Article by Joshua Fitzwater
All Black & White photography by Gregory Hodges
Additional photography of Gregory Hodges by Yung-Han Chang and Joshua Fitzwater
Lead photo above: Paul Matheny, owner and pitmaster of Paulie’s Pig-Out in Afton, Virginia on April 2022 | Photograph by Gregory Hodges
Lean into the smoke, let it envelope you. Now check the composition, don’t forget to check the light one last time, alright, breathe out, breathe, steady your hands, okay, steady now, steady, click. Now hurry up and move before you get hit by oncoming traffic. These are the thoughts of photographer Gregory Hodges on any given weekend in Virginia as he photographs some of the oldest barbecue spots in the commonwealth.
Hodges holding his Rolleiflex 3.5 E3. | Photograph by Joshua Fitzwater
Since the state started opening back up in 2021, Hodges stays busy shaking the hands of working pitmasters, capturing both their likeness and that of their Virginia barbecue restaurants across the state. He photographed more Virginia barbecue restaurants in roughly two years time that most Virginia natives have eaten at in a lifetime.
Photographer Gregory Hodges | Photograph by Yung-Han Chang
Hodges first ventured into photography in 2008. He explained, “I had some extra time on my hands and finally had the money to do it.” Though his first foray into photography was of the digital variety, Hodges was always fascinated with film photographers. As he detailed, “I have always enjoyed film photographers so I thought why not pursue what they did. Their photos are iconic to us. I wanted to do that.”
Little Pig Barbecue in Petersburg, Virginia on October 2021 | Photograph by Gregory Hodges
Originally growing up in the Finger Lakes area of upstate New York, Hodges was adopted by a German family. He first came South to live with his cousins in North Carolina. Hodges would eventually join the Navy and pursue his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering at Old Dominion University, which brought him to Virginia. After graduating, in his free time, he explored digital photography until 2018, when he ran across a Mamiya C33 twin lens reflex camera. With that, his love affair with film photography began.
The Feed Store in Maidens, Virginia on April 2022 | Photograph by Gregory Hodges
A few years later with the pandemic in full swing and with safety in mind, Hodges began shooting historic buildings with his Rolleiflex 3.5 E3. As he explained, “it was safe that way. I like history. As I looked up places I found out about their history and wanted to go shoot them. At first I was photographing country churches, then old buildings I saw on my travels, but then things started opening up in North Carolina and Virginia and I’m a foodie so it became all about barbecue. It’s my vice in terms of wasting money.”
Bull Island BBQ in Poquson, Virginia on March 2022 | Photograph by Gregory Hodges
Since then, Hodges, who primarily shoots in black and white film, has amassed quite the collection of Virginia pitmaster portraits and environmental landscape studies of barbecue joints currently in operation and some that are closed but still standing across the state. The portraits are often candid and whimsical or folksy and the building landscapes are both detailed and stark with contrast. In terms of what he is looking for while capturing his images, Hodges simply explained, “If I like it and it makes me happy then I want to photograph and share it. I like to bring back a good memory. I like nostalgia and film is a nostalgic process. Black and white tends to capture best what I’m looking for.”
Megallon’s Gourmet Barbeque in Norfolk, Virginia on July 2021 | Photograph by Gregory Hodges
With regards to his photography collection, Hodges has no grand plans. He shares his work on his Facebook page, often with information about the subjects and places he photographs. Hodges also likes to take his twelve best images of the year and makes calendars.
Wilkes Bar-B-Q Co. in Hampton, Virginia on March 2022 | Photography by Gregory Hodges
Today, Hodges seems keen to up the amount of photography he produces. While maintaining a nine to five working as a civil servant for the Navy, he averages a photography road trip three out of every four weeks per month. The passion is evident to all those whose eyes come across his work.
Ronnie Logan, owner and pitmaster of The Original Ronnie’s BBQ in Varina, Virginia on March 2022 | Photograph by Gregory Hodges
For more on the photography of Gregory Hodges including looks at all his photography in its original un-cropped form, visit Gregory Fotographia
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