True Nashville

"TN Tone Boys" by Wes Aldridge

Every Wednesday and Sunday night, Harry Fontana and the Tennessee Tone Boys gig at Robert's Western World on Broadway, and tonight was a great night to be there. These guys are what great Nashville music is all about. Their style is Rockabilly Boogie and their show is truly exciting. With blazing fast guitar licks, extremely dry onstage humor and a singer from Helsinki, Finland, what is there not to love about Harry Fontana?

This shot was taken with the flip screen of a camcorder in the foreground, handheld at 1/25 of a second at f/4.5, giving the background a nice blur while still being able to make out it is a man and a guitar.

At first I thought the light balance of the foreground and background was a little bit off and I wish I would have had the opportunity to bounce a little fill flash from an umbrella. But the more I thought about it, I came to my senses and realized the dramatic effect the sharp lighting contrast gave the shot. It really sums up the atmosphere of that moment in time. It was truly Nashville.

On Assignment: Cincinnati, Ohio-Day Four

"Wards Corner" by Wes Aldridge

Another trip done and in the books. Cincinnati was a great time and the IMAGES of Clermont County magazine should look pretty good.

This was the last shot that I took on this trip, so I thought it was only fitting to have it up here. After two solid days of rain, this beautiful sunny, yet 15-30 degree, weather came about. It was all planned perfectly: Shoot portraits, interiors and product shots the first two days when the weather forecast called for 70% precipitation and then do all exteriors the following two days. This shot is from a series that will be used for Feature One in IMAGES of Clermont County. There are better shots of the reflective buildings of Wards Corner, but I am saving the best ones for the magazine... so you will have to pick one up when they get published in like a month or two.

I realized on this trip that I have the greatest job. I am paid to run around the country and take photographs of beautiful things and places, with an expense account no less, and all travel expenses paid. I am thankful for the opportunity that I have been given with what I do.

On Assignment: Cincinnati, Ohio-Day Three

"Pride of Patchel Road" by Wes Aldridge

While I was driving through Batavia, a small township on the outskirts of Cincinnati, I saw this image. I thought it was interesting in many ways. During my stay in this city and surrounding areas I have seen multitudes of American flags flying high, but none quite like this one.

Remember the latest presidential election? You know, the one John Kerry lost because he couldn't carry Ohio, among other things? Well that is all I could think about when I saw this scene on a back country road. It really made me sad to know this state crashed a victory for the Democratic Party.

Anyway, this is the "Pride of Patchel Road."

On Assignment: Cincinnati, Ohio-Day Two

"Heart of Cinci" by Wes Aldridge

I felt that the detailed shot of Fountain Square (On Assignment: Cincinnati, Ohio-Day One) in downtown Cincinnati wasn't a good enough representation of the actual location. I think the tall buildings' architecture and layout really added to the attractiveness of the fountain itself. Here is another shot that showcases the pinnacle point of the fountain, the figure on top with out-stretched arms, in front of the U.S. Bank building. It gives a better feel and representation of the scene.

I read a New York Times article last week (thanks for the link Quigley) about truth and accuracy in a photograph. This quote from Richard Avedon, an extremely accomplished and highly regarded American photographer, appeared in the article: "There is no such thing as inaccuracy in a photograph. All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth."

I started thinking about this and I wasn't happy with only showing a detailed shot of Fountain Square. So I offer another today. "Heart of Cinci," like the previous shot "Fountain Square," is still accurate, but still not the truth. The Times article brought up the point of truth being 360-degrees, a panoramic of life. A photographer can take a shot, turn slightly to the left and snap the shutter seconds later, and still be accurate when representing a scene. So, in essence, every shot you see is a partial truth of a greater whole.

I want every shot I take to be total Truth. With the case presented here, that is impossible to attain, so I guess I have some work to do before I die. Just have to keep shooting.

