Post 13 - Fredericksburg Black and White Photowalk
10-minute read, including photo captions at bottom
Fredericksburg, Virginia is a town steeped in history.
It is, after all, the place where George Washington spent part of his youth, and infamously cut down that cherry tree - and didn’t lie about it (or blame anyone else for it)!*
I’m not really qualified (nor is it the purpose of this post) to review the extensive history of Fredericksburg, so I’ll leave it at this basic fact: the town was named after Frederick, Prince of Wales (1707-51), eldest son of King George II of Great Britain and father of King George III. If you’re interested in following up further on the history of the town, there are tons of resources online, so get to Googlin’!
On February 24th, 2020 (which feels like ancient history now, given all that’s happened locally and globally since then), I was fortunate enough to join the Fresh Start Photography Group for one of their “photowalks”. Two things attracted me to this event: first that it was going to be in downtown Fredericksburg, where I’d never been; and second that the theme was to be “Black & White Photography”. Having cut my photographic eye teeth (is there a pun in there?) on B&W, I was eager to “see” the town through the “monochrome filter”.
To give you a rough idea of the area we covered on the photowalk, here is a map of part of the town, with our route laid out in red:
The group met at about 09:00 in front of the Fredericksburg Visitor Center near the corner of Charlotte St and Caroline St (blue circle on map). We meandered our way down to the City Dock Park via Sophia St (which, I was told, is pronounced “Sof-EYE-ah” - so if you want to sound like a native, don’t say it like the woman’s name!). We walked under the iconic RF&P Railroad Bridge (which, Google tells me, stands for Richmond, Fredericksburg, & Potomac Railroad), and took a fair number of photos of that picturesque landmark from various vantage points. From the City Docks Boat Ramp, you could see George Washington’s ancestral home across the Rappahannock River. We made our way up the rock-wall-lined - and aptly named - Rocky Lane, where GW apparently used to walk on his way to school after a short ferry ride across the river.
Raymie Chapman, a member of the Fresh Start Group that I’ve met at other outings, was saddled with “Elliott watch” - in other words, keep an eye on the newbie and make sure he doesn’t wander off and get lost.
After the photowalk, we had lunch at Benny Vitali’s Pizzeria, that served some of the best “New York style” thin crust pizza I’ve had in recent memory. The slices were so huge they had to be served on two overlapping paper plates.
Always the consummate host, Raymie offered to show me Chatham Manor after lunch. Another Fredericksburg landmark, and important historical Civil War location, there were some great views of Fredericksburg from across the river on the bluff where it stood.
To give you an idea where Chatham Manor is located, see the red pin at the top of the map above - photos from that location are shown below.
Without further ado, here are some of the photos I took during the Fredericksburg photowalk. Since many of these were heavily edited, I thought it might be interesting to show some before-and-after shots to give you some perspective as to what went into creating these images after they were taken.
As usual, if you prefer to skip this commentary, you can view the images below (plus some extras that aren’t shown) in the Gallery for this post.
Although I often find the need to “warm up” the creative eye, some of my favorite images of the day were taken within minutes of starting the photowalk. This was literally the very first photo I took for the day, and I had a strong feeling that - despite the otherwise boring scene - with the right treatment, the alternating diagonal and vertical lines (and texture of the lattice work) would make for a stark image, especially if extraneous distractions were removed.
The before-and-after shot shows the humble beginnings of this photo
I like the lines of the brickwork on this “One-Eyed Monster”. Adding contrast to the brickwork and the brooding sky is what makes this shot work, IMHO.
The original color image just lacks “punch”, but I saw promise in this scene, not only because of the one “lit” window, but because of the odd, “anti-symmetry” of the roof lines.
This shot uses the B&W X-Ray style that I discuss in the Shenandoah Fall Foliage post
Removing the color from this image (and heightening the contrast) helps the eye focus on the shapes and patterns involved, and brings out details in the metalwork that might otherwise have been missed.
There was a parking garage on Sophia St that lent itself well to some interesting images
This one clearly has more impact and interest in B&W, where the shapes and angles become the focal point and the repetitive leading lines move the eye progressively upward in the frame.
I’ve always been attracted to high-contrast, dark B&W images - and the sepia toning is particularly pleasing in this context, adding to the “grungy” feel.
The washed-out red color of the pipe - and the surrounding detail - is totally distracting in the original shot. Removing all of the “useless” detail is what makes this a viable photo - the original is ridiculously boring and wouldn’t even merit a second glance.
Again, high contrast, dark with a heavy vignette and sepia toning turns blah into blam! But it’s also the “rule of threes” that does it for me. Not sure why, but with repeating visual elements, I always gravitate toward “three-peats” - had there been only two of those “snow-catching thing-a-mabobs” (whatever the official name of those contraptions is), I don’t think this image would have been as strong.
Increasing contrast adds to the visual appeal by bringing out the natural “grittiness” of the rust stains on the roof, as well as emphasizing the “vanishing” diagonal lines.
