Not-So-Perfect Strike

"Melrose" by Wes Aldridge

This is an exterior shot of my favorite bowling alley in Nashville. Melrose lanes has been on 8th Ave. for many, many years. It is kind of run down on the inside, and the neons out front show years of wear as well. I love how the "E" and "S" are the only letters lit where it says "30 LANES." It gives a pretty accurate feel of the joint.

My favorite occasion at Melrose happened fairly recently with my brother and his girlfriend. We went in and had a few pitchers and bowled a few games. When I proposed the idea, at first the two thought it was stupid. But bowling and some beers always make the combination for a great time.

Nothing major going on with the shot. I shot at ISO 100 at 1/50th of a second with an aperture of f/1.8 to get the right exposure where it said "Melrose Lanes." I let the neons blow out a bit and over expose to really let the glow come off the pinks and blues. If I could have done this shot all over again, the only thing I would have changed was to have actually bowled a game or two rather than just shoot and run.

Red, Blue and Rock

"Rehearsal" by Wes Aldridge

There is no better way to end a cannonball run kind of weekend, than with a little ass-kicking rock 'n' roll. The guys of local rock act Thaxton Ward let me come in to their rehearsal tonight and shoot away. Their music is pretty solid and you should give them a listen.

My ears are still ringing and the lyrics still running through my mind, but here is what is going on in this shot. I shot on a tripod from slightly above them on a railed staircase leading into the rehearsal space. I used my ultra-wide 16mm lens set to f/2.8 with a slow shutter of 1/10th of a second at ISO 100. I fired my 550EX flash with a red gel filter off a hot shoe cord from the camera shading the left of the room red. My 420EX speedlite was set to slave and on a mini-stand sitting on a speaker cabinet on the right side of the room with a light blue gel filter. I did a portrait with a similar light set-up on 2/18/2005 post.

A little side note. There are four members in Thaxton Ward, so the figure in the top right isn't a band member. No, that is Princess Di... or at least a cardboard cut out of her.

Peace in the Park

"Grab Your Flag" by Wes Aldridge

Today a girlfriend of mine from back home, wonderfully named Amanda, and I decided to explore Nashville after lunch at Jackson's in the Village. She had never been to the Parthenon and wanted to see it. And this is how today's shot came about by chance, or was it fate?

There are so many reasons that could have made this shot impossible and my mind started thinking about chain of events leading to it. What if there had been no peace rally at the park today? What if she had been to the Parthenon before and wasn't interested in it today? What if we hadn't gone to Jackson's for lunch? What if she wasn't coming to Nashville to look for a job this week? What if she hadn't gotten my phone number from my brother a while back when they happened to see each other in Athens, Ga? What if she and I hadn't had the Spanish class together in highschool?

Well, more than likely, we wouldn't be looking at this photograph of this kid draped in these anti-corporation American flags watching a man sing and play guitar at this rally. I love the spontaneous nature of this project and everything that is involved in getting it done.

Gentleman Jack

"Old No. 7" by Wes Aldridge

We were in a liquor store in Belle Meade and I saw this statue. It is of course Jack Daniels. It looked like it would make for a good shot, so I honor him and all his contributions to society.

This shot was simple, all ambient lighting. No fill flash at all. It was shot handheld at 1/40th of a second at ISO 200 with a huge f/1.8 aperture with my fixed 50mm lens.

Luck O' the Irish

"Miller's Green" by Wes Aldridge

Alas, today is St. Patty's Day. It is the one day that we choose to put green food coloring in our beer to be festive and celebrate some Irish holiday that I have never known the meaning of. Well, that's great, and here is my green beer for the night.

Now, I leave you in search of more festivities for ol' St. Pat. Here's one for all the leprechauns out there tonight. Let the good times roll, little ones.

The shot was taken in the Mellow Mushroom in downtown Franklin. I lit the glass from the side, slightly to the back with my 550EX with a hot shoe cord off my flash. It was at ISO 400 with aperture of f/9.0 and a shutter of 1/50th of a second. Doesn't it make you want to grab a cold, green Miller lite? Me too and I am about to.

On Assignment: New Philadelphia, Ohio-Day Four

"The Field" by Wes Aldridge

This was a field that I saw in passing. I thought it was barren and beautiful with the afternoon sun shining on it. Simple.

Another trip is in the books and I am headed back to Nashville. I am going back to Ohio soon enough though. Can't wait.

On Assignment: New Philadelphia, Ohio-Day Three

"Tracks of Tuscarawas County" by Wes Aldridge

I am exhausted. Today was long and rushing from shoot to shoot each hour really wore me down. I don't have much to say other than I am glad to be back on my bed at the Schoenbrunn Inn.

This photo was taken in a city called Denison, outside of New Philly. I thought it was high and time I put a good cliche photo subject shot up here. Train tracks fading off to nothing in the distance... there you go. It is simple with the leading lines formed by the tracks disappearing off and leading your eye to some place you will never find the end to.

The assignment is almost finished here. Tomorrow I must start shooting my first appointment at 7 a.m. I have a new assignment to shoot each hour, on the hour from then until 2 p.m. when I must start my drive back to the airport in Columbus. This will be difficult and grueling. It's only for those with true grit... and I am chok full of that, man.

On Assignment: New Philadelphia, Ohio-Day Two

"Shadow Illuminated" by Wes Aldridge

I was driving to a place called Sugar Creek (Amish country in these parts) and I glance over my shoulder and almost wreck when I see this giant monument rising high above an old cemetery in an open field. There was no doubt I had to shoot it. For some reason, crosses, crucifixes, religious symbols and the like always catch my photographic eye. I can't really explain why. Most of the time I shoot these things because in the present situation they are kind of eerie and make me a little uncomfortable, sketched out if you will.

I have posted several different images of crosses but they are in no way meant to be any kind of a statement of religion. They are simply things my camera has recorded and I feel like sharing them.

The shot was done at ISO 100 with an aperture of f/6.3 at 1/4000th of a second with a circular polarizing filter. The settings were exposed in the general range for the sky, but the most important aspect of the photo for me was achieving a perfectly black silhouette of the cross against the sky. I was shooting directly into the sun, which of course gives the solar flare and hot highlight spot at the top of the cross. The CP filter dropped about two more f-stops of light and made the strange "heavenly" silver effect in the clouds. This shot is how I envisioned it. I am happy it turned out the way it did.

