way with the arrow pointing away from here…

This was a secondary entrance that I saw with a lot of growth around it.

This driveway goes under the porch of the Powell Building. As I mentioned before, the Powell Building was for admittance. This spot really bothered me personally. There’s a door beneath the porch. It seems to me that it was probably used to admit people, but I could also see it being used for removal as well. In it’s use, over 25,000 patients died at the facility.

These were the front steps of the Powell Building. As I was there I couldn’t help but think of the stories they could tell of people going up and down them.

This overlooked the porch of the Powell Building. I could just see a Vincent Price type doctor standing here, overlooking a new patient coming to the facility. You can definitely let your imagination run wild with you here.

The truth is this facility was a dark place. There were many reports of patient cruelty and heinous things being done here. At the same time, I’m sure there were doctors and nurses that truly cared about the patients. At it’s height Milledgeville held over 13,000 patients at one time. It was the largest asylum in America. With numbers like that, and technology being what it was, there were times where people went to far. It would be overwhelming to be in a place like that as a patient or as a doctor. It’s a sad part of our history, but it’s one that doesn’t need to be lost to time, or erased. We must remember our history in order to not repeat it.

These next few photos will finish up the revisit and they are from various places around the campus. I’d love to hear what your thoughts are on this revisit to Central State Hospital.

Ricky Davis 12/12/25 Ricky Davis 12/12/25

Scenes from the South - Jack and Jesus

Still life photo at a cheap motel of a bottle of Jack Daniels and a Gideon’s Bible. Taken by Ricky Davis of TRD Photography.

Jack and Jesus…

Recently I was doing a photoshoot at a dank old cheap motel. I love the ambience of those old motels. The patched up walls, the sticky floors, and the cigarette burns in the bedding. It makes for great, gritty photographs.

Anyway, on the way to the photoshoot I had a couple ideas for some still life photos that I wanted to take while there. So here’s one I call “Jack and Jesus”.

I’m really curious as to how this image makes you guys feel? Feel free to comment below. I’d love to hear.

Ricky Davis 8/28/25 Ricky Davis 8/28/25

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

Ricky Davis 1/2/18 Ricky Davis 1/2/18

Native American Portraits - The Series - Amanda Starr

This past year I got to go to Mt. Juliet Pow Wow and do some photographs with some of the dancers for this Native American Portrait Series. I'm still working on connecting with everyone that I photographed that day for their interviews, but recently I got to chat with Amanda a little bit about her story. I hope that you enjoy it.

Ricky - What is your nation?

Amanda - My mother's family is Eastern band Cherokee and my father's is Western band Cherokee.

Ricky - That's really cool! What is the the dynamic between the Eastern & Western bands? I've heard various stories. Is there still tension somewhat or not so much?

Amanda - You mean like the difference between them?

Ricky - Like the inter-band relationship. I've heard some people tell me that some of the Western band has been somewhat upset at Eastern band because of the removal and the Eastern band stayed. I've only heard a few people say that and I was curious.

Amanda - I honestly don't really know. I have heard that in the past the 2 bands did not get along for various reasons.

True be told I'm only in the last few years been able to start really learning about the Cherokee culture. It's been hard because a lot of people look at me and question if I have the right to be there.

My parents weren't raised native so I have had to fight really hard to learn what I know and earn my place in Native society.

Ricky - I can understand that. I've heard that story a lot from Native people who have been kind of lost out in society and are being called back and trying to learn. The important thing is you're out there trying to learn and do it respectfully. When did you become interested in your heritage?

Amanda - I was a little kid about 10 I think and there was a powwow going on in my town so my parents decided to go check it out and I feel in love and wanted to learn how to dance too. So my dad started talking to some of the people that were apart of the powwow and the rest is history.

Ricky - That is awesome! So you started dancing soon after? At that point, your parents weren't really part of the community in your town? What changed after that Pow Wow?

