Nashville neon
Getting up early when in Nashville is well worth it. You get to enjoy the busiest part of town all by yourself, and no one gets in your photos! :-)
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Printer's Alley sunset
Catching a lovely sunset between buildings in downtown Nashville at the entrance to Printer's Alley.
Printer's Alley is a historic section of downtown Nashville. It used to be the home of the local publishing industry, though all the print shops are long gone. Now it's all bars and nightclubs. Nonetheless, it's a fun and interesting spot to wander with a camera. There are some cool old signs hanging above the clubs, and then there's this one, marking the entrance to the area.
I was there one day as sunset was approaching and I thought it would be nice to frame the scene with the sunset peeking through the buildings at the end of the street. The only problem was the constant traffic. Nonetheless, I set up and waited it out (hard for me to do!) and finally got a scene clear enough to fire away!
There's something about a Nashville sunset
Good old Nashville is the star of today's post - specifically, that gorgeous skyline they got there! It's my favorite spot to visit in town, and I try and go here every time I get to Nashville. A trip somehow seems incomplete without it. Here are 6 HDR photos taken during a stunning sunset!
I really enjoy my visits to Nashville, and doubly so when I get a fabulous sunset. Today's photos were taken on my last visit there, which was last June. I spent a couple of days in town and got out a few times with the gear to grab a few brackets. That's always a good thing!
Luckily on the second night, I had planned to shoot the skyline from the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge and it just so happened that sunset turned out perfectly! I love it when that happens!
Not your typical Nashville photos
Today's post is a collection of random pics from my recent travels to Nashville. It's a beautiful city, but one day I focused on shooting the offbeat and overlooked stuff, instead of the traditionally beautiful spots there. I like what I came away with. Shooting things that are usually overlooked is a great exercise for expanding your creative vision. Have a look!
I spent a few days in Nashville back in June, and while I spent time shooting the big stuff (I caught a great sunset with the skyline, for example), I also spent some time exploring the back alleys and offbeat sections of town for new, different and interesting things to look at.
I found some.
I am a fan of shooting the overlooked stuff as much as I am a fan of shooting the big stuff. I love doing both, actually. The difference is that everyone shoots the big stuff, so it's hard to be original. You may get a great sunset somewhere that makes a difference, but usually you are still taking a shot that has been done a hundred times or more.
And of course there is nothing wrong with taking that same shot. I do it all the time, and think you should do it. You definitely want to get that shot for yourself, right? You just gotta have it. Heck, I even reshoot places that I have shot several times before. I don't have any problem with revisiting a spot multiple times. Conditions are always different.
But you see, I get equal amounts of enjoyment from wandering around in places that you never really see photos of, because it's not famous. And it's not that I want to go do something original (though I hope I come away with something good), but rather that I just find the offbeat stuff interesting - and I want to shoot stuff that I find interesting.
That's what drives me when I am out with the camera.
I also find that this is a great creative exercise. You force yourself to look for things of interest, or to shoot bland things in an interesting way. Instead of having the beauty forced upon you (like the skyline of Nashville, shot from the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge - which is an amazing view, and I spent an evening shooting it because it's awesome, even though I have shot it probably 5 times already), you have to go find it yourself. You have to work for the shot. You have to expand your creative vision and how you define beauty and interest. In other words, you have to be an artist, and that's what this is all about to me.
So when I was in Nashville, I spent some time wandering some alleys and empty streets, and came home with the photos you see here today. While they are not your typical photos of the lovely city of Nashville (and it is a beautiful place), they do show you a part of it that maybe you haven't seen, or didn't know about.
Did I succeed in expanding my creative thinking and capturing something average in an above-average way? Maybe, maybe not. That's up to you to decide. But I tried, and that's what I always want to be able to say: that I tried. That I invested in my creativity, win or lose.
I encourage people to get out and see things all the time (and to bring the camera of course!), and I encourage people to also explore the overlooked or forgotten spots, and to try and get creative with it. These spots can be endlessly interesting too, and you are more likely to have them to yourself, since everyone else is off shooting the big stuff. So go have fun with it!
Thanks for stopping by today!
iPhone fun in Nashville and OKC
Last week was a busy one for me, traveling to Nashville and OKC and firing quite a few shots along the way. Today's post is a summary of that trip, with all photos taken and processed on my iPhone. I haven't had time to process anything from my real camera yet, because I am on the road again. Pop on in and see what's cooking!
Last week I was in Nashville and then Oklahoma City - 6 flights, 2 hotels, 2 rental cars, and countless photos!
