"The Pyramid" by Wes Aldridge
Ridgeland is finished and after a long and tedious drive, I am back in NashVegas. Pretty tired and don't have much to say. A blessing, right?
I stopped of in Memphis, Tennessee, for a little break in the 7-hour drive. I saw the Pyramid and searched it out for my shot tonight. I was standing in the center of a street and shooting on a tripod of course. Enjoy.
"Lil' Birdie" by Wes Aldridge
Mr. Boshier, eat yer heart out. Fun bird shot.
I love wildlife photography, even if it isn't really wild. Get a load of this one. I took the elevator down to the lobby from my suite at the Homewood Suites in Ridgeland and something caught my eye. This six-foot tall glass enclousure was standing there with some cheezy looking foilage inside of it. I hadn't noticed it the first few nights I was here, but tonight as I walked by it, something grabbed me... the chirping of birds.
I looked closely and there were about five 3-inch tall lil' birdies flying around inside the glass case. I thought, no way was this real. I mean, give me a break. As if wildlife refuges and zoos were not enough, someone had the wonderful idea of jamming a bunch of live birds inside a tiny glass case inside of a hotel lobby.
I must say that I shot this shot because I totally disagreed with the principle involved with it. I think it is strange, bizarre, maybe even a little screwed up to have tiny birds shoved inside a glass cage in the middle of a lobby. Of course, I am one of those types that doesn't care for hunting and captivity of about any kind, though... unless it if for pure necessity in the aspect of survival. Don't get me wrong, I am not a gun control freak or anything like that. I just don't agree with boxing a living creature in for the entertainment of other creatures, i.e., Humans.
None the less, Mr. Boshier, I was able to shoot this photo with my 24-70mm lens at f/2.8. How many shots have you gotten of your beloved fowl culture standing within 2-feet of the fiesty little creatures, huh? Answer me now!!! Just joking bro. Thought I would use this cheap and cheezy way of shooting this tiny bird just to rip on ya a bit. It is nothing like holding that 400mm f/4 out in God's County, is it? Nuff said. I will crawl back into my inferior birding photography cage. Reign supreme, my brother, reign supreme.
"Return to Sender" by Wes Aldridge
Well, it was a helluva hot one in Mississippi today. I didn't catch the temp, but if I were to guess, I think it was somewhere between "sweltering" and "boiling." It seriously probably was about 92-degrees, but Delta Bottom humidity is another monster all together. It was a fun, good day for photography, heat aside.
So, I was hunting for shots along the Natchez Trace Parkway to go along with this open-ended feature story I am assigned. Little bitter about exactly how "open-ended" this feature assignment is, but anyhow. I saw this sight and started laughing and immediately pulled off in someone's gravel driveway. I hadn't seen something like this since highschool. It was a row of white mailboxes smashed to a pulp. One thought: rednecks in pickup trucks with wooden baseball bats. Yessir, these poor mailboxes were the victim of some good ol' boys on a drunken midnight bashing spree.
I love it. I felt back at home again!
Then, I did a double-take and noticed something that made the scene even more sweet. One of the mailboxes had been put back on its post, with the side smashed in, held together with, yup, you guessed it... DUCT TAPE.
Ha. Double Ha. I almost peed myself. Is life too frickin' funny or what? Standing there on a rural Deep South backroad, I saw some of the greatest stereotypes of redneck mayhem fulfilled. The only thing missing was an old country fellow standing there in his Liberty overalls and John Deere cap, with a can of Budweiser in one hand and a shotgun in the other resting softly on his shoulder.
And he would say, "Son, what in theeeee hell are you a doin' standin' thur lookin' at my bursted up mailbox, hmm? What say ya?"
And I would reply, "Just soaking in a classic Mississippi day, my friend... just soakin' it in and loving every second of it."
"The Lions" by Wes Aldridge
I found this statue in a parking lot of a Chinese restaurant when I was on the way to one of my assignments. The catch is, I had driven outside of Ridgeland and into some other city. So, I had to backtrack to get to my assignment, which was pretty cool. I did a portrait of a watercolor and oil painting artist that does natural and nostalgic scenes from around Mississippi.
