On Assignment: Prattville, Alabama-Day Three

"Four Times Even Light" by Wes Aldridge

If there is one good thing about the current hurrican situation, it must be that the weather makes for an extremely interesting sunset shot.

In this shot, all the light completely evened out. First you have the bright colors of the sunset, pretty much exposed on the money, bright and crisp warm colors. Next, you have the silhouettes of the ground and trees that are completely black. The face of the clock on the clocktower is illuminated at the right exposure, with a little flood lighting projected on the the corner wall. And finally, you can't overlook the menacing purple storm cloud that devours the sky with a patch of blue sky showing through the opening at the top.

I waited around for just the right time to shoot, and I am glad I did. Seconds after this frame, the wind began to pick up rather violently and I felt a few raindrops fall on my nose. And then, the damn bottom fell out of the sky and an insane storm came on strong. I really thought I was about to be in the middle of a tornado. Honestly, this shot doesn't even come close to capturing what was going on in nature right then. But, hell, I tried and rode it out until the nasty storm came... and happy I did. I got so excited about this shot that I called two other photographers to rant about it. I was awe struck over what I had seen, and it reassured me that I am doing what I am supposed to do, and loving it.

I wish you could have been there with me.

On Assignment: Prattville, Alabama-Day Two

"The Whole World Calls Me..." by Wes Aldridge

Tonight, I drove into the neighboring city of Montgomery, of course, the state capital of Alabama. Coach told me about the tie-in of Hank Williams to this city and I knew I had to make a quick visit. Honeycutt had introduced me to Hank when I was in highschool, and the things he showed me I will never forget, even since six years have passed from those days.

This is a statue of Hank that sits in the downtown area of Montgomery. I got there as the sky was fading into darkness. I ended up frantically shooting this with a high ISO of 400 at a slow shutter speed of 1/40th of a second (handheld) with my 50mm lens at f/1.8 to squeeze every little bit of light as possible into the scene before it was lights out. I got beneath the statue and the bronze reflected a little light off Hank's face at just the right angle and brought it to life. I like this one a lot.

I consider Hank one of the greatest American poets that ever lived. I mean, how could you not just connect with lyrics like these:
" Did you ever see a robin weep
When leaves begin to die?
Like me he's lost the will to live
I'm so lonesome I could cry"

Hank and Cash made the country music that I love. It meant a lot to find this memorial to him and get a nice shot to share on the blog.

On Assignment: Prattville, Alabama-Day One

Tonight, the format of my blog entry has obviously changed, and for good reason. I have seen the most bizarre place in my photographic travels to date. I don’t know exactly how to take the experience, but it was honestly the most interesting time I have had a camera in my hand. It was startling to walk through this creation and I couldn’t stop pressing my shutter button.

This is "The Cross Garden" in Prattville, Alabama. I knew nothing of the place until our chief photographer Greg showed me some shots that he had taken there. He was pretty insistent that I see this enigma for myself. I am extremely glad I took the time to stop in.

There was no way that posting only one photo from it would do the experience any kind of justice, so here is more of a photo essay where the shots are best viewed together.

This is the former land and art of a man named W.C. Rice, whom died earlier this year. He collected everything from telephone poles to kitchen stoves and assembled this “garden” in his yard. As you can see, he had somewhat of a fixation with expressing his religious views. People would buy these pieces of art straight from his yard for hundreds of dollars each.

I hate to be judgmental or to insert my opinion on someone that I have never and will never meet, but I feel like chiming in on this one. As some of his red-paint scrawlings say on the objects in his yard, here is my conclusion. Hell may be hot and God may be love, but this must be far, far over the edge. Taken seriously, this is the kind of religious throat stuffing that really turns people off from the whole idea of God or Jesus. I am not sure if this can be taken any other way or not. To take it in a comic sense would surely be blasphemy, right?

Please, brings some comments on this one. I would love to see everyone's opinions on it. I just hope the rest of my shots from Prattville will be this interesting.




"Read" by Wes Aldridge


"Hot, Hot, Hot" by Wes Aldridge


"Rugged Cross" by Wes Aldridge


"You Will Die" by Wes Aldridge


"On The Range" by Wes Aldridge


"72" by Wes Aldridge


"Help Me" by Wes Aldridge


"Sin" by Wes Aldridge


"Postmaster" by Wes Aldridge

Feels Almost Like Home

"True Americana" by Wes Aldridge

This is a shot from west Tennessee. It really hits me good. It is real. It is beautiful. It is Americana and I get a feeling that I am at home when I see it.

