Listenin' In The Cold

"Chet's Audience" by Wes Aldridge

Tonight I wanted to record some reality with my light capturing box, so I went downtown. I walked the sidewalks and alleyways for about two hours in the 30-degree temperature. It was cold, much too cold for me to be aimlessly hunting a shot, but of course I kept on searching.

I came upon the intersection where a bronze statue of Chet Atkins sits on a stool playing a guitar with an empty stool beside him. Though tonight, the other stool wasn't empty. A man (whom I talked to later and found out he was homeless) was sitting there motionless in a deep stare. It was as if he was listening to Chet play. I slung the camera up and popped a shot before he saw me. I walked by the guy and we small talked and I went back to the Jeep.

I drove by the Ryman Auditorium and saw a sad scene: several men were huddled together lying on an air vent to stay warm in the bitter night air. I knew exactly what I needed to do. I drove a few blocks up to the TigerMarket and bought some large coffees and sandwiches and bananas and headed back to the group of men on the street.

I walked up and more guys had shown up to warm there since I had gone to the store. I gave them the food and drinks and asked them to please share. They graciously agreed. I sat down there and talked to them for a little while. It was getting late so I wished them good luck and headed on my way.

I knew that the $16-something-odd dollars I spent on the food wasn't much, but hopefully it will help those men get through a cold Nashville night.

Keep On Playin'

"One Way" by Wes Aldridge

I started thinking a lot about family tonight. Just simple contemplation. So I decided to post a pretty artsy shot from the street musician portrait session I did of my brother. I think there is one way for him to go... just hear the music.

Visions From The Mirror

"Legislative Reflections" by Wes Aldridge


"War Memory" by Wes Aldridge

This afternoon I felt defeated, almost depressed. Just watching the sun go down before I leave the office nearly makes me sick. There was nothing I wanted to do today more than shot some photos, but I was stuck in the office finishing up a database from my last shoot and starting to plan my next trip.

I stayed late to try to get ahead of the game to schedule appointments because light was gone and fighting rush hour was pointless; there was no sunlight left to shoot under. I came home and watched some television. Around 11 p.m. I started to feel this overwhelming urge to go down to Legislative Plaza to get a shot. I really can't explain the feeling I had, something forced me to go down there. I bundled up and jumped in the Jeep and headed downtown listening to Shinedown's version of "Simple Man."

When I got there, I saw my angle immediately. I sat up the tripod with a 25 second exposure at f/22 at ISO 100 with my 16-35mm lens. The exposure of the first shot I took, the horizontal above, was dead on the money. I used the reflections of one of the calm pools where fountains spout during the daytime to get the War Memorial building and the Capital building. The vertical shot was at the same exposure settings of just the front of the War Memorial building. I liked both of the shots, so what the hell, I posted them both.

I really like these shots, but I am not satisfied with them. I want to reshoot them when there is either a sunrise or sunset in the sky behind the buildings instead of pitch black. I could see it in my mind; waiting for that perfect moment when the ambient light in the sky faded with enough dull color to even out with the flood lighting on the faces of the buildings. Wouldn't that be wonderful? I know that getting that shot wasn't highly likely before New Years Eve and the end of the year-long photo project. This is part of the sickness in my head, probably in other photographer's heads as well. We just have a way of seeing a picture, even if it isn't really there... and then agonizing over it if it isn't possible at the time.

The Old Town

"Colonial & Dr. P." by Wes Aldridge

Take a visit to the Old Town. I am sure there are stories to be heard and times to be told about. Every place has its own tale, no matter how sleepy and tired it may seem. There is something hidden and barely whispered on the lips that live there.

Getting Late

"Old Wheel" by Wes Aldridge

I found this old wheel, rusted and aging. But I am tired and still under the weather, so I need to rest.

On Assignment: Huntsville, Alabama-Day Six

"Bending Religion" by Wes Aldridge

Last day of the Huntsville assignment. We got some great photos, in my opinion, and now I am glad we are leaving. Traveled back to Nashville. Feeling very sick, but trying to fight it off. Slept since I got home and took plenty of meds.

This shot comes from a church we drove by in Huntsville. It was the strangest church I've ever seen. We stopped to take a shot and Brian let me use his fisheye lens. I had wanted to get a shot with it for the blog for a while, and I think it was finally the perfect time for it. The structure worked perfectly with the bending effect of the lens. Note the wall painting of Psychedelic Jesus on the wall. Reaaaaaally trippy.

On Assignment: Huntsville, Alabama-Day Five

"The Circle" by Wes Aldridge

Today was strange, too tired to explain.

The magazine is finished now, thank all things good. Home will come soon.

Can you see the circle?

On Assignment: Huntsville, Alabama-Day Four

"Sk8" by Wes Aldridge

We were shooting at a skate park today. It was crazy because Brian and I were shooting the same angle on this one, pretty much side by side. The guy skating was coming straight toward us and getting some serious air off a ramp. Brian was shooting his fisheye lens and I was going wide angle at 16mm. When we compared our shots, we saw we had shot at the same identical time. I was shooting somewhere around 1/1000th of a second, so the chance of us hitting the shot at the exact same moment is virtually impossible... but we did. My shot only had one problem; none of the actual skate park is in the frame so it wouldn't do to illustrate the story we were trying to shoot. Brian's shows the guy and the park, so his was the shot we needed. I still like mine though, too.

On Assignment: Huntsville, Alabama-Day Three

"Framing the Sky" by Wes Aldridge

The winter time is tough for our photo gigs. Many things hinder good shots for our magazines; brown grass, leaveless trees, bitter coldness, etc. But right now, the thing that really is killing us is the shortness of sunlight. It pains me to watch the sun go down at 4:30 p.m. Ha, but such is life!

Today's shot is from a construction site that Brian and I were doing a dual-protrait of a brother team of land developers. The whole time we were shooting, construction workers were busy at work all around us. When we were packing up after the shoot, I looked up and saw this one guy going back and forth on the building's framework. I was down on the ground and caught this neat angle with the guy stopped on the corner for just a few seconds.

I can't explain exactly what it is, but I really like this shot. It was just another part of that worker's day and he didn't see me take the shot. It seemed as if he was framing up the sky instead of the building at that second.

On Assignment: Huntsville, Alabama-Day Two

"Fire Flutter" by Wes Aldridge

A shot from Huntsville.

Make No Connection

"Power" by Wes Aldridge

Hello?

Is someone in there?

Can you hear me, or see me? Where did everything go?

Where am I? Where have I been?

Was the vacation as good as it seems?

Or are you just staring blankly back at me again?

Lucky Day

"Charms" by Wes Aldridge

So last night we went out for a while, nothing really too wild, but I was feeling good when I got home. I dozed off and started having some strange dream about war-torn Europe in the 1940s. In the movies, it never fails that someone jumps into a bathtub to avoid the blast of a hand grenade.

We had decided last night that we would go to the Titans game today and my friend came over to pick me up. I heard the doorbell ringing like crazy and woke up lying in my bathtub. I guess the dream just seemed so real that the only option was to sleep there. Pretty funny stuff.

Walking down Broadway a guy in a Lexus pulls up and tells us we would want his tickets. We ask him where the seats were for, and he says, "Second row, 45-yard line right behind the Titans bench." I said thanks and bought two for $40. It seemed reasonable, what can I say? Felt like it was my lucky day.

Historical Place

"Clisby Austin House" by Wes Aldridge

I went driving around to find a shot today. I ended up close the namesake train tunnel that gives Tunnel Hill its name. Near there is a historic Civil War battleground where the Battle of Tunnel Hill took place. On the property sits the Clisby Austin House. I have no idea what the signifigence of the place is, but here is a photo near sundown.

Something From Nothing

"Fiery Ace" by Wes Aldridge

So, I didn't get out to find a shot before the sun had already went down. I needed to do something. Ideas, ideas... I needed one. Grab the Turkey, gobble gobble. Ideas began to flow.