The RF&P Railroad Bridge from the side. It’s hard to tell right off the bat, but check out all the branches and debris caught on the stanchions from times when the river was higher than it is in this photo. Those pillars must take a real battering when the river runs high and fast.
Once again, a relatively “flat” color original benefits from having the lines and shapes emphasized by a high-contrast treatment.
The high-contrast punch - and sepia toning - adds impact, not only to the main subject (the ring on the fence), but even to the blurred “Bokeh” background. It almost looks like flames shooting up in the back on the “after” image.
I’m feeling a bit HIGH STRUNG all of a sudden….
The high-contrast, sepia-toned treatment helps emphasize the clouds, which are all but lost in the original
The iconic Fredericksburg landmark (the RF&P Railroad Bridge) that initially attracted me to this event - it was featured as a sample image on the Meetup page for this photowalk, and I knew I wanted to photograph that for myself. Chatham Bridge (for car traffic - and I hope I got the name right) is in the background.
A couple of trains crossed the bridge while I was in town, but I missed both of them since I was in the wrong place at the right time. Then this little service trolley came trundling along, and my day was made! Incidentally, those white specks under the middle arch are seagulls nesting on a sand bar.
A “straight” B&W of the bridge (without sepia toning), shot from the City Dock Park with the boat ramp in the left foreground
A view of George Washington’s farm (where the cherry tree would have been) from the City Dock Park across the river.
A woman walks her dog up the rock-lined Rocky Lane, where George Washington walked as a boy, on his way to school.
I know this was supposed to be a B&W day, but this image was BEGGING for that dash of color
When I saw those “rusty” stripes in the top rock, I wondered if I could do something to emphasize them in post. In the end, I decided to change the hue to a more yellowish tint rather than the original umber - it just felt more “right” that way.
Breaking the B&W “rule” again, the image of this 233-year-old house just felt better in color, especially when I started experimenting with different hues.
The original colors of the wall and door just “felt” better in a more stark, teal hue. I know that’s not a very scientific way of putting it, but when I found this color combination, my eyes just said “Ah, that’s better….”. Increasing contrast and reducing saturation completed that “weathered” look.
Ok, since we’re on a rule-breaking roll here, we’ve got one more color image. I tried this in B&W, but it just didn’t have the impact of the color image.
By adding some saturation, and increasing the warm tones in the steps, this image worked much better in color. The contrasting red door, blue planters and orange steps - offset by the black shutters against the white wall - made for an irresistible color combination.
“Here we come / walking down the street / we get the funniest looks from / everyone we meet….”
For those of you too young to recognize those famous lyrics, just Google “The Monkees rock band”. Consider yourselves edumacated. You’re welcome.
In case you hadn’t guessed it, this is some of the Fresh Start gang crossing the street (Princess Anne St, if you must know) during our photowalk. I was lagging, as usual, and immediately thought of that old song when I saw this lineup.
Since "404" is the universal internet code for "page not found", what happens if you walk through this creepy secret door?
“It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone”.
This could easily have been another “rule breaker” since the door was a nice blue color that contrasted well with the white paint, but when I started playing with the different B&W effects and toning - and added a heavy vignette - I ended up preferring the creepier monochrome version.
This empty sign post reminds me of a strange sort of two-barred cross - whatever that is supposed to signify. The generally “unsettled” feeling I get from this image is accentuated by how the shadows of the cross beams curve around the pillar behind the post.
C‘mon back…..’mon back
The underpass below Fredericksburg Train Station.
This image of an empty ramp leading to the elevated tracks of the Fredericksburg Train Station is strangely portentous of the lockdown scenarios soon to be played out across the nation.
When Raymie and I headed to Chatham Manor after lunch, I knew that images of this stately mansion would do well in B&W, especially as the spotty clouds rolled in, adding some drama to the sky.
The old tree in front of the Manor was the perfect candidate for my B&W X-Ray style.
These two gnarled and twisted Catalpa trees behind the Manor date back to before the Civil War. Estimated at over 180 years old, and lyrically dubbed “witness trees”, they are slowly reaching the end of their natural life span - in fact, one of them remains standing only thanks to a large steel brace attached to the trunk (visible on the left).
A view of downtown Fredericksburg from the bluff behind Chatham Manor.
The back of Chatham Manor.
We tried to visit George Washington’s farm, but it was closed for the season. We chatted for a few minutes with a very nice, friendly, and knowledgeable caretaker, who then very apologetically and politely asked us to leave. I took this shot from the car window as we were headed back out of the driveway.
* Unfortunately, as with many historical “facts”, the George Washington “cherry tree myth” is just that - a myth. The story - apparently motivated, at least in part, by profit - was “invented” by the minister (!) and Washington biographer Mason Locke Weems. Full details on the story are available here.
Once again, we come to the end of another blog post. Thanks for your support by reading this far!
Check out the Gallery for more photos not included in the commentary above.
See you next week!
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