"Fire Flowers" by Wes Aldridge
I was shooting an assignment for our Williamson County magazine at Harlinsdale Farm when I got this shot. I went over there looking for a great sihouette of a horse in a sunset. Be sure to pick up the Williamson County mag and see what I got. I like it a lot.
This shot of the flowers in the field is very similar to my horse shots. I laid on my side in the field with my ultra-wide 16-35mm lens on and left cheek against the ground because I couldn't get enough of the sunset in the frame with the timberline in front of me.
Ah, I just love to watch the sunset.
"The Gardens" by Wes Aldridge
Today I was assigned to shoot at the historic Carnton Plantation in Franklin, Tenn. The grounds consisted of a plantation house complete with a smokehouse and slave quarters. Also, there is a great garden. That is where this shot came from. I was walking through it trying to find a shot and I looked up and saw this great pattern. I had to shoot.
The sunspot was great to capture and I love the lens flare it made diagonally in the right hand corner of the shot. A high shutter speed gave me the shadow of the wooden beam structure in the garden and allowed me to shoot virtually directly into the sun.
"Hollywood Lights" by Wes Aldridge
While I was driving to Jersey Mike's Sub Shop to grab a #13 Boss-style for dinner, I caught a glimpse of the Regal Cinemas Hollywood 27 movie theater neons. I shot this before early on in this project but used a shot of the neons from the marquee reflected in a car window. So, in essence, this is the same location with a totally different view point. I think it is one of the most interesting movie theaters that I have ever been to and totally worth shooting multiple times. There are just so many different ways it can be looked at from different angles.
It was almost last light and the sky hadn't turned black yet, so I decided, this was my shot. There is just something about seeing neons against a dusk filled sky. I guess I have truly fallen in love with neon signs now because I seem to shoot them more and more often.
"Sushi Time" by Wes Aldridge
Today, some of the fellas from photo decided to have lunch out in Cool Springs. We tried the Canton Super Buffet, but strangely enough, Chinese restaurants seem to be closed on Mondays. Don't ask, we had no idea why. But the sweet thought of Oriental cuisine kept fresh on our minds, and taste buds. So, to get our fix, we took a trip to Omikashi to enjoy their sushi buffet lunch. And yes, we very much enjoyed it.
Lunch inspired me. I decided to go grab some props tonight and do a little food shot of some sushi rolls. I bought the nifty little plate from the Pottery Barn, the chopsticks from Pier 1 Imports and the sushi from good ol' Kroger. I spent a little over $20 on the items for the shot and think they were well worth it. I figured I could use these for some stock photos with the possiblity of selling them to potential clients.
I turned my kitchen into a psuedo studio. I used a chair bottom to act as a table to shoot on. I sat up my 550EX E-TTL flash on a light stand and shot it into an umbrella to spread the light over the great little rolls. I ended up shooting the shot at 1/100th of a second at f/4.5 with an ISO of 100.
"W" by Wes Aldridge
Tonight Katie and I went on a little photo adventure. The sunset was closing in and I wanted to get a shot for the blog before last light settled the sky down.
We jumped in the Jeep and started driving. We went to the Parthenon. We headed into downtown. We tried at the Coliseum. We browsed about West Nashville. We searched up and down West End Ave and then rode it out towards Belle Meade. And there it was, we saw the shot. Whitfield's Restaurant and Bar. I liked the single "W" in neons on the top of the building. The sky was at the right exposure to match the red neons and I think it made for a nice color scheme.
"Drops and Ripples" by Wes Aldridge
This is a simple shot of raindrops hitting a puddle of water during a May time shower. I enjoy observing Nature in all her eloquent beauty. Even when the day seems nasty and the weather turns dark, gray and rainy, she is still gorgeous and radiant.
My original idea when I was shooting this shot was to try and catch a raindrop at the time of impact of it hitting the water. Then, I noticed something different: the patterns in the ripple effect of the water puddle. This was the shot.
I bumped my film speed up to 800 at f/4.0 with a 1/2000th of a second shutter speed to precisely stop the action I saw in the frame.
"Fall Creek Falls" by Wes Aldridge
Today concluded our company retreat at Fall Creek Falls. I thought it only proper to give a glimpse of the park's namesake waterfall and share its beauty.