Can you imagine how lucky and wonderful of a life I have to be traveling about doing photography and to see a scene like this? Yes, some of us were born lucky. This is scene is the stuff that has stitched America together. These old farm scenes with the peeling paint and old red trucks and purple clouds in the sky, this is America. And I am so glad that I get to visit these small towns and countrysides to see such things. I am a city dweller, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I need my Tennessee Titans football games, my rush hour traffic jams and my 3 a.m. Taco Bell runs with the boys after a hard night of fun on 2nd Avenue. But, I also desperately need those real moments of country that are far removed from Urban Hell.

This was one of those majestic times, and I love it.

Reflections of Nature

"The Wetlands" by Wes Aldridge

This is a shot from a place in western Tennessee called the Sugar Creek Wetlands. It is a government funded wildlife and nature reserve. I drove by it and you better believe I turned around to get a shot. I don't think it needs much more explanation than that.

That Feeling

"Main Street Auction" by Wes Aldridge

I shot a freelance assignment of a marching band competition today in Milan, Tennessee. It was really fun, suprisingly. But after the assignment is when I really started having a good time. I felt it today, in that small town, I felt it.

I decided to go and find my shot for the day while I was still down there. It was time for a little exploration. There must be a downtown area with a traditional old courthouse or something of that nature that would make for a good shot. I followed Main Street and there it was.

The street was filled with boxes overflowing with trinkets, junk and just all-around yardsale items strewn about. People sat in lawnchairs on the street with iced tea in hand. A man was running an auction over a loudspeaker in front of the massive crowd of hundreds. The site was incredible. For a minute I felt like I had wondered into a different kind of place, something tucked away and hidden from societal norms. I felt like it was a National Geographic kind of moment. I can't explain it very well, I just know the feelings that I had.

And there they were, sitting proudly in their chairs. These two little ladies had just bid on an auction for a tea kettle... and won. The lady on the left had done the bidding and the one on the right had to pitch in her five dollars to help in the buy. It was just a perfect moment out of an old American novel to me. I felt it, and I caught it.

Farewell, Friend

"Catch It!" by Wes Aldridge

This shot is how I would like to remember things: Jarvis with a giant smile catching a waterballoon tossed some 30-feet by his partner during a game portion of our United Way picnic lunch today.

Sadly, after a couple of years, Jarvis is moving on from our company as the Photo Department's (and everyone else's) Go-To- Guy. He was such a gigantic helping hand for everything, whether I was out on the road and needed some quick information when I had no access to the Internet, or doing endless color corrections, Jarvis was always there and willing to help.

More than his work ethic and talent with Adobe Photoshop, he was a fun as hell guy to be around. There was rarely a time when he wasn't cracking me up, or saying "Bet" or asking me, "Where your week at, dawg?" The guy was a true gem with a huge heart and a generally happy disposition.

I knew that the last thing I could do for his tenure at Journal Communications was to get a great shot of him, happy as can be, and share it with everyone.

Farewell, friend, and good luck with being an architect. I bet it sure beats rounding up countless submitted photos from elusive story and photo leads! Thanks a million times over... and, "Where your week at?"

R'n'R and a Little Smut

"Slunt" by Wes Aldridge

I shot this band called Slunt... and they rocked my face off. Such a clever name, on the verge of being vile and certainly naughty. Not to mention the singer/guitar player and bassist were extremely hot. That helped out a bit. But their music was heavy and edgy and these girls mixed raw attitude with real sex appeal on stage.

Just look at her... hard-rockin' Slunt to the core.

I was up front shooting and she looked at me dead-on in the lens and I got this shot. A very seductive look. It was fun. Note the armband. Also, the play on the Coca-Cola Classic logo on her shirt, as if anyone would miss it. And she was also wearing some camo pants that laced up the side with one heck of mid-drift showing.

Now that's what I call pure ROCK.

Walk Through This

"The Golden Corridor" by Wes Aldridge

I found a great hallway where the shadows were black and the rest was gold.

