Take a Trip Down Memory Lane with Rhode Trip Photography
Owner Paul Davis has been has been collecting — and photographing — Rhode Island novelties for thirty years.
Like many Rhode Islanders of a certain age, Paul Davis’ formative years were spent watching concerts at the Living Room, scaling the rides at Rocky Point and taking in blockbusters like Jaws and Star Wars in the old Park and Garden City cinemas. Now the Cranston native’s days are spent photographing, framing and selling black-and-white slices of Little Rhody nostalgia through his business, Rhode Trip Photography. He’s been collecting for about thirty years, starting with old newspapers and records and now scouring antique stores, eBay and the Brimfield Antique Flea Market for treasures like vintage Narragansett Beer cans, Providence Civic Center ticket stubs and “No school Foster-Glocester” mugs. Based in Arlington, Mass., Davis uses a mechanical film camera to photograph the items in his home and then develops the film by hand at LaPete Labs in Boston, one of the few remaining darkrooms in the city. Even some of the frames — repurposed film developing hangers — are vintage. “I like not just taking but also making the picture — taking it from a roll of film to a framed piece,” he says. “I’m the only one involved in the whole process.” Photographs of Del’s cups are especially hot sellers, making their way across the country to homesick former Rhode Islanders seeking a taste of home. Landscape photography is another of Davis’ passions, but only if the locales are in the Ocean State. “I don’t take pictures anywhere else,” he says. “I’m not interested in taking pictures of any other places.” instagram.com/rhodetripphotography