On Assignment: Cincinnati, Ohio-Day One

"Fountain Square" by Wes Aldridge

I ventured down into the heart of Cincinnati late tonight in the hunt for the shot. I drove around for what seemed forever, and ever, and ever. Then as I was driving down Vine Street, there it was. A wonderful fountain statue was in a plaza square in front of the Fifth Third Bank building. It was lit by flood lights and its bronze cast caught my eye immediately. I wanted it. The only problem is, parking is Hell downtown.

I must have circled the block (yes, one way streets everywhere) 20 times or so because I didn't feel safe strolling all over downtwon with my camera gear. As I was driving by one of the many times, I noticed the flood lighting on the fountain went away. Damnit, you gotta be kidding me. I had been working to get a parking space and missed the moment. But, it was getting later and I was getting more tired, and I was determined to turn this location into my photo for the day.

I parked and started walking toward the square, cussing under my breath all the way up the block. When I want a shot and have it set in my mind, I am going to get it, or simply die trying. As I came to the crosswalk I looked up to see the lights were illuminating the fountain once again. That's odd I thought, oh well. So my spirits lifted and I gingerly trotted across the street.

In mid stride, I saw the lights go out again. I thought, "This must be some kind of whacked out power shorting thing going on or someone is watching me from a hidden compartment somewhere and cutting the friggin' lights on and off just to screw with me." I continued to walk over to it and busted out the tripod, pissed again. As I was positining for the shot, the lights came back on. Ah... they must be on a timer for some reason. So, I played the little game with the timer. The pattern was on 2 minutes, off 1. Makes things tricky when you are doing about 30 second exposures.

None the less, I chose a detailed shot of the sculpture. It was interesting to see this ancient style sculpting sitting in the middle of a fast paced modern cityscape. Day one in Cincy is done. Enjoy.

Quickie With a Cop

"Columns" by Wes Aldridge

I'll be the first to admit, this shot is no photo masterwork. It is alright, but nothing special. A simple night shot of the columns at Bicentennial Mall close to the Tennessee State Capital. I was planning on working some angles and really pulling out some kind of ultra-artsy shot, but my shoot was abruptly cut short.

I was kneeling down looking through the viewfinder trying to meter this shot and I caught a glance of a figure walking up the Mall towards me. It was about 10 p.m. and I was the only soul anywhere around, so naturally, I felt a little uneasy with multiple thousands of dollars worth of camera gear in a pretty ruff part of town.

I didn't really look at the guy coming toward me. I figured him to be "street taught and bought" and knew we would strike up a conversation and I would end up giving him a couple of bucks in the process, like I usually do... unless he kicked my ass and took my gear. Anyway, I hoped for the best as he approached.

"Excuse me," he said. "Park's closed." I thought what the hell is he talking about? Who is this guy? I lifted my face from my Canon to see a rather stout Metro park ranger standing there. I was confused. I didn't know the Mall was a park and I saw no signs about hours of operation. I asked and he said it closed in winter time at 9:30 p.m. I said what a crock and asked if I could take this shot. He said yeah, but then leave.

So, fired two exposures and got on my way. The important things learned tonight: 1.) Listen to Metro, even if they wear forest green and drive the white Explorers 2.) Bicentennial Mall is a park.

Pie In the Sky

"The Not-So-Great Balloon Chase " by Wes Aldridge

Today was exciting. I looked out the window of the photo department at our Franklin-based magazine publishing company and saw a sight that hasn't danced around since Christmas: sunshine.

I said, "Hey Coach, let's just go out and shoot something for the heck of it, its nice outside." Coach, or my boss, Journal Communications Inc. Chief photographer Greg Emens said, "What time you got?" I said 3:27 p.m. He said, "Ok, you've got roughly 30 minutes. Go out and find a shot for your blog and be back here by 4 p.m."

I almost exploded from the excitement shooting through my body, adrenaline pumping fiercely. I said, "rock on," grabbed my camera bag, threw on my RayBans and bolted out the door. Here it was, an unanticipated and pretty freakin' tight deadline assignment. And you better get done what Big Ol' Boy Greg asks you to do, if you know what I mean.

I jumped in the Jeep and started pulling out of the parking lot and thought, "Jeez, where am I gonna find a shot that fast." Before I even had a chance to fret, I looked in the sky and what did I see off in the distance? A hot air balloon. Well, only one thing to do now... chase that sucker.

And I did chase it, through Cool Springs and into Franklin. Up and down Mack Hatcher Parkway and through side roads and neighborhoods until I was almost directly under it... but I was still a little off center. That is when I took the urge to take the Jeep into an empty field that the balloon was floating over. Hey, big deal, I was on deadline, right? As you can see, I got right under the balloon and got the shot, and didn't even get arrested for trespassing to boot! What a rockin' day. Did I mention that I am addicted to this photo thing?

Naked in the Kudzu

"Snake in the Grass" by Wes Aldridge

This was a freshly shed rattlesnake skin that I came across walking around the old Confederate Civil War tunnel that gave my hometown the name of Tunnel Hill. The skin was at least 10-feet long, maybe longer. I couldn't tell because one end was tucked away in a crack of the stonework that formed the side of the tunnel. I thought it was a really cool visual because it was massive and meant there was a gigantic snake crawling around somwhere in the kudzu around me. I guess this kind of thing excites me. There is just something forever attractive to me when it is wrapped in the unknown.

I got as close to the skin as I could and the texture of it and the surrounding grass was beautiful. Even the position of the sun and the way the colors contrasted were totally right. So, there was my shot... fairly detailed. I could have stepped back several feet and shot the full-size frame with the entire skin, but the detail was simply marvelous.

Just imagine standing in the kudzu and feeling something brush by your foot. You watch the leafy-green vines rustle and move slightly. You don't make any sudden moves because you aren't sure what is being cloaked by the foilage. Then, you catch a glimpse of what looks like a rope sliding slowly and gently over a piece of the vines. Take a deep breath and let nature run its course, and hopefully not take a bite out of you in the process. After a few seconds you see that the rattler is inching its way into a hole between some rocks a few feet from where you stand. As the creature slithers away into darkness, he leaves a reminder behind: his shed skin.

Lights on the Cumberland

"Nashy Night" by Wes Aldridge

For all of you out-of-towners, and I guess those that don't get out much, here is a view from the park at the Coliseum (Titan's stadium) across the majestic Cumberland River. In the foreground you can see a partially submerged ramp leading up to the park. Nothing really exciting but it is just a somewhat pretty shot.

Here is the technical info: Tv= 1/3 sec., Av= 2.8, ISO = 100, focal length = 16mm, on a tripod of course.

Hmm, Nashville at Night? Sounds like a photo book idea to me.

Friday Night's Alright for Shootin'

"Christy B." by Wes Aldridge

Well, what do photographers do on a Friday night... portraits of course. I decided I wanted to shoot a bit and it was pouring rain. So naturally, I called up one of my friends and said I wanted to do some portraits. Christy B. complied and here is the result.

The scene was shot with two White Lightnings at 45 degree angles, 12 and 14 feet from the subject, set to minumum power bouncing out of covered umbrellas. Shutter was set to 1/200th of a second and aperture was at f/1.8. Simple set up with nice, full and rich results.

Happy Trails?

"Dark Sun" by Wes Aldridge

This shot was taken in a stairwell in a night club on 2nd Ave. called Dream... formerly The Underground... formerly The Library. Just saw it the other night and thought I would trot down there and experience another club change in Nashville. Seems to be a lot of that going on in this city. Funny though, Legends Corner, Robert's, and all the other honky tonks on Broadway seem to have staying power. Does this wreck my theory that Nashville/country music is dying out?

Probably not. I think it is just proof that this city isn't evolving like some of us hope it would be. I guess some of us can keep hoping, but looks like Stetson hats and cowboy boots still have a lot of life left in this city.

Observation Through Conversation

"Spare Some Change?" by Wes Aldridge

Luther sat on the concrete off to the side of Buffalo Billiards on 2nd with his legs sprawled out and his black hat in his hand. I could hear him mumbling to himself as I walked closer with my camera in hand. He asked me for some change because he was hungry for a cheese burger. I handed him what little cash I had in my wallet and asked if he minded some company. He thanked me a couple of times and offered me a seat. His jean jacket was soiled with old dirt and his voice weighed heavy from vodka.