I grabbed my favorite deck of playing cards that I got from the Harrah's Casino in New Orleans on my 21st birthday and went to the kitchen. I balanced the card with a small plastic bowl behind it. I turned the lights out. I sat the camera on the counter top with a 20 second exposure at f/22 set to fire on a 10-second auto timer. For the first 4 seconds of the exposure, I "painted" light on the face of the playing card with a flashlight to make the lettering appear in the shot. Next, I grabbed my trusty Bic lighter from my pocket and lit it as I made wavey passes along the edges of the card. for the remaining 16 seconds of the exposure.

This shot had zero alteration or manipulation in Photoshop, other than the expected color level corrections and such that go along with any digital photography.

This one is pretty damn cool considering I did it in the freakin' kitchen with a flashlight. Just trying to keep it interesting in the last days of the blog. Gobble, gobble.

A Time of Thanksgiving

"Street Sounds" by Wes Aldridge

Thanksgiving once again. Plenty of food prepared by my incredible Southern cooking mother. We had enough to feed an army, but it was just the four of us including dad and brother. A nice, simple, quiet Thanksgiving.

I was thankful for much today; my health, my family, my talents, etc. But most of all, I was thankful that my brother didn't want to kick my ass for making him stay out in the cold tonight on a Chattanooga, Tennessee, street doing the photos for the blog. He was a good sport and just played and sang while I adjusted lighting and tried different angles. Well, I really like this one. I enjoy the little things in it like the dead leaves and paper cup in the right corner, as well as the "DO NOT ENTER" sign in the background. It looks really natural and it puts a good memory and story in my mind.

Its wonderful just to be with family. Hope you enjoyed your day as much as I did.

Liberty, Detailed

"The Cloth" by Wes Aldridge

This is a shot I saw tonight of a small, old American flag. I flipped my 50mm lens around to get a macro shot. The grainy detail was the goal.

On Assignment: Huntsville, Alabama-Day One

"Caged Rocket" by Wes Aldridge

Today was strange, yet yielded some good photography. Brian (a fellow employee of the JCI Photography Department) and I drove down to Huntsville to get a few assignments in for the magazine. Its kind of funny, and sad I guess, but both of us are slightyly injured right now. We joked all day long about putting us together and getting a fully physically functioning photographer. We shot at a German restaurant and Brian was standing posed in the frame to help test lighting. I got a great shot of Brian posed up with a dish of food in this awesomely decorated German restaurant. The shot was a classic and he looked really funny, so I thought he would never forgive me if I posted it. So, here is a pretty cool shot instead.

Huntsville is of course heavy into NASA. We were searching for a shot as the sun was setting and we came across this one. Wow. The only thing that was a problem was a chain link fence between me and a really awesome shot. I popped this shot because I liked the idea of the big rocket ship caged in and locked up. Here it is. I, of course, climbed around on this bridge over-looking I-565 to get another angle of this shot without the chained fence. It looks pretty rock and roll, too.

Where ya do ya wanna chaw, now?

"Little Reminders" by Wes Aldridge

When I find myself with a gigantic, mouth-watering wad of chewing tobacco, sometimes I get lost in the bliss of that sweet product and forget all social skills. Yes, I admit it... I have taken it upon myself to spit on both the walls and floors of the establishment that I am in. Thank goodness signs like this one hang amidst lucky horseshoes to remind me that I am no longer a caveman.

Standing There

"Lazy Sunset" by Wes Aldridge

I guess there must be some kind of feeling that comes over one's person when watching a sky that has the drama of a wonderful sunset. I think I just want to take a picture.

Slumbersome

"Green Monster" by Wes Aldridge

There was no room for a lover, but his bedtime story laid beside him all night long and sang a lullaby to soothe his aching head. The whispers of empty bottles clanging like he had never heard before.

Lurking At My Door

"Green Monster" by Wes Aldridge

This is shot of a scary monster that was lurking at my door. The face will terrify you. Trust me.

Helping Hand

"B.McCord" by Wes Aldridge

So Brian here is one of our staff photogs. He unfortunately tore his shoulder out of socket a few weeks back and has been out of commission on the photo front since his corrective surgery. He was shooting an assignment for Tennessee Home & Farm magazine today and needed some help holding lights and hauling/moving equipment around because his arm is not 100% again as of yet. So I needed to give a brother a helping hand on this story about a guy that restores old cemeteries. We were testing light when I took this shot of him. The reflection you see of him is in a rain puddle that gathered on the top of one of the grave monuments that the guy had recently restored. We both ended up shooting some incredible shots for this feature because Brian is defintely not a Bag de la and decided us working together was much better than one person hogging the photo spotlight. So, here he is. I think he had been itching to make the blog anyway for a while. Today, it was natural for him to get there.