Bronze Soldier

"God of War" by Wes Aldridge

I went to the War Memorial building in downtown Nashville and got this one. I didn't want to know the name of the statue, so I didn't look. I wanted to call it "God of War," because that is the feeling that I got when I saw it. Nothing special, but we all know how much I love to shoot a great statue.

Capital Colors

"Night Rider" by Wes Aldridge

Tonight turned out much better than I thought it would. I wanted to go downtown to the state capital and try to shoot. On my way there, the sky was very weak. It has been extremely hazy for a couple of weeks now. And with haze, sunsets and sunrise shots pretty much are terrible.

I had wanted the state capital building at sunset, but like so many times, things turned out a little different than I had planned. While I walked around the building searching for a good angle, I saw this horse statue and knew that is where my shot needed to stem from. I waited until the sun faded out and the lights on the capital came on to give that golden-pink light. The sky hadn't fallen completely black and with my chosen white balance, it really brought out and accented the purple in the sky. The colors were rich and the composition was pretty nice. I even enjoy the flags flapping in the background.

A Pleasant Find

"Episcopal Glass" by Wes Aldridge

This is a great stained glass window from an Episcopal church that I randomly wandered into.

Pretty stuff. The angle is cool because I just got right up on the window with my wide angle lens. I used a really shallow depth of field to pull attention to the cross because it was the piece that I found most mesmerizing.

The Tops

"4 Columns" by Wes Aldridge

These were four pillars at the riverfront in downtown Evansville, Indiana. There you go.

On Assignment: Henderson, Kentucky-Day Three

"Audubon Cattails" by Wes Aldridge

I went to Audubon State Park today to do some shooting at the John James Audubon Museum. The museum was interesting, but the nature aspect of the park was beautiful and I felt like I just had to search around to find a shot or two.

It was getting late, around six o'clock or so, and the sun was the wonderfully warm creation that all photographers love to shoot under. I drove around and found the lake on the property. It was stunning. The water was completely still like glass, only rippled by the occasional fish jumping from the water. The reflections were perfect and this one small yellowy-green leafed tree caught my eye. I shot it a couple of times, but it really wasn't the shot I wanted in my heart. So I decided to trek around the lake a little and then I found it.

A patch of tall grass with some cattails in their prime framed the perfect shot for the scene. I popped the 70-200mm telephoto lens on the Canon and sat it on the tripod to shoot a shot with a medium aperture at f/8 with a shutter speed of 1/160th of a second. It gave that perfectly in focus view of the cattails and my favorite tree had a mild blur, but it was still decipherable in the background. Then I decided to shift my position a little and got some of the sky reflected in the water as well. I took a deep breath and fired the winning shot... and I was happy.

Then some weird guy walked up to me and started asking me all kinds of bizarre questions about the park, but that is a totally different conversation altogether. My mojo was good at the time and I wasn't about to let some strange man kill it.

On Assignment: Henderson, Kentucky-Day Two

"Blanco" by Wes Aldridge

Luck this one got up. Headache is horrible. Sleeping it off cause it has to go away.

On Assignment: Henderson, Kentucky-Day One

"Shadow of David" by Wes Aldridge

On the way back from dinner in Evansville, Indiana, with one of my best friends, I saw this cool sight. We were driving through a lower income section of town and I see this cast of David. I did somewhat of a double-take because I didn't expect to see this in someone's yard in this neighborhood. I looked a little harder and saw the shadow of the figure projected on the brick wall and knew this was my shot for the night.

12th & Porter: Rock

"Scallions on Bass" by Wes Aldridge

Tonight I saw "The X's" at 12th & Porter. Fuel frontman, Brett Scallions, played bass and handled some backing vocals. Well, here is Brett.

Brother Flame

"Face of Fire" by Wes Aldridge

This is the final image from our excursion in Cloudland Canyon State Park. My brother was kindling the flames of our campfire and it made for a great scene. It was pitch black dark late at night and as I watched him work the fire, all I could see was his slightly lit face and the blazing fire. I think this one has almost a ghostly feeling to it. But it twas no specter, tis the brother of me, merely!

I came back with none of the types of photographs that I had envisioned I would get on this trip. No waterfall shots and barely any nature photographs, but the ones I have brought back are well-pleasing to me in a quite unexpected way. That is one of the most exciting aspects of the world of photography. Many times I think I "know" what I am going to shoot and kind of plan it all out in my head. More times than not, those plans end up changing and the adventure to get the shot begins.

