"Self: On the Mounds" by Wes Aldridge
Here is a little self portrait action for you, via silhouette. Yes, that is me standing on an Indian mound... on a GOLF COURSE. This kind of disturbs me. This course was built in 1910, and it is very beautiful. But, I really don't know if I agree it being where it is. Anyway, it was a beautiful day and I thought it was a neat idea for a shot.
I personally like the arm-on-hip attitude going on. Not sure why. It has sass, and yes, I am a straight man with sass sometimes. Nothing wrong with a little pizzazz!
Enjoy the shot.
"One Big Easter Bunny" by Wes Aldridge
Alright, when I see a seven story Easter basket, you know its going on the blog. This is an official headquarters for a place called Longaberger. This is an office building full of people doing real jobs under real deadlines for real salaries.
I think I would have to huff helium to walk into a place like that each day and "work." Wow, that would totally be like living in a comic strip. I honestly almost ran off the road laughing when I saw that big yellow sucker.
This is a pretty cool shot because of the reflection. No reason to go into the details of the settings. I just metered for the light, and that was that.
"Town Square" by Wes Aldridge
Wow. What a day. Let's recap it.
Started off the morning with a shoot out at a park in Brentwood, Tennessee. Then, came back to the office and edited through about 200 photos from my last shoot a few days ago in Lancaster, Ohio. After the editing, processed out the photos, built a database and wrote cutlines for them. Then chose cover options for the magazine and processed and converted them to CMYK TIFF files. Stored all the shots on the Epro server and it was finished.
Normally, that takes a bit of time to do. I can't believe I got it finished today, that was around 3:30 p.m. I checked the weather for the location of my next shoot coming up this week and it called for sunshine for the next two days. Well, that made decision simple on when I needed to leave on my shoot... and that was tonight. So, I booked a flight at 4:30 p.m., reserved my rental car and arranged my hotel stay at the Hampton Inn. I dashed home threw a couple of clean shirts and boxer shorts in my suitcase and I was out of my house in less than ten minutes. Then, off to the airport in rush hour and the rest is history.
Now, I am finally sitting in my hotel in a little place called Licking County, Ohio.
I was amazed that everything came together like it did. It was virtually impossible and it still happened. ABJ, thanks for everything you did today. You are awesome, and we both know that I needed more help than I could provide for myself. Thanks for sending a few up for me.
"The Bull" by Wes Aldridge
I happened to drive by this location several weeks ago and thought it would make for a perfect blog shot. The sun set directly over the hill in this field where livestock grazed the land. The animals always seemed to walk into perfect silhouettes with the sunlight on the hilltop. I waited until the day was just right to shoot this, and today was the day.
To get the proper exposure and the totally dark silhouettes, I exposed for the light in the sky. ISO 100 at aperture f/4.0 and shutter speed of 1/100th of a second, shot with my 70-200mm telephoto lens with a 1.4x converter on a tripod.
"Hiding 2-by-4" by Wes Aldridge
This shot was taken in front of the Old Spaghetti Factory on 2nd Ave. in downtown Nashville. I was hunting for a shot, and there he stood all alone. He had probably been part of some kind of excitement previously in the night, but now he is all by his lonesome. What if an empty Budweiser 2-by-4 could talk? Oh, I would love to hear his sad story. Now, he stands there, clothed only by a paper sack purchased from a convenience store.
Settings: film speed of ISO 400 shot with 50mm lens at aperture f/1.8 handheld at a shutter speed of 1/13th of a second.
"Just About Home" by Wes Aldridge
Today is now officially over. I spent seven hours driving from Lancaster, Ohio, to Nashville, Tennessee. Then, I spent two and a half more hours driving from Nashville to Tunnel Hill, Ga. It was a grueling day, but I had plenty of RockSTAR energy drinks to keep me going.
This shot is from when I had almost met my breaking point. I was getting close to Tunnel Hill, deliriously tired, and I see the sky starting to change color in my rearview. I wanted to capture the moment but I didn't have time to stop and shoot. So, I did what any safe and upstanding photographer would do... I wrapped the strap to my camera tightly around my wrist and pushed the button to open the sunroof. And yes, I was "that guy" sticking the camera out in heavy traffic to get a little glimpse of the road I had burned down all day long.
There wasn't much to this shot other than luck for composition. I guess-timated the light metering for the sunset and hoped for an alright shot. It was a relief. I guess it made everything a little better having something wonderful to look forward to once I got back home.
