Chris Wage Photography

woodland

2020-03-04T00:00:00+00:00

An eerie view of Woodland Street looking towards five points, without power after the EF-3 tornado that swept through Nashville on March 3 2020. It’s not often you’re able to see the stars so clearly from this area – a rare glimpse of beauty amidst all the heartbreaking destruction.

nashmatikz

2019-04-19T00:00:00+00:00

Dancing at Nashmatikz 4/18/2019

astrophotography

2018-09-07T00:00:00+00:00

I decided to create a diary of sorts of my astrophotography toying, since it’s not exactly quality material yet, but might still be interesting reading. If you want to follow along, check it out

milkyway-stacking

2018-08-14T00:00:00+00:00

Here’s something fun: around 10 years ago, my family went to Cape San Blas, FL for a week. I was just getting into photography – I had a Canon 20D, a wide angle lens, and no idea what I was doing. But the views of the Milky Way from the beach were spectacular. I tried taking some long exposures, but between the noise of my relatively old crop sensor and the heat, the results were riddled with noise and hot pixels. I gave up and never posted any of the shots I got that night.

Skip forward ten years, and here I am playing with astrophotography and learning all about image stacking. It occurred to me I might be able to salvage the original data. I had the 10 original raw images and I gave it a whirl. I was stunned by the results!

On the left is an example of an uncorrected frame I got that night. On the right, the result of stacking & cleaning up. Modern software is pretty cool.

Camera: Canon EOS 20D
Lens: EF-S 10-22mm (shot at 10mm)
ISO: 3200
Aperture: f/3.5
Shutter Speed: 30”
Total Exposures: 10
Software: DeepSkyStacker for stacking, darktable for levels correction & post-processing.

astrophotography

2018-08-06T00:00:00+00:00

Somewhat a break from the normal fare here: I bought a telescope! I pointed it at the moon and some planets, which is probably about the extent of its capabilities.

Jupiter – and technically all four moons (though at this resolution admittedly they are hard to differentiate from pixel noise).

Blurry Saturn.

lightning

2018-07-21T00:00:00+00:00

From the archives: lightning during a storm downtown – pre-Pinnacle tower and with the Encore under construction. And before I learned how to clean my camera sensor, clearly.

April, 2007.

elevator

2018-07-19T00:00:00+00:00

purple sunset

2018-07-13T00:00:00+00:00

office park sunset

2018-07-12T00:00:00+00:00

dancers

2018-07-11T00:00:00+00:00

protect and serve

2018-06-22T00:00:00+00:00

selfies

2018-06-21T00:00:00+00:00

These are as close as I get to selfies.

tin man and fan

2018-06-20T00:00:00+00:00

dancers

2018-06-18T00:00:00+00:00

Dancing at Robert’s Western World - Fan Fair 2018

lower broad

2018-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

Lower Broad, taken shortly before our photographer stepped in a pothole and sprained his ankle.

paradise park

2018-06-14T00:00:00+00:00

Paradise Park, Opening Night, March 2007

I didn’t realize the extent to which people considered Paradise Park a cultural cornerstone of downtown Nashville – which I suppose it is, at least in the 4AM corn dog territory.

So, rest in peace, Paradise Park – home to cheap pitchers, and, for a long time, this guy:

sammy

2018-06-13T00:00:00+00:00

dancer

2018-06-12T00:00:00+00:00

printer's alley

2018-06-06T00:00:00+00:00

From this end it’s almost possible to see some of the old printer’s alley left. Though personally I still prefer the old painting over the reproduction.

fog

2018-02-23T00:00:00+00:00

It was foggy out so I took photos of the fog and stuff with the fog.

printer's alley

2018-02-14T00:00:00+00:00

solar eclipse

2017-08-22T00:00:00+00:00

A few photos of the solar eclipse, taken from near Gallatin, TN (close to the center of the path).

Money shot of the diamond ring:

Closeup of the totality:

Nice closeup showing some of some prominences:

More pics (more than are necessary really) on my flickr site.