Amanda - Yeah the following year I started dancing. Unfortunately there's not really a native community were I lived just a few people here and there. We became good friends with a couple of people that were close by and by the time I was about 13 I was traveling around to powwows with them. My parents really couldn't afford to travel so going with friends was the only way i could go to powwows with the exceptions of the few that were close by.

Native American Portraits - The Series - Amanda Starr

Ricky - That's awesome that it meant that much to you at that age to become so heavily involved. When did you start learning more about your culture beyond the dancing and trying to become more a part of the Native Community?

Amanda - Once I staring getting to know people I started asking questions trying to learn as much as possible but I was an adult before I started getting really involved in the community and more traditional aspects of the culture.

Ricky - That's cool. What inspired you to go deeper in learning?

Amanda - Because it's a part of who I am and I truly believe you have to know where you came from to get to where you're going.

Ricky - I agree! How is it being a parent and bringing your son up knowing being involved in the culture?

Amanda - It's great! I also have a daughter that is almost 20 years old. It's amazing to be able to watch them learning and grow with knowledge of their culture more so than I got to. For my son who has high functioning Autism, real ADHD, and sensory deficit so I think being involved in powwows helped him tremendously with his social skills and to over come some barriers that he otherwise would not have been able to do.

Ricky - That is really cool! And dang dude, I would not have guessed you have a 20 yr old daughter. I know your son dances, does your daughter?

Amanda - She did up until 2 years ago when she started working her job really wouldn't let her have weekends off to powwow, but she has decided she wants to come back and dance again. So I'm going to be making her a couple of new dresses and new beadwork for her to come back in. So maybe sometime next year.

Ricky - That's so cool that you guys dance as a family. What does dancing mean to you?

Amanda - It means the world to me, it's a part of who I am. It makes me feel good to dance because I'm carrying on a tradition and helping to insure that it stays alive.

Ricky - What is it like being Native and living in our society these days?

Amanda - It can be hard because the people I'm around on a daily basses aren't Native and have no idea about it. So I have to listen to ridiculous questions and comments. I sometimes even feel out of place. On the flip side I've been able to teach people what it really means to be Native. The truth of what our ancestors went through and our people still go through. It has it's good days and bad one.

Ricky - That's awesome that you've been able to really help bridge the gap a little bit and help teach. What is some thing you wish more people knew about being Native in this day and age?

Amanda - That we're real people and we're still fighting some of the same battles that we've been fighting since Europeans arrived and it's time to stop.

Ricky - Amen! Very well said! So much of what's happening today is still being so quiet and not talked about. I want to thank you for taking the time to do this. One last question. What can people do to learn more and see what is going on today and help First Nations people in their fight?

Amanda - Take the time to ask questions and actually listen to the answers. Pass the information along to others don't just pretend it's not happening. Stop cultural appropriation.

You very welcome I enjoyed doing it.

Ricky Davis 10/16/17 Ricky Davis 10/16/17

Native American Portrait Series - Aspen Yahola - TRD Photography

Native American Portrait Series - Aspen Yahola

I met this amazing young lady at the Mt. Juliet Pow Wow this year. It's so inspiring when you see the younger generation taking pride in the heritage and culture.

Ricky - What nation do you belong to?

Aspen - Mvskoke (Muscogee) Creek Nation

Ricky - Growing up in this society, have you had any challenges because of your culture?

Aspen - Yes, especially at school.

Ricky - How long have you been dancing? What style of dance do you do?

Aspen - I have been dancing since I was 4 years old. The style of dance I do is the jingle dress dance.

Ricky - What's does dancing mean to you personally?

Aspen - Dancing is my happy place. I love to go out to Powwows and dance also because I can share my culture.

Ricky - What is it like growing up and trying to stay true to your culture and fit into your surroundings?

Aspen - Growing up hasn’t been the best for me especially in the society we live in today. I get picked on and made fun of daily and get bullied all the time. Yet, I make sure it doesn’t get to me because I want to stay true and stay with my culture and my family proud. I also want to be part of the generation that stands out and brings people together and let everyone know that us Native Americans are still here.