On Assignment: New Philadelphia, Ohio-Day One

"The Immortal Soldier" by Wes Aldridge



Today turned out to be much better than I had expected. The 45-minute flight from Nashville to Columbus, Ohio, looked pretty bleak when we started to break through the clouds approaching the runway for touchdown. The sky was matted with a thick cumulus cover, and sunshine was not washing across Columbus right now.

Lucky for me, New Philly was about two hours away and thank my sweet tail the sunshine came out during that drive. I thought, what the heck, lets go to the center of town and see what we find. Cool stuff galore. A beautiful old rotunda courthouse. Local shops with perky flair. And a war statue memorial. It was beautiful. Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, all of the largest conflicts associated with American history were represented there. Wonderful sculptures and memorial walls. I think my favorite shot from there was this WWI statue with grenade ready to throw and his rifle in tow. And besides, I think it looks a little too graphic to make it into the IMAGES of Tuscarawas County, Ohio community magazine. I guess you could argue nothing really says, "move to our city" like the sculpture of a man in savage battle.

Anyway. The shot is straightforward. Meter and shoot. Just pretty light from the late evening sunshine.

Right now, as I sit and watch some late night, cheap suit-wearing jackass try to sell elderly people the "Rock Bottom Slots" slot machine (with 200 free tokens if they call right away) info-mercials in my hotel room at the Schoenbrunn Inn, I feel confused. I really can't put my finger on it. I'm not worried about all the appointment calls for this shoot that haven't gotten back to me to schedule a time to shoot. I'm not fretting over the company awards program that I am flying back for on Thursday and flying back up here the following day to shoot two more magazines for about another week. I'm not distressed that I think the apocalypse is upon us and the world is going to explode like a kernel of heated popcorn. I'm not bothered that I am a little on the pudgy side or my hair is too long or the idiot girl that put a cheese Coney dog in my bag at the A&W eatery today instead of my grilled chicken sandwich... bitch.

Its just one of those momentary slices of chaotic and erratic life in the times of a young man with a big heart, a little brain and a camera in his hand. This is the mind of the photographer, and sometimes even I don't understand it.

Flying High

"The Flip" by Wes Aldridge

Historic Franklin, Tennessee, celebrated today with a beer/Irish pre-St. Patty's Day festival in the downtown area. Luckily enough, as fate would have it, I stumbled into the mix without prior knowledge of the occasion with my camera in my hand. This one is about simply luck shining on you and popping up in the right place at the right time.

This was nothing more than a fun day of photojournalism for me, and in no way could the weather have been any better for outdoor photography. It felt so exciting to walk through the crowded street of people and search for my shot for the day. I ended up with several shots that I have deemed blog-worthy that I might post on some rainy day in the future. It was a tough call, but the one of this little girl flipping high in the air on a bungee cord-connected jumping contraption just said "fun" to me.

I feel like I was able to catch that feeling with my camera. A true moment in this young child's life that will never have the slightest clue that a photograph was even taken of her. I love it. I am truly addicted to my profession. I have come to grips with the fact that my love of life and job are one in the same. I am certain some of us were born lucky.

Road Warrior

"Born To Kill" by Wes Aldridge

Its Friday night and things always have a tendency to get a little strange on those glorious occasions. This is my friend Matthew. He is a warrior. You ask why? I tell you.

He wears a 15-lbs. Kevlar military issue combat helmet. It reads "BORN TO KILL." This warrior began his travels in early January from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. He bought a Grey Hound bus ticket for around $500 that allows him to roam their travel lines freely until it expires on Sunday. He has traveled to Chicago, New Orleans, Texas, Nashville... the list goes on.

I admire him. Pure grit and determination, searching for medical research study groups to take part in and make some quick loot. Not worrying about much, he becomes one with the road. His bedding down in Nashville was unannounced and very welcome. I can see the adventure in him. Here is his portrait.

A 100 ISO speed shot at 1/200th of a second with an aperture around f/8. I lit his face from the bottom with a 550EX flash with a red gel filter. The light on his helmet comes from a 420EX speedlite shot through a make-shift tube creating a spotlight effect.

Ft. Negley... Found

"Old Stone Wall" by Wes Aldridge

I find this very interesting. I have lived in Nashville for about six years now, and this is the first time I have ever seen this before.

This old stone wall is the entrance way to Fort Negley, an old civil war fort that stands in ruins close to the Nashville Sounds baseball stadium near downtown. I have been to many "Thirsty Thursdays" at the Sounds games and I drive by this location on a regular basis because it is so close to my house. It really blew me away when I noticed it, just out of the clear blue.

Forget the technical side of this shot because nothing special is going on. The value that lies in this is it is a "find." I have passed by it so many times, tucked close to the woods and away from the road, and never even noticed it. Now, I have seen it (and I do believe it is prime location for future photo shoots). I think it pretty much told me to always keep my eyes open and look at things in a different and new way. Everything is an adventure to look through with the viewfinder of a camera, even something you have seen many, many times before.

21 At Last

"Mi Hermano" by Wes Aldridge

Today is my brother's 21st birthday. God, time goes fast. It seems like only yesterday my fraternity brothers and I were sneaking him into honky-tonk bars in Printer's Alley with him at the ripe ol' age of 17. Ahhhh, those were the days.

Now, I guess he is a man. So today I raise a toast to him. And bro, the next time I see you, I owe you a few rounds with that ruff old Turkey... enough to make HST proud. Congrats man, I thought it would never get here.

As for the photograph itself, I think it is cool. I love the distortion in the image. Here is what's going on with it. I centered his right eye as the focal point of the frame. Keeping his eye the center throughout the motion, I rotated the camera in a circular motion for 0.8 second while firing my 550EX flash 4 times in stroboscopic mode. You can see the appearance of 4 distinctive cigarettes where the flash fired each time. Turning in the circular motion made his face look distorted and bent and also gives the arching pattern to the lights in the shot.

Does Victory Shine Today?