I also put together an animation of the eclipse, which I didn’t really plan, so it’s a bit choppy:

i just came here to take pictures

2017-03-29T00:00:00+00:00

I like this photo, but mostly just because the sign in the bottom right corner really speaks to me. I totally didn’t even see it at first.

photo dump

2017-03-10T00:00:00+00:00

Some photos in no particular order because I am too lazy to curate:

cumberland park

2017-03-08T00:00:00+00:00

schermerhorn

2017-03-07T00:00:00+00:00

fountain

2017-03-07T00:00:00+00:00

An interlude from all-protest-photos-all-the-time.

best buds 4 trump

2017-03-06T00:00:00+00:00

Disclaimer: I don’t actually know if they are really best buds or 4 trump.

this is what democracy looks like

2017-03-04T00:00:00+00:00

robert's

2017-03-02T00:00:00+00:00

My second-favorite honkytonk. Unless I am craving a recession special, and then it’s my first.

alley

2017-02-28T00:00:00+00:00

Printer’s Alley is a bit (temporarily) smaller but still photogenic.

crossing

2017-02-27T00:00:00+00:00

layla's

2017-02-23T00:00:00+00:00

My favorite honkytonk.

jeremy

2017-02-22T00:00:00+00:00

I heart my new camera in low light.

protest

2017-02-21T00:00:00+00:00

Ran into some charismatic protestors yesterday downtown.

protest roundup

2017-02-17T00:00:00+00:00

Some photos from the recent protests in Nashville:

broadway

2017-02-16T00:00:00+00:00

concurrence

2017-02-09T00:00:00+00:00

Had the pleasure of photographing two of my favorite local musicians this week. Look for something big from these two (plus one) coming soon.

alley

2017-02-08T00:00:00+00:00

closing time

2017-02-07T00:00:00+00:00

plaza

2017-02-02T00:00:00+00:00

Legislative plaza.

cafe

2017-01-31T00:00:00+00:00

I’ve always found this little cafe on the corner on union to be aesthetically pleasing for reasons that are unclear to me.

drummer

2017-01-26T00:00:00+00:00

rally

2017-01-23T00:00:00+00:00

I went to the Women’s March/Rally this weekend and despite some hilarious inept mistakes with a new lens, I got a few photos I like.

flowers

2016-12-12T00:00:00+00:00

câine

2016-08-26T00:00:00+00:00

Bucharest had a pretty bad feral dog problem in the post-war years, but they’ve largely gotten it under control. In the more rural areas, though, packs of mostly friendly dogs can still be seen roaming around hoping for a handout from tourists. This guy was hanging out at the bottom of Cetatea Poenari and he got rather attached to me. (Okay, I got attached to him.) I thought about bringing him home, but apparently airlines and customs frown on bringing a 70 lb mangy dog as a carryon.

angel

2016-08-25T00:00:00+00:00

Bucharest, June 12, 2016

While roaming old town Bucharest, I ran across a street parade (a common and delightful occurrence). This one seemed to be a pastiche of random cultural icons/costumes, though possibly it was part of some Romanian mythology I wasn’t familiar with. This was my favorite — a captured angel bound and brought back to earth.

sunset

2016-03-04T00:00:00+00:00

Pretty sunset

snow twofer

2016-02-11T00:00:00+00:00

Managed to get downtown just as the snow stopped. If anyone ever needs to stop a snowshower, send me there with a camera.

a tree

2016-02-10T00:00:00+00:00

It’s a tree.

snow day

2016-01-24T00:00:00+00:00

Some obligatory photos of the snow down at Shelby Bottoms:

e-v the good dog

2015-12-20T00:00:00+00:00

e-v the dog, 12/3/2012

e-v was my wife’s dog — her partner in crime for years. I was, then, a late arrival into her life. So she had little reason to trust or care about me. Fortunately I was able to worm my way in to her heart — protecting her from thunderstorms and paying for her second knee replacement probably helped. And so we were fast friends in the mere 4 years we had together. 4 years wasn’t enough, but I’m not sure what could have been enough. I’m going to miss her forever.

I love you e-v. good dog.

RIP trail west

2015-09-21T00:00:00+00:00

A rare shot of 219 Broadway while actually occupied.

