Local photographer captures people, landscapes, historic structures, events for 70 years
John A. Rooney Jr., a familiar face to many, can often be spotted in Petersburg capturing memories with his lens. Photography has been a passion of his for over 70 years. Photographer Pablo Brown reached out to The Progress-Index to share his friend's incredible journey.
"A journey implies traversing a terrain, but a photographer can use photographs to travel in time, transporting us to a distant past or an imagined future," Brown said. "Like many photographers, John's journey in the world of photography was an unintentional one."
Rooney's passion for photography ignited at age 12 after he received a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye film camera for Christmas in 1951.
"John never looked back. Shooting with the simplest, least perfect, camera allowed him to awaken his picture-taking creativity and take photography to the next level," Brown said. "Even in his later years, making the transition from film to digital only added to his excitement and he wholeheartedly embraced the new technology."
Rooney is, and has been, a great asset anywhere he points and shoots. His images document history, memories to some, for future generations. What type of storytelling moments are his favorites?
"I enjoy attempting to capture the beauty of Petersburg, taking photos of Petersburg’s historic houses and buildings, photos of civic events such as Battersea Revolutionary War Reenactment, photos of Old Towne and other historic places and scenic locations," Rooney said.
Brown stepped back in time to discover Rooney's path and how his passion developed over the years.
John A. Rooney Jr.: Photography journey
In 1959, Rooney enlisted in the U.S. Army. His interest in photography grew while he served his country. In the Army's film developing lab, he learned how to develop and edit black and white film. In South Korea from 1960-1961, his passion for photography spread across his organization where he was appointed as the company's unofficial photographer.
"This soldier wasted no time in his assigned duties and quickly realized that you can’t take good pictures while just hanging around the barracks," Brown said. "While in Korea, Rooney purchased a Petri 2.8 35mm film camera and began shooting Army day-to-day living, the country’s culture and its people."
The U.S. Army soldier traveled with his camera everywhere he went, visiting interesting places and documenting many company training events. During tactical patrol marches, he could be found hiking the trails alongside the soldiers, taking photos of the marching columns, skillfully working his way from the front to the rear, as he says, "to get the perfect shots."
Rooney’s inspirations in photography didn’t restrict him just to the military base. He became deeply moved to document a photo series on a Korean children’s orphanage. He also walked the Korean countryside and took many record shots of the Korean people and their environment.
"After his honorable discharge from the U.S. Army, John worked with Virginia Department of Transportation [VDOT] on their survey crew and later transferred to the drafting room where he worked on highway design projects and became a 'Table Head,'” Brown said.
In 1966, Rooney left VDOT and began his 43 years with Colonial Heights's Engineering Department. His duties included surveying, drafting, construction design, stakeout and inspections, and reviewing subdivision and construction site plans. At age 70, he retired with the position of Senior Engineering Technician.
During the evenings while working for the city of Colonial Heights, Rooney took photography courses at Brightpoint Community College, formerly John Tyler Community College. He studied black and white and color film photography, camera operation, relationship between aperture and shutter, photo editing, developing and processing black and white and color film. He also studied flash and studio lighting.
"John honed his photography skills by enrolling in Photoshop classes and attending photography seminars in Washington, D.C. and in Richmond," Brown said.
In July 2009, Rooney and Dene Sharbono founded Cockade City Camera Club [CCCC]. Rooney served as president for 10 consecutive years. The club welcomes beginners to advanced photographers, individuals of all ages and people from any geographical location.
"One of the biggest benefits of our club is just getting to interact with and learn from other photographers,” Rooney said.
The meetings were first held at “At the Globe," a former event and banquet venue on N. Sycamore St. in Petersburg. The monthly meetings have been held at Petersburg Area Art League [PAAL] since the end of 2009. They consist of educational programs as well as in-person print competitions. According to Brown, the programs have covered a variety of photography-related subjects with presentations on everything from studio, bird, wedding and abstract photography, to printing techniques, advertising photography, psychology of photography and even travelogues.
"Our members have also embarked on monthly field trips to a variety of locations around Petersburg and Richmond Virginia, everywhere from a walk along the Appomattox River or along High St. in Petersburg to trips to Belle Isle or the downtown waterfront flood wall of Richmond," Brown said. "John took his role as president very seriously and through his actions, new and current members were offered the opportunity to become better acquainted as well as to learn about each other's enthusiasm for photography."