Studio or Campsite?

"Off" by Wes Aldridge

Well, we had to travel to a nearby family friend's home to get the blog up tonight because the cottage we are staying in doesn't have a phone line. We are about 30 miles from camp right now in Mentone, Alabama. Oh yeah, it was uploaded by a dial-up modem tonight too. I am just glad its up now.

This shot is, of course, a bottle of Off! insect repellant. I think it is pretty killer though. I didn't do this shot in the studio. Nope, it was done on the picnic table outside of the cottage. I put a fairly bright flashlight behind the translucent bottle and it lit it pretty nicely. I shot it with the 50mm f/1.8 and washed over it with a 550EX flash. I think a person could believe it was shot in the studio and given that rustic look. But no, it was just some fun while having some Evan Williams around the campfire with the fam.

Shooting On the Farm

"Golden Rays" by Wes Aldridge

The family is having a mini-vacation at Cloudland Canyon State Park for the next few days. My brother had to work tonight so I drove him back to his gig in Dalton for the night. I had a guy ask me to come and shoot photographs of his family farm and decided to go tonight and give it a few shots and scout it out before we head back to Cloudland Canyon.

This shot is in the loft of an old barn standing on the Gowin Farm in Walker County, Georgia. I was pretty sure I would get some nice shots down on the farm tonight, but I think this one really is a gem. I am very well pleased with it.

Now, time to pick up the brother and head back to Lookout Mountain.

Bent

"Structural Distortion" by Wes Aldridge

A cool distorted reflection of a building in downtown.

Time to go on a little holiday.

New Orleans by Nashville

"Spirit of Nawlins" by Wes Aldridge

Tonight I shot Dancin' In The District on the bank of the Cumberland River. Better Than Ezra was the headling act, and they did it well. They played with Cowboy Mouth who suprisingly were extremely good. The kicker of the show, though, was that both bands are from New Orleans. I think they were playing to Nashville, but they were doing it for the ravaged homeland. They gave it all they had and I was satisfied.

This is the guitarist/vocalist from Better Than Ezra, Kevin Griffin. I like this shot because of the Pedestrian Bridge in the background. I think it really makes the shot interesting and it totally says Nashville. Also, the shadow of Kevin's hand on the guitar body strikes me as pretty neat too.

Decisions Made

"King's Eyes" by Wes Aldridge

Tonight I stared into the King's Eyes. They became a mirror and I saw myself in them. Sometimes decisions are tuff, especially when a beautiful blonde is involved in the scenario. But I am home and the blog was posted once again. I was wanted elsewhere, and believe me, elsewhere was looking mighty fine tonight.

I knew one thing though: If I didn't make it home and post a shot for the night, I would have failed. It doesn't mean much to some people, I assume. I don't think that most people can grasp the importance that this daily offering of my work is. I will definetly never win a Pulitzer Prize for anything posted here. I rarely make a sale of any prints from this, although the rarity does happen and is welcomed. No, this site is about a commitment to a very important person in my life. That person is me. I promised myself that I would do this daily posting for an entire year and now that I am into the ninth month of it, there is absolutely no turning back now. This sight owes nothing to anyone. It isn't here to please or entertain anyone. It isn't here as a political statement. It doesn't gain any revenue. Hell, it doesn't even have a visually compelling amount of artistic creativity in the site's design. But it is a piece of me. I would even go as far as to say that it is a testament to the devotion that I have for the gift of photography that I feel I was graced with.

I said that I had to go and do this posting because one day I want to see my work in National Geographic and if I missed posting this commitment that I have to myself, if I let myself down, then I would never achieve this awesome goal that I have set forth for myself. I don't think that I will accomplish it because I am "that" good. I think that I will get there because I won't settle for anything less and I refuse to let anything stop me.

So, The King didn't get Graceland because he thought one night he would let everything go on hold and forget about it. Graceland stands on top of a mighty empire because a young kid from Tupelo gave it everything he had, everyday of his life. And there you have it, he was The King. I don't want to be The King, but I don't want to settle for anything less than the absolute fullest measure of my devotion.

Men aren't created great... but some give it more than they have and one day they walk away with the prize.

Nice Window

"Broken Glass" by Wes Aldridge

Tonight we went to the rockshow. My ears will ring for days.

