Dementi Studio

We were sad to hear of the passing of musician Chuck Brown yesterday. Chuck, who fused a variety of musical styles to create go-go music, spent much of his youth here in Richmond. Here’s a link to the article by the Richmond Times Dispatch.

Here are some photos we took of Chuck in 2006 at the National Folk Festival in Richmond, VA (not to be confused with the Richmond Folk Festival).

He really knew how to conduct a party from the stage. RIP Chuck!

We had a beautiful family in this past weekend and we got some great shots of them. We had fun with little Magnolia and her big brother Bailey.

Keegan recently turned four, so we took his 4th birthday portraits. This kid is a pro in front of the camera, check it out.

Keegan’s had his portrait done here through the years, here’s a look back.

With news of the Mayor talking about bringing back streetcars, we thought it would be nice to pay tribute to the form of public transportation that has long since left the River City.

The first electric trolley lines in the country were located here in Richmond, VA. They began service in January 1888 and ceased in November 1949. Here are some photos of streetcars, including their final departure.

Do you think Richmond should bring back streetcars?

We love creating heirloom composites of children and have been doing so for nearly a century. Here are a couple of the composites we have created this year.

We love taking photos of families and it’s always great when we get to photograph multiple generations together. Here is a recent shoot we did for a father, son, and grandson.

Do you have any family photo traditions? We’d love to hear about them!

We didn’t have just one set of twins come in for senior portraits, but two! We got to do some pretty fun things with Marti, who wanted to be photographed not only with her twin brother, but also her three dogs.

And here are twins Abigail and Caroline. They go to different high schools, so we did two different types of senior portraits. Mom also wanted a fun and casual photograph of the twins together.

We are honored to have VCU induct former Dementi Studio photographer Robert A. Dementi into the VCU Communications Hall of Fame.

Robert is the son of Dementi Studio’s founder Anthony L. Dementi, who started the studio in 1924. Robert began working at Dementi Studio when he was 14-years-old while he was a student at Thomas Jefferson High School. During weekends and summers, Robert apprenticed as a news photographer with the Richmond News Leader. He attended Washington & Lee University in Lexington, VA. While studying there, he helped to pay for his college tuition by photographing sports and other events at the university. Robert took over the studio in the 1970’s when his father’s health began deteriorating. He managed the studio with his wife Betty Dementi until he passed in 1988. The studio continues to be family-owned and is currently owned by Robert’s daughter, Margit Dementi Rankin.

Known for his cheerful demeanor, RObert is quoted as saying, “I try to smile most of the time. That’s an essential part of life.”

There are 14 inductees in all, each will be honored this Thursday in a ceremony which marks the 25th anniversary of the Hall of Fame.

You can view VCU’s press release here: VCU News Center

Tickets are $100 each and can be reserved by calling Lauren Stewart at VCU’s School of Mass Communications. (804) 827 3761.

We’re starting a new monthly feature called “From the Archives,” which will feature a selection of images from our historic archives. This months images are photographs from Richmond’s very own Easter on Parade event, held every year on Monument Avenue.

If you’ve never been, it’s a great event held every year on Easter. Over 20,000 people show up to parade down Monument and celebrate the arrival of spring. You can learn more here, at Venture Richmond’s website.

Here are a few images of Easter on Parade from our archives, these images were taken in the 1990s on Monument Avenue:

What is your favorite thing about Easter on Parade?

We recently had some children and babies in the studio for their Easter portraits. Here are some of the great shots we got. It’s not too late to book your appointment for a photo session, after all Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are just around the corner!

And here’s the same sweet girl last year: