Last year I took a Documentary class at Northern Virginia Community College and the topic was Documenting the New Northern Virginia. We all went out and took pictures of what we thought defined Northern Virginia right now. This ranged from immigration issues, new construction, roadways to the type of people and what activities they do in NOVA right now. The idea is to leave behind something for future generations to look back on. We have our full show Gallery opening reception tonight at the Annandale campus of NVCC off Little River Turnpike. Please come see our show! I was especially excited to have one of my pictures reviewed in the Falls Church Free Press! The picture was not with the article so I will publish it here and what the journalist Kevin Mellema had to say about it. For the full article check out the Art Beat at www.fcnp.com.
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- Del Ray Neighborhood in Alexandria, Virginia
Possibly the most poignant image of all is online, though missing from the show is Melissa Handy’s testament to the concept of residential “tear downs.” We’re all too familiar with this common phenomenon – perfectly decent homes are destroyed and replaced with lot filling McMansions, replaced simply because the kitchen wasn’t as big as the living room, which is now as big as the backyard, which is now … oh, who needs a backyard when you have a big screen TV?
Handy’s photo shows a tree-shaded 1930s Del Ray bungalow next to a sunlit McMansion. Then again, there is no place left for trees to grow, so how could it be anything but sunlit? No worries; we have air conditioning now. In the inimitable words of Lurch: “Unghhhhhh.”
Melissa Arlena is an award winning lifestyle newborn photographer in Charlottesville and Richmond, Virginia who has earned her Master Photographer Certification from NAPCP in maternity, newborn and family photography. Her natural and simple work has been featured in magazines and online blogs worldwide. She has been named Best Maternity and Newborn Photographer in Richmond and Charlottesville, VA in 2024.