Wall Praying

"The Mantis" by Wes Aldridge

So tonight I stopped at Walgreens to find a rubberband for my hair. Nothing really eventful inside, just made the purchase. When I got to the cashier she was laughing and looking outside. She mumbled something about a bug and I see a kid dancing around on the concrete in front of the sliding glass doors. My interest was caught.

I walked outside and this little boy was dancing around wearing a Native American feathered headdress while cupping his hand around his mouth while mocking Indian chants. This was strange, I mean the child romping about in Indian garb by himself at 9:30 p.m. with no parent in sight. I finally saw the bug: A praying mantis, a very large one, scaling the brick wall of the building. I ran and grabbed my camera and the rest is in the details.

On Assignment: Asheville, North Carolina-Day Five

"Tie Your Shoe" by Wes Aldridge

Today was the voyage home. Tired. Worn down. Sleep needed.

Always remember to tie your shoes.

On Assignment: Asheville, North Carolina-Day Four

"Rugged Fiddler" by Wes Aldridge

Well, my analysis of Asheville... I love it here. Everything is free and accepted and people are their own people, no matter how far from society's norms they stray. A great T-shirt that I saw gives a great summary: "ASHEVILLE where normal is weird." I really enjoyed this place and felt perfectly at home.

This is a shot of one of the many street performers I saw here. She was incredible and I think I almost fell in love. if you know me, the girls that I go for are not exactly like this one: Blonde, raggedly dressed and with armpit hair. No, I generally don't go for the earthy ones, but this girl was incredible.

She played an accordian from the 1930s and a violin. I can't really describe the music except that it was enchanting and almost dark. It kept me mesmerized while I listened. It made me want to shoot and shoot and shoot. So I did and here she is, as happy as she wants to be.

On Assignment: Asheville, North Carolina-Day Three

"Strained In Glass" by Wes Aldridge

Well, I decided to go with another shot from St. Lawrence tonight. Not because I didn't shoot anything else today that wasn't good, but because everything I shot today is no more.

I had 128 photos on my memory card and when I got back to the hotel, they were all corrupted. When digital photography files are corrupted, then you have no more photos. That really sucks for me. Oh well, I really love this stained glass. I couldn't decide between it and the shot of the candles I posted last night.

So here is a look at what last night's shot could've been.

On Assignment: Asheville, North Carolina-Day Two

"Flickering" by Wes Aldridge

Today was another long one. I love it. I walked all over Asheville today and eventually ended up at the Basilica of St. Lawrence. I thought the prayer candles were great when I walked in the door. Moody. Cool.

On Assignment: Asheville, North Carolina-Day One

"A View In The Big Truck" by Wes Aldridge

Today I drove the Coach and myself to Asheville for a shoot for a few days. We were in a huge Ford Expedition so we could carry all of our photo equipment. The drive wasn't bad at all. We had good laughs and conversation and I really enjoyed the trip.

We had finished a shoot today and were trying to figure out what the next destination was for the following shoot. The Coach and I were getting into the Expedition and we needed to make room in the vehicle for the other members of our group (that had drove to Asheville in a serparate vehicle). As we were loading in, I was sitting at the helm of the Expedition and had noticed earlier that a drop-down wide-angle mirror was in the roof of the vehicle. I popped it down and took a semi-self portrait and group shot with my 50mm lens at f/1.8.. I like it. Sybil is scheduling something for the trip on her cell phone in the background and the Coach is being straight-up chill with his shades on in the passenger seat. It was simply a true moment in our present reality.

I feel good about this trip and the group we are with. I think things are really working together and feel like an important part of a team on this assignment. It is a stark contrast to the normal photo shoots we do out on the road all alone. It is great to be with another photographer, who is pretty damn good, and assist on his portrait shoots and learn the mannerisms of his photography. I think this trip will be a great expansion and enhancement for my photographic skills... and it also looks to be some fun too.

Tainted Walls

"Red Sea" by Wes Aldridge

The horror of a red splattered wall. What happened? When? How?

We don't know. We don't care to know. We don't fear it. We don't even trust it and we surely don't believe in it.

So, we wonder about it. Think. Analyze. Try to see the truth through all the smoke. Can we? Will we be able to find it? Cna we possibly look hard enough and never find?

Yes.