"Ohio Jukin' " by Wes Aldridge
This is a test shot that I was working on at a place called Weldon's Ice Cream Shop about 20 minutes north of Lancaster in a town called Millersport. I walk into this olde tyme ice cream parlor and I saw it sitting there in all its glory... an antique Wurlitzer jukebox. I knew this had to be in my shot.
I used this small Ohio State statue to get the light settings right while the delicious dish of ice cream sundae sat in the freezer, keeping chill. I didn't want it to melt while I fine tuned and adjusted to what I thought was the perfect shot. I dressed the foreground with Dum-Dum lollipops and shot a strobe from about two feet away to light the dish and candy with. I let the Wurlitzer in the background drop out of focus and only lit it with ambient light from the neons and the room's light.
I shot at ISO 100 with a shutter speed of 1/10th of a second to let in enough ambient light and shot with an aperture of f/14 to get the proper mix of strobe light for the foreground. My final shot had the beautiful sundae in it instead of the Ohio statue. I was pretty proud of this one and I thought the owner of the ice cream shop was going to have a heart attack. I think he liked it pretty well, too.
Now, it is time to bed. Need to shoot a couple more shots at sunrise then head out of town on my seven hour drive back to NashVegas... then 2.5 more hours on to Tunnel Hill, Ga., to see the Easter Bunny.
"Going Down" by Wes Aldridge
This shot comes from inside St. John's Episcopal Church in downtown Lancaster, Ohio. I went in to shoot an interior of the sanctuary because an exterior just wasn't happening with the day's lack of sunshine. This was the beautiful staircase that I climbed to perch in the choir loft and shoot a marvelous shot of the sanctuary.
This shot was pretty tough to get. It was really dark in this staircase and I didn't want to use any fill flash for the shot because I wanted it totally natural. The shadows and sunlight through the narrow window were just too good to pass up. I ended up shooting at ISO 400 at aperture f/2.8 handheld at 1/10th of a second... no tripod. If you don't shoot much, holding the camera still enough to not get a blurry image at that shutter speed isn't exactly easy. I was jammed up against the wall, arched awkwardly with the camera resting on my right collarbone. I had to be sure to completely exhale before releasing the shutter in case the expansion of my lungs while breathing might cause the camera to shake.
Well, up at 6 a.m. for a non-existent sunrise... last shoot ended at 8:45 p.m. Yes, think it is time to rest a little. First day in Lancaster is officially in the books.
"Despair" by Wes Aldridge
My life has been so wonderful for the past several months that I haven't taken the time to think about the unpleasant things in life... such as death. So, while I was driving around the thriving metropolis of Winchester, Kentucky (population 26 or so, joking), I saw the Winchester Cemetery and decided I should take a drive through. I must have done it to try to ground myself a little, who knows? I can't even begin to explain the feelings of excitement and joy and adventure that have been consuming me. Just between you and me, even seeing this weatherd and decrepit icon of mourning that I shot on a day devoid of sunshine didn't even bring me down one notch. I guess I can say I tried to level off a little. Ha, it didn't work! Life is amazing isn't it? Just seems like things just keep getting better and better and I feel this incredible energy in my soul that I feel I can channel through the lens of my camera. I have simply learned to look at everyday as a special and interesting opportunity to discover something new, even in a rural town that doesn't have much going for it at all.
The shot was taken at 1//400th of a second at f/9.0 with a focal length of 170mm at ISO 100. Nothing interesting going on settings wise. Just a straight up shot without any sunshine.
"Absolut Fiery" by Wes Aldridge
This is a shot that was fun to do. This bottle of Absolut Raspberri looked as if it would make for a perfect shot of what I was trying to accomplish. It also looked like it would make for a swell time too.
To get this shot, I took two chairs and set them beside each other with about a five inch gap in between. I sat two hardcover books across the gap, side-by-side, with about two inches of space between them. Next I balanced the bottle over the gap. I took a black sheet and doubled it over and hung it from a third chair's back behind the bottle and wrapped the cloth around the base of the bottle. I put my 550EX flash under the chairs pointing directly up at the gap underneath the bottle and connected it to my camera with a hot shoe cord. I sat my 420EX speedlite on a table behind me, about one foot higher than the bottle sat and made it fire as a slave to my 550EX. I shot at ISO 400 at 1/60th of a second at f/2.8 with my 50mm lens. The end result is the bottle lighting up like fire.
Recipe:
1/4 can Sugar Free RedBull
8 oz. diet Sierra Mist
1.5 oz. Absolut Raspberri Vodka
Mix together in 12 oz. glass with rocks. Enjoy! Guaranteed to make for an interesting weekend.