So, downtown Nashville lost another building last night. At midnight last night, ~~despite not having a demolition permit (the fee for which is nominal)~~ (they had a permit), demolition commenced on the property last occupied by Trail West (later, as the letters of the sign progressively burnt out, “Trai Wet”, “Tr Wt” and finally “W”, before sputtering out entirely. Having spent a lot of time downtown, I get it: this building was iconic, and a relic of the old Nashville (the old Nashville for us, anyway. it existed for decades before then). But before we get out our pitchforks, folks, let’s consider the facts, at least as I know them:

It was on the National Register of Historic Places, yes, as part of that historic block, however (as I understand it), this property was excluded as part of the deal.
It’s been empty since 2008. Trail West was forced to move after it was infested by bees.
Since then, the only real occupants have been assorted charming occupants on the corner.
- It was a dump, and a relatively unremarkable one, at that. Ask anyone that’s toured the property.
- The only reason we love it is because of a great sign, and a brilliant choice of teal green for the brick wall.
- Trail West itself, incidentally, is still in business.
- It will, undoubtedly, become home to yet another bro country hive of villainy. It’s sad that some old properties cannot be saved, but let’s not forget that Nashville’s urban core has been near-abandoned for decades. The resurgence of growth will, inevitably, involve the demolition of properties we’ve come to think of as ubiquitous — perhaps some necessarily, some not. The charm of these buildings remaining as-is comes at the cost of their complete lack of use. Using them (read: rehabbing them), however, often costs substantial amounts of money. Sometimes it’s worth it (see ACME feed house as great example), and sometimes it’s not. I like to use a good litmus test for whether or not I get upset about urban renewal/change: 1) Did I pony up money to buy the property? 2) does my outrage change anything? Lament the disappearance of an aesthetic icon, sure, but save your outrage for something that matters.

blind mike

2015-08-03T00:00:00+00:00

Mike told me that he was in bad shape because of his bad eyes (cataracts) until someone sent him an entire box of used eyeglasses, and he simply found the pair that seemed to work the best. Many things we take for granted (the discarding of used things) can make or break existence for people on the streets — makes you wonder how we could solve the distribution problem.

smoke break

2015-07-31T00:00:00+00:00

phone call

2015-07-28T00:00:00+00:00

jesus and elvis

2015-07-21T00:00:00+00:00

busker

2015-07-20T00:00:00+00:00

village cleaners and mammatus

2015-07-17T00:00:00+00:00

One of Nashville’s better signs.

waiting

2015-07-16T00:00:00+00:00

I’ll take a dozen of these for every one horse/carriage, even if they are less photogenic.

pride

2015-07-14T00:00:00+00:00

angel of urban renewal

2015-07-13T00:00:00+00:00

This isn’t the greatest photo, but I was pleased to capture it nonetheless. I have seen this woman over the years painting landmarks in Nashville that are not long for this earth — starting with some icons in the Gulch, including the Union Station train yard. I should probably come up with a better nickname than “the angel of death” for this woman, since she seems perfectly pleasant and (as far as I know) not actually blessed with celestial powers. I’ve chatted with her a few times, but I always forget her name — if anyone knows it and could pass it along, I’d be much obliged. I’d love to see her paintings.

This is not a death sentence for Printer’s Alley, but it certainly isn’t a good sign! But, this is not news to anyone has been there recently and seen firsthand that Printer’s alley has #moved #forward.

UPDATE: Her name is Peggy Snow (thanks mom). I guess I could have done some googling. You can see some of her work here and here

city pizza

2015-07-10T00:00:00+00:00

I like photos that look slightly anachronistic. People of Nashville: more bonnets!

King David

2015-07-09T00:00:00+00:00

This guy was making and giving out free art on Broadway. I like. I am also guessing King David is a nom de guerre, but I can’t be certain.

capitol

2015-07-08T00:00:00+00:00

If you look closely here, you can see that the statue of Carmack is leaning to the right. I bet you could knock it over with enough momentum! Hypothetically.

couple

2015-07-07T00:00:00+00:00

This couple was out sauntering around downtown enjoying the weather when a gaggle of young future-stepford-wives started giggling and making fun of them within earshot. So I asked if I could take a photo, and they were thrilled. People are jerks.

dog with am

2015-07-06T00:00:00+00:00

“Dog with Am”. Am-what? American cheese? Amway? Amphetamine? Ambrosia Salad? I’ll never know.

paradise park

2015-07-02T00:00:00+00:00

Nice sunsets lately. Thanks, Canada!

bubble

2015-07-01T00:00:00+00:00

This photo has a hidden bonus photo! Who can identify the optical phenomenon going on here? Hint: it starts with ‘r’.

sunset rainshower

2015-06-30T00:00:00+00:00

Sunset Rainshower: a terse description of this photo, or the name of a kid born at The Farm in Summertown? In this case, the former. Rain soaking areas north of Nashville as seen from the capitol.

