Richmond Virginia

The Cobblestones of Shockoe Slip

Black And White Photography, Laurie, Mobile Photography, Photography

If you walk, ride, or drive down the Shockoe Slip in Richmond, Virginia you can’t help but marvel (or perhaps trip over) the cobblestones, an historic feature in the Capitol city of Virginia. The history of why the streets are paved such is fascinating.

“Near the end of the Civil War in 1965, Confederate soldiers fleeing Richmond to fire to the city. During reconstruction, the district was lined with granite setts, also known as Belgian blocks. The blocks proved effective for horse traffice on the hilly streets near the James River, along the horses hooves to gain better traction. Sometime during the 19th Century and the 1970s, the streets were paved over with asphalt.

In 1978, during revitalization of the downtown area, the asphalt was removed and it was discovered that 70% of the cobbles were still intact. Together with the Historic Richmond Foundation, the Shockoe Slip Association, and the Central Richmond Association, 125 volunteers restored the historic setts on May 20,1979″

 

Richmond Revisited-Again

Black And White Photography, Photography, Steven

Richmond Revisited © Steven Willard

At my own blog http://stevenwillardimages.wordpress.com I recently posted a photograph that I mined from images taken last December. In that post I took the opportunity to walk through the basic steps used to arrive at the final color image. Here is the monochrome rendering. Much as I like black and white, this is one instance where I prefer the color, but it is interesting-at least to me-how it holds up to the conversion, and how the two versions are dependent on different aspects of the image. I may print them both and hang them side by side just as an exercise.

Bell Tower in Winter

Black And White Photography, Laurie, Photography

In the southwestern corner of Richmond, Virginia’s Capitol Square, at the intersection of Ninth and Franklin Streets, the red brick Bell Tower has stood since 1824.  It was once used for a guard house and the bell warned of fires.  During the Civil War, the bell sounded when Federal troops approached the city.  More recently, it was an office for Lt. Gov. Charles S. Robb (1978-82), and the Capitol Square Preservation Council.  It now serves as a Visitor Center for Virginia Tourism.