"Melrose" by Wes Aldridge
This is an exterior shot of my favorite bowling alley in Nashville. Melrose lanes has been on 8th Ave. for many, many years. It is kind of run down on the inside, and the neons out front show years of wear as well. I love how the "E" and "S" are the only letters lit where it says "30 LANES." It gives a pretty accurate feel of the joint.
My favorite occasion at Melrose happened fairly recently with my brother and his girlfriend. We went in and had a few pitchers and bowled a few games. When I proposed the idea, at first the two thought it was stupid. But bowling and some beers always make the combination for a great time.
Nothing major going on with the shot. I shot at ISO 100 at 1/50th of a second with an aperture of f/1.8 to get the right exposure where it said "Melrose Lanes." I let the neons blow out a bit and over expose to really let the glow come off the pinks and blues. If I could have done this shot all over again, the only thing I would have changed was to have actually bowled a game or two rather than just shoot and run.
"Rehearsal" by Wes Aldridge
There is no better way to end a cannonball run kind of weekend, than with a little ass-kicking rock 'n' roll. The guys of local rock act Thaxton Ward let me come in to their rehearsal tonight and shoot away. Their music is pretty solid and you should give them a listen.
My ears are still ringing and the lyrics still running through my mind, but here is what is going on in this shot. I shot on a tripod from slightly above them on a railed staircase leading into the rehearsal space. I used my ultra-wide 16mm lens set to f/2.8 with a slow shutter of 1/10th of a second at ISO 100. I fired my 550EX flash with a red gel filter off a hot shoe cord from the camera shading the left of the room red. My 420EX speedlite was set to slave and on a mini-stand sitting on a speaker cabinet on the right side of the room with a light blue gel filter. I did a portrait with a similar light set-up on 2/18/2005 post.
A little side note. There are four members in Thaxton Ward, so the figure in the top right isn't a band member. No, that is Princess Di... or at least a cardboard cut out of her.
"Grab Your Flag" by Wes Aldridge
Today a girlfriend of mine from back home, wonderfully named Amanda, and I decided to explore Nashville after lunch at Jackson's in the Village. She had never been to the Parthenon and wanted to see it. And this is how today's shot came about by chance, or was it fate?
There are so many reasons that could have made this shot impossible and my mind started thinking about chain of events leading to it. What if there had been no peace rally at the park today? What if she had been to the Parthenon before and wasn't interested in it today? What if we hadn't gone to Jackson's for lunch? What if she wasn't coming to Nashville to look for a job this week? What if she hadn't gotten my phone number from my brother a while back when they happened to see each other in Athens, Ga? What if she and I hadn't had the Spanish class together in highschool?
Well, more than likely, we wouldn't be looking at this photograph of this kid draped in these anti-corporation American flags watching a man sing and play guitar at this rally. I love the spontaneous nature of this project and everything that is involved in getting it done.
"Old No. 7" by Wes Aldridge
We were in a liquor store in Belle Meade and I saw this statue. It is of course Jack Daniels. It looked like it would make for a good shot, so I honor him and all his contributions to society.
This shot was simple, all ambient lighting. No fill flash at all. It was shot handheld at 1/40th of a second at ISO 200 with a huge f/1.8 aperture with my fixed 50mm lens.
"Miller's Green" by Wes Aldridge
Alas, today is St. Patty's Day. It is the one day that we choose to put green food coloring in our beer to be festive and celebrate some Irish holiday that I have never known the meaning of. Well, that's great, and here is my green beer for the night.
Now, I leave you in search of more festivities for ol' St. Pat. Here's one for all the leprechauns out there tonight. Let the good times roll, little ones.
The shot was taken in the Mellow Mushroom in downtown Franklin. I lit the glass from the side, slightly to the back with my 550EX with a hot shoe cord off my flash. It was at ISO 400 with aperture of f/9.0 and a shutter of 1/50th of a second. Doesn't it make you want to grab a cold, green Miller lite? Me too and I am about to.
"The Field" by Wes Aldridge
This was a field that I saw in passing. I thought it was barren and beautiful with the afternoon sun shining on it. Simple.
Another trip is in the books and I am headed back to Nashville. I am going back to Ohio soon enough though. Can't wait.
"Tracks of Tuscarawas County" by Wes Aldridge
I am exhausted. Today was long and rushing from shoot to shoot each hour really wore me down. I don't have much to say other than I am glad to be back on my bed at the Schoenbrunn Inn.
This photo was taken in a city called Denison, outside of New Philly. I thought it was high and time I put a good cliche photo subject shot up here. Train tracks fading off to nothing in the distance... there you go. It is simple with the leading lines formed by the tracks disappearing off and leading your eye to some place you will never find the end to.