Where's The Metal Sheep?

"Steel Wool" by Wes Aldridge

Steel wool with a flipped 50mm for macro with a bounced flash.

Stop and Smell

"Sweet Roses" by Wes Aldridge

Tonight was the final episode of Sex Feet Under. I have to say that it was probably one of the greatest television series ever created. Some people look at that series as a show about death and morbidness, but that isn't close to the point. I think watching it really was an affirmation of life, love and family. It was pretty uplifting and an incredible journey to feel a part of. I wonder how long before the box set comes out?

The End of an Era... Let the Party Begin

"Free to Roam" by Wes Aldridge

Today was spent in south Alabama. There were many angry animals surrying about. We swerved and dodged them and they had the Fear.

Actually, today is a monumental day. Hunter Stockton Thompson's creamated ashes were shot out of a gigantic cannon on his farm. He was my hero and the sole reason that I became interested in journalism, and eventually picked up a camera. Tonight, we pay homage to this incredible life force with Wild Turkey, Chivas Regal, Monte Alban Mezcal and anything else that comes about in true Gonzo fashion.

If you don't know of HST, pick up a novel of his, perhaps "The Rum Diary" or "Better Than Sex," or you could always go for his cult classics "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" or "Hell's Angels."

"There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. Some kind of high powered mutant never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die." - as said by Raoul Duke about Dr. Gonzo in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," written by HST

On Assignment: Sherman, Texas-Day Five

"Warm Monuments" by Wes Aldridge

I spent 13 hours traveling today. Wake at 3 a.m. and get to Nashville at 4 p.m. I am beyond tired. I had dinner with an old friend and we went to the Nasvhille city cemetery. Some markers were so old, the dates had been erroded off of them. The end of the day in the cemetery. Wasn't I around one of these places last night about the same time? Strange how things come about.

Goodnight.

On Assignment: Sherman, Texas-Day Four

"Mother In Mourning" by Wes Aldridge

Right now it is 10 p.m. on my final night in Texas. I am beyond exhausted. I had mega amounts of photography to do today. The temperature was still hovering in the mid-90's at 6:20 p.m. tonight. I ran hardcore today. I shot this entire magazine in three days, and I think it is one of my best to date. I am pretty excited about it, in all honesty.

Something I am not as excited about is I just set my wake-up call for 3 a.m. My flight leaves out of Dallas at 7 a.m. Dallas is an hour-and-a-half drive from Sherman. The rental car facility is located about 15 minutes from the airport. Factor in time to shower and gather my belongings. Then, of course, the Friday morning airport rush. After my two-and-a-half hour flight to Milwaukee, I have a four-and-a-half hour layover before I board the plane to Nashville. I should land around 3:30 p.m., if everything runs smoothly. But, as I recall on the trip down here on Monday, there were multiple flight delays and an extended layover on the majestic Midwest Airlines. Yeah, tomorrow is guaranteed to be pure and utter Hell. But when I get home, I will be more than ready for the weekend to chill out.

This shot was the product of me scampering frantically to find anything to shoot against the dusk-filled sky. I happened to be driving by a cemetery and thought some kind of monument would work for a silhouette. Here she is, sad eyes in the sky.

On Assignment: Sherman, Texas-Day Three

"Five Gone" by Wes Aldridge

This one was powerful. I was driving down the highway and I looked over and saw these five brown crosses sticking out of the ground. I knew they stood where some people had died. I have seen roadside memoriams hundreds of times in the past. They have always intrigued me. I needed to take a closer look.

I parked and walked upon the scene. The ground was scorched and black for a good thirty feet in close proximity to the crosses. Small pieces of charred and twisted metal were scattered in the ashes. The scene told a silent story of destruction and I know the car accident must have been beyond terrible.

It was akward just standing there. It was the prologue of a great tragedy in so many people's lives. I struggled with making this shot. Moral concern tugged at my mind. I wanted to record this moment in my life with a photograph, but at the same time, I didn't want to cheapen the meaning of those crosses standing in the tall Texas grass. I decided to shoot.

I laid flat on the ground, careful not to disturb any of the ashen metal pieces that rested in the patches of blackened earth. I put the camera on the ground, forcing my right cheek to touch the ground as well... and click.

I decided to show the serene beauty of the situation, rather than show the burned ground and the sadness that it testified to. I feel like I properly handled this shot in a delicate manner.