A print competition was scheduled once a month where three winners were selected by judges, CCCC members who were present. The organization also hosted an annual studio photography workshop and participated in photo walks where members would go around Petersburg or Richmond to capture places and people.
Behind the Lens: Up-close with John A. Rooney Jr.
Whether it’s portraits of people or scenic landscapes, Rooney delights in telling meaningful stories through the lens of his camera. Brown interviewed Rooney to learn more about his journey in photography and how the CCCC honed his passion to make pictures come alive.
What does photography mean to you?
"It’s a great way to preserve history. I love capturing people, historic records of events, historic places and structures."
What do you like to photograph most in your free time?
"Any shot that has great natural lighting. Any of Petersburg’s historic buildings, no matter their condition, nature’s beauty, natural beauty, Blandford Cemetery, etc."
What is for you the most rewarding thing being a photographer?
"The Cockade City Camera Club was successful because there was a great need by local photographers to have a place to meet, socialize and discuss photography. In my opinion, this club has fulfilled that need and it continues to do so admirably."
If you advise someone who wants to start a career as a photographer, what would you say?
"Learn the basics – F stops [aka f-number, the number that displays on a camera or lens as the size of aperture is adjusted], shutter speed and American Standard Association [ASA]. Learn the relationship between these three items. Also, learn how to develop film and edit film in a darkroom. Learn how to crop your photos. Take courses in Photoshop, Lightroom and many other photo editing software products."
What is your favorite lens and why?
"I have two 'workhorse' lenses. These are a full-frame Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm, 1:3.5-5.6 G and a Nikon AF-S 18-35mm1:3.5-4.5 G."
What is the one thing you wish you knew when you started taking photos?
"For some reason, I never studied cropping. I learned the importance of this about the time the Cockade City Camera Club was being formed. Dene Sharbono gave a fine presentation on cropping at our very first meeting. It took me a year or so to finally get the gist of it."
When you go out to shoot, do you take any essential items other than a camera and lens?
"I always take a spare memory card and an extra charged camera battery. Be sure to take a lens cleaning kit, flashlight and tripod when needed. I also have a good quality Nikon flash that is matched with my camera as well as a selection of reflectors and diffusers for the flash."
What are your favorite settings?
"I like to shoot in program mode with bracketing set on three and ISO [International Standardization Organization] set manually. When there is a special scene, I can shoot in manual mode."
What kind of tools do you use for post-processing? What’s your workflow like?
"Over the years, I have used many post-processing programs. Today Photoshop is my main tool with some Lightroom work."
According to Rooney, he always tries to capture shots that portray realness, candidness and emotions. In his landscape portraiture, he likes shots that are vibrant, wide, clean and warm. He also likes to focus on the texture of food in photos.
Rooney's community involvement over the years includes:
Trustee of Historic Petersburg Foundation, 2010-2015, 2017-2020
Board member of Historic Blandford Cemetery Foundation, 2009-present
Board member of Willcox Watershed Conservancy, formerly Lee Park, now Petersburg Legends Historical Park, 2009-2019
Vice Chairman of Colonial Heights Historical Commission, 2014
Chairman of Colonial Heights Historical Commission, 2015 to present
Member of Colonial Heights Appomattox River Trail Committee, 2007 to present [currently inactive]
Board member of the Colonial Heights Historical Society, 2011 to present
Cockade City Camera Club president 2009-2019, immediate past president 2020, board member 2021, and member 2022 to present
Life lessons: John A. Rooney Jr.
"It’s difficult to encapsulate the totality of John's world of photography in this profile, simply because it’s a long journey that continues to evolve, even to this day," Brown of Chester said. "John conjured up a few lessons that he has learned to live by every day."
Rooney of Colonial Heights shared, "Consider shooting a style or topic you like and stay with it. For example, I try to capture realism. My topics are local civic events, historic buildings, before and after restoration and historic areas. Over a period of time, you will become known for your work within those selected topics.
"Lastly, take some courses in leadership. I was very lucky to take a Dale Carnegie course in the early 1970s. The textbook we studied was his book titled 'How to Make Friends and Influence People.'"
It was a joy to work with Brown to feature a fellow photographer who shares his incredible photography, time and skills with the community. The CCCC meets at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of the month at PAAL, however, they do not meet in December. For more information about the CCCC, send an email to cockadecitycameraclub@gmail.com. Read this story at Progress-Index.com to view more of Rooney's images.
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This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Colonial Heights resident shares images, 70-year photography journey