unamused

2015-06-29T00:00:00+00:00

One of the funnier moments at pride this weekend was when the Music City Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence paraded down to the handful of Jebus Protestors who were milling around outside yelling fire and brimstone. The sisters looked unamused but unaffected.

second avenue and pinnacle

2015-06-23T00:00:00+00:00

lightning

2015-06-22T00:00:00+00:00

Lightning in the distance over Second Avenue.

intersection

2015-06-16T00:00:00+00:00

downtime

2015-06-12T00:00:00+00:00

Taking a break from ~~fanfair~~ CMAFest.

rain

2015-06-11T00:00:00+00:00

A small summer raincloud over south Nashville as seen from the base of the Shelby St Bridge.

general jackson

2015-05-22T00:00:00+00:00

capitol and tennessee tower

2015-05-13T00:00:00+00:00

Breaking my rule to only post new/recently taken photos since I found this one from 2013 that I liked, even though I don’t even remember taking it.

renaissance festival

2015-05-05T00:00:00+00:00

Renaissance Festival, Nashville, TN

good-bye old lonnie’s

2015-03-30T00:00:00+00:00

Also, good-bye my old dry-cleaners and the super creepy back entrance to brass stables — and good-bye mediocre Greek place and pizza place.

stahlman revisited

2015-03-28T00:00:00+00:00

So I guess maybe the reason the Stahlman sign was gone was so they could make it light up again? I don’t remember if it lit up originally at all, honestly. Anyone know?

mt olivet chapel

2015-01-26T00:00:00+00:00

Mt Olivet Chapel, Nashville, TN. January 26, 2007

I took this photo of the Mt Olivet chapel 8 years ago to the day.. I am sad to learn that it burned (photo courtesy of Larry McCormack), last night. This is unfortunate, but not surprising, as the Mt Olivet Cemetery has fallen into disrepair over the last few decades — vandals and squatters have moved in and made their mark. Last night’s fire was almost certainly started by bored kids or cold squatters. I have a friend buried at Mt Olivet, so I bum around there quite a bit, and the inside of the chapel looked quite bad even as early as 2008. Betsy has more info over at Pith in the Wind.

stahlman

2014-10-19T00:00:00+00:00

The letters at the Stahlman building are back! They were removed in 2008ish? for reasons unknown to me when they were doing renovations on the building.. I was starting to worry they’d never return!

America

2014-07-05T00:00:00+00:00

America.

in memory

2014-06-19T00:00:00+00:00

jousting

2014-05-05T00:00:00+00:00

roxy

2014-03-10T00:00:00+00:00

My parents sold their house in the city, packed up and move out to a farm in the country. I think Roxy likes it.

winter

2014-03-04T00:00:00+00:00

“It’s gonna be cold, it’s gonna be grey, and it’s gonna last you for the rest of your life.” — Phil in Groundhog Day, predicting the never-ending winter of 2013-2014.

guns

2014-03-03T00:00:00+00:00

Didn’t get this guy’s name, but he was just out of prison. Flagged me down yelling on 4th ave N — thankfully just to tell me about Jesus and show off his muscles.

one more printer’s alley christmas

2013-12-23T00:00:00+00:00

I genuinely went to check my photoblog after taking this photo, thinking . o O ( when was the last time i posted a photo of printer’s alley I wonder? i want to post this photo from christmas it’s nice but I don’t want to overdo it ) .. Yeah well.

Here’s to overdoing it! I really like printer’s alley at christmas lately. It’s very magical and cheery and yet still strip-clubbey. Not quite murderey anymore, though, so there’s that.

christmas in the alley

2013-11-22T00:00:00+00:00

Printer’s Alley was busily decorating for the holiday season this week. No word on what happens if you step under the mistletoe at the Brass Stables.

sunset on church

2013-11-20T00:00:00+00:00

ken the balloon man

2013-11-18T00:00:00+00:00

Ken the balloon man is apparently becoming a favorite subject of mine.

buskers

2013-11-13T00:00:00+00:00

traffic

2013-11-12T00:00:00+00:00

melissa

2013-10-30T00:00:00+00:00

name the character/movie

2013-10-28T00:00:00+00:00

By far the best costume from the halloween party I went to this weekend.

alley

2013-10-23T00:00:00+00:00

corner

2013-10-22T00:00:00+00:00

carriage

2013-10-16T00:00:00+00:00

born again elvis

2013-10-10T00:00:00+00:00

state fair

2013-09-17T00:00:00+00:00

Some more photos from the Tennessee State Fair this weekend:

And my personal favorite:

carousel

2013-09-16T00:00:00+00:00

Carousel at the Tennessee State Fair, September 15, 2013

fair vendor

2013-09-10T00:00:00+00:00

TN State Fair Vendor. September 8, 2013.