It is wonderful to be out in and a part of Nature. To witness something as amazing as this sight, and to realize it is much larger than one's self, is extremely powerful. I am a country boy from Tunnel Hill, Ga., and I love nothing more than to walk through the wilderness with my camera in hand. I feel everyday is a ticket to an adventure and I try harder than anything to cash my ticket and take that ride on a daily basis. There is a vast importance in exploring and seeing things of this magnitude... to be a part of them for a sliver of time, just for a moment. Every moment in life is special and I want to taste and savor it for all it is worth. Today, looking at this magnificent waterflow, I tasted a little of what life is all about.
I make it a point of my existence to search and share what I see. I feel there is so much to share, and much, much more to see. I want to do it all, see it all, be a part of it all, bear witness and tell the story of all I encounter. I want to do something that matters.
"Mr. Boshier" by Wes Aldridge
The editorial, directories and photography departments from our company went on a two day retreat to Fall Creek Falls. And yes, it has been a fun night tonight.
Meet Mr. Boshier. He is one of my partners in crime, one of the five staff photographers for our company. Per his request, I grabbed my camera and started shooting candids during our cookout tonight. It was rather dark outside and he had the great idea of using stroboscopic flash sequencing to get some interesting shots. Perfect idea Antony, perfect.
I opened the aperture to f/3.5 with an extremely slow shutter speed of 1.6 seconds, which seems like an eternity to shoot with. We loaded the strobe to fire five times during the exposure. During the exposure, he made a slow run in front of the lens and this is what we got. You have a great blue tone in the sky from the ambient light after sundown and five images of him from the individual strobe flashes. There was not Photoshop manipulation involved in the crafting of this image, just FYI. The darkness of the forest allowed for the perfect exposure. Ain't it fun? I think so. More to come from Fall Creek Falls.
"Joyful Dreams" by Wes Aldridge
I was walking down the wooded path and I stumble upon a sitting stool made of gleaming white marble. I had walked long and hard and thought my body would appreciate a little rest for a moment. As I approached the stool, there read the above inscription: "In a dream you saw a way to survive and you were full of joy."
I walk the wooded path each day, long and hard and toilsome. I stumble and fall. The journey is tedious and my head falls down low. My head bows down and my eyes lose track of the sunshine above the treeline and shadows begin to fall. Times are bleak, and then, I see it in the distance. A little white stool shining bright in the dim forest light. It must surely be a dream. A place to rest for a moment in time, where life can stand still or pass you by and it is all the same. And joy fills me, the much needed joy. Who knows how long it will last, but then again, who cares? It is time to keep walking through that dark forest, as shadows fall, and hope for another gleaming white stool of marble.
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"The Golden Ring" by Wes Aldridge
Tonight I felt like getting intimate with Nashville. Something drew me to the place where music dreams are hatched and formed... Music Row. It made me think about all the people that have had the dreams of coming to Nashville to start a music career and make the "big time." It made me think of the countless thousands that have failed and the select few that have succeeded. It made me think of those getting ready to make the journey and I have nothing but best wishes and all the luck in the world to push behind them. Some call it dreaming, others call it a shot in the dark, but still some know it is where they are supposed to be. And everything will be in its right place. All you can do is stick it out, ride it until the end, and see where you end up. There are no guarantees, except for a long hard ride. Keep fighting the good fight.
"Musica" is the statue in the center of the roundabout at Demonbreun St. and Music Row. It sits proudly in front of the ASCAP building in all its might, and overlooks a clear path to downtown Nashville. It is perfect to catch the beautiful colors of a gorgeous sunset, so here is "Musica" silhouetted against a painted sky. Notice the golden ring in the tip of the statue's hand and how the sunlight catches it and glimmers even as the rest of the statue is in shadow.
"Stairway From Heaven" by Wes Aldridge
"What if everything around you
Isn't quite as it seems
What if all the world you think you know
Is an elaborate dream
And if you look at your reflection
Is it all you wanted to be?
What if you could look right through the cracks
Would you find yourself
Find yourself afriad to see?"
"Right Where It Belongs," Nine Inch Nails
"Spirit of Athens" by Wes Aldridge
Here is another shot from my excellent time I spent in Athens, Ga., this weekend. This statue is in the downtown area and is called "The Spirit of Athens." I thought it was worth the shot. Now, here it is to share.
"Look Out the Window" by Wes Aldridge
Athens, Ga., has proved to be a great place. Some people probably have some influence on making it a grand ol' time. I have enjoyed it.
This shot was taken with the freshly warm rays of sunlight on the way to pick up the car left downtown from the night before. Even though I wanted to go and get back in bed more than anything, I saw the morning sun on the courthouse and decided I needed to take this shot with me. I saw the reflection in the window of my Jeep, threw on the ultra wide lens and went with it. After this, we had a great muffin breakfast at a 24-hour diner called The Grill.