My first night of the trip and I was rewarded with this stunning sunset over Nashville!
I couldn't resist taking out the iPhone when I looked out the plane and saw these clouds.
It was a great week, although I was extremely busy. Luckily I found time each day to get out and shoot (even though I had a conference call one evening during sunset - doh!). I enjoy my visits to both of these cities. I have been to both of them many times, and still find plenty of new stuff to shoot. They are interesting cities, and beautiful in their own ways. These (clearly) aren't the "big name" American cities, but I still find a lot to like about them.
I stumbled across this in an alleyway in Nashville
A different view of that first night's sunset in Nashville
So today's post is a quick iPhone highlight tour of my travels last week. There is no theme, other than they are all iPhone shots processed in Snapseed. I hit my usual haunts in those cities and found some new ones. I shot some cityscapes and skylines. I was (mostly) out at sunset. I stumbled through some alleyways and found some new graffiti. It was a good week, all around.
I am on the road again, but this time with the family, and heading West instead of East. More to come from this current adventure (and I will find some time to process shots from Nashville and OKC that were taken with my lovely Olympus). I have already captured about 1000 photos this week. You can take a look at my current iPhone shots on Flickr. We are currently in Arizona and heading further West. More to come about our grand summer family adventure! (and yes, I will find time to process all the photos I am capturing, and there is a lot more shooting coming my way!).
Also, I am only planning this single post for this week. With it being a short week for those of us in the US, and with me being on the road with sketchy wifi access, I figured it would be easiest to just spend time with the family and my camera and enjoy life a bit. So follow me on Flickr to see current iPhone pics from the road, and come back next week because I have a lot to share!
I hope you enjoy the shots, and thanks for stopping by today!
another alleyway find in Nashville
on Route 66 in OKC
part of a mural in OKC
golden hour over LP Field in Nashville
the OKC Memorial
where the thunder rolls!
cool stuff i found in nashville - of course it is music-related in that city!
i love trains and graffiti - shot this in the gulch in nashville
another view of Lp field in nashville
from okc, another part of an extensive mural downtown
i spent some time driving along route 66 in okc - not a lot of great finds but loved this spot!
another scene from another alley in nashville - i just love grungy scenes like this. and i love peanuts too!
the golden hour over lp field was impossible to pass up!
Blue hour in Nashville
From my recent trip to lovely Nashville, here's a collection of photos taken downtown. It's a wonderful town for photography, and I love to go there and shoot. I always seem to get great conditions for photography while I am there. So click on it and let me know what you think - and thanks for stopping by!
Nashville is a beautiful town, and at blue hour with all the lights - perfect!
I go to Nashville several times per year, and always look forward to it. It's a beautiful town, and I have had more than my share of good luck while shooting there. Things just always seem to work out, for some reason.
One other thing I like about Nashville is the size of the city. It's not that big (at least the core downtown area) so it's pretty easy to get around and shoot all the stuff you want to shoot while you are down there. It's a pretty easy walk from one spot to the next.
And...that comes in handy when sunset and blue hour start happening. There is nothing worse than watching great light disappear while you are trying to get in to position for some shots.
I was there not too long ago, and got out to shoot one evening with my friend Mark. We hit quite a few spots all the way through blue hour, and then it started raining. See? It just works out! (click any photo to enlarge)
So here's a collection of photos from that trip - hope you enjoy!
A bus passes in front of the Music City Center
Country Music Hall of Fame
Schermerhorn Symphony Center
Blue hour on Broadway Avenue
Blue hour on Broadway Avenue
Country Music Hall of Fame
Music City Center
Tennessee State Capitol
Blue hour on Broadway Avenue
Country Music Hall of Fame
Music City Center
The incredible neon in Nashville
Today's post is all about that great American tradition: neon signs! In particular, this is a collection of photos of some of the wonderful neon signs in downtown Nashville, TN. I was there last week, and I shot a bunch of this stuff. Hope you enjoy it!
Do you love neon signs as much as I do?
I have a serious thing for neon signs. They seem to just scream "Americana" to me. I'm certain they are not exclusive to the US, but with the wide usage of them back in the mid-20th century here, they seem to be a hallmark of the old days in this country.
I just love to see them, and of course photograph them. So on my recent trip to Nashville, I made a point of getting downtown to Broadway Avenue a couple of times, so that I could do just that!
For the uninitiated, Broadway Avenue in downtown Nashville, TN is pretty much the center of their entertainment district, and it's populated with a LOT of country and western bars, honky-tonks, restaurants, shops and of course - AMAZING NEON SIGNS! Click!