"I'm going through hard times, hard times," he rambled almost incoherently. I leaned against the brick wall and said, "sometimes we all go through them bro."

"I am just gonna go to the cheese burger store, I ain't gonna do nuttin' bad with this," he said as he held the money I gave him. "Man, I really don't care what you do with that cash as long as you are a little happier tonight," I said.

He asked me where I was from. I said Georgia and he told me how his former wife had left him while they lived in Atlanta. Before he got through with his story, two metro officers drove by us slowly in their cruiser. "I gotta get on going down the road now," he said, clearly afraid the officers were gonna come for him.

"Can you help me with one more thing?" he asked. "Shoot," I said. "Can you help me up from here? I am only 42, but I've gotten old fast on the streets," he said.

I grasped the roughly dry hand of this 240-plus lb. , 6-foot tall man that I had met only minutes ago and struggled to pull him to his feet. He thanked me again and I watched him stagger off toward Broadway with the $2.49 I gave him in hand, rambling on about cheese burgers.

This is our city. This was one of our citizens. And this was part of his life's story tonight.

Brave and Stupid

"Face to Face" by Wes Aldridge

Photographers are a different breed, we know this much. But sometimes to get the shot, a photog or two have been known to do stupid things and put their lives in danger. Well, I'm guilty as charged.

Enter Rufus. That is the fine reptile in the shot above. Rufus once lived in the lagoon around the 12th hole of Indigo Run Plantation Golf Course in Hilton Head, South Carolina, where my aunt and uncle reside. Rufus was removed along with all of the other gators in the plantation because they were getting too large and dangerous. Before that, Rufus intrigued me. I wanted to get a shot of him, but he would swim off whenever I tried to walk up to the lagoon and get close enough for a shot (this was before the days of my 70-200mm f/2.8). So, Rufus had to be taken by stealth, or stalking as I like to call it.

My family watched as I slung my camera across my back and assumed the position for my army man-style belly crawl to Rufus. I started on behind a little hill that banked down to the lagoon. I crawled through critters, crud and Carolina heat at sloth's pace, staying face in the dirt, to not scare Rufus away. After a good hour of inching (literally moving about an inch every couple of seconds) my way to the lagoon, I was pretty close to him. He just floated, head half submerged, and watched with his dead black eyes. I was so excited and slowly pulled my camera around to try a shot. Well, you know me and too much can never be enough, so naturally I needed to get closer for a more full framed shot.

I looked every once and again at my family with faces pressed to the patio window watching me make my way to the gator. Yeah, they anxiously stood there and watched me move inches that entire time. Finally I reached the edge of the lagoon, my elbows actually in a few inches of water, and my feet elevated on the slope of the hill well above my head. Then, my sweet mother leans her head out the door and harken this single warning, "Wes, get your ass up. That gator can grab you and drag you under that water before you can even get up on your knees to try and run." I thought she was just being that worried mom-type. Then I realized, oh cripes, that big sucker is less than 10 feet from me, and mom is probably right since the gator was about 8 feet long. I am not very good at math, but I did a simple equation with the numbers here and thought, I better get the heck outta dodge... after a couple of more frames first.

Mom leans her head out again and simple said "Wes" in that tone all sons know very well from their mothers. Right then, Rufus started to float a little closer and I sprang up to me feet and jumped back a good few yards. I thought my heart was going to pop out of my chest.

So, what is it about getting those dangerous shots? Are we adrenaline junkies at the center of our souls? Are we fools wasting film, and the possibility of life, on things that don't really matter? Do we just love to taste death by really living life? Well, you decide what's true for you. As for me, it is an addiction that I foresee clearing up anytime soon.

The Second Look

"Window to the Picture Show" by Wes Aldridge

Sure you say, "Well, there have been plenty of people that have shot that one before," and I say true. Hollywood 27 movie complex has surely been the target of plenty of photographers with their cameras with neons illuminated against a night sky. I ask you to take a second look. The shot is not a standard shot, but one with a reflection.