Anyway, after sundown, I decided to drive back to this statue and take some shots. I did a pretty gigantic exposure on it: 3.2 seconds at f/11. I wanted to hit it with a little flash and really bring out the gold tone in the statue. I think it worked out. I like the icy look from the rippled water at the long exposure. It kind of gives it that glazed over look.
Just wish the restaurant would have been open so I could grab some shrimp fried rice. Yum.
"The Moth" by Wes Aldridge
Ok. Today was a bit of a chore. I drove down the Natchez Trace Parkway from Nashville, Tennessee to Ridgeland, MIssissippi. Bad idea. I was originally told it would take 5 hours to make the drive. I thought, "Ah, 5 hours isn't so bad."
Well, let me tell ya it took longer than 5 hours. Let's do some math. The distance to Ridgeland from our Franklin office is right around 350 miles. If an automobile were traveling at theconstant rate of 70 mph for 5 hours, then in fact, my trip should have only taken 5 hours. But, see, here is the kicker... I found out today that the Natchez Trace Parkway is 50 mph, except in some places where the speed limit bottoms out at a sludge-rate of 40 mph. Well, that pretty much sucks for me.
Let's pretend that the 40 mph zones didn't even exist. Then, the 350-mile trip would take 7 hours, with no stops of course. Well, lets throw in gargantuan thunder storms throughout most of the journey. Hehe. It got so bad at one point that I had to pull off the Parkway and sit for 45-minutes to let the storm pass because I literally couldn't see the yellow lines on the road in front of me, much less oncoming vehicles or those total idiots that don't believe in turning their head and tail lights on during a storm. Throw in couple of pitstops at a total of 15-minutes and there you have it.
AN 8-HOUR TRIP. 8 HOURS. OF DRIVING. PLEASE SHOOT ME.
It totally and completely wasted the entire day of photography (as if I could have shot anything in the monsoon and haze anyway). I think that I listened to that Coldplay album 7 times. It kept me kind of mellowed out, thank God.
Anyway, at one of the pitstops along the Parkway, I saw this huge creature resting on the wall leading to the men's room. I thought he was just too bizarre not to take a shot of. So, here is a big green moth. Kind of evil looking, ain't he?
"Silence" by Wes Aldridge
Tonight I was going for a self portrait. But shooting it in my living room, with many white walls, I wasn't able to control the light enough to get the photo exactly as I wanted it. Light was bouncing all over the place and it was more or less a nightmare, even shooting at f/18.
So, here is what I came up with. It's a little strange, and duct tape is terribly uncomfortable to tear off your mouth, but it kinda works for me. And who knows, it may just become a shot used in the final product of this photoblog when printing time comes. By the way, does anyone know a publisher that is just dying to print a strange years-worth conglomeration of daily photography in the life of me? I need to find something like that because I am sure the printing cost of turning the blog into a book will surely supercede any revenue I would make off selling copies of it to friends and family. So, if you have any publishing friends up your sleeve, then shoot me a quick message.
"Into The Sunset" by Wes Aldridge
This is one of the cool artistic 8-foot tall guitars that adorn the city of Nashville. I saw this one across the street from the Sunset Grill in the Village. In my opinion most of those guitars are pretty lame. In essence, this one really is too. But there is just something about this one that is pretty. I am always a sucker for sunsets.
So be it, it is done.
"Dark Flowers" by Wes Aldridge
This is a similar setup to the portrait of Jarvis that appeared last night. One of my co-workers wanted some flowers shot, so I obliged. She thought I would just do a simple point-and-click, but oh no. When we shoot, we do it for real.
For some reason, I think this shot turned out something similar to the art in the latest White Stripes album. The mix of crimson, black and white is interesting and very difficult to color balance correctly. It gives the beautiful vase of flowers a sinister feel. They are vivid and bright summer colors, but mix them with the mood of the setting and lighting and they become dark and evil.