Ricky - How important is connecting to your culture to you?

Aspen - Very important. I want to show that I am who I am and be proud of it!

Ricky - What needs to happen in our country for better relations between First Nations people, and mainstream America?

Aspen - What needs to happen is for people not to be racist and for people to be nice to each other.

Ricky - What would you like to see in 10 years that has happened to better those relations?

Aspen - In 10 years I want to see the world a better place and for us as Native Americans to be safe again and not have people invade our reservations and for us all to have fun and for people not to bully and make fun of Natives as little kids and I want everyone to be the true them!

I want to give a special thank you to Cindy Yahola, Aspen's mom, for allowing her to be part of this series. I sent Aspen's questions to her through Cindy and she answered them. Cindy is the organizer for the Mt. Juliet Pow Wow which allowed me to come up and setup a spot to do the Native American Portrait Series this year. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity!

Ricky Davis 5/15/17 Ricky Davis 5/15/17

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.

"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

Ricky Davis 3/22/17 Ricky Davis 3/22/17

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.

Ricky Davis 3/21/17 Ricky Davis 3/21/17

Beauty Redefined Series - Zack - TRD Photography

Beauty Redefined Series - Zack -

" My fitness journey started 5 years ago while noticing all of my family members getting diagnosed with some sort of illness. Whether it be obesity or diabetes, almost every family member had one or another, if not both. I know some things can occur without our prevention, but I also knew that poor eating habits, lack of exercise, & lousy excuses didn't contribute to a healthy lifestyle. I remember one morning it just hit me that I wasn't going to be another family member that didn't care about ones health.

So I went full force. I didn't have much money at the time so I remember eating plain chicken & broccoli (5 meals a day). My daily schedule was waking up at 4am every morning to do fasted cardio, work 6am-6pm, have night classes to finish my degree from 6:30pm-9pm, then after all of that, get another workout in with the weights. We're talking 18 hour days.

These decisions didn't just develop a healthy lifestyle, it completely opened the doors to new opportunities for me. It made me mentally & physically stronger than I could have ever imagined. I knew if I could commit to bettering myself starting with healthy decisions, then I could take that commitment & determination onto whatever I chose to do in life. "

Zack

Ricky Davis 3/20/17 Ricky Davis 3/20/17

Beauty Redefined Series - Alicia - TRD Photography

Beauty Redefined Series - Alicia -

"I grew up with the ideals of being skinny is good, fat is bad. You had to be skinny to get ahead in life. You had to look like the girls that flaunted their stuff on the catwalk and wear expensive, beautiful garments: virtually "perfect". All the time growing up, it was constant in my mind because of the persistent sight of these women in fashion. Girls at school would be made fun of if they were fat. Of course, wanting to fit into the "perfect" society I had those thoughts of "I must be fat" when my body was perfectly fine. Now a days; I am getting skinny shamed. "Girl eat something!" "What are you a size 0, you look like you don't have an inch of fat on you!" Being "skinny" is now becoming bad too. Women are living in a double standard world of you can't be too fat or too skinny otherwise you will be criticized for that. For that I have come to not like the word skinny for that reason.

In a world that is constantly chasing perfection, I feel so imperfect to those standards that it hurts:I just didn't feel beautiful when I chased it myself. When I know that I am not what they want me to be. I know that I personally have seen that I am not like everyone else. I am my own person, which people don't get to see because they are so misguided by their want to be like what society has imprinted on our minds. I feel like we weren't taught to be individuals, Instead we were taught to try and fit a mold of society.

Outside of society's beauty, I have come to love a different part. My uniqueness of my own face and skin which is scarred from the psoriasis and acne that have plagued me through my life. I have a healthy body that holds cellulite and muscle. Which looks to be "skinny". I can say that I feel beautiful in my own skin because I see the beauty of my unique body."

Alicia

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