The side driver's side window panel of a 1998 Ford Explorer gave the perfect interpretation of the glowing neons. One quick glance and I knew that a straight shot of the illumination just wasn't that special. As I turned around to walk off, I saw the Explorer's rendition of the beautiful sight.

Only advice that I have is, do not be a glutton for the obvious. Look at and notice the little things that change and will not be the same tomorrow. This Explorer has a slim possibility of being in the same place at the same time with the same effect ever again. Take advantage of those things and make them your own.

Hunting for the Shot

"Light at the GEC" by Wes Aldridge

Coming back from the Box Seat in Green Hills, I saw some shafts of light standing in the foggy night sky. My curiousity struck and journalist mode kicked in. What was it? Where was it? And all those other questions... So I made a turn away from the apartment and followed that light. I took 21st down to Broadway and headed toward downtown. Of course the neon lights from the Stage and Roberts and other honkey tonks on Broadway caught my eye with nice reflections in the wet street courtesy of a rainy day. I illegally parked the Jeep in front of the Gaylord Entertainment Center and jumped out to get the shot of the neon reflections in the street. Then it hit me: I am off task, this scene isn't the one I was hunting for.

I started to move my tripod and happened to look up. And there the scene was and my hunt was over. The lights were blasting from the roof of the GEC, right above where I had parked my Jeep so eager to take another shot. I guess I learned to keep my eyes open for other opportunities when I am shooting, but always do my best to get what I set out for. Anyway, it is a neat site to see and the clouds and fog really made the light shaft visible. Enjoy.

A New Year Rang In

"The Beginning" by Wes Aldridge

Well, in this, the new year of our Lord two-thousand and five, this is what I have for you. It is a symbol of all things dubbed "New Year." It is the top view at 1.8 aperture of a gallon bottle of cheap champagne, somewhere in the neighborhood of $5 and some change. I think the shot is simple and beautiful. It is a way that you may have looked at a bottle of champagne before, maybe only for a moment, but never really took the time to notice how you were looking at it.

This is the mind of the photographer. To take a simple and common subject and naturally see it in a different way is what fuels the adventure in my mind when I hold my camera. Photography is a grand puzzle when joined with life. There are never two identical seconds in a day and you never have the opportunity to take the same shot again. There is the split second that no one can teach you to see and capture... and you have to catch it, you must become it. Each frame of film you snap off is a piece of the grand puzzle. What piece will fit in next? What do I shoot from here? Which direction do I travel? What will attract my eye? What will be the vision in my mind?

A Hard Truth

"A Resting Hero" by Wes Aldridge

This image tells of a true moment in time. It is a piece of reality that reflects a current social position. This image was not staged, I just happened to chance upon it. I can't remember the exact date that I was visiting my parents home in northwestern Georgia, but that is where this scene played out.

Being the good, proud Americans that they are, my parents have flags displayed in the yard for July 4th, Veterans Day, etc. This shot is the remains of one of those last occurrences. It was a flag that was looked over, forgotten, and had fallen to rest on the ground. Its colors had faded out as it laid battered on the ground. The flag represented an American serviceman fallen in battle in Iraq and the flowers above were like a mother, sister, wife, fiance, lover looking over the dead body of their brave soldier that gave his fullest measure of devotion for his country.

This simple scene seemed to say so much. It could be a piece of any service man or woman's life. It could be a situation that some family had to deal with in their hearts. It was a symbol of ultimate sadness, very powerful to me. It dared to show and make someone consider all the darkest situations in war: Death. Then, with that exposed, one must question why that death occurred. Was it a neglegent plan of attack by an administration with too much gusto? Was it an unnecessary war in the first place? Did a man die for no reason, or even worse, a wrong reason?

When I saw this little faded flag I immediately laid on the ground, camera in hand and hoped that the sun would shift its position ever so slightly and make the light and shadow an ultra-dramatic contrast. I probably waited a good hour and a half for that decisive moment that made this scene transform from a snapshot into a photograph with true meaning.