On Assignment: Sherman, Texas-Day Two

"Lonliest Tree In Texas" by Wes Aldridge

After a day chok full of Texas-sized thunderstorms, the sun somewhat broke free from the clouds for a couple of minutes. Just my luck, I am out in the middle of nowhere checking on the direction a building is facing so I know when the sun will shine on it. There was nothing around... or so I thought.

I look over in this vast field beside me that seemed to never end. Standing there, all alone and weathered from the scorching Texas heat, I saw the lonliest tree in Texas. In its battered and worn down state, I thought it was beautiful. I popped out the Canon and rolled the passenger side window down and clicked a few frames. You know, I felt like those frames actually meant something to me. I can't put my finger on just what it was, but it felt wholesome and even a little stirring inside me.

I didn't get to shoot much today, but I think the assignments I completed were pretty golden. And now, lonely ol' me has my own lonely ol' tree to share it with! Once again, my camera was the one by my side. She doesn't fight or complain. She acts a little jittery in her old age every now and again, but for the most part, she is pretty good to me. I love her. She is my companion, and we were able to share a moment in time with this lonely ol' tree.

On Assignment: Sherman, Texas-Day One

"Unicard" by Wes Aldridge

For all of those who think us traveling fellas back in the photo department have simply got it made... let me share a little day in Photo Hell with you. I mean to make you laugh and its meant with a grain of salt in some points, but today honeslty really blew.

Being the good little traveling photog that I am, I get to the Nashville airport about two hours ahead of my flight this morning. I get to the ticketing counter and the Midwest Airlines ticketing agent tells me that my ticket hasn't been paid for. I stand there stunned for a few seconds while I stare at the printed online reciept that our accounting department gave me. One key phrase really jumped off the page at me: "This is your reciept. Thank you for your purchase." After arguing with the guy for a few minutes, he told me to call my company and double check. That would be great if it weren't 7:15 a.m. and anyone was actually at our office at that time. So, I have to disturb the bossman on his cell. Sure he appreciated that one. Anywho, he told me he would work on it and try to get something figured out about it. In the meantime, I proceed to argue with the ticket agent. I ended up fighting with him for 45-minutes, when he finally got someone from the reservations department on the phone at Midwest. He then said, "Oh, ok, you're fine." I almost lost it, but kept cool and just cursed the guy under my breath for his incompetency. I said thanks and headed on my way.

I get to the gate and make a few calls to schedule photo appointments and about 20-minutes before my scheduled departure time, the voice came over the loudspeaker and said there will be a slight delay with my flight. My curiousity go the best of me and I had to ask the Midwest reps how long the delay was expected to run. They said, "Oh, about one-and-a-half hours. Shoot me. I do the time and finally get on the plane.

I get to Milwaukee for my connection where I have about a two-and-a-half hour layover. Come to find out, this flight is delayed too. So, I was in Milwaukee for close to four hours. My flight finally departs in route to Dallas-Ft. Worth. Wouldn't you know it, a jolly little child kicked the immortal crap out of my seat from behind for the entire trip.

I land at DFW and go through the normal "find the carousel with your bags" fiasco amongst a horde of people. Then, off to find the rental car counter... which is in a remote location from the airport. I board a shuttle with all my gear and luggage, packed like sardines in the standing room only bus, and kill another 15 minutes with the trip to the rental car location. When I get there, the waiting line wasn't too bad... only about 12 people in front of me. When I get to the counter, I identify myself and the rental clerk tells me there are no more of our company's standardly requested "mid-size" cars available. Thats funny how that works out sometimes. You make a reservation for a particular kind of car and then, I'll be damned if they just won't have one. I thought that was the whole point of a reservation, to guarantee what you want.

So the guy says to me, I can put you in a mini-van. I look him dead in the eyes and say, "Are you joking me? No, that isn't going to fly here." He fumbled around a bit and told me for $10 extra per day he could put me in an SUV. I said, 'Aren't you supposed to upgrade me for free if my car I reserved isn't here." He got this look on his face. Then said he would go ahead and put me in the SUV at no additional charge. Did he really think I was a complete idiot and that he could take advantage of me like that? What a jerk. I get the Suzuki wagon-thing and here is where the day really starts to suck.