"Victory" by Wes Aldridge

This is a pillar in a series of World War II statuary down in Bicentennial Mall. I think this particular pillar is very ironic. I know that victory was declared when the A-Bombs were dropped on Japan, but was that victory?

I don't want to dive deep into any social commentary tonight, but it just got me thinking. Does ending a war necessarily mean the same as victory? Maybe it is the humanitarian side of me, but I don't know if I agree with that. I guess it did make the United States a superpower for the following 50 years. Not sure if that was out of respect from other countries or their fear.

I am sure this will spark some kind of debate. Someone will either think I am anti-American or something. So, let's see where this one goes.

Alley at Night

"Building Vents" by Wes Aldridge

This is a vent in the side of a building downtown. I thought it would be fun to shoot at f/1.8 and let the patterns blend into nothing.

It was pretty dark in that alleyway, and kind of nerve racking. People kept walking by me and asking me if I had any money or wanted a sandwich. It was strange. Were they friend or foe? Did they think I was homeless? Was it nothing but taunting towards me? Was I out of my mind? Who cares.

I bumped the ISO up to 800 and shot at 1/60th of a second. I didn't do anything special. I just leaned against the side of the building, dodged the NES truck flying down the narrow alleyway and took a shot. I kinda like the backlighting in it.

Elvis on Broadway

"Viva NashVegas" by Wes Aldridge

Not much to say here. I needed a shot, and I went to Broadway and yep, you guessed it... I saw Elvis.

In the opinion of someone, this shot seems to look like a painting. Almost like the way this subject was shot, it starts to look like a 2-D object. But Elvis was very 3-D in person, or statue. He stands on Legends Corner, honky-tonk central, in downtown Nashville to greet all the passers-by.

Big Boss Man, this one is for you. Viva NashVegas and Hot Sauce from the King.

A Day of Softball

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"Megan" by Wes Aldridge

Today my excitement consisted of shooting TSSAA softball for around four hours, starting around 10 a.m. This was an amazing task for me, considering the amount of fun I had last night and how late I was up. I am suffering for it now. Sick, coughing and half-zapped on pain relievers and cough medicine. Oh, and did I mention the body aches? Yep, those too! All for a day full of fun doing the thing I love to do the most... shoot.

Anyway, this is Megan, the daughter of one of my co-workers. I thought the shot with the flag in the background is pretty cool. Not exactly action sports photography, but editorial that is pretty interesting.

Time for bed.

On Assignment: Brentwood, Tennessee-Day Trip

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"The Red Barn" by Wes Aldridge

I shot this shot today on assignment for out Brentwood Chamber publication. I did it kind of as a joke. I'll explain.

Last year's edition of the Brentwood magazine was shot by my boss/chief photographer, Greg. The cover was this same barn. I guess it was kind of ironic that I ran across the same random barn that he shot last year. So, the joke was, I went back to the office and all full of pride I boasted, "Greg, I shot the cover of the Brentwood mag just now." He said, "Oh really? Then show me what you got."

I handed him the camera and sure enough it was the cover of the Brentwood magazine... from last year's edition. I don't think he thought it was anywhere near as hysterical as I thought it was. None the less, it is a pretty nice shot of a patriotic barn. Enjoy.

Bright on Dark With a Little Contrast

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"The Light" by Wes Aldridge

Today was my mother's birthday and a joint family meeting for dinner and fun was arranged in Manchester, Tenn. It is halfway between Nashville and Tunnel Hill, Ga., where my parents live. As usual, I was armed with my camera.

After dinner, our party was walking out the front door into the night. I saw this lamp on the side of the building. I loved its old cast iron design, but the shadows it cast on the brick wall really is what got my attention.

I couldn't pass up a few minutes of shooting it for different angles and this is my favorite one. Who knew an O'Charley's restaurant would make it onto the blog? Certainly not I, but I do love the unexpected.

Shot settings were ISO 200 handheld at 1/20th of a second at f/2.8 with compulsory strobes from my 550EX flash. I liked the way this shot came out because of using the flash on it. And, honestly, I can't even tell that a strobe was fired once, much less the multiple times I fired it off.

Velvia, the Beautiful

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"Slides" by Wes Aldridge

I am almost ashamed to share this with everyone. You are looking at the slides from the first roll of slide film that I have ever shot.

The slides in the frame are processed from Fuji Velvia 50. I must confess, I am in love all over again. No digital shot I have ever taken can compare with the vivid colors of these slides. The colors simply explode from them. I was looking at these shots on the light board and thought I needed to commemorate the moment.

I bumped my ISO up to 400 and shot at f/8.0 handheld at 1/40th of a second. I was directly over the slides and focused on a shot of a goose that I was looking at through the viewing loupe.

Minute Detail

"Tiny Droplet" by Wes Aldridge

Here is another look into the fascinating world of macro photography. Even the most common item can take on a different dimension when it becomes larger than life in a macro photograph. Thank you Mr. Boshier for letting me use your extension tubes once again to achieve this interesting up-close-and-personal shot... and no, you shouldn't start charging me for the times I want to use the tubes!

Shooting with extension tubes is extremely difficult. Focusing with the front ring on the lens is more or less out of the question. I fix the ring in the position closest to the subject and move the camera back and forth by centimeters to focus on a subject. The extension tubes allowed me to get the front element of my lens about 1 inch away from this tiny 1-inch leaf on the potted miniature rose plant that I received for Valentine's Day. I used my E-TTL 550EX flash shot at 1/128th power as the light source pointed dead on to the subject with a diffuser screen, shot at f/3.2 at 1/200th of a second.

The water droplet itself was probably less then half an inch in actual size and the depth of field for the shot is crazily shallow. I used my 50mm f/1.8 lens, which has a normal minimal focusing distance of about 1-and-a-half feet without the extension tubes. If I had shot the lens wide open at max aperture, I don't think the water droplet would have even been decipherable, as you can see how difficult it is to make anything out in the shot at f/3.2 as it is.

With this shot as support, I think personal studies into macro photography must continue to be examined. There is a whole new world just waiting to be shot out there.

