Dementi Studio photographers Dave Miller and Maya Jackson (Photo by Jay Paul)
Today, nobody thinks twice about taking a quick photo with a smartphone — it’s second nature. But not too long ago, this simple act would have been extraordinary.
Modern photography has gone through many changes, and there were many people who paved the way — including a Richmonder whose studio is approaching its 100th anniversary.
Anthony “Tony” Dementi was the son of Italian immigrants who arrived in Richmond in the 1880s. In 1907, Dementi began his professional photography career. After training in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., he returned to Richmond in 1915 to work for A.C. Hilton’s Elite Studio. Dementi then transferred to W.W. Foster Studio on Grace Street, where he became a top commercial photographer who took photos for city newspapers and advertisers.
In 1924, with Foster’s blessing, he opened his own studio across the street, later moving to its current location at 121 E. Grace St.
Throughout his career, Dementi documented Richmond’s history and evolving cityscape, his photos today stored in the studio’s massive archive, which features more than 1 million negatives and 100,000 photographic prints.
Dave Miller, one of the studio’s head photographers, says there are a few photos that can be considered classic Tony Dementi images. “One from 1926 captures a sea of Richmond men in suits and hats gathered on Fourth Street between Grace and Franklin, all listening to one of the first broadcasts of the baseball World Series,” he says. “Another shows one of the world’s few triple-level train crossings (near 17th and Dock streets), each with a locomotive headed in a different direction.”
Photo courtesy Dementi Studio
While the studio showcases some of these celebrated prints on its website and at its studio, many of these negatives have never been published. “While there are hundreds of digital images in the galleries, there are still hundreds of thousands that have not yet been digitized or posted online,” Miller says. “It took close to a century to make all of the images, and finding time to get them all scanned would be challenging, to say the least.”
Besides taking photos, Dementi spent time advancing new photography techniques. In October 1930, he attended the annual GE Society of Illuminating Engineers Convention at the John Marshall Hotel, for which he was hired to take a group photo of the convention’s participants using some of the first flash bulbs ever made.
The studio still holds Dementi’s treasured equipment, including enlargers, a large-format film camera and his iconic Cirkut camera — a fascinating device that made true panoramic negatives that measured 10 inches tall by 3 feet long.
In addition to cityscapes and newsworthy events, Dementi Studio has photographed many Virginia politicians since 1942, including most of its governors, senators and delegates for the state Capitol’s composite photo. The studio has also captured many legendary figures ranging from Mikhail Gorbachev to Oprah Winfrey.
Today, Dementi Studio is owned by the photographer’s granddaughter, Margit Dementi.
Miller and Maya Jackson are the studio’s full-time photographers. Both use their creative talents to continue Dementi’s legacy.
“We were likely one of the first studios in Richmond to use digital cameras and one of the last to photograph on film in a production environment,” Miller says. By exploring and experimenting with new technology, the studio provides everything from glamorous bridal photo shoots and formal senior portraits to passport photos and product photography. It also offers restoration and reproduction services.
It has even introduced aerial photography and videography. “Drones have become a great supplement to our capabilities and give us the ability to capture images for our clients that were impossible a few years ago,” Miller explains.
But what they most pride themselves on is the opportunity to photograph locals. “Notable to us are the thousands upon thousands of everyday Richmonders we’ve photographed, including local businesspeople, brides of all eras, local families, and many, many babies, some of whom are now requesting portraits of their own grandbabies,” Miller says.
“We take pride in serving and honoring all of our customers and in being both creators and stewards of an important trove of civic history.”
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