"The Man" by Wes Aldridge
Once again, Mr. Johnson made it up here. I was shooting something in the studio today and after I was finished, I looked at Jarvis and said, "Come on over here buddy."
Jarvis has grown quite accustomed to being a photo subject for our photographers in the office. He had no problem with jumping in front of the lens and strobes for a fun little shoot.
His reaction, "Damn! I'm lookin' GQ!" Well, I like it too, Jarvis.
I shot a White Lightning strobe aboue 3-feet away from a seamless black paper backdrop with a red gel filter taped over a spill guard to give it that nice round, red gradient. I also shot him with a softbox on another White Lightning at a 45-degree angle from the front to give him that hard shadow. I also made the softbox parallel to his glasses to give them that filled out look from the softbox. I shot the shot at ISO 100 with a 1/200th of a second shutter speed to block out the ambient light in the room at f/4.5.
"After the Son" by Wes Aldridge
I think this one is alright for tonight.
"Slow Burn" by Wes Aldridge
I sat and watched the cars go by as dusk washed away what was left of the sunset. It was warm, too warm, and sweat poured down my back. Yeah, summertime is here to stay for a while and record heat is scorching the face of the Earth. In this hour of disaster, I decided there was only one thing to do... and I lit a cigarette.
I took two or three drags from it and sat it in the ashtray. I watched it burn until it decided to no more. The ash was long and hadn't broken, so I thought what a great shot.
Snap.
"Ripple" by Wes Aldridge
I don't know what this object is called, but throw on a 50mm f/1.8 lens and it doesn't really matter because when shoot with a wide open aperture, you can't tell anyway. It could have been as big as a house or tiny like a mouse, or any number of sizes in between. Shooting just for fun.
"Mr. TW" by Wes Aldridge
Who is Thaxton Ward?
EXIT/In figured that out tonight
"35-cent" by Wes Aldridge
How long has it been since you saw a pop machine selling at 35-cent a piece?
"Inscription" by Wes Aldridge
Back in Nashville now. Tired. Feeling ruff.
This shot is of what I think to be an insription in Latin, but correct me if it is another language because I really have no clue. I found this on the outer wall of the church I posted two days ago. It was a fascinating detail to me, so I wanted to share.
"Little Butterfly" by Wes Aldridge
Enjoy this shot, I almost broke my neck taking it. I needed to climb down a slight cliff to get a shot of a nice covered bridge for the magazine. Well, the cliff was wet grass at more or less of a straight-down-to-the-ground kind of angle. Oh, did I mention the loose dirt and thorns covering the hill? Yup, all that was there too.
So as you can figure, I slid down that damn hill and hit the nice rocks that you see in the background of the above photo. Ouchie! Not fun times, I can assure you.
As the old story goes, the job is done here in Virginia now and tomorrow its back to Nashville I go. I think I see a beautiful weekend coming on.
"The Church Star" by Wes Aldridge
Today was a monster good day for photography. Thank God cause I needed a day like this. I have been doing seasonal photography for my company for many weeks now. On normal magazine shoots, every other week I travel to a community to shoot an entire magazine full of portraits, product shots, landscapes, feature photography and sports. On the seasonal shoots, it is landscape only. The seasonal shoots really don’t allow much room for creativity and problem solving/shot planning, other than what time of day is best light for a scene.
I love to go to a place that has been deemed as having “nothing to shoot.” You know, small towns with a Main Street and a Hardee’s. Those kinds of places are my favorite to shoot. I love the difficulty in having “nothing to shoot.” It really forces me to think hard, and fast. I allot an hour per shoot, including set-up time and breakdown and travel time to my next assignment. That is a helluva deadline. Fun, fun, fun. I love the stress and pressure of turning “nothing” into a cool, interesting photograph.