Life Feeds On Life

"Wascillay Wabbit" by Wes Aldridge

You don't expect to see a scene like this driving on Mallory Lane in Cool Springs behind the Galleria Mall. This carnage isn't typical of quaint urban settings. Of course I had to shoot it.

I drove by these three enormous (about thigh height) vultures standing on the side of the street at rush hour. I parked at an A&W Root Beer stand and mounted my f/2.8 70-200mm L lens to my Canon with my 1.4x teleconverter. The beasts were busy fighting over and shredding the carcass of a rabbit that had seen better days. I crept closer and closer to them and they seemed to hardly notice me.

I got within about 10 feet of them and shot away. The scene was that of carnal instinct and nature being intertwined with suburbia. They jumped in and out of the road, where the poor rabbit lay roadkill, until one of those black monsters had the great idea of dragging the carcass out of busy traffic and onto the curbside grass. It was very interesting to watch the three big birds screech and bite at each other. It was even more interesting to watch them violently shred the animal's flesh as they were feeding.

This is by no means a pretty picture. My motivation is not to offend, but to share what I considered an interesting moment of my day. It was nature in a harsh form on display for many robotic office workers to witness on their frenzied drives home after a strenuous day of pushing pencils and sending faxes from their cubicles. Can you imagine the executive from Company X driving by, talking on his cell and drinking his latte seeing a scene like this? Isn't it divine? Ha! I love it.

And All Was Blue...

"Glass Under Blue Sky" by Wes Aldridge

I was driving down Commerce Street when I looked up and saw this great mirrored building. The glass had several different shades of blues that complemented the tones in the sky behind it. The angles of the building were great and I moved around until I found an angle that really confuses the eye. The geometry of the building enabled my mind to run crazy with the composition concept of leading lines and rule of thirds for this shot. I was pleased to snap a few frames and jump back in the Jeep happy.

I had been listening to A Perfect Circle's 2nd album "Thirteenth Step" before I got out to take a shot. When I cranked the engine again, the CD player spit out these lyrics: "Call it aftermath, she's turning blue. Such a lovely color for you," from the song Blue off the record.

I thought, "Well, if that isn't a sign that I should use this shot for the blog, I don't know what is." These lyrics fit pretty tightly with this shot. They meant a lot to me during some of the tougher times in the not-so-far-removed days of my past. And now, they have had a little resurgence with my art.

A Shoot at Home

"Beautiful Day" by Wes Aldridge

Today was spectacular. The weather was nicer than it has been in quite some time. I got out of bed around 2 p.m.-ish and went to Dury's and bought two beautiful rolls of Fuji Velvia 50 slide film. I forgot how exciting it was to go to the camera store and buy pro film. I definitely need to put the digital camera down and shoot some good ol' slide film more often.

This shot, another of NashVegas, was taken from the pedestrian bridge on the side of the Cumberland River where the Coliseum (Nashville Titans football stadium) sits. I was walking around with two cameras slung around my shoulders with a tripod. It was a rather fun time. People would look at me and I could just see them saying in their minds, "This guy must mean business."

I got several really nice shots today, but I went with this one because the colors were so similar to the sunset I posted from my final day in Corydon, Indiana. I just drew a parallel to how two places can be so different, but something as simple as a sunset can tie them together.

The shot is of course digital (no time to process slide film today), shot at ISO 100 on a tripod at f/2.8 with a shutter speed of 1/1250th of a second to get that nice black silhouette.

On Assignment: Corydon, Indiana-Day Three

"Corydon Sunset" by Wes Aldridge

Another sun has set on another day and another photo assignment is complete. Even if Corydon, Indiana doesn't have much more than corn fields, the susnets are pretty nice in the flat land. Here is one for you shot from Interstate 64 between Corydon and Louisville, Kentucky.

And here it is... your moment of zen.

On Assignment: Corydon, Indiana-Day Two

"Comfort in Paranoia" by Wes Aldridge

Ok, so I don't know if I was playing the game in my head or if the man in the chair was playing it. I was doing a shoot at the new library located on the Indiana University Southeast campus. I walked by this guy sitting in the chair. He eyeballed me nervously as I walked by with my camera. I noticed he kept looking over his shoulder, seemingly paranoid, as if someone was watching him.

As fate would have it, I ventured up to the second floor and saw some railing around an opening in the floor that looked down onto the lower level. Yup, and you guessed it, Mister Nervous was sitting right below. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a shot of him. He needed it in his life, I know he did. So, I stealthily popped off this frame. He was a part of my game. I caught him. I caught him.

He looks pretty comfortable with his legs propped up on the table. Well, little did he know, my eyes were watching him now. He had been my subject and all his paranoid fears had just come true.

I guess the game was all in my head and maybe I am a little crazy for thinking like this.

On Assignment: Corydon, Indiana-Day One

"Dedication: The Show Must Go On" by Wes Aldridge

Today, the photo blog almost broke the 365-day consistency. I went through hell and high water to get this pretty little flower pic online. So the story goes...

I decided to take a different approach, in leiu of the currently falling snow, and try to find something worthy of shooting at the lovely Hampton Inn I am staying at. I shot everything from reflections in the indoor pool to a strange elevator sign to cigarettes in a giant stone ashtray. I thought the relection of the flowers were just pleasing to the eye and something a little more positive and uplifting to post for the day, so I went with that shot. Now, here is where the fun starts.

I am using a loaner iBook while my PowerBook is being repaired. It doesn't have an Airport card, hence I can't use the hotel's high-speed wireless connection. So, I got a network bridge from the front desk. Turns out the snow storm knocked their Wi-Fi down, so no dice. Then, I tried the good ol' trusty dial-up modem. I just kept getting booted off and never was able to establish a connection. After a few hours of trying to get wired into the Matrix, I thought no post tonight. That is mainly due to the fact that the thriving metropolis of Corydon is minute in population, i.e., no places were open to get Internet access this late at night in a small town. And I panicked. Yessir.