What a wonderful way to start the day. It was an awesomely fun experience. Glad I made the trip, it was very much worth the drive. Thanks for the invite AJ!
"Shadow Clock" by Wes Aldridge
This is the Franklin downtown courthouse. I am in Athens, Ga. I have other things to tend to. Have a wonderful night.
"Brad Arnold: Vox" by Wes Aldridge
Ok, so last night I posted a shot of the girls in the front row at 3 Doors Down rocking it out. Tonight, is a shot of who they were rocking out to. Ladies (Jess this one of the "hottie" is for you cause I know you love to hear me talk about the hot girls all the time) and gentlemen, I give you Brad Arnold, lead vocals for 3 Doors Down.
I must admit, media passes are pretty fun. Mine allowed me to shoot the first three songs of the band from the little area between the stage and the crowd. I don't think it is possible to get any closer to a band... unless you are a groupie of course! Slap on the telephoto lens and you get some pretty serious close up action.
I shot this one at ISO 400 at f/2.8 with a 1/200th of a second aperture. It seems to make for a nice action shot, clear and crisp, and like I said before, I am sure the girls drool over this guy.
"Ready to Rock" by Wes Aldridge
The blog shot was especially hard to choose tonight. I was still in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, until 5 p.m. tonight. I had several shots from the community today that would have made for excellent shots to share. But, as Fate would have it, bigger and better things happened tonight.
My good friends, Thaxton Ward, performed at Amsouth/Starwood Amphitheatre tonight before headliner 3 Doors Down. I was issued a media pass that allowed me to shoot the shows. I got some excellent shots of 3 Doors Down performing their first 3 songs in their set, I even impressed myself with some of them. But the shot I went with for today happened right before the band even took the stage. I felt like I witnessed a moment and was able to share it with other people.
I was standing between the mosh pit and the stage in a 4-foot wide clearing to do my photos. I turned around to look at the crowd as the band started to take the stage... and I saw pure energy, so I snapped off one frame. I loved it the second I shot it and knew it was pointless to try and shoot the band for the blog tonight.
The mentality behind this shot was this: Why put up a picture of rockstars that are used to being rockstars everyday of their lives? Why not put up a shot of these young kids that want to be that rockstar or just wish for something magic to happen in their lives? Why not show their raw excitement and faces and starry eyes filled with dreams and hopes? And so, here is my shot.
Timing was everything for this one. I had slowed the shutter down to about 1/40th of a second at f/2.8 with a high ISO of 400. The slow shutter allowed the girls on each side of the main subject to get a motion blur and show some electricity. The looks on these kids' faces were pure and unstaged and no one else in the entire venue saw what I did at that second in time, because all eyes were on 3 Doors Down. I wanted to share this so badly, and it is my offering for the night. Maybe we will look at a concert shot of the band performing tomorrow. Then again, something else might pop up and botch that plan too.
"Church and State" by Wes Aldridge
I was on my way to shoot a golf course for one of our publications, North Carolina Golf Guide, and I saw this standing in someone's yard on the side of the road. There was no way I could pass this one up. I wanted to share it with everyone. The afternoon sun was nearing sunset and the shadows that were cast on the cross and flag were great. The color was so rich and moody. Even the tree in the background made for the perfect shot.
This one was a quickie because I had to shoot two golf courses in about a two hour span before I lost last light. I fired off one shot after I halfway metered the light reading and hoped that I hit the exposure somewhere in the neighborhood of "on point." I thought about it until I got back to my hotel so I could download it and check it out. It was money. Throw bracketing a couple of f-stops up and down out the window this time! I guess sometimes one shot is all you really need. I am just thankful I got it.
I shot this up at an angle with my ultra-wide lens to get the run-down house in the background out of the frame. It was at ISO 100 with a really fast shutter speed of 1/2500th of a second at f/2.8. I like this one quite a bit, hope you enjoy as well.
"Highway Diner" by Wes Aldridge
I was driving, trying to catch a good sunset for the night when the clouds rolled in and really messed up any kind of decent shot I was trying to get for a nice silhouette. I must admit, I was pretty hot about not getting a good sunset shot. I was up for sunrise, which graced me with a 5:30 a.m. wake-up call and hoped to grab a sunset as well. It had been a long and tedious day and missing the sunset put me down.