Anyway, this shot is of an awesome, ultra-modern church steeple at 2 p.m. in the afternoon. I shot with a muy rapido shutter speed of 1/1600th of a second at f/11. Check out the cool star effect it gave the sun, not to mention the great silhouette of the steeple with a deep blue sky behind it. I even think the solar lens flares in the shot are great. I saw them while I was metering through the lens and thought, yessir, they belong there.
"Tribal Wear" by Wes Aldridge
I shot a portrait late this evening of a nice ol' retired doctor. After I finished his portrait, he took me to a room where he said he was assembling a private collection of American Indian artifacts. I was utterly impressed. The shot above is one of the old native garments that were hanging in his collection. I thought the real animal claws on the necklace really set this shot off.
Anyway, I have been listening to the latest Coldplay album, "X&Y," pretty much everyday for about a week. I usually don't go for soft and light pop music like that, but I think it has easily become one of my favorite albums of all times. The music is beautifully written, orchestrated and intelligent. It flows like milk and honey. But the thing that really impresses me is the lyrical content of the songs. I mean, the music really draws you in, but the lyrics keep you coming back for more. These things are important in an age of bubblegum pop music that sells and sounds a-dime-a-dozen. I mean, I love Nine Inch Nails, Dark New Day, TOOL, and the like. So, maybe you should check out this Brit pop album if a dark metal lover like me finds a refuge in it.
I think some of the most important lyrics that really drive home with me are in the third track, titled "White Shadows." Strong, strong song. The lyrics are as follow:
"Maybe you'll get what you wanted
Maybe you'll stumble upon it
Everything you ever wanted in a permanent state
Maybe you'll know when you've seen it
Maybe if you say it you'll mean it
And when you find it you'll keep it
In a permanent state a permanent state"
I can't really explain to you why they mean so much to me. All I can say is I have honestly never felt a connection to song lyrics like this before. There is something magical in that song and I can listen to it over and over and it never really gets tiring to me. I force myself to cycle in another cd every few hours, just so I will believe I am not THAT crazy. I think Coldplay really hit the nail on the head with this one.
And, now you are wondering what the hell that has to do with some ancient Native American gear... absolutely nothing.
"Hands Toward Heaven" by Wes Aldridge
I like the rugged look of this shot. There is the angel, perched on a building top with clasped hands, beautifully illuminated, with the somewhat haphazard railing behind it holding the neon lights erect. It seemed to me a direct clash of the visions of perfection that most people have of the celestial beings.
I am glad that I am finally back out on the road again. Too much time in Nashville makes me want to jump, jump somewhere into something and never get back again. It is a great little town for, well, whatever people say it is a great little town for, I guess. It just might be a great little place to visit. I feel that is what I do now. Just visit long enough to wash my clothes and pay my bills and catch my next ride to wherever I am headed.
It is not Los Angeles. It is not New York. It is not Atlanta. Fuck, it’s not even Birmingham or Tucson. It’s not a flashy metropolis, and by God does it ever try far too hard to be. Glimmering and shimmering music dreams sparking and fading, they start and poof... they’re gone.
Nashville is in fact a sleepy little town with people who were once big dreamers whose eyes have grown heavy filled with sand and drip with the fermented fire of Old No. 7. Oh, the tears the distilleries have drawn from our hearts! But, through all the agony that city brings, there is something so addictive about it. You get sucked in and you make yourself think you never want to leave. And you don’t. You stay. You tell yourself you are content. You play the role of the happy Nashvillian. And in secret, you weep for never chasing the dreams that you always wanted to grab by the tail and soar around the galaxy clinging to.
Is it because no angels are perched on building tops in Nashville? Is it because the only signs of hope on Broadway or Second Ave. are the two-for-one beer specials at Robert’s Western World or Buffalo Billiards? It just might be. Then again, lets forget about all this rambling stupidity and go grab a double-tall bourbon down on Printer’s Alley when I get back. Maybe Nashville doesn’t dilute our aspirations to dreams; maybe we do that to ourselves.
"Angels' Prayer" by Wes Aldridge
Sit and watch, and more so, listen to the things that whispers are made of. There is always something to hear if you take the time to listen.