No leaning!

pig racing

2013-09-09T00:00:00+00:00

Pig Racing at the Tennessee State Fair. September 9, 2013.

The title pretty much says it all. To the winner go the slops.

skull’s rainbow room

2013-09-03T00:00:00+00:00

The past few weeks I’ve been lucky enough to get a sneak preview of the renovation of a Nashville landmark: Skull’s Rainbow Room. The Rainbow Room sits largely forgotten at the corner of Printer’s Alley, where it had been used (until recently) for storage. In its glory days, though, Skull’s Rainbow Room was a lively joint known for its live music, burlesque dancing, and strippers. The proprietor himself, Skull Schulman, was quite a character himself. He was a tall (6’4″) thin man, known for his colorful hats and patchwork suits (I am not making this up), and his flamboyant presence earned him the moniker of the unofficial mayor of Printer’s Alley. In later years, as Nashville struggled with the urban decay that plagued so many downtown areas, Printer’s Alley fell into ruin. The Rainbow Room held out for quite some time, until the late ’90s. Skull had a reputation for carrying large amounts of cash to give out to the homeless, and sadly it was this reputation that drove two men to invade his bar and murder him in 1998 — a tragic end to Skull and his Rainbow Room, which has sat empty ever since.

Not much remains in the space, today, but I did find his TV to be a charming relic — I like how he has a reminder for wrestling at the top. I’d like to think the lipstick kiss plastered to a wall in the office belonged to Heaven Lee, but I know that’s off by several decades (and she mostly worked at the Black Poodle).

These bottles of whiskey were tucked under the stage. I would imagine bottles of Lew Motlow’s would be worth a bit of money, but they were empty (yes, I checked).

purple

2013-08-06T00:00:00+00:00

Tootsie’s. Nashville, TN. July 27, 2013.

beer sellar

2013-07-12T00:00:00+00:00

The Beer Sellar, Nashville, TN. July 11, 2013.

man on the street

2013-07-03T00:00:00+00:00

semi truck

2013-06-18T00:00:00+00:00

This is a semi-truck in the fog. I don’t know why, but I like it, so I’m posting it even though it’s just a semi-truck in the fog. It looks like a movie set. A set for a movie about a semi-truck. in the fog.

skyscrapers in fog

2013-06-13T00:00:00+00:00

fire

2013-06-12T00:00:00+00:00

I told myself I’d only post new photos on this blog, but as I’m laid up in the house like an invalid, I’m breaking the rule. I re-processed an old photo of a friend from 2010 last night out of boredom. I liked the result.

fan fair

2013-06-11T00:00:00+00:00

Every year, I make a point of getting out to Fan Fair. I realize it’s not called that anymore — CMA something? I am certain it’s not actually CMApocalypse. Fan Fair. But anyway, yes, while most Nashvillians flee the downtown area, I dive in headfirst. It’s quite an experience: nothing you wouldn’t normally see bits and pieces of on any given day on lower Broad, but during Fan Fair, the volume gets turned to 11. I always have a blast.

balloon man

2013-06-10T00:00:00+00:00

Balloon artist on lower Broadway.
Nashville, TN. June 7, 2013.

The Balloon Man’s 5 rules:

Say Please (Di Por Favor.)
A balloon does not go in your mouth.
It is your balloon and you have to carry it.
If you are BAD whoever is in charge of you gets to pop your balloon.
– For Swords Only – Do not fight with anyone who does not have a sword.

balloon man revisited

2013-06-10T00:00:00+00:00

Nashville, TN. June 9, 2013

I went back to take photos of this guy on Sunday. In retrospect I think I like this photo better than the one I posted earlier — something about the vignette created in my head by the gaggle of laughing hipsters paying no heed to the sad balloon man.

see the opry

2013-06-08T00:00:00+00:00

Nashville: a little bit country, a little bit .. Bladerunner.

mohawks

2013-05-22T00:00:00+00:00

vintage baseball

2013-05-21T00:00:00+00:00

Franklin Farriers vs. Nashville Maroons
Bicentennial Mall, Nashville, TN. May 19, 2013.