Even the Trees

"Dark Tree" by Wes Aldridge

When winter is approaching, even the trees turn dark and cold. It is that time now. Nature is shifting, changing, hiding itself. The shadow of this tree is testament to that.

On Assignment; El Paso, Texas-Day Seven

"Buffalo Soldier" by Wes Aldridge

I stopped to eat a traditional Mexican lunch in an absolute dive-bar style restaurant today... completely authentic in every way. The food was incredible and I absolutely gouged myself on a hearty plateful of tamales, enchiladas, taquitos, rice and beans, and great chips and salsa.

After the meal, I walked outside to the rental car. I had parked next to a cemetery, so of course I wanted to go exploring. It was rundown and old, and very interesting. I walked around a bit and finally I saw this sign. "BUFFALO SOLDIER." I don't know what it means or why it was there, but here is the shot.

And now, my assignments in El Paso are finished. Back in Nashville after a nice flight delay and hellish weather during the flight. I liked El Paso, but seven days was very much enough.

On Assignment; El Paso, Texas-Day Six

"Crack Donalds: The A-Bomb" by Wes Aldridge

I was driving around as the sun was setting, trying frantically to get a shot that the client wanted for the magazine. Well, I didn't get it because of circumstances beyond my control. It is what it is.

I did find a nice scenic perch that allowed me to look out over the eastern side of El Paso. There were lights everywhere, a very interesting site. I wanted to take a shot, but a plain and normal shot just seemed too dry. And then... there it was.

Amid all the blinking, sparkling and glittering lights of the city, I see the Golden Arches. I had this crazy idea about how Crack Donalds was somehow the Anti-Christ of Western civilization, akin to a bomb exploding inside those of us that choose to consume its foul, but delightfully greasy, filth.

So, BOOM! Its pretty tiny, but you can see the Arches going off like an Atom Bomb.

On Assignment; El Paso, Texas-Day Five

Today I finished the non-appointment exterior photography for my El Paso assignment. I found myself on the eastern outskirts of the city. Someone had mentioned an old mission that was in the neighboring city, Socorro. By pure luck, I saw a sign that said "Texas Mission" with a big white arrow on a blue sign pointing ahead of me. I bought the ticket and took the ride. I hunted for the mission and found it. It was serene and beautiful, worthy of a couple of shots.


"Open Door Welcome" by Wes Aldridge


"Mother and Son" by Wes Aldridge


"View to Heaven" by Wes Aldridge

On Assignment; El Paso, Texas-Day Four

"Another TD RUn" by Wes Aldridge

Tonight I shot the University of Texas El Paso Miners football game against the Texas Southern Tigers. The game was an entire blowout, Miners taking their winning season to 8-1 with a 45-0 shutout, knocking the Tigers further down in the rankings to 1-8. The game was overall pretty boring. UTEP just trounced the Tigers all over the field. So, I tried getting creative with my shot. I slowed down my shutter speed to around 1/30th of a second and panned with the action as a UTEP player caught a 30-yard pass and tried to keep his balance.

On Assignment: El Paso, Texas-Day Three

"Space to Ponder" by Wes Aldridge

Today was long. I spent a good bit of the day in Juarez, Mexico. It was an emotional time for me. What I saw opened my eyes to the reality of poverty. Juarez could only be described by me as a slum. I had never witnessed anything like it before. The houses were tiny shacks, thrown together with anything you could think of. The cars were circa 1987, rundown and on the last leg. The people had grief and defeat written across their sun-beaten faces. There were so many things to see... and I wasn't able to take one photograph of the massive tragic reality that surrounded me. I was with a translator and she sped us around to the locations that I had to get photographs of, never stopping in the thick of it all.

I must return there and document the things I see through photography.

This is a self portrait I did while I was shooting close to sundown in the desert. I was enjoying the beautiful landscape and thinking a lot about the things I saw today. I figured I wanted to make this a lasting memory for me. I sat the camera down on some rocks and got the self-timer going. The shot actually turned out in focus and with a pretty nice and even exposure. With sunlight like that, its pretty hard to go wrong.

"Quelli che passa prima che ci rimarremo nella memoria."

On Assignment: El Paso, Texas-Day Two

"Aquatic Grace" by Wes Aldridge

This is a shot from the El Paso zoo. I wanted to capture the aquatic grace of the sea lions. Think I got it.

On Assignment: El Paso, Texas-Day One

"Wild Lights" by Wes Aldridge

I am in El Paso, Texas, right now. A stones throw away from Juarez, Mexico, and right up the road from New Mexico. I thought I would be excited about this one. Now that I am here, I certainly am not. I can't exactly put my finger on it, but I am not feeling El Paso. I have only been here for a day so far, maybe I will give it a little more time before I make a judgement on it.

El Paso is massive. I drove around for hours tonight, trying to get a feel for the area and how to navigate it. The map of the area is basically useless because it is about 3-feet wide and the roads are so small a magnifying glass would help greatly in reading it. Too bad I can't hold a magnifying glass while I am driving. The city is pretty compacted, everything seemingly built tightly around or on top of each other.

I had envisioned vast desert landscapes with cactus growing and tumbleweeds bouncing by. That isn't the case thus far. All those landscapes are interrupted by sprawling city buildings and strip malls. I hope I can get some time to find locations that will make for nice scenic shots.

Don't know if I am tired or worn down or just getting burned out, but my last trip to Indy and this one now, just haven't seemed right for some reason. I wonder what that means to me?

Well I am pretty undecided about this one: Is it really cool or just garbage? Ah, who cares. I think this shot is an illustration of my frustration today. It was made with a 30 second exposure at f/22 with an ISO rating of 100. I threw on the 16-35mm wide angle lens and waved, panned and zoomed the camera during the exposure.

Mixing the Mood

"The Berries" by Wes Aldridge

I like how this one is mixing all the different visual elements.

Five O'Clock's Dark

"November Moon" by Wes Aldridge

I was leaving work this afternoon and I had an overwhelming urge inside me to shoot some photos. I had been planning my next two weeks' shoots in El Paso, Texas, and Huntsville, Alabama, so little actual photography was happening today. I need that stuff every day, can't live without hitting the shutter button a couple times a day.

I looked up and the sunset had all but faded away. I noticed the moon... and it was 5 p.m. That is soooo wrong. I mean, winter time is pretty miserable for photographers. With the sunrising at 7 or 8 a.m. and setting between 4 and 5 p.m., that doesn't give much time to get all the many, many assignments photographed that we have. It is pretty frustrating, and I wanted to try and portray that frustration in a photo.

Here we have the 5 p.m. November moon shrouded in empty tree limbs. Think that one shows a little bit of photo reality right now... and it will only get worse before better times roll around in Spring.

This one was shot with my 70-200mm telephoto lens on a tripod at ISO 100 with an extremely long exposure at 25 seconds at f/32. I was pretty impressed at how much the leaves were recognizable in the foreground because I was focused in on a celestial body pretty far away. It even looks as if the moonlight is illuminating the leaves, but that was really me cheating a bit. The leaves were lit by a street lamp overhead, but it sure looks like the moon is doing it.

I like this one, I do. Consider it a clever little photo trick!

Popping In The Sun

"Kettle Corn" by Wes Aldridge

I shot an assignment of a craft show at the Williamson County Agro Expo today. I also got this shot of a girl making a huge pot of kettle corn.

Hot LIghts On Church

"The Hustler" by Wes Aldridge

Well, this is sort of the shot I was trying to get the other night when I witnessed the man get run over by the car. I thought about the irony in the location of the porno store: Its address is on Church Street in Nashville. So, I think that's funny. I wish I could have gotten to this shot about 30 minutes earlier. It would have had a cooler sky, but such is life. It is done now.

Window View

"The Van Gogh Sky" by Wes Aldridge

I was leaving work today and saw the beautiful sunset. The only problem was, I didn't see anything around to shoot with it. I drove by a building and saw the reflection in the windows. There we go. Looks almost like a Van Gogh painting.

Close Your Eyes, Then The Ugly Things Will Go Away

"Conveniently Blind Eye" by Wes Aldridge

Well, this shot has nothing to do with my story I have to tell. But, I couldn't bring myself to the point of taking a photo of it.

I was driving down Church Street, en route to the HUSLTER Hollywood store to shoot some of the neons on the building. About five cars in front of me, I see taillights and slight swerving. The car hit a pedestrian, a dirty homeless man. He bounced to the street and the car didn't even stop to see how he was. This was during rushour. Each car in front of me passed right by the man, who was lying there motionless and bleeding on the sidewalk. It blew my mind. What a bunch of fucking soul-less assholes. I mean, I do some pretty ruff things, but give me a fucking break... this guy just got smacked by a car and they didn't even stop to see if he was alive or not. They didn't stop because he was homeless.

I pulled up to him and slammed into park with my hazard lights flashing. I literally pulled this man out of the street to avoid being hit by any other vehicles. Right as I almost had him on the sidewalk, a lady wearing a nurse's uniform ran up to me and grabbed his legs and helped me. Then, another nurse stopped by. And yet, within another minute, one more nurse showed up. The scene of the accident was only a few blocks from Baptist Hospital, so that explains that. I called 9-1-1 and paramedics, fire truck and police officer all arrived within 10 minutes of the accident. They took care of the homeless, dirty man and rushed him to the ER.

The homeless, dirty man's name was Andrew. I took the time to find that out because I cared to. Tonight, with all the thousands of people in Nashville, Andrew needed only one to stop and help him live. I am proud to say, that was me. And for all of those people that watched and drove on... fuck you, you worthloss dogshit bastards. Recognize the value of human life, no matter how much better you THINK you are than someone else who is less fortunate.

Hunger and Decay

"The Human Form" by Wes Aldridge

I think the shadows on this one give it great depth. You see what seems to be a thinning decay and are still left to wonder who and what it is. The human form is a mysterious thing.

Precious Anne

"Bestrafe Mich" by Wes Aldridge

There is something beautiful about her. You could see it in her eyes, even as crimson tears flowed down her cheeks. She made punishment seem pleasant. Her face told the stories of years of confusion and she finally was able to clear her mind tonight, to make it all new again. A moment of her simple purity is worth more than a lifetime of my lies. Peace danced around and delicately placed an olive branch on her bare shoulder.

When the Art became as close to perfect completion as we felt possible, we needed a change of scenery. Her cold steel blue convertible Corvette was the key to immediate happiness. She made the engine roar in 3rd as the frigid night air screamed through my hair. She tore around the corner and I looked over to see the moonbeam sparkle a glare from the corner of her right eye, and she smiled. After what seemed like only minutes, we were in the countryside surrounded by pine trees and became a moving part of the rolling hills. The high grass whipped hard as we flew down the two laner, complete with broken yellow line and absent of lamps. It seemed like we were flying by faster than the night, but the needle only read 45. We knew we were free and as long as the tank didn't go dry, we would stay that way. So we drove on, and on, listening to the sounds of night silence that filled the air.

She leaned closer to me and asked in a whisper, "Can you hear it?"

"What?"

"The stillness... the calm," she replied. "Can you hear Fate's call?"

"Of course. Its been our ear candy all night, right?"

"Then listen closely," she said, as I heard her finger nails click against the switch for the headlights... and then there was darkness. "Lets let the moon show us the way for a while," she said, giggling as she steered with her knees so she could light her Marlboro. I leaned in again and she sparked mine as well.

It may seem insane, but it was perfect for our moment of Fate, right then, right there. I didn't know her name two hours before, and will probably never see her again after this ride. I told her to keep her foot on the gas and we will think about the rest of the world some time later.

The Vette roared like a monster, again, and we were streamlined lost somewhere fading between the night air and a dream.

Some things are just never as they seem, hehe.

Helloween Rocked

"Make-up" by Wes Aldridge

Tonight was by far the best Halloween I have ever had. Nine Inch Nails played the Gaylord Entertainment Center... and it was beautiful. NIN are one of the greatest live acts I have ever seen.

Anyway, my friends Jim and Jen were prepping for the show in our downstairs restroom while we were watching a NIN DVD. Jim wanted some eyeliner and a little fake blood to set his costume off, so Jen was applying it. I think it is a really neat shot, totally capturing a fun moment for us tonight. It was an intimate moment between friends that were working together for a common goal, to get there. They finished. Then, we were off to the show. Killer.

GWAR is WAR

"Music, or Not?" by Wes Aldridge

Tonight I shot GWAR at the City Hall in Nashville. If you do not know what GWAR is, then do a little internet search and find out a little bit. It was one of the most vile, disgusting and nasty shows I have ever see... and I am a better man for it. Let's just say their shows are notorious for fans wearing rain gear because the band shoots so much fake blood and other liquids on the audience. I am covered from head to toe in fake blood, but man, was it fun. Rock On.

Sky Is Burning

"Autumn Fire" by Wes Aldridge

The fire in the sky is more beautiful in Autumn.

I shot one of my freelance assignments for Jolesch Photography today... from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. It was punishment. But tonight did have its rewards. My partner today was Alan, a freelancer that does things for many different people, including the Tennessean. He invited me to come see some of his friends' band at the Radio Cafe. The place was small and interesting and I think I met almost every known photographer in Nashville. After watching their work for years in The Tennessean, I finally was able to meet George Walker IV and John Partipillo. George is well known for his Tennessee Titans photos, amongst other things and John is who I look for for all around great photography. Everyone I met tonight were friendly and nice.

Maybe I have some new friends, I hope. I could have been out partying and playing with all my friends on this, my favorite holiday time of the year, Halloween weekend. I think I made a good choice though.

On Assignment: Fishers, Indiana-Day Five

"Scott, In The Woods" by Wes Aldridge

This is a portrait that I did with a photographer named Scott in the woods early this morning. Set the flash on a stand. Slow shutter speed. Fast spin with the camera body. Wah-lah.

On Assignment: Fishers, Indiana-Day Four

"Go Round" by Wes Aldridge

I was shooting for a small section of the magazine tonight at a place called Jonah's Fish Market. The interesting part was, it had a nice collection of fine wines as well. I was trying to get a shot that wasn't totally boring. I shot too much, got a little "outside of the box." I like this one. Slow shutter speed, rear curtain sync flash, spinning the camera during the exposure... elementary stuff, I know.

Oh, and by the by, if anyone is keeping score here besides me, MIND OF THE PHOTOGRAPHER had its 10,000 visit tonight. Right on, think I should celebrate. Anybody got some CheezWhiz and a catapult? Well, I would settle for bottle rockets and a bottle of Jack Daniel's Single Barrel.

On Assignment: Fishers, Indiana-Day Three

"Noblesville City Hall" by Wes Aldridge

WARNING: This post contains Explicit Language and Mature Content that some readers may find offensive. If you are under 18, or are easily offended by strong content, or are simply a feeble wiener, stop reading now and just view the photograph on this post. You may find discomfort within yourself if you continue reading. Do so at the risk of your own conscience.
Thnx – The Mgmt.

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Today was the day from Hell. All the Forces were working against me: Nature, Man and Machine. Bastards.

The sun has only made an appearance for about 2 hours collectively this week and exterior photography has been nonexistent… thank you Nature.

There are still a handful of people that haven’t returned my phone calls to set up photo appointments after leaving some of them 7 messages… thank you Man.

And the fucking mirror locked in the exposed position on my camera today, forcing me to send it back to Canon for service and drive into Indianapolis to rent a camera for a week… thank you Machine.

I am not angry, mad, upset, enraged… none of those. Right now, I am Bitter. I think that Bitter is one of the most hateful emotions a person can feel. When people are pissed, they can get aggressions out through whatever it may be… drinks, drugs, sex, blowing something up, whatever. Pick your poison, everyone does. But you can’t kick Bitter like that. No, not a damn chance. It lives deep, down, dark and low inside you, festering and seething and trying to stealthily crawl its way to the top of everything you are. You taste it in the back of your throat and you don’t feel steaming hot, you get more of that cold, numb and disconnected feeling.

I truly almost had enough today. I almost reached that point and threw my hands up. It has been one of those weeks where everything seems to be against me. But, you know what? Fuck you. I will defeat you. You are weak and I am strong. I have come too far to give up now. Bring it on, bring more, bring everything you’ve got. My will is too strong, I will overpower you. I will succeed and laugh in your face.

Now that the psycho ranting is over, let’s blow some sunshine up our asses so everyone leaves on a high note!

Ok, so I was always taught that tomorrow brings a better day and there always has to be something good, somewhere. Well, I just saw a commercial during the World Series that excited me. It seems that Joaquin Phoenix is playing Johnny Cash in an upcoming film with Reese Witherspoon. That is awesome because I can’t explain to you how much CASH means to me. He, along with Hank Williams The First, are in my opinion two of the greatest American poets that have ever lived. There is just something magic there. I am looking forward to paying my wallet-raping-$9-fee at the local cinema to see “Walk the Line.”

Now, I just lost a Paper-Rock-Scissors Game with Evan, and we have some catching up to do and some World Series to watch.

On Assignment: Fishers, Indiana-Day Two

"Bunny Ears" by Wes Aldridge

Today I was prepping to shoot a portrait of a husband and wife team that ran an acting studio and performance theatre. They were both former players in Broadway shows and really seemed to enjoy what they were doing. I wanted to shoot them on stage and try to use the lighting rig behind them as part of the backdrop. I wanted the look of stars to be coming from the lights, so I needed a really long exposure time to make that happen. Naturally, I wouldn't be able to hold the camera steady for a good 4 seconds, so I put it on the tripod. While I was making adjustments to the angle of the shot, the two were playing around and having fun. I was looking into the viewfinder when I saw... the bunny ears. Snap, and I got a moment of this little ol' couple's happiness, pure and unstaged... no pun intended, of course.

On Assignment: Fishers, Indiana-Day One

"The Ref" by Wes Aldridge

I am on assignment right now in a suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. Fishers, oh Fishers... I have come to you again. I shot this magazine a year ago, and I am back again.

So, I had to shoot a family having fun at a local upscale bowling & gaming facility for a feature story. I shot them playing the lanes and think I got some cute stuff, mission accomplished. I needed to get another shot of the facility for a different department of the magazine. There was a room with nice pool tables, akin to Buffalo Billiards, for all those who may have that fine establishment in your town. I got a nice shot of a platinum blonde mother-daughter team playing a game of pool. I was finished. But then the owner grabbed me and said he wanted to do one more thing. Alright, I'm game.

He said he had messed with one of his servers a little earlier about being in one of the photos, because he knew she really didn't want to. He said he was going to get her and tell her she had to be in a shot. He told me to be mean.

At that point in time, I let every thought of the "traditional prick" photographer run through my head. It was time to get in character. When she walked in, a little confused, I started barking at her to "pick up the pace, sweetie, because I've only got five minutes." And it was on from there... and I let her have it.

If you know me, it is pretty hard for me to be a true and absolute jerk. I made her get in this pose about to break the rack. I kept telling her to give me a real smile because the "fake" one she was doing made her look stupid and really screwed up the picture. I was gruff and kept cutting her off after everything she started to say. She had this astonished look on her face that was priceless. It was totally awesome. I kept busting her chops and you could tell she was really getting pissed. At the point I could tell she was going to blow up, I put the camera up to my face and said, "smile and on three, say 'I got duped.'" She was like, "What?" And then I spilled the beans to her about her boss setting her up. The entire place busted out laughing and she ran around trying to kill her boss and me. Man, it was funny. Here she is, disgruntled smile and all. She was a really good sport!

But, as you can see on the TV screen in the background, my boy Vick and the Falcons are wearing the NY Jets out and I need to tend to some Monday Night Football.

A Great Time For Pumpkins

"The Pumpkin" by Wes Aldridge

The Fall is truly a great time for pumpkins.