Every time I go to Nashville, this is a place I end up shooting. It's just that awesome. So I spent a fair bit of time here last week, firing away, wandering, firing again, taking a few steps and firing again...it's rather addictive. Well, to me at least. So here's a collection of shots. I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I enjoyed shooting them!
And if you know any other towns with a great collection of signs like this, let me know! (Las Vegas for sure!)
(click any photo to view in a lightbox)
Afternoon at The Parthenon
This is one of my favorite spots in Nashville - The Parthenon. On my last trip there, I ran into an online friend there - travel sure makes this a small world at times!
This is a great place to shoot in Nashville!
I go to Nashville a few times per year, and always try and bring the camera along if my schedule permits. It's really a great town for photography. And if you do plan a trip there, be sure and check out my list of the best places to shoot in Nashville.
One of the places that is very high on my list - and a personal favorite - is The Parthenon. This is a full-scale replica of the original Parthenon in Athens, Greece. It's pretty awesome to see, really. And considering my love of architecture, you can probably see why it's a place I enjoy shooting.
On my most recent trip to Nashville, I had a little free time late one afternoon and so I darted over there to grab some shots. I do that on nearly every visit - I like it that much.
As I walked to a spot I wanted to shoot from, I noticed another photographer there shooting, and so I walked around him (don't want to step in anyone's shot!) and set up somewhat nearby. We made some small talk and at some point we realized we "knew" each other from Facebook and the general online photo community. It was Curt Fleenor, who was in town from his home in Virginia. Small world! And of course, it's always great to meet people in person that you only previously knew online. So go check out Curt's work, as he is very talented.
See the person in red? That gives you some idea of the size of this place!
God Bless Johnny Cash
An iPhone tour of the Johnny Cash mural in Nashville, TN
(click on any image to enlarge)
Ok, first things first: I’m not a fan of country music. Ok, good, I got that out of the way early. But I will say that despite that admission, there are plenty of things I love about Nashville, TN (which is famous for its country music stars and venues), and I do recognize some of the better-known country songs. Not many, but a few.
I know a couple of tunes by Johnny Cash. Who doesn’t know “I walk the line” or “Ring of Fire”? Willie Nelson has a jingle or two that I remember. I’m partial to “On the road again”. There’s even a David Allan Coe song that I love, and it’s even on my iPhone. But country music as a genre? Not for me. I am more of a heavy metal rocker. What can I say? I love rock music, and grew up on it. We all know that we still love what we loved as teenagers, right?
I’m not sayin’ that country music is bad, it’s just not my thing. I completely understand if you are not into heavy metal. I could crank up some Ozzie and love it, but you might want to strangle me if I did. Differences are good, right? It makes the world a more colorful place.
Anyways, Nashville is a great town and I love to shoot there, despite the music. It’s really a photogenic city, but unfortunately some of my trips there are without my camera. I simply have too much work to do and too little free time, or the trip is really short (I’ve had two 1 night trips there in the last couple of months - both without my Nikon).
So in those situations, I go with the next-best thing: my iPhone. It’s always with me, and it does a damn fine job, most of the time. If you have been here before, you probably already know that I love that thing. And if you follow my Facebook page or Flickr stream, you have seen my iPhone posts - probably more often than you want to. But I can’t help myself - I love to shoot and share, a lot. I even wrote a little article about that once.
So on my last trip to beautiful Nashville, I came across this entire wall mural dedicated to Johnny Cash. And I didn’t have my Nikon, with my favorite thing attached to it: my wide angle lens. Poor me. I may have cried for a few minutes, but hopefully nobody saw me.
Thus, I did what I always do anyways: I shot away with my iPhone. And here are the shots. This mural has been there for over 10 years now, and is 150 feet long and 12 feet high. It’s pretty impressive! Plus, let’s face it: Johnny Cash is one cool dude. Or, was.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed these photos, and thanks for stopping by!
Good morning Nashville
I love shooting first thing in the morning when a city is asleep.
Sunrise shooting is hard to do, but always worth it. It's a great feeling to be out when the rest of a city is still abed. It's almost like you have the place all to yourself. Yes, you run into a few random folks here and there, but mostly it's just you and whatever it is you are pointing the camera at. That's a certain kind of special.
And as you know from visiting here (at least I hope you have been here before - if not, then welcome!) I love to shoot in HDR, and I love to shoot cityscapes in HDR. So that get's a little tricky because my preference is always to have NO people in my shots. I can't always get that, but I always try. Obviously there are some tricks to remove people (stack filters for a VERY long exposure thereby blurring them all into oblivion, or simply removing them via software) but I generally leave them if they are there, unless it totally screws up the shot. I'm not sure why I do it that way, but I do.