I was driving through the dead center of Dallas en route to Sherman (about an hour and 20 minutes from the airport) in stop and go rush hour traffic. And then, it happened. The guy in front of me stopped and you guessed it, accident time. That was the last thing I needed today at 5:30 p.m. I was pretty shook-up, but I didn't get hurt and the only thing wrong with my SUV was a bent front license plate. The other two cars were a different story. Insurance information, yada yada, you know the drill.

I finally get into Sherman around 7:30 p.m. and try to find a map so I can shoot something at sunset. Huge black storm clouds roll over and I didn't get anything.

After a day like today, the only things I wanted right now were dinner and a Miller Lite. Buffalo Wild Wings surely had both. I go in and ask for my beer and the server asked if I had a Unicard? I asked her what the hell that was. Well, in Sherman it isn't enough if you have valid photo ID to have an adult beverage, you also have to fill out a card with your name, address, telephone number, etc., called a Unicard. It seems to be some form of evil extension devised by the Patriot Act, I am sure. Well I happily obliged and played the little game. I had my much needed Miller Lite and as you see above, I now have my very own Unicard to allow me to have a beer in the city of Sherman, Texas.

Thank God this day is over. I wasted the entire day traveling, no photography at all. What a totally screwed away day. A few more like this one and I might just laugh out loud.

Where Can You Turn?

"Dead End" by Wes Aldridge

No outlet. Nothing else. Just a piece of time in a place where the colors complemented each other and the elements of design were present.

When Enough is Enough

"Too Much" by Wes Aldridge

Tonight, holy shit, what a fiasco. After a year-and-a-half of nonsense with her, it came to a breaking point. Harassing phone calls in the middle of the night. Well, that happens pretty often from her. Tonight she was calling from someone else's phone. Too much, too much. Then, she ends up on my door step beating on the door. Too much, too much. Then when I open the door and very loudly yell at her to get the fucking hell out of my house, she stays. I call the police and she calls me a pussy. She comes inside my house and starts grabbing hold of me and shoving me. I put my hands up in the sky and stay away from her. Then she runs away and hides in the bushes. I talk to the police again. She runs past me and gets into her car... she had obviously been drinking, which is no problem until you endanger yourself or others by operating an automobile. I get behind the car to get the license plate numbers to give to the police and she backs into me, knowing full and well I was standing there. That is intentional assault, a felony charge. She then speeds off and a police officer pulls her over a few roads from my house where she had the opportunity to wear silver bracelets and sit in the backseat of a patrol unit.

Lets see. We have harassment, trespass/burglary and even assault. Now, it seems I have plenty of reason to file charges, and I have a year to do that under the Tennessee statute of limitations. I filed a police report, very thoroughly and I am considering the next set of options in this matter: Do I press charges on all, some or none of the charges or maybe file a restraining order? Jesus, after a fucking year of torment from the same female I sure as Hell should press for all its worth. I have much thinking to do, much. I can't believe I was put in the position to actually call the police. Tonight, I had the option to file these charges and have her taken downtown to be booked, but as much of an idiot as I am, I give her one more chance to not fuck with my life anymore. One more chance, then I will press all charges. No more toleration in my soul. Bless her heart. One more peep from her or anyone that knows her to me about anything involving her, and she will be a visitor in the Metro jail system of Nashville.

There is only so much a person can take before they say enough. ENOUGH.

Oh yeah, this is a shot of a huge flock of birds on a powerline system in Nashville. A little strange. Time for bed. Too much bullshit for one night.

Out of Nowhere

"Poles of Light" by Wes Aldridge

I was driving home through a rainshower after leaving work at about 6:30 p.m... long day. The sky was a mess and I knew I would struggle for a shot tonight, so I started to head toward The Village. As I was driving over the hill at Belmont University's parking deck, the sun suddenly dropped from behind hideously thick cloud coverage. It was magnificently big and beautiful. This wasn't going to last long because the sun was fading toward the horizon quickly.

Panic struck me. I needed something to frame this great sunset against before it got away. I looked to my right and lines of light poles on top of the parking deck were the tallest things around. It was time to get artsy.

I pulled over and threw my 1.4x teleconverter on my 70-200mm f/2.8 lense. I worked the angles for a matter of minutes and then hit this shot. I knew it was the one and joyful relief entered me because Friday night has finally began.