The assignment is almost finished here. Tomorrow I must start shooting my first appointment at 7 a.m. I have a new assignment to shoot each hour, on the hour from then until 2 p.m. when I must start my drive back to the airport in Columbus. This will be difficult and grueling. It's only for those with true grit... and I am chok full of that, man.
"Shadow Illuminated" by Wes Aldridge
I was driving to a place called Sugar Creek (Amish country in these parts) and I glance over my shoulder and almost wreck when I see this giant monument rising high above an old cemetery in an open field. There was no doubt I had to shoot it. For some reason, crosses, crucifixes, religious symbols and the like always catch my photographic eye. I can't really explain why. Most of the time I shoot these things because in the present situation they are kind of eerie and make me a little uncomfortable, sketched out if you will.
I have posted several different images of crosses but they are in no way meant to be any kind of a statement of religion. They are simply things my camera has recorded and I feel like sharing them.
The shot was done at ISO 100 with an aperture of f/6.3 at 1/4000th of a second with a circular polarizing filter. The settings were exposed in the general range for the sky, but the most important aspect of the photo for me was achieving a perfectly black silhouette of the cross against the sky. I was shooting directly into the sun, which of course gives the solar flare and hot highlight spot at the top of the cross. The CP filter dropped about two more f-stops of light and made the strange "heavenly" silver effect in the clouds. This shot is how I envisioned it. I am happy it turned out the way it did.
"The Immortal Soldier" by Wes Aldridge
Today turned out to be much better than I had expected. The 45-minute flight from Nashville to Columbus, Ohio, looked pretty bleak when we started to break through the clouds approaching the runway for touchdown. The sky was matted with a thick cumulus cover, and sunshine was not washing across Columbus right now.
Lucky for me, New Philly was about two hours away and thank my sweet tail the sunshine came out during that drive. I thought, what the heck, lets go to the center of town and see what we find. Cool stuff galore. A beautiful old rotunda courthouse. Local shops with perky flair. And a war statue memorial. It was beautiful. Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, all of the largest conflicts associated with American history were represented there. Wonderful sculptures and memorial walls. I think my favorite shot from there was this WWI statue with grenade ready to throw and his rifle in tow. And besides, I think it looks a little too graphic to make it into the IMAGES of Tuscarawas County, Ohio community magazine. I guess you could argue nothing really says, "move to our city" like the sculpture of a man in savage battle.
Anyway. The shot is straightforward. Meter and shoot. Just pretty light from the late evening sunshine.
Right now, as I sit and watch some late night, cheap suit-wearing jackass try to sell elderly people the "Rock Bottom Slots" slot machine (with 200 free tokens if they call right away) info-mercials in my hotel room at the Schoenbrunn Inn, I feel confused. I really can't put my finger on it. I'm not worried about all the appointment calls for this shoot that haven't gotten back to me to schedule a time to shoot. I'm not fretting over the company awards program that I am flying back for on Thursday and flying back up here the following day to shoot two more magazines for about another week. I'm not distressed that I think the apocalypse is upon us and the world is going to explode like a kernel of heated popcorn. I'm not bothered that I am a little on the pudgy side or my hair is too long or the idiot girl that put a cheese Coney dog in my bag at the A&W eatery today instead of my grilled chicken sandwich... bitch.
Its just one of those momentary slices of chaotic and erratic life in the times of a young man with a big heart, a little brain and a camera in his hand. This is the mind of the photographer, and sometimes even I don't understand it.
"The Flip" by Wes Aldridge
Historic Franklin, Tennessee, celebrated today with a beer/Irish pre-St. Patty's Day festival in the downtown area. Luckily enough, as fate would have it, I stumbled into the mix without prior knowledge of the occasion with my camera in my hand. This one is about simply luck shining on you and popping up in the right place at the right time.
This was nothing more than a fun day of photojournalism for me, and in no way could the weather have been any better for outdoor photography. It felt so exciting to walk through the crowded street of people and search for my shot for the day. I ended up with several shots that I have deemed blog-worthy that I might post on some rainy day in the future. It was a tough call, but the one of this little girl flipping high in the air on a bungee cord-connected jumping contraption just said "fun" to me.
I feel like I was able to catch that feeling with my camera. A true moment in this young child's life that will never have the slightest clue that a photograph was even taken of her. I love it. I am truly addicted to my profession. I have come to grips with the fact that my love of life and job are one in the same. I am certain some of us were born lucky.