So that's one of the main reasons that I love to shoot at sunrise. At sunset you can get great light, but everyone else is out there with you. At sunrise, the possibility of great light is pretty high, but you have the added benefit of being alone.
So here I was in Nashville, TN on Broadway which is sort of their main drag. It's full of country bars and neon signs, both of which are great fun to shoot. And it was sunrise, and I basically had it all to myself. A great start to a day, really!
Staring down on Nashville
What's your favorite skyline to shoot? It's hard to beat this view of Nashville! I love standing up here and firing away!
I love shooting city skylines, and doubly so when they are fronted by a body of water. I live in Austin, TX and our skyline is a perfect example of this. We have a river running right in front of it, and it's awesome. Add in some twinkly lights during blue hour, and I am one heck of a happy guy!!
But of course Nashville, TN has this as well (one of the many similarities between these two cities) and whenever I visit I love to get up here on the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge and fire away! It's incredible to stand up here, looking down on a beautiful skyline, and watching the clouds pass and the river roll by. Great fun!
I caught this shot on one of my visits there a while back, and try to get up here on every visit to shoot it again. So, I have a lot of shots from this spot but they all seem to be slightly different. It looks like I might make it to Nashville again before the year ends, so it's pretty likely I will be standing here again soon! Pray for good clouds for me, will ya??
By the way, this was a sunrise shot. I love shooting early and getting in my creativity first thing in the morning!
Razing the old
“You raze the old to raise the new.” - Justina Chen, North of Beautiful
I was Googling for quotes about new beginnings, and that one came up. I have never read the book and am not familiar with the author, but that quote kicks ass. It’s so true, and so on target for me.
I haven’t said much about this here on the blog yet, but things are changing in terms of my photography and my blogging. I have written some articles I want to share here, but they aren’t ready yet. It’s nothing major in the scheme of things, just a collection of gradual changes that I am working through and I am excited about.
You may actually never notice. Like I said, it’s nothing major.
But the first step for me was overhauling the blog, and if you have been here before and remember the site, you can (hopefully) tell this one is new and different. I use Squarespace and have been on that platform for 4+ years. It’s been great, but they did a complete overhaul to a new version of their platform a long time ago and I have just gotten around to upgrading. It took a lot of work, but was worth it. I feel like I stepped into a new age. I’m excited.
So I razed the old, and have raised the new. It's exciting when you have your own little corner of the internet, and get to make all the decisions about how it looks.
And while I still have a bunch of loose ends to fix here and there, I went ahead and went live with it. I just thought it was time.
BTW, this is a sunrise pic from outside of Nashville at Radnor Lake. Sunrise seemed like an appropriate image for this. Call me sappy if you want. :-)
The Parthenon, Nashville
This is the Parthenon in Nashville, TN which is a full-size replica of the original Parthenon in Athens, Greece. The first time I saw this, I couldn’t really believe it. It’s just not what you expect to find in a town like Nashville, I guess. But it is a beautiful structure and it sits in a beautiful park, so who’s complaining?
I caught it on a stormy day with all those awesome, dramatic clouds behind it. Many people dislike when it rains or storms because it can mess up your photo hunt. That’s true, but I always find that the benefit is that you get interesting skies, and that’s normally worth it!
Last light in Nashville
Are you a sunset or sunrise type of person? I tend to prefer shooting at sunrise, but lately have been getting more sunsets - which is fine with me, especially when they look like this!
This was an incredible sunset that I shot in Nashville, TN. My plan that day was to shoot sunset from the nearby Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge (which is the bridge you see off to the left) but at the last moment I opted to walk down along the shoreline and see if I could find a nice spot to capture both the sunset and some nice reflections of the skyline in the Cumberland River. I found a great spot. :-)
Painting the Nashville skyline
Here’s another shot from the incredible sunset I witnessed recently up in Nashville, TN. Talk about a colorful sunset - it was just amazing. I love shooting at sunset, and when you get rewarded with stuff like this, it’s just that much more special.
What’s your favorite time to shoot? Sunrise? Sunset? Something else?
By the way, I shot this one with my favorite lens, the Nikon 14-24 wide angle lens. Shooting landscapes and cityscapes (or skylines) like this one with a wide angle lens can really make a huge impact. You can just get so much in the frame!
That lens is an incredible piece of glass, and I just posted a review of it. You can find that review here: http://www.nomadicpursuits.com/nikon-14-24-review/