Blog Posts

Welcome to my blog! This page is a space for sharing work that reflects the versatility of my work as a photographer; presenting a variety of images that expand beyond what I typically shoot. Also, my occasional musings on photography, and updates on any projects.

Backyard Bliss

Sunday August 3, 2025

When I’m not out seeking fleeting moments on the streets of Philly (or photojournaling), I’m quite literally chilling in my little back yard in the South end of the city (South Philly of course).

The backyard–whether in the urban, suburban, or rural setting–has just as many beautiful, poetic, and insightful scenes as the city streets themselves. They can very much be a mini oasis filled with plants, light & shadow, birds, stray cats, and other urban wildlife.

As with all light & shadow play, the best times of the day to capture are mid morning to early afternoon and early evening, close to golden hour. I typically head out into my yard between 11:30am and 1pm. Today I decided to make some images exhibiting a bit of lines and angles, patterns, shadows, animals, and of course plants. So a bit of everything one would expect to capture during this time of the day.

Nothing does backyard light and shadow justice like good ‘ol Black and White. As with most bnw images, the absence of color magnifies what the color image sometimes does not. To me it’s the true essence of the subject being photographed, which is peak “1000 words in one picture.”

Out of all the images made today, these two are my favorite, mostly because of the spiral and semi-Fibonacci Sequence patterns in both plants. A spiral plant stem forming a loop around the phone cable as if it’s the plant’s hand (and the cable it’s staff) is pure irony. Nature certainly will always assert it’s authority over all things not of nature.

The highlight of my session today was this squirrel perching on the top beam of an old wooden fence, looking directly into the camera. S/he posed for several seconds and served face for some excellent shots. Animal portraits are some of my favorite images to make. Well done Ms./Mr. Squirrel and thank you!

The backyard never ceases to yield scenes for amazing imagery, even within the same scenery! I have dozens of photos taken in this same yard, all capturing scenes somewhat similar and different at the same time.

All images © Atiya Nur Walker

An Evening at FDR Skate Park

Tuesday, August 5, 2025

On Monday evening I took a hike through FDR Park and made my way to it’s namesake skate park. Situated on FDR Park grounds, under the I-95 overpass, this South Philly skater hub serves as a sanctuary for local skateboarders both young and seasoned.

What stands out most is the illustrurous graffiti strewn across the walls outside and inside of the park. Most holding symbolic meaning, whether in relation to prominent skateboarding legends from Philly and beyond, or skateboarding culture in general.

Upon entering the park, I was greeted by Dave who assisted me up onto the platform and welcomed me to document in the space that he has had a hand in preserving since he was 11 years old.

From there, for just under 2 hours, I observed skaters maneuver the various ramps-which is no easy feat-in an almost effortless fashion. By attempting to climb one of these ramps, I realized that I was nowhere near as fit as I thought I was. To skateboard, with speed and tremendous force, is quite a feat. Yet these guys and gals make it look so easy.

Philly has been home to a large community of skateboarders and skateboarding enthusiasts alike. Back in the ’90s, Love Park was a huge hub for skateboarders. It’s then layout was perfect for skateboarders to master their craft, until city officials decided it was no longer welcomed and made a decision to remodel the park, making it an off limits gathering spot for them.

Long story short, FDR Park was born when skaters grew tired of being shirked by those same city officials, who originally offered the space under I-95. Beginning in 1996 the skateboarding community decided to take matters into their own hands and began constructing the incarnation of the park seen today. By 1997 it was finalized and opened for all to enjoy.

Before heading out I thanked Dave for allowing me to document (and not letting me bust my face trying to climb the ramp, hahaha). FDR skatepark is a true gem in Philly and I will certainly be back to document again.

And now…some more graffiti

Photos From Tuesday, August 5th

On Tuesday August 5th, I took short a trip across the Delaware to Camden, New Jersey to visit Adventure Aquarium. While I was there I got some fantastic shots of some Seagulls on the Camden side of the Delaware River banks and a few on the while on the RiverLink Ferry while en route back to Philly.

The only damper was the smog that’s filled the air due to smoke from Canadian wildfires drifting down into Pennsylvania. Becasue of that, a decent Philly skyline shot was out of the picture (no pun intended). Nevertheless, I’m satisfied with the images I did have the opportunity to make.