Luckily, I drove by this great sight and everything started looking up for me. The Highway Diner's neons glowed through the night sky and I knew I had my shot. I really have a soft-spot in my soul for some great looking neons at night. Thanks to the great people at the Highway Diner for letting some strange guy with a camera set up a tripod and take some shots of their awesome place.
This shot was taken at an ultra-wide 16mm, ISO 100 with an exposure time of 2.5 seconds with an aperture of f/22.
"Prammanasudh Wins" by Wes Aldridge
After four days of disgusting weather, the sun finally came out and it was time to shoot the LPGA Tour Franklin American Mortgage Championship. I followed the leaders around trying to get the shot I wanted. It was pretty ruff at times, trying to walk through the swarming crowds of people to get to the places I needed to shoot from. But overall, it was a good time and really the first time I have shot a golf assignment. The winner of the tournament was Stacy Prammanasudh, pictured above.
Timing and having a long enough lens were the issues with shooting this event today. I would have given my first born to have had a 500mm f/4.0 like the photogs from The Tennessean were carrying around. I had to settle with my 70-200mm lens with the 1.4x teleconverter snapped on. I still got some cool shots, but my short lens was extremely limiting to the shots I was able to pull off. Oh well, such is life.
Now that this assignment is done, its time to catch a plane in less than two hours to Raleigh, North Carolina, for my shoot this week in Rocky Mount. The life of a traveling photographer... gotta love it.
"Truck Lot" by Wes Aldridge
I decided to get to know my city a little better tonight. I can't tell you where I shot this photo from, I just followed a bunch of roads leading to nowhere and found this great lot full of tractor trailers with some standing water. The reflection is pretty nice in the puddle of water and I especially enjoy how the tractor trailer is lit with the tungsten from the street lamp.
I did this shot at ISO 100 on a tripod with a 30 second exposure at f/22.
"128246" by Wes Aldridge
Well, here it is, my strange mind at work. Welcome to Acklen Station Post Office in Hillsboro Village. I decided to check my P.O. Box after work, knowing bills would be the only likely item found there in. Thankfully, it was empty on this occassion, cause brother ain't got much scratch to be throwin' at bills right now.
Anyway, while I was in there, something inside me simply wanted the camera. I went and got it and snapped a few frames. I thought the shots were beautiful. It was fun trying to turn a wall of P.O. Boxes into art. Notice the empty one in the middle? That one is mine.
"5 & Diner" by Wes Aldridge
Well, I have driven by this place on a daily basis for more than a year and have never popped in for a vanilla shake and burger. Isn't that a tragedy? The building sits behind Cool Springs mall, less than a mile from our company's office building, and I still haven't given it a spin.
The 5 & Diner... not really sure what the deal with this sock-hoppin' restaurant, but one thing is certain: its neons look pretty cool against the setting sun. Nothing terribly special about this one. The virtue of patience was the only skill exercised in the composition of this shot. I had to wait until the ambient light of the sunset matched to the level of light given off by the neons on the building.
"Industrial Sunset" by Wes Aldridge
Tonight was a wonderful night for an adventure. With less than an eighth tank of gas, and the sun setting in less than 20 minutes, I set out ot find the shot. I drove downtown, in and around, and about. Ideas came and they went. Nothing seemed to want to work for me. So, I kept my persistency and searched on.
As darkness started to fall, with the sun below the horizon, I kept on looking. The corner of 3rd and Lindsley, East Nashville, West Nashville... nothing still. The sun was diminishing and everything pointed toward me wasting a good sunset.
I was lost at this point. I had just kept following roads to wherever and had no idea where I was now. I see Fisk University and then Tennessee State Univeristy in front of me. I was getting close, and lost as lost can be all the while. I knew mere minutes lasted until last light, but I wasn't afraid I would miss anything and stayed calm. Just then, I saw a building in an industrial setting just over the horizon. I went for it and there found my shot. I have no idea where I was or what the place I was shooting at was, but it was my shot.
This shot was captured with my 70-200 lens at 100 ISO with an aperture of f/32 and a shutter speed of 13 seconds. These settings allowed the lamp lights to create stars and grab the right exposure for last light. It felt good to make an industrial park look beautiful.
"Green Bud" by Wes Aldridge
So, I am sitting at my desk and 4:30 p.m. is rolling around. After a day full of dreadful storming, the sun started to break free from the blustery clouds over head. I itched to grab my camera and make a mad dash for the door beside my desk. The world had come to life for the first time today and it was beautiful and I wanted to be a part of it.
My boss could tell that one more minute for me in the office would have drove me mad. It was time to play a game, one that I love. He asked, "You want me to give you an assignment for your blog?"
With an over-eager lust permeating from me, I stared at him with excited eyes and said, "yes."
He told me to go outside, no farther than 100-feet from where I am sitting at my desk and find my shot. Without any reply from me, I lifted from my seat with camera in tow and walked quickly through the door to the beauty our day had become. I looked for only seconds and the shot above caught my eye... and it was only about 40-feet from my point of assignment. I snapped about four frames and knew this was my shot and walked back in the office in less than two minutes from when I walked out.
I can't explain to you how exciting it is to be constrained and to be forced to figure out a shot in a cramped situation. It completes my photographic lust for adventure. The pressure motivates me to accell and I feel an amazing high in times like these. Even something as simple as my "assignment" and the shot I found, it makes me feel stellar to pull through with something cool to share from it.
"Goose" by Wes Aldridge
This is a shot taken of one of my dear old friends, the geese, at the Parthenon. I thought the nearly seamless reflection in this shot was pretty nice. I enjoy photographing wildlife and the Parthenon allows me to get my water fowl fix in this mid-sized concrete jungle of a city. If you don't visit the Parthenon at least once a week, you are robbing yourself. Give it a try and take along a camera if you care to. There is always something there to shoot from peace rallies to birds to lovers in the damp grass. It is a field day there.
Blue is for serenity. It makes this one perfect.
"AJ's Pick" by Wes Aldridge
Today turned out to be rather satisfying. Cheekwood was the destination of the shooting for the day. It was pretty today, just wish it would have been about 10-degrees warmer.
Anyway, I told one of my most special friends I was going to scout out photo locations for a portrait in her future album. The idea that she wants to portray goes along the lines of a "secret," with her dressed in white for innocence. I thought that Cheekwood would be the perfect place to accurately give the feeling she is looking for. I see another Cheekwood shoot coming on soon, and I am excited. Does anyone want to be a photo assistant?
If you would like to look at a small gallery of other shots I did today at Cheekwood, feel free to copy and paste this link into a new Web browser window and have a look at the slide show.
https://home.comcast.net/~jessf/CheekwoodGallery/index.htm
"The Statue" by Wes Aldridge
Yes, this is pretty. I like statues, but actually, I am tired and want to go to bed. So here is your shot for the day.
Yes.
"The Ride" by Wes Aldridge
Today I thought a street festival was supposed to be going on in Franklin, so I left work and headed to find a shot. When I got there, not so much of a street festival going on. I was pretty flustered because I was stoked to shoot some people having fun. I decided to keep driving around, because we all know the show must go on... got to get that shot up each day or total failure.
I happened upon a small carnival going on in the back streets of Franklin. I knew this was what I needed to shoot. At times like this, I really wish my camera shot full frame, instead of the multiplication factor that it has because it is digital and the sensor isn't made the same size as 35mm film. I wanted it wider, tisk, tisk.
"On the Bridge" by Wes Aldridge
Tonight was beautiful. It was an adventure. Jess and I were in search of photos, and we found them. We drove to historic downtown Franklin and squeezed off a few frames, then it was a race against the setting sun en route to Leiper's Fork. I just hadn't found the shot I was looking for yet, so off to Natchez Trace Parkway we went.
This shot was taken from the bridge on the Parkway overlooking Highway 96. I didn't have my tripod with me and I wanted to do a long exposure to get streaking headlights that contoured the motion of the cars in the road. So, I found a way to balance my camera on the railing of the bridge to steady it and I made a 30 second exposure at f/22 to get the entire frame in focus. The headlights and taillights made a great design and the motion looks like it goes on forever.
"SunBurst" by Wes Aldridge
I was driving around town tonight, my town, Nashville. I was looking for things that were different because it seems I am never here long enough to notice little changes anymore. I felt like getting back in touch with my city tonight.
I saw this little difference tonight. The SunTrust Bank logo had changed. Such a novel idea to change their logo to some kind of design with a sun in it. It is a great design and I thought it made for a good shot.
"NY Gulls" by Wes Aldridge
Today was another magnificent day for photography, and my life in general. Nothing particularly special happened, I just know how fortunate I am to travel and shoot photographs for a salary. It was a whirlwind adventure, in and out fast. Now time has come to head back to NashVegas.
I miss New York already as I sit in the Buffalo-Niagara Airport munching on some city name-sake "Buffalo" wings as I hack away at the blog. Time is drawing closer to departure on the big red, gold and blue bird to Baltimore and then on to Nashville.
This shot was done on the banks of the Niagara River. It shows a somewhat primal aggressive side of seagulls, general what I consider as gentle creatures. The sounds they made were like women shreiking and chilled your blood. I got in as close as I could, without scaring the little birds into flight, and squeezed off a few frames while they were making their strange noises.
"Fall Colours" by Wes Aldridge
Today was spectacular. The weather was perfect. The photography flowed like clockwork. It was a blessed day to have my camera in my hand.
This is a photo a view of the American side of Niagara Falls from across the river on the Canadian border. At night, the falls have lights projected on them in different colors from the Canadian side. The colors cycle through and change from one to another and it was difficult to get the colors to show properly with a very long exposure. The shot was taken at ISO 100 at 1.6 seconds with an aperture of f/2.8.
"Candian Lights" by Wes Aldridge
This shot is offically my first international photograph. I know, I know, its just Canada. I went across the border tonight to scout out shots of Niagara Falls and I decided to snap a few neons on Centre Street in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The street was bizarre, much like I remember it when my friends and I went on a whirlwind day trip there about five years ago. It is a strange mix of the main strip in Gatlinburg, Tennessee (major tourist trap) with casinos sprinkled into the mix.
Crossing into Canada was strange in itself. I had to stop and let a pair of Canadian customs officers search my vehicle for contraband and answer several questions. I simply had to present my drivers license and after the search, I was free in another country. After flocking about in the streets of Canadia, I went to cross back into the States. It bothered me because only after a few questions like, "Where were you born?" and "How long were you in Canada?," I was able to drive my rental car back into the U.S. It was ultra simple to cross into the border and there was no search of my car or anything of that nature. I thought with the state of New York being as it is after 9/11 and the position of Homeland Security, I imagined the process of coming into the States would be a little more difficult, or thorough, however you want to look at it. Just something to think about.
I am not a person that wants or supports more restrictions on free travel and such. But I thought with the gigantic ordeal and emphasis being placed onto the ideal of broken borders and fear of terrorists coming into the country, it would be much more than a 3-minute event to cross the Big Line.
"Thrown" by Wes Aldridge
Tonight Thaxton Ward played a great rock show at the Rivers and Spires Festival in Clarksville, Tennessee. After the show during breakdown, the elusive Mr. Carter decided to throw the frisbee around... and I thought it would be cool to shoot.
Because it was very dark, I had to shoot at ISO 400. I slowed the shutter down to about 1/25th of a second to catch the motion of the frisbee in flight and give it the cool trail through the air. I hit Carter with a little flash from my 550EX to give him a little luminescence and to stop his motion and make his figure look solid.
"In Flight" by Wes Aldridge
This is a shot that I did at the office. We have this great gazebo that we go out to and spend some quality time in while its pretty outside. But, there are several pesky bees that are guarding something. They fly around and buzz by my head and try to keep the other bees from invading their terrirtory.
Anyway, I shot the bee at a very high shutter speed... and I need to hang out with a girl. See ya, bye, its Friday night.
"New Found Vitality" by Wes Aldridge
Ahhh... It is mid-April and spring has sprung. The air we breathe is a little fresher. The skies we see are much bluer. And for the love of all things holy, the greenery has come forth to delight our eyes once again.
This was a shot I did in our office complex parking lot. The light hitting the new found glory of the green leaf sapling was all I could stand to not take a shot at. The sky, perfect in its beautiful, majestic blue. Spring time is here and life has come again.
"Spicy Eggplant" by Wes Aldridge
Well, this is a shot I set up in the studio. The food looked pretty nice and colorful, but the image just needed a little more dressing up. I went to Pier 1 Imports and bought this little place mat that looked pretty Asian and seemed to fit in well. Then, of course, we needed some fly looking chop sticks. Funny though, no stores in Cool Springs had any for sale. Everything they had was for display only, not for sale.
I ended up in Hecht's department store and saw a table setting there... with chop sticks made of black porcelain. I NEEDED them. I told the store manager this in a frantic way, and he felt the desperation in my voice and could read it in my eyes. He agreed to let me take them on the premis that he "trusted me" to bring them back when I was finished with the photo shoot. Believe it or not, I got them back to Hecht's when I was finished. Such a good boy am I.
"Night Light" by Wes Aldridge
This shot is of the rotating guitar at the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Nashville. The neons look nice and contrasty against a pitch black sky, so I decided to take a shot. I just exposed for the neons and let the sky totally fall dark.
It was yet another night the post almost didn't happen. The Net was down at my place, so I went all over Nashville trying to find somewhere to hook in Wi-Fi. I had no luck. On my way home, almost giving up, I drove by my alma mater Belmont University and thought eureka. I drove up to the library and searched for a wireless network... and behold there was one. The fun didn't end there, though. I tried logging in with my old college passwords and couldn't remember them for the life of me. After racking my brain another 20 minutes with it, I finally remembered my codes and got online; And the post is up.
"Cards and Cigs" by Wes Aldridge
This is a little diddy set up using the deck of Harrah's playing cards from the casino in New Orleans that was given to me on my 21st birthday there. Not much going on in this one, but I think it looks neat. Could be a great shot for someone to hang in their playing/gaming room, hint, hint.
"Ole Glory" by Wes Aldridge
Well, it was a pretty day, the weather of course. So I shot this flag. Other things could be more to wish for, such as life's little path in general. Just a rather interesting time that I don't fully understand at the present time. But, I am not a person that cares to question the things that go on day to day. I let them come as they will... and yes, they will.
To sum up life's present situations and current events and happenings, I leave you with this quote from one of my greatest influences in life, my senior AP English teacher in high school.
"The rational mind knows limitations that the heart could never understand."- Henry T. Honeycutt
"RC Jones" by Wes Aldridge
This shot is of RC Jones, guitarist from the Nashville rock band Thaxton Ward. The show pretty much rocked tonight at The End. The crowd was happy and the music was tight.
The lighting in the club was terrible, so I was pretty much forced to shoot at a 3200 film speed. That means ultra grain, but I embraced it and thought of it as a creative factor. It adds a certain roughness to the photos and really enhances the situation.
"Le Turkey" by Wes Aldridge
This one is for Scooter.
The Sherlock's liquor store in Marietta gave us this profound anomoly. I am not sure who Jimmy Russell is, but he sure as hell signed this display for Wild Turkey.
No shot info. It was simply a special moment that should have been recorded for a dear friend.
"Slow and Steady" by Wes Aldridge
What a strange trip today has been.
Money. Greed. Fear. Opportunity. Deception. Realization. Redemption. Fortune. Tragedy. Uneasiness. Destruction. Temptation. Abomination. Frustration. Tranquilization.
Bliss, thank you girl.
Why can’t my life be like that of a turtle, where the only pressing quest is to cross the road without being smashed into oblivion? I guess I am that turtle. I try and cross that road everyday. I will keep the pursuit no matter what steps come in front of me to deter. I will do what is right and valiant, no matter how difficult, and fight the good fight until the sweet ending. My movements toward progress may be slow at times, but I will use my hard shell to guard me and persevere the atrocities before me. With my body tattered and worn, skin old and leathery, I still press on… and I will reach the other side.
Meet me.
"USA Fish" by Wes Aldridge
Yes. This was in downtown Somerset. Did you think I could pass up a post like this? Of course not.
Apparently the town has many of these statues hanging around, several in the Somerset Mall. One of my assignments entails documenting them through photography for a feature story. I didn't know about this one, but I sure saw it standing there tall and proud in all its glory.
The weather was garbage and what little sunlight that was available through the cloud-covered sky was on the other side of the beast. I knew I had to wait and shoot him at dusk, which p.s. allowed for no coloration in the sunset. So, I dropped my shutter speed to 1/13th of a second to let some of the ambient light from the street lights in and set my aperture to f/6.3 to let the right amount of flash and depth of field for this one. I used my 16-35mm lens for that ultra-wide distortion of the fish.
Anyway, what a patriot!
"Sun and Stones" by Wes Aldridge
One of my greatest fears is to sing solo in front of people, even if it is at a small birthday gathering with PlayStation 2 American Idol karaoke. I respect someone who has the ability and desire to stand with their naked voice and sing. Enter Amanda. Today she sang the “Star-Spangled Banner” at a University of Georgia baseball game in front of hundreds of people… a cappella. I wanted to be there to hear her, because if you have never had the opportunity, her voice is intoxicatingly beautiful. It was in high school, and still is weeks before her college graduation.
Earlier in the day I told her to get her best friend to call me and hold her cell phone where I could hear her. I didn’t know if that would actually happen or not, but as I lay on the ground amongst white tombstones in a veterans’ cemetery at sunset, my phone rings. The voice on the other end said, “I think she is going to sing in a couple of minutes, hold on.” I couldn’t believe it. I looked up at the American flag blowing in the sunset and then I heard the sound.
She began the song (on perfect pitch) and something moved inside me. I expected her to sound good, but I wasn’t prepared for the brilliance in her voice, even over a cell phone speaker. I listened to her sweet soprano voice soar higher and higher with “the rockets red glare” and chills blasted across me. She sang on and my jaw hung wide open.
When she brought her voice back down to end the anthem it was in a wonderful whisper with “the home of the brave.” Right then, staring at the flag above me, lying in the grass in the cemetery as the sun faded away, something moved in me. A single tear rolled down my left cheek and I was sonically completed. I let the sun fade away and I just lay there and stared at the sky. I couldn’t move, and it was great. Everything was in its right place and I didn’t actually shoot the deep reds and purples in the sky after the sunset, it seemed better to just lie there and watch it sink away. Today I may have been on assignment in Somerset, Kentucky, but my ears and heart were in Athens, Georgia.
This shot is the scene I saw seconds before I got that phone call. And by the way, Nashville is waiting on that voice girl, bring it on up here and start the long, hard road.
"The Walking Bridge" by Wes Aldridge
This is a nighttime shot of the pedestrian bridge in downtown Nashville. I sat it on a tripod and did a long exposure to get this shot. I love this shot because of the beauty found in simplicity.
"X Commandments" by Wes Aldridge
I saw this and had to shoot it. I remembered the somewhat recent controversy surrounding the forced removal of the Ten Commandments at Montgomery's Federal Courthouse. I thought it was interesting.
The shot isn't technical at all. It is here for all to see. See it?
"Flyin' Brian" by Wes Aldridge
Meet Brian Fowler, or as many people know him, "Mr. Dance Ohio." He won this honor and the Licking County Chamber wanted to feature him in the portfolio section of their magazine. I thought this was an interesting concept from the get go.
My editor gave me his contact information only yesterday. That didn't give me much time to track him down and set an appointment for a portrait before I flew out on Sunday. Time was against me and I just hoped a power stronger than me would give me a hand on this one. And, yeah, that happened. I got in touch with him and sat an appointment for a couple of hours later that day.
I drove through the bitter cold in what seemed like a blizzard to the studio where this guy danced. I sat up a light and started shooting reflections of him Jete, Plie and Pirouette... and it blew my mind. I didn't know guys could make their bodies do the things this aerobatic wonder was doing. I had to get myself reflected in one of the shots. Do you notice his legs are parallel to the ground? Yeah, they are.
For the shot, it was at ISO 100 with a shutter speed of 1/200th of a second at aperture f/4.5 with a White Lightning strobe light bounced through out of an umbrella. I was using my radio slave to trigger the strobe to allow freedom of movement and I positioned the light at 45-degrees to the subject.
The kid asked me, "Can your camera shoot multiple shots right in a row?" I said, "Yeah, but I just shoot one at a time." He said, well, the newspaper guy that shot me had a real problem getting the 'right' shot." I just told him, "I'm not just some newspaper guy..." After I was finished shooting he and his dance instructors were pretty pleased with the action images I captured. Rock.
"Train a Goin' Home" by Wes Aldridge
One of my feature stories required me to shoot an industrial park. As you may or may not know, industrial parks are not the most photogenic stretches of architecture and landscape. So, I did what any goal-driven photographer would do... I shot it at sundown to add a little warmth to the shots and give it a little more of an appeal.
Anyway, I am out in the middle of nowhere, several miles outside of "the city," and the sunset is fading fast. I was speeding, frantically and desperately searching for something to frame a sunset and silhouette with. Just my luck, I see this train sitting off the road in a field. I slammed on the brakes, jerked the Mercury off the road and made a mad dash for the train. I got there just in time. The color shifts are beautiful in this one, really inviting to the eye. I particularly like the chaotic line formations.
The shot is between two boxcars where they are connected together. It just seemed like the right part of the scene to share with everyone. Enjoy.
"Self: On the Mounds" by Wes Aldridge
Here is a little self portrait action for you, via silhouette. Yes, that is me standing on an Indian mound... on a GOLF COURSE. This kind of disturbs me. This course was built in 1910, and it is very beautiful. But, I really don't know if I agree it being where it is. Anyway, it was a beautiful day and I thought it was a neat idea for a shot.
I personally like the arm-on-hip attitude going on. Not sure why. It has sass, and yes, I am a straight man with sass sometimes. Nothing wrong with a little pizzazz!
Enjoy the shot.