I went out to the bicentennial mall this weekend to catch some vintage (1860s) baseball. I didn’t have a ton of time, but I stayed long enough to grab some photos and learn at least one rule (catching the ball after one bounce is still an out). It was a blast! The next game is June 2 at the Carnton Plantation in Franklin, so head on out there if you want to see it.

lady fury

2013-05-17T00:00:00+00:00

Lady Fury of the Nashville Rollergirls.

Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, TN. May 11, 2013.

pigeon forge

2013-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

Pigeon Forge, TN. April 13, 2013.

Nice spring weather for a fire in the mountains at Pigeon Forge.

woodland presbyterian

2013-04-05T00:00:00+00:00

Woodland Presbyterian Church, Nashville, TN. March 4, 2013.

Built in 1918, a year before the Carnegie Library, the Woodland Presbyterian church was constructed after the original First Presbyterian Church of Edgefield at 5th and Woodland Street was destroyed by fire. The congregation voted to move to the current locate at 11th and Gartland in order to be near the edge of the city — which it was, at the time!

hot chicken order up

2013-04-04T00:00:00+00:00

Hattie B’s, Nashville, TN. March 7, 2013.

Nashville-style hot chicken being served at Hattie B’s. I love the expression on the woman’s face. If you haven’t given Hattie B’s a try (whether or not you’re a hot chicken fanatic), you owe yourself a visit.

alley in fog

2013-04-02T00:00:00+00:00

carnegie library in fog

2013-04-01T00:00:00+00:00

Carnegie Library – East Branch, Nashville, TN. April 1, 2013.

Seen here on a recent foggy morning, the East Branch of our library system was built in 1919 as part of Andrew Carnegie’s library endeavor. These libraries were funded by rich guy philanthropist Andrew Carnegie as part of a project that eventually yielded 1689 libraries throughout the country. The other remaining Carnegie library (there were originally four) in Nashville (now the North Branch) is located in North Nashville off of Jefferson Street. Both are still in active use.

smokestack

2013-02-25T00:00:00+00:00

Smokestack at Rolling Mill Hill, Nashville, TN. February 22, 2013.

All that remains of the powerhouse at Rolling Mill Hill is this smokestack — the powerhouse itself having collapsed during an attempt at rehabilitation.

parthenon

2013-02-22T00:00:00+00:00

The Parthenon, Centennial Park, Nashville, TN. January 20, 2013.

… as seen from the scenic shores of Lake Wautaga. When I have a time machine, the first thing I’m doing is going back to the 1897 Centennial exposition, so I can see this firsthand (and also maybe denounce Edison for being a heartless, traitorous fraud).

dock

2013-02-19T00:00:00+00:00

Cumberland River, Nashville, TN. January 25, 2013.

weiss liquors

2013-02-06T00:00:00+00:00

Weiss Liquors, Nashville, TN. February 6, 2013.

bruton snuff

2013-02-01T00:00:00+00:00

Bruton Snuff Sign (U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company), Nashville, TN . January 31, 2013.

And I got a good job in Nashville
No way they can pay me enough
For grindin’ up tobacco leaves
Making Bruton snuff

The Bruton Snuff sign is a well-known Nashville landmark. Bruton, a brand of Snuff still produced by the US Smokeless Tobacco Company, dates to 1898 — a scotch (smoked) snuff produced by the Bruton Brothers. Although it’s frequently misquoted as “brut and snuff”, Johnny Cash’s “Southern Comfort” was written about working at Bruton Snuff. (I don’t know if Cash ever worked at Bruton Snuff himself, but it seems unlikely.)

The mill for years was also home to the “Museum of Tobacco Art”, which (surprisingly) was taking in over 15,000 visitors a year at its peak. The museum was closed to make way for office space in 1998.

Bob’s Parking is a lesser known Nashville landmark. Presumably owned and operated by Bob, it offers relatively cheap parking. It has yet to be commemorated for eternity in a country song.

stairs

2013-01-31T00:00:00+00:00

Steps of the John Sevier State office building, with St Mary’s in the background. Nashville, TN. January 30, 2013.

recording angel

2013-01-30T00:00:00+00:00

The Recording Angel at the Schermerhorn, Nashville, TN. January 29, 2013.

CSX Cumberland Swing Bridge

2013-01-29T00:00:00+00:00

CSX Cumberland Swing Bridge, Nashville, TN. January 28, 2013.

