A River Runs Through It

Not only is the James River Virginia’s largest river, it also holds a significant place in America’s history. Jamestown, America’s first settlement, is on the shores of the James River. The trains that carried Confederate troops to fight the Union crossed the railroad bridges over it. The river delivered President Lincoln to Richmond, VA, where he granted slaves their freedom. George Washington ate lunch along the canals and Edgar Allen Poe swam seven miles from Ludlows Wharf to Warwick against its strong current. Today, the James River’s rock formations and endless rapids are home to kayakers and anglers.

Sun worshippers and swimmers dawdle in the river’s hollows as Canadian Geese and Blue Heron glide above. And among the swimmers, fishers and birds is professional photographer, David Everette.

It is not unusual to find him standing next to his tripod at 5:30 a.m., waiting for the day’s first light to strike the rapids at Pony Pasture Park, one of the many protected areas of the James River Park System in Richmond. The park system encompasses 550 acres starting at Huguenot Flatwater in the western part of the city and ending at Ancarrow’s Landing, part of the old slave trail close to the city limits. As the James River runs through this area, the river drops 105 feet along this seven-mile stretch, giving way to 15-foot waterfalls and Class 4 rapids.

Richmond is Everette’s home and he usually swings by the river for an early morning shoot and then heads off to work just a few miles away. Even though Everette has been documenting the river for over 30 years, he claims there are still a few areas that he would still like to photograph to capture the river in its entirety.

The James starts its 347-mile journey in Botetourt County, VA and eventually empties out into the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. The pristine waters of the Cowpasture River meet the somewhat murky waters of the Jackson River to form the James River from a small hamlet nestled in the hills just beyond the Blue Ridge Mountains.

In nearby High Town, Everette photographed the Dividing Waters Farm. As Everette shares, “The story goes that the rain that falls on the north side of the barn eventually makes its way to the Potomac River and the south side goes to the Jackson River, which winds through the valley and a pass in the mountains to unite with the Cowpasture River, which in turn blends into the James.” With a faraway gaze in his eyes he imagines how it will be when he returns, “I really want to get back to this area in the autumn when the leaves are teeming with color and the river is steeped in fog with a hint of morning’s golden light. These are the conditions in which I tend to make some of my most memorable photographs.”

When Everette is in the river his feet glide over its slippery rocks as his tripod anchors his weight going into his next step. This becomes a balancing act while he tries to quickly capture a shot of a Blue Heron just before it takes off. Many birds call the James River home: Ospreys, Hawks and even a few Bald Eagles. Everette has photographed all these birds, but his favorite is the Blue Heron.

On one particular morning Everette dangled his feet from a railroad bridge 50-feet above the river. He has led a group of photographers to this secluded spot so he can share his love of photographing the Blue Heron. It is mating season and the herons are building their nests in a clump of trees on an island.

Everette is using his 100–400mm lens for this shoot. He likes a wide-open aperture and an ISO of 200 to capture their speed. As Everette pans his camera from right to left he tries to capture the birds with their large blue wings flapping in awkward cadence as they try to land on the delicate branches below. He comes back with a few nice images from this morning’s shoot but shares that he had other things on
his mind.

One of the photographers, a long-time friend of his, was diagnosed with terminal cancer and this shoot would be her last. “It’s very sad, but it gives me pleasure seeing her enjoy her passion in the time she has left. It was a beautiful morning and she was in her element with her camera, the birds and the river. Sometimes the river has a way of assuaging some of life’s deeper wounds.”

When Everette is not chasing birds, he might be seen photographing kayakers. His kayaking images have been frequently used in an array of magazine advertisements. For these images he finds himself photographing on Belle Isle, which once held a Civil War prison camp for Union soldiers. Belle Isle is the home to the Class 4 Hollywood Rapids nicknamed after the Hollywood Cemetery situated on a nearby bluff. Many kayakers have lost their lives on this stretch of the James River. Kayakers will usually enter the river two miles upstream in the much calmer Reedy Creek. They gradually build up speed as they approach the more turbulent rapids on the north side of the isle. As Everette kneels down on one of the river’s many rocks, the kayakers practically jump through his frame as he fires off exposures using his Canon’s 6 fps continuous shooting mode. “One needs to predict what rapids the kayakers will slither through. Then it is a matter of shooting from a low angle and making sure there is a strong foreground element, such as a rock or rapid to frame the shot,” Everette says. His favorite photographs are the ones that capture the kayaker’s facial expressions as they are being tossed through the waves.

At times, even Everette has found himself shooting from a boat. In 2007, Jamestown celebrated its 400th anniversary by sailing an exact replica of “The Godspeed,” one of three Jamestown settlement ships, along the James River into Richmond. Everette placed himself and his equipment in a shaky canoe at Henricus Historical Park and photographed while paddling after the gently swaying Godspeed as it sailed toward the docks of Richmond.

A few months later, while photographing down river in Newport News, VA, Everette faced another challenging situation. The James River Association’s Riverkeeper navigated him around Fort Eustis, where the U.S. Maritime Administration manages a fleet of old rusty ships known as the “Ghost Fleet,” which are government ships that might be used in a national crisis. However, most of them are dilapidated and many of them contain lead, asbestos and other toxic chemicals. Environmentalists caution that any possible leaks could contaminate the historic James River. While Everette was taking photos of the “Ghost Fleet,” a Homeland Security boat approached his vessel. The officers, wielding loaded firearms, kindly asked Everette to vacate the area.

In addition to his photography, Everette runs a commercial photo lab and has always found time to share his passion with others. He has taught many classes at the local community college and has spoken at local camera clubs as a lecturer. His images have been made into posters and brochures for the James River Association, a group that is dedicated to preserving the river and its wildlife. The Association has used his slideshows to educate the public about the river and its delicate ecosystems. Everette wants his viewers to feel a connection with the river and its timeless beauty.

Kayakers, herons, train trestles and ghost ships are part of the many facets of the James River. While the James River has lured Everette to its banks at insane hours of the morning, damaged his equipment, frozen his feet and left him stranded for hours waiting for a break in the light, he still loves every moment he’s photographing the river. Even during the early morning at Pony Pasture Park with creeping fog looming, Everette focuses his lens on some Canadian Geese. Then, with camera in tow, he gingerly hops onto a higher shoulder of rock to gain a better perspective of them. Every day is a new day on the James River and every moment a new image to capture.

To view more of David Everette’s work, visit www.abetteri.com.

Jeffrey Ruisi is a schoolteacher, freelance writer and professional photographer who lives in Richmond, VA. You can view his work at www.rivercitylight.com.