By Mikkel Hyldebrandt
Russ Youngblood has been photographing and documenting Atlanta’s LGBTQIA+ community since 1994 – and he hasn’t stopped! In fact, you will still see him in Atlanta’s nightlife scene and at signature events with his camera as David’s lead photographer. Now, more than 30 years later, he is ready to release his book “What I Saw…,” which compiles decades of photos from the Atlanta community.
Russ, first, tell us about how you got started in photography.
I started visiting and photographing Atlanta’s LGBTQIA+ community in the summer of 1994, when Jason Gilbert introduced me to Backstreet. I permanently moved here in 1999 with my best friend, Steve Ryan, who is still a close friend and like family.
That same summer, I began photographing for David Magazine and have since worked with every gay publication in Atlanta, as well as several national gay publications. It has been an honor to document our community through its celebrations, protests, and all the moments in between.
Now you’re about to publish your book “What I Saw…” which is a memoir and collection of thousands of photos from decades of capturing and documenting the ATL LGBTQIA+ community. When did you get the idea to make a book of it?
It’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment I decided to publish “What I Saw…”. It feels like an idea that has been floating around for a while. The initial spark came when I realized that publications only wanted a small number of photos from events and weren’t interested in keeping all the negatives or purchasing the DVDs (yes, I’m that old!). I knew this was our community’s history and journey, so I took it upon myself to preserve it, buying thousands of CDs, DVDs, and eventually using Dropbox and hard drives. I’ve roughly estimated that I’ve accumulated over a million images in the last 31 years.
I’m incredibly excited and grateful that, with a lot of help, I’ve managed to edit those down to about 1,300 images for this 156-page book. To me, it’s more than just a photo book; it’s a family album.
What was the process like selecting the photos? You must have picked from thousands upon thousands of images? It must have been quite the trip down memory lane!
It was a pretty intense process going through all those images. I rediscovered so many photos I’d completely forgotten about—the faces of old friends and past events brought back a lot of emotions. It was also incredibly moving, and at times, heartbreaking, to find people who once brought so much joy and laughter to our Atlanta community, but are no longer with us. I miss some of them dearly, and I truly hope this book serves as a reminder of who they were and that we are still here.
What did you learn from sorting through all these photos? How have times changed for Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ community?
The saying, “the more things change, the more they stay the same,” certainly holds true. Our community continues to face challenges as we litigate for equal rights, not special ones, but simply equal. It seems the current administration is intent on moving our community backward.
On the other hand, the nightlife scene is constantly evolving. The faces, fashion, and music always change, but the one constant is the community and friendships that form under the lights and beats of the night.
This book is also a testament to your legacy and contributions to this community. What’s next for you?
I’m happy to hear that the book reflects so many different times and people. I hope my contribution to our community is seen as that of a visual historian.
As for what’s next for me, I’d say I plan to slow down. I’ve officially joined the ranks of senior citizens, but I don’t think I’m pretty ready for that yet! If I’m not going in three directions at once, I start to wonder what’s wrong.
Let’s talk more about the book. How many photos does it contain?
It contains just over 1300 images across 156 pages. Initially, I planned for 140 pages, but I kept finding more photos I wanted to include. I was even “threatened” not to add any more pictures! I’ve done my best to include as many people and events as possible, which is why it feels more like a family album of my extended Atlanta family.
Russ Youngblood’s “What I saw…” will be published on July 31, 2025. You can pre-order your copy now for $29.99 at alphabetsoupmarketing.com.
25% of all profits from sales of the book will go to support Lost-n-Found Youth and Positive Impact Health Centers.