Then, survival mode kicked in. I thought, "I've gotten this far, no time to start giving up on this project." And so I grabbed the YellowPages and started thumbing through and brainstorming. I called all the area hotels and one finally agreed to let me use the computer in their business suite. Then, the guy asked if I was a guest... "No" I says. I thought, for the love of all things remotely holy, just let me get on the freaking Internet. I begged a little before the guy could really change his mind and he agreed to let me use it since it was so late in the evening... and he was probably worried I might hunt him down like a wild dog if he changed his mind on me. He could hear the desperation in my voice. So, I jumped in the Jeep and drove out through the billowing snow to the Holiday Inn Express. And there, my friends, is where I got wired and the show goes on.

Humanity: The Hollow Testimony

"Thirsty" by Wes Aldridge

This photograph tells a sad tale of human nature. I walked by a planter in downtown Nashville late tonight, very upset that I couldn't find a reasonable photo to post on the bloc, and I saw this. A cheap, generic bottle of mouthwash from Dollar General Store. It was empty, as you can see, turned upside down with the lid beside it. Not a drop remained in the bottle.

I assumed (and we all know what happens when one assumes) that a transient had made this a part of his nurturing for the night. I had heard stories about alcoholics sometimes drinking Listerine to get their fix when no other drink was available, but I had never seen anything quite like this. It was rather haunting. All the things inferred and implied from it.

Maybe I am totally off the mark here, but I don't think so. I mean, why would a bottle of highly alcoholic mouthwash be lying empty in a planter in a tougher part of downtown? I don't have the answer. I just hope that whomever used it had a better night because of it.

The shot itself was more based on opportunity than technique. I had no way of getting around the fact... I lit it with a punch flash from the camera, straight on. You surely can tell. It just lied in near total darkness. I thought there was some merit of recording the image and sharing it though. It really made me stop and think. I was shocked by it.

The day the mind tried to rest

"Hot, hot, hot" by Wes Aldridge

What can I say? The hot sign was on, so I stopped. It was a wonderful idea with a head full of night time sinus medicine and Turkey. It was a welcome thought with the dreadful loss of one of my heroes today. Damn, that doesn't leave many. There is still Q., thank God.

I asked the kid behind the counter if I could shoot the donuts on the conveyor belt. He obliged. I stepped behind the counter and he shouted, "you can't get behind the counter!" Too late my young friend. The shutter has already snapped and I am one day closer to completing this year long journey through the mind of the photographer.

The shot settings? Figure them out for yourself, if you care. I have a feeling you don't. Toodles.

Goddamn what a bummer

"Too weird to live, and too rare to die" by Wes Aldridge

Today is a horrible day. My icon fatally shot himself. Hunter Stockton Thompson is gone. He was a journalist and I wish I could have had only one conversation with him.

His work is the reason I am where I am in my life at this moment. After I read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, I got really interested in the wild ride he made of journalism. I got the itch, thanks HST. Its strange how his semi-fictitious representation of himself in his character Raoul Duke could mean so much to my life. He was why I began writing ruff editorial columns for my university newspaper and then started digging deeper and writing news and features and then, picking up the love of my life... my camera.

If I had never read Fear and Loathing, I would be pursuing the disgusting Music Business World and not having the great traveling adventures I am afforded with my job at the magazine publisher. Can you see? The value of literature?

If it weren't for him, I never would have acquired my lustful tongue for Wild Turkey. Now, that above all, would be have been a tragedy. I went to the archives and dug this shot up from about 2 years ago. I shot it because of HST. Could it not be more perfectly fitting for the man? A ripped, twisted, distorted and wonderful bottle of Turkey... bone dry from an agonizingly wonderful night of insanity. He was the one that proved to me that you can push yourself to absolute physical and mental limits and produce amazing works of all kinds. I aspire to be half of what he was.

I wish everyone could have had the chance to know him the way I do. I never needed to meet him, I learned more from him at a distance than I ever could in my entire life. But, now I will never get a chance to sit with him and get him to sign all my first edition publications of his books that I have collected over the years. Honestly, I just wanted him to sit and talk to me with his beautifully articulate mind and knock a few drinks on the books as his "signature." We are friends. I don't think ill things of him being gone, I am just proud to have gained the things I have through the life he had. A part of me died with him today.

A very fitting quote I leave you with from the pages of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Raoul Duke: There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. Some kind of high powered mutant never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.

The Watching

"Cold Eye" by Wes Aldridge

Well, it is Saturday night, minutes before midnight, fun is being had, and the blog shot is still going to get posted. How cool is that?

This shot is one I have waited on for a while. I acquired some extension tubes that allowed me to get close enough to the subject to do this shot. I was shooting the 24-70mm lens with a few extension tubes on. I lit it with my 550EX with a mild cyan gel filter that I bounced off a white card about 3 feet from the subject. I think it worked just fine.

Have a good one all.

Playa From the Himalayas

"That's Clean" by Wes Aldridge

World, meet Jarvis. He is a hilarious guy that is the photo assistant at our company. Jarvis keeps us from falling on our faces with the massive archives of slide film we have and the submitted photos that pour in for our magazines, he also comes and plays with us on various local shoots we do.

He never fails to keep us laughing, but on top of that, he doesn't mind when we experiment on him as a model for portrait work. If I were him, I would have told us to get out of my face and get a life by now. We get him to pose probably far too much. Thanks for being a good sport, killer.

Here are the shot specifics. ISO 100 at f/8.0 and a shutter speed of 1/200th of a second. I handheld the camera with a blue gel on my new 550EX, pointed directly on the subject with a diffuser screen, attached to the HotShoe on camera. I held my 420EX to the left of the subject in my free hand with a red gel on it. Shooting at 1/200th pretty much eliminates the ambient light from the flourescents in the room and allowed the gels to really do their thing. I had this image in my mind of doing something that looked like vision through 3-D glasses. Anyway, it is a little something different to look at and I think I will pursue more experimentation with the red and blue gel filter lighting mix. Also, notice the shadow on his face from the rim of his glasses... I personally think its pretty clutch.

And by the way, if you aren't one of the boys back with me in the photo department, you won't understand the title of the post or the name of the shot.

On Assignment: Leiper's Fork, Tennessee-Day Trip

"The Dead Field" by Wes Aldridge

Ah, nothing like shooting landscapes and scenic shots in the dead of winter. It is usually a bust assignment if you need any kind of vegetation, other than a holly bush or pine tree, in your shots.

I was in Leiper's Fork, Tennessee, shooting today. It is a tiny town south of Nashville where life seems to slow to a crawl. I went into Puckett's Bi-Rite supermarket and had one of their "world famous burgers" as locals in overalls and John Deere hats joked and laughed at me while I did some food shots of my meal. It is a different world there. I feel something majestic in it, a wonderful place to visit.

This was a random field that I drove by. It was dead, and perfect for what I wanted. I think the vivid colors of the sky and fence make a tremendous contrast with the dead tree and rotten grass. The shot pretty much is void of any photographic rules, I don't like to consider those anyway. Everything inside me told me not to take this ugly shot, but I simply had to. It was a perfect scene. I couldn't have asked for much more vivid contrast. I think the extreme contrast of this scene is fitting to the contrast of Leiper's Fork. It isn't much of a town, all 2 miles of it, but something about the people there make it so alive.

Product Shots on a Budget

"Limitations" by Wes Aldridge

Well, you would not believe the trouble I went through shooting this photograph. The long and toiling hours spent in the studio... the contemplation of every minute detail of the shot... the hours upon hours of photo editing.

No. None of that at all.

This shot was taken at my desk at work. Yup. I used my new Canon flash (550EX) on camera to get this one. My desktop was glass, not mirrored, and that is what the computer sits on top of. I shot at 1/15th of a second, without a tripod, by balancing the edge of the camera on the desk. I shot with such a slow shutter speed to eliminate the scan/refresh lines that would have appeared on the computer screen if it were faster. I tilted the monitor a tiny bit to eliminate the flash flare from appearing in the shot.

This was an exercise in how you can get very good photographs without having tons of expensive gear. I shot with an aperture of f/5.0, so you don't even need an expensive Canon "L" series lens at f/2.8 to get a shot like this. You don't even need a backdrop... the orange was simply from the color on the wall behind the desk. Heck, I didn't even clean the glass on the desktop or the glass on the monitor before the shot.

I love to set up intricate studio shots, but this shot is great and it took zero set up or pre-thought. Just some food for thought.

Valentine's Aftermath

"Pillars of Fire" by Wes Aldridge

I frantically searched for a shot as the sun was going down. I was hoping for a dramatic sunset, the clouds were amazing today. Anyway, the sun sunset wasn't nearly as great as I had hoped for and I wasn't getting any very good vantage points of framing ideas to shoot it with. So, I started to get annoyed.

I ended up instinctively driving towards the Parthenon. Centennial Park will always have a shot waiting for me. There are just infinite possibilities over there. The Parthenon itself has appeared on this blog before, but I got a little something different this time.

It was obviously illuminated with red flood lighting for Valentine's Day. I thought that was pretty unusual and I need to grab some shots to document it. I shot the obvious shots with a total view of the structure with my ultra-wide lens from a distance, but that wasn't what I was seeing at the moment. I needed to look harder.

I ended going up on the side steps of the building and looking up to find the moon. And there my shot was. I tilted the camera all the way back on the tripod, closed the aperture to f/22 to focus to infinity, set the shutter to 20 seconds at ISO 100 and went as wide as I could at 16mm. It is something a little different. I like how the positioning of the moon in the shot totally throws off the photographs symmetry.

Rock Bottom Spotlight

"Stoned Colours" by Wes Aldridge

This shot has no meaning at all. It was just a funny random thought that blossomed into a photograph. A little game of "can we make it work?" We did.

The container was a glass vase with glass or marble flat rocks in the bottom with a blue hue. I shot my 420EX Speedlite up from the bottom of the vase with blue and red colored gel filters on top of it. I shot at 1/200th of a second to eliminate almost all ambient light in the room at f/5.0, ISO 100. It looks almost as if the vase is floating in the air. The rim light on the top of the water abiscus is pretty neat as well.

Happy Valentines everyone.

Have a Drink On Me

"I [HEART] Vodka" by Wes Aldridge

This shot was taken at Sam's Place on 21st Avenue in Nashville. It is a cosmopolitan, of course. Yummy Stoli vodka and cranberrry juice, with a lime. Gotta love that. It is so fu-fu, and you know I don't drink it. But in mixed company, you are bound to have one floating around. Thank God it makes for good photographs.

This glass was handheld up close to the light over the table to let the color of the drink shine through. In the background, to the far left, there is a traffic light with all three (green, yellow, red) lights lit up. To the right of it, a Tennessee Titans logo shines brightly.

Anyway, this was with the trusty ol' crappy 50mm f/1.8 lens. You know, bars are very dark, so be amazed at these settings. ISO 100 with a shutter speed of 1/60th of a second. Pretty sweet, huh? No pixelation or distortion at all. Gotta love that. Plus the person that was holding it had a lot of vodka, bless her heart. Well, enjoy.

On Assignment: Franklin, North Carolina-Day Four

"Thumbs Up For Good Ideas" by Wes Aldridge

This shot is proof of a bad decision on my part. My final assignment in Franklin, N.C., was to shoot a new trailway on Cowee Mountain. The sun was perfect and the weather overall was pretty stellar for a winter day. I love to go out into the wilderness, so I was totally excited about this assignment.

I traveled on several forest service roads ascending the mountain side. The crude roadways were nothing more than dirt and loose rock steeply winding up to the mountain peak. I couldn't go more than about 5 m.p.h. in the Impala I rented from AVIS. I creeped along about 10 miles worth of dirt road up the mountain to around an elevation of 5,000 feet, and then I saw the snow. I had been driving trying to find the trail for about 1 hour and 45 minutes, so I thought I should keep going and get my shot.

Stupid. The snow covered the road. If you notice, the road is extremely narrow and a significant drop off is on the side. I kept trying to drive through the snow and the wheels kept sliding a bit. It scared the hell out of me, but I still trekked on because I NEEDED the shot.

I finally got to the last forest service road the trail was supposed to be connected to. Just my luck, the entrance to the damn road was blocked off. So, yes, I idiotically drove through snow-covered, narrow mountain passes to try to get this shot and then the final stretch was blocked off. And I learned a valuable lesson: Sometimes the shot just isn't worth the danger you put yourself in. But, forget that... where is the adventure without a little danger?

Another assignment in the books.

On Assignment: Franklin, North Carolina-Day Three

"Down On The Corner" by Wes Aldridge

This is a sight that makes me happy. In Nashville, you can look on the corner of 21st Avenue and Wedgewood when any political event is occurring and see masses of protesters. When I drove by the Macon County Courthouse in the small town of Franklin, N.C., I saw John Womack and his wife JoAnn, from left, Trish Severin and Doug Woodward exercising their First Amendment rights, standing shoulder to shoulder visually sounding their "Voices of Peace."

John said some people can't understand or get confused about his involvement with "Voices of Peace." He said his protest is not really one of anti-war, he is "more interested in working for peace." He said he doesn't understand why more people aren't trained in peace, like soldiers are trained for war. He said imagine what might happen if the money pumped into the war in Iraq was used to train soldiers in peace instead. John's point is an interesting one to listen to.

Sometimes in the smaller communities that I shoot magazines in, I wonder if these people know another world exists outside their city's limits. Today, as motorists drove by honking their horns and giving the four demonstrators the occassional "thumbs up" sign, the awareness and political interest of a sleepy little town was evident. I love to see people exercising their rights as a free-speaking citizen of this country.

SIDENOTE: Arthur Miller, a great writer who penned such amazing classics as "Death of a Salesman" and "The Crucible," has died today. Review his works, pass on his ideals and let his legacy continue.

On Assignment: Franklin, North Carolina-Day Two

"Old Glass" by Wes Aldridge

This shot was taken in the historic Methodist church in downtown Franklin, NC. The stained glass has been in the church since it was built, sometime over 100 years ago. It survived through a renovation and addition of a new sanctuary. In the new part, the stained glass seemed to be crafted in a similar manner as to mimic the original, old glass.

It was another shot that I couldn't pass up. I was walking through the building admiring the craftmanship and beauty of the glass when a little old lady walked up to me. She asked the usual question: "Who are you taking pictures for?" We spoke candidly for a few minutes and then she told me about the old glass in the old sanctuary and the new glass in the building addition. I'm glad she stopped and talked or I would have skipped over the old glass and thought it none different from the newer. I felt like it was my duty to shoot the old glass because nature had allowed it to stay beautiful for all of these years.

The settings that I used were for a backlit situation: ISO 100 handheld at 1/80th of a second at f/2.8. The sun was beaming brilliantly into the window, as if it were asking me to take the shot and share a piece of its history. It gave me a feeling of satisfaction to snap this frame, and I hope it gives you some satisfaction to share it with me.

On Assignment: Franklin, North Carolina-Day One

"Cornerstone" by Wes Aldridge

The assignment this week is in North Carolina, very close to Cherokee National Forest. It is beautiful here... minus the totally engulfing dreary weather. It will be great when the sun finally shines here. I have my eye on some sunrise/sunsets from high vantage points looking into mountain valleys.

This shot was from Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Franklin. I was making this shot about 9 p.m. in the rain. Headlights came from behind the building and who was it? None other than the pastor of the congregation. He stopped for a brief inquiry. He said he really would like to see the shots I was doing. I started to feel uncomfortable, kinda glad he left after a few minutes. Not sure if he could have appreciated the artistic nature behind this depiction of the cross.

Anyway, this shot was fun. I tried several different ways of shooting it, zooming in and out, panning, shifting, many different ways. This particular shot was possible because of my Canon L series 70-200mm f/2.8. It has a tripod collar that allows the lens to spin 360-degrees in a circular pattern. This exposure was shot at f/32 for 20 seconds at ISO 100. I focused on the center of the cross and let the exposure go for about 8 seconds (to make the cross appear solid at the beginning of the exposure) before I started spinning the lens ever so slowly, but evenly and fluidly. The gray cornerstone at the bottom made the gray semi-circle across the left side of the frame. The cross at the top of the frame was on the church's steeple. It almost looks like it flew out of the cornerstone.

Well, I think this one is neat. Pretty hard to find something to shoot after dark in a tiny town, especially one I've never been to before now. I just saw this cross beaming light from the side of the highway and had to go find it. Glad I did.

Shallow dreaming

"Woman, promise please..." by Wes Aldridge

Well, infer what you will... but, none the less: "Woman, promise please..." Take it for what you will. I think there is some strong hidden message buried deep inside the outer facade of these simple little magnets with words on them.

If you look closely, read the rest of the words in the shot on the little magnetic pieces. A story is there, a timeless tale of the ages. The tale is ironic and crude, and it may frighten you. Just trust it and read on. It will teach you things that you never knew existed.

Anyway, enough of the mystic garbage. I shot this in the office. A chic, I mean, fellow co-worker, was putting together poetry lines on this magnetic board. I grabbed the 16-35mm ultra wide lens and opened up to f/2.8. I saw the words: "woman, promise, please." It seemed too perfect not to take a shot. So, there you go. Nothing special, just a moment in the life of an office worker having a good time. Thanks for the shot, Autumn.

Must Be Nashville

"Boot Country" by Wes Aldridge

I went out searching for my shot tonight and realized I was somewhat forced to make the best use out of the rain. I knew neons were the ticket and I had to find some I haven't shot before, for variety's sake. I found one.

Boot Country is a store on Broadway downtown with this obnoxious neon above the door. I thought this one was just as good as any, and besides, the level of cyan in stirrup really sets off the color tones of all the magenta in the shot. So I busted out the Canon and slapped on the love of my life, my 50mm lens, and got to work.

This was shot at ISO 400 with f/1.8 aperture, hand held at 1/20th of a second. No, you aren't dyslexic, the lettering is a little screwy in the shot. This is where the rain comes in to play. A water puddle had gathered about 12 feet from the storefront and I got on my knees and saw this interesting reflection in it. The background to the shot is formed by a brick section of sidewalk the puddle stood on.

And in all honesty, I almost said to hell with the blog tonight. I am dead tired from the move, with more stuff to move in from the Jeep and unpack in my room. I leave to shoot a magazine close to Cherokee, North Carolina, on Wednesday and I have plenty of work to do before I leave. But, regardless, I started this thing and I am going to finish it. You couldn't possibly imagine the strain this 365-day photo project is putting on me. I guess if nothing else, it is teaching me the art of perseverance. I wanted to do this thing to challenge myself... and I think it is working quite well. I just keep reminding myself there is some greater value in it, even if I have no clue what it is. Something inside of me just says to keep on shooting and posting.

A groan of tedium escapes me.

God, I dread it. Its only been about one month and a week since I started it. Can I actually keep doing this? Will I be successful, or will it turn into failure.

Gamblin'

"The Elusive Mister Carter" by Wes Aldridge

Due to the recent SuperBowl sadness, our regularly scheduling posting will come from the archives tonight. Mr. McNabb didn't pull through for us and Mr. Brady walked away with another win, boring, I know. Thanks Eagles.

Anyway, I ran into the elusive Mister Carter tonight during the StooperBowl viewing. It reminded me of this shot from the studio at EMI Publishing. The boys from Thaxton Ward were cutting new tracks that night. Andres was laying down a drum track and the others had a little game of Texas Hold'em going on.

Here Carter is dropped out of focus at f/2.8. I think the shot is killer. I used a 16mm and got that great distortion where the poker chip is bigger than he is. Its solid. Enjoy.

The Day Has Begun

"Self BR" by Wes Aldridge

Normally, I am not so vain to put shots of my self up on this photoblog. Today is different though. It is moving day and I wanted a little memento of the times spent at 3054 Franklin Road. So I give you this Pulitzer Prize-winning self portrait of me in my bathroom in my boxer briefs and T-shirt. Marvelous, eh?

I really wanted to showcase the angles of the mirrors and how they worked with a fisheye lens. The field of view is about 180-degrees, somewhere around 14 or 15mm I think, which means that when shooting that lens, it is pretty easy to get your feet in the shot if you aren't careful. More times than not, the lens isn't practical for usage in daily applications. The effect of bending lines and angles is somewhat less than desired in most cases of commercial photography. Shooting with a fisheye is almost like having sushi: its a great idea every once in a while, but if you have it too much, it really starts to suck.

I'm not getting into all the shot settings. Technique-wise, there is nothing spectacular going on, just a shutter speed fast enough to hand hold the camera and avoid shake. Light is natural from the tungsten overhead.

I know, I know, not terribly exciting. Time to get back to packing.

The Night Has Ended

"Catch Light" by Wes Aldridge

For the conclusion of a great night, you need a great photograph. Luckily, when surrounded by good company, a photographer is able to get a good photo.

Take a look. This shot was taken on a tripod at ISO 400 at 1/10th of a second at f/4.0. It was shot with a telephoto lens as close as it would allow to focus. Notice the eyes are tack sharp and the ear on the left side of the face drops out of focus pretty drastically. A catch light in the lower part of the iris tells a lot about the light source used. If it were rectangular, then it would mean a soft box was used... if a star shape, then an umbrella was used. This was a simple cigarette lighter held relatively close to the face by the subject. The hard shadow falling over one eye tells the angle was extreme to the focal plane of the face.

Anyway, who cares about all that stuff. I had a good night, thanks for letting me shoot the shot of you.

Lamps, Grass and Concrete

"Landing Lights" by Wes Aldridge

For not much more than some lamps, grass and concrete, I think this shot is interesting. One of the strongest tools in a photographers repertoire is the ability to distinguish important and visually appealing patterns. Another tool, of course, is the Rule of Thirds.

In this shot, the line of lamps lead your eyes off into the distance where some lights shine in the night sky. The circular patterns of light and shadow seem to blend the cold harshness of concrete with the warmth and life of the grass beside it. When I saw this scene, it seemed to invite me to walk down the pathway, so I wanted to capture it because it spoke to me.

The location of the shot was at the park and riverside landing by the Coliseum across the Cumberland River in downtown Nashville. ISO was set to 100 with a 1/5th of a second shutter speed with aperture at f/3.0 at a focal length of 28mm, on a tripod of course.

NO COMMENT

"State of the Union" by Wes Aldridge

Well, another year and another Bush address. You know, I have nothing to say about anything he said. I just don't care about it. I have simply no opinion. If you believe that for three seconds then you probably don't know me very well. Infer what you will from the shot here.

It was shot through a glass in front of my Sony WEGA television (wish it would have been HD)at f/2.8 with 1/50th of a second shutter speed. I wanted to get one of his classic faces in the shot and really draw attention to it. Guess making his head look like an alien pretty much did the trick. Let me know if you like it, and if you don't, well, you are probably a Republican... God bless Texas!

A Dance with the Spins

"Bent and Twisted" by Wes Aldridge

This shot is from Demonbreun St. hotspot and Nashville-favorite bar, The Tin Roof. I was bone dry sober when I snapped this one, just watching (or as someone I know calls it "stalking") the mindlessly ripped and belligerent plastered 20-somethings have a grand ol' time drinking the night away. I saw this girl swaying back and forth, spilling her glass of beer with every movement and thought, "hmmm, wonder what is going through her brain right now?"

Multi-colored Christmas lights hung above her head on the bar's namesake tin roof. I saw her looking up at them as she did her silly, unbalanced back-and-forth stagger as the band played a cover of "Brown Eyed Girl." This was the moment, this was the ticket.

I set a slow 1/40th of a second shutter speed and wide 1.8 aperture with my cheap 50mm lens and panned in an arc motion during the long exposure. The streaking lights must have been the dreadfully tortured sight her eyes beheld. Anyway, it was just fun imagining a second of someone else's life.

Heat Things Up

"Fire Flowers" by Wes Aldridge

Before anyone puts anytime into analyzing this shot... It has no religious, political, racial or otherwise insightful meaning. It was merely a test shot. The items used to make this shot had caught my eye by chance while I walked through Michael's craft store at 100 Oaks Mall. I started envisioning a reflective surface with roses and a cross on top and then spicing it up with some fire.

I hope no one is offended. In no way did I intend any animosity to be felt over this photograph, but I can see how someone might infer the wrong ideals.Take it at face value only... no statements were in my intentions to be made from the content and composition of the shot. It was just a new challenge to play with changing lighting variables.