December 11, 2024
Franki Rudnesky/PhillyVoice
Russ Brown has been selling his photo prints at the Christmas Village for the past 15 years.
Russ Brown has been capturing the sights of Philadelphia through his camera lens for about 25 years, and his photo prints have made great gifts at the Christmas Village in LOVE Park for over a decade.
The Philly native, who now lives in the suburbs, said his favorite image of Rittenhouse Square has already sold at this year's market. Not to worry, though. He's selling plenty of other photos of Philly's parks, stadiums, skyline and famous landmarks at booth No. 82 — near the LOVE sculpture and across the way from his pal and fellow long-time vendor John Murray's Irish Shop. The self-taught photographer also offers mugs, coasters, keychains and other trinkets.
If you miss Brown at the Christmas Village, which runs through Dec. 24, you can find his work at his Phillyscapes shop at Reading Terminal Market throughout the year.
We caught up with Brown inside his pop-up last week to learn more about his company's long tenure at the market:
PHILLYVOICE: How'd you become interested in photography?
RUSS BROWN: I had a job that I hated, and I was doing photography on the side. And when I left that (job), I gave it a chance to do this full time, and that was 17 years ago.
PV: What are some of the top things that you're selling?
BROWN: All my photography of Philadelphia. I try to capture the city in its best light. I think it's a beautiful city. I don't know that it gets the credit that it deserves. But for me, it photographs better than most other major cities I've gone to. It's prettier than New York. Even when you look at our skyline, we have a natural peak. It's just a really beautiful city to photograph.
PV: What's the best part of being at the Christmas Village?
BROWN: I've been here for 15 years. It feels like Christmas. Before I did this, the season could get away from you. And then next thing you know, Christmas is in a couple days, you haven't done any shopping, and then you're scrambling. Here, it feels like Christmas every day.
PV: Any other shops at the market that you recommend?
BROWN: I like them all. The Irish Shop (booth No. 77), I've known him for 14 years, but I've become friends with a lot of the owners because I've been here for so long, and it's nice. So every year when you come back to the market, it's almost like seeing your friends again. You don't really talk too much outside of the market, but every year you're looking forward to seeing people you haven't seen.
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