New Old School
I recently traded my well-loved Canon 5D for a 1976 Hasselblad 500c. The idea that those two pieces of equipment would have the same value in 2013 is pretty incredible. I’ve never shot medium format before and figuring out all the camera’s quirks has been pretty exciting. Here are some frames from the first two rolls, untoned as I got them back from the scanner.
In: friends, Lynchburg, Medium Format, nature, portrait, spring
The Lynchburgers
As a non-native to the area, I have wondered for quite some time what makes a “Lynchburger” a “Lynchburger.” Is it Location? Connections? Experiences? Or something else? For the latest installment of our monthly photo page, I did a portrait series with some people who grew up and still live in the Lynchburg area and asked them a few questions.
Corey Snyder – 26, Pine Drive, Sleepy Hollow Road
Corey Snyder grew up off of VES road before moving to the Timberlake area. While many of his friends were eager to leave, Corey has remained satisfied in Lynchburg, believing that life anywhere is what you make of it.
“I’m lucky in that I’ve had the same group of friends every since elementary school. We’ve all stayed good friends. But I constantly get this thing from people who aren’t from here, they ask me where I’m from. They say, ‘you just don’t seem like you’re from Lynchburg.’ … I don’t really know what that means.”
Deborah Jefferson – 58, Winston Ridge Road
Deborah Jefferson was among the group of students who were transferred to E.C. Glass when Dunbar High School shut down. She left for a number of years but ended up returning, never forgetting her home.
“In our community everybody took care of everyone. By the time you got in trouble in one place your parents already knew by the time you got home. It was about the community raising and instilling morals and values in you here.”
Kennith Revis – 68, Clay Street
Kennith Revis learned the ins and out of Lynchburg as a youngster, making connections that eventually took him from selling newspapers to selling real estate. Now in Forest, he has a wealth of knowledge about the city’s past.
“I love it. Lynchburg is a gold mine. There’s hidden treasures everywhere around Lynchburg. There’s just so much history here, it goes way back.”
Tina Brown Paige – 28, Campbell Ave, Citadel Street, Polk Street
Moving several times in her youth, Tina Brown Paige learned first-hand how different communities function throughout the city. She now uses that knowledge to connect with and teach children in Lynchburg.
“I definitely experienced that close-knit type of environment, where you have your neighbors looking out for your house, you’re looking out for theirs. You know your neighbors, you know the people that are surrounding you, and they kind of become like family.”
Donna Weringo – 51, Dawn Ridge Drive
Watching Lynchburg grow and develop around her as a child in the Timberlake area, Donna Weringo now loves showing visitors all the amenities of her hometown.
“They’ve got just about anything, I think, that you could need or want here. There’s indoor recreation, there’s outdoor recreation around. And if it’s not right here in the city it’s within a short drive.”
Mabel Cofer – 87, Graves Mill Road
Growing up just across the Bedford County line, Mabel Cofer said there wasn’t much to do except go to church. She made many long-lasting relationships there as well as during the time she spent working for Blue Buckle in Lynchburg.
“I wouldn’t know what to do to live any other place. I have real nice friends. What I would most hate to leave would be my friends. They’re so good to me.”
Henry Thaxton – 89, Linden Avenue
Henry Thaxton described his childhood home off Boonsboro Road as the neighborhood clubhouse, with an open-door policy for friends to stop by. On school days, he and his siblings would catch the trolley at the turnaround on Peakland and take it downtown and then up 5th street.
“I’m not a person who likes the big cities. Back in the 50′s, I would guess the population was around 40,000, in the city itself. I like the small-town feel of it but if you knew where to look you could find everything you could ask for.”
Megan Davies – 27, Columbia Avenue
Megan Davies says the level of personal connections between Lynchburgers makes it a special place but points out the downside as well: although connections around town can serve as a support network, they can also make it hard for newcomers to feel included.
“I never really looked at Lynchburg as a college town and now I feel like I’m starting to view it a little bit more that way, as Liberty seems to be growing and since Randolph-Macon went from being a women’s college to co-ed. Even though we have so many here it never felt that way for a while.”
Shelly Moore Davis – 47, Fillmore Street
Raising two children after a divorce, Shelly Moore Davis found great value in the dependability of the communities in Lynchburg she had already grown to be part of.
“Lynchburg is a wonderful place to raise a family. Lynchburg offers just enough to really have a sure footing when raising a family. And to really know the happenings around you and how it will affect your children.”
In: art, b/w, Lynchburg, portrait, Virginia
Hill City Blossoms
From the beginning of April.
In: architecture, city, nature, spring, transportation, Virginia
Creeper Trail
Writer Brent Wells and I took an overnight trip to Damascus, Va., last month for a story on the Virginia Creeper Trail, a 35-mile bike trail that follows an old railroad line. We wanted to scope out the trip that tens of thousands of riders take each summer: riding in a van to the half-way point, saddling up on rented bicycles and leisurely winding 17 miles downhill through the woods back into town. With lots of little stops and sights along the way, it is easy to spend several hours on the trip; even more if you are an easily-distracted photographer (sorry, Brent). We met lots of great people on the ride, including a local legend who has logged over 175,000 miles on the trail (photo 9) and a fun group of young families that invited us to crash their house party afterward (not pictured).
In: children, nature, sports, spring, summer, transportation, travel, Virginia
Color Run
I have wanted to shoot one of these since they started happening last year and today Lynchburg stepped up. The sun was out, the trail was clear and the colors did fly!
I realized I should have brought a bag for my camera just as the countdown started 10.. 9.. 8.. Too late. Ended up cleaning off just fine, although I think it looked pretty neat.
In: city, Lynchburg, nature, portrait, sports, summer, Virginia
Soccer Tradition
I happened across some guys warming up for a soccer game and decided to ask what league they played in. I learned that a group of workers at La Carreta, a local Mexican food chain, have gotten together for a mini soccer tournament on Easter and Memorial Day for the last 26 years. Four teams compete for bragging rights while friends and family socialize on the sidelines. The rain this morning left the fields muddy and uneven but players said the Easter competition has never been cancelled.
In: children, holiday, Lynchburg, sports, Virginia
Plastic Rabbit Eggs
Easter is by far one of the strangest holidays, at least how we celebrate it now. Many symbols we associate with it are of non-Christian origin, it’s floating date was decided in an ancient meeting, and the cuisine is a hodgepodge of foods from all over the world. Personally, I like rabbits, spring vacation days, ham and all that. But the plastic egg hunts are right near the top of my hardest-things-to-photograph list.
In: children, food, holiday, Lynchburg, nature, religion, spring, Virginia
Faces in the Crowd
Liberty University turned around their worst start to a basketball season ever (0-8) and managed to earn a spot in the NCAA tournament. As they took the court in Ohio, I photographed the watch party at the LU basketball arena, watching students react to the roller coaster of a game that ended with a missed layup and a one-point loss.
In: Lynchburg, portrait, school, sports, Virginia
SCRMABELD WODRS
Covered a Scrabble tournament tonight and learned some new words:
Zooid: A type of organic organism or colonial animal
Edh: An Old-English letter
Nee: Used to indicate the maiden or family name of a married woman
Djin: A supernatural creature in Islamic teachings (I vaguely remember this from playing Magic: The Gathering)
Almost Game Time
The new Liberty University baseball stadium is almost finished; the first game is tomorrow even though there is still work to be done. I photographed a practice yesterday and found myself divided between shooting action and features. They did a bit of work sliding and fielding to get used to the new artificial turf.
In: architecture, Lynchburg, signs, sports, spring, Virginia, winter
