SLIDESHOW: James River Pony Pasture
SLIDESHOW: Spirit of the James
MAP: The James in November

By REX SPRINGSTON
Times-Dispatch Staff Writer

The James River likes to keep secrets.

When is it prettiest? Where? What spots afford the best views?

For more than 30 years, David Everette has been revealing those secrets, with a camera.

"It is a gorgeous morning," Everette proclaimed as he perched on a rock at Pony Pasture Rapids in South Richmond, his digital Canon 40D and tripod in tow.

A mist rose from the James like smoke, catching the orange rays of dawn. The river looked like it was on fire.

More people take to the river in summer, but it is probably most beautiful in October and November. And colorful leaves are just part of it.

In the fall, the water is still fairly warm, and it moistens the morning air. Cool autumn air doesn't hold a lot of moisture, however, and the water vapor condenses, forming the eerie mist.

Now, the rising sun illuminated not only the mist but the red leaves of maples and the yellow leaves of sycamores along the banks. The pale sycamore trunks stood out like bones.

Everette, 57, would have preferred more mist, and maybe some geese taking flight. After decades of shooting the river, he looks for something extra. But for Everette, any time on the James is well spent. "I'm glad I came out."

The commercial photographer gets something at the James that he doesn't from his day job, where he photographs businesspeople and products for ads and newsletters.

"I find peace and a spiritual connection," he said. "Half the time, I don't even take images."

As the sun got higher, the light became nearly white, and harsh. Everette shouldered his tripod and walked off, moving across the rocks with the rolling gait of a sailor at sea.

Everette has shot along the James' 340 miles, from its beginning in the Allegheny Mountains of Virginia to its mouth at the Chesapeake Bay.

His photos suggest that you slow down and look. In one, the spiky chest plumes of a great blue heron stand out in creamy detail, while the camera's slow shutter speed turns the river's rushing water a gauzy white. In another, a kayaking fisherman in silhouette casts a line on a golden morning.

Everette prefers the rapids in Richmond because they are scenic, wild and accessible, particularly along the city's riverside lands known as James River Park.

"I've got too much here to worry about going other places, and I can get to work in a reasonable time. Where else can you do that? I consider it a blessing that I have that opportunity."

Jeff Ruisi of Richmond, a teacher and photographer, said Everette's work on the James shows that you don't have go to Europe or the Caribbean to produce first-class photos.

"I'd say he is one of the top landscape photographers in the country," said Ruisi, who owns a sizeable library of photography books.

"He has a subject that's close to his home and close to his heart, and it shows in his work."

Everette was born in Richmond and lives in Chesterfield County. He started seeking the quiet of the river when he was a Virginia Commonwealth University student in the early 1970s. He discovered photography while in school, and the river became his favorite place to shoot.

Everette visits the James several times a week. The light, the water level, the foliage, the animals -- they always come together in a different way.

"One of the biggest mistakes an inexperienced photographer makes is to go to one place one time, take a picture and think they've captured the spot," Everette said.

It's good that the James changes so much. It gives Everette -- and the rest of us -- a reason to keep going back.
Contact Rex Springston at (804) 649-6453 or rspringston@timesdispatch.com.