In 1864, at the height of General Hood’s assault on Nashville during the Civil War, the original railroad bridge across the Cumberland (pictured here) served as a strategic point of entry, and was burned by Confederate soldiers. Only the stone piles and piers remained, and the current camelback-truss swing superstructure replaced the old wooden bridge in 1916. The bridge’s center truss can swing 90 degrees to allow taller ships to pass. The bridge is still in functional and operation today, as seen here.

The bridge has since survived flood and catastrophe — in September 1906, the L&N No. 102, loaded with passengers, plowed full speed ahead towards the bridge, unaware that the bridge was open and impassible. The train stopped, but not before the locomotive, a tender, a mail car and a baggage car plunged into the Cumberland, killing two crewmen.

UPDATE: I am wondering if the concrete reinforcement on the foremost pier (pictured above) was added after the accident in 1906. The train was headed north, so it would have plunged off the bridge right at that pier, so I wonder if it was damaged on the way down.

union

2013-01-28T00:00:00+00:00

A one-off shot from around the house while I was sick, but I like how it turned out.

snodgrass

2013-01-22T00:00:00+00:00

William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower, Nashville, TN. January 15, 2013.

referee

2013-01-18T00:00:00+00:00

A referee looks on as the Nashville Roller Girls scrimmage with the new rules for the year. January 16, 2013.

protect iii

2013-01-17T00:00:00+00:00

Train cars taking a rest in south Nashville. January 16, 2013.

capitol hill

2013-01-16T00:00:00+00:00

Capitol hill as viewed from the Bicentennial Mall, Nashville, TN. January 15, 2013.

church street

2013-01-14T00:00:00+00:00

Church Street, Nashville, TN. January 6, 2013.

One of the initial attractions to playing with older lenses is that among the unique optical characteristics, you might get a look that is “soft” but in a flattering or palatable way. Sadly, the reality you quickly recognize is that more often than not this softness more closely resembles “out of focus”. Nonetheless, I think it almost kinda works in this photo.

jj’s market

2013-01-11T00:00:00+00:00

JJ’s Market. Nashville, TN. January 10, 2013.

A lot of very smart people hang out here regularly.

motorcycle

2013-01-10T00:00:00+00:00

Motorcycle on 2nd Avenue. Nashville, TN. January 9, 2013.

I feel similarly towards motorcycles as I do firearms: I don’t necessarily want to own one, but I find them to be very aesthetically pleasing works of engineering.

union station

2013-01-08T00:00:00+00:00

Union Station, Nashville, TN. January 6, 2013.

I’ve taken this photo about a million times, but never with a shitty 50 year old lens!

sunset

2013-01-07T00:00:00+00:00

Sunset on Church Street. Nashville, TN. January 6, 2013.

bus

2013-01-04T00:00:00+00:00

I like pan shots of buses, and I don’t care who knows it.

main street

2013-01-03T00:00:00+00:00

Main Street, Nashville, TN. January 2, 2013.

Trying to force myself this year to limit photoblog posts to new stuff rather than drawing on my archives of old photos (excepting for yesterday, obviously), in an attempt to force myself into some measure of increased productivity. Here goes nothin.

hermitage cafe

2013-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Hermitage Cafe, Nashville, TN. December 31, 2006.

1634

2012-12-28T00:00:00+00:00

Melrose Billiards, Nashville, TN. October 28, 2009.

peace

2012-12-24T00:00:00+00:00

William R. Snodgrass Tennessee Tower, Nashville, TN. December 19, 2007.

Shortly after I took this photo I was harassed by federal reserve guards for being too close to the fed with a camera (I guess). The overreach of the federal police state manifested in power-crazed meatheads with guns always puts me in a festive spirit. Happy Holidays, everyone!

kateo and cat

2012-12-21T00:00:00+00:00

Kate O & Cat. November 24, 2007.

One of my favorite photos of my friend Kate, and one of the best results from my brief phase of experimentation with film (Ilford 3200 + Seagull 4B1).

public square again

2012-12-19T00:00:00+00:00

One more from Public Square. (It’s been a slow week, ok?!)

public square

2012-12-18T00:00:00+00:00

Public Square, Nashville, TN. December 17, 2012.

Some nice light peeking through the storm clouds at sunset during this unseasonably warm December.

shelby street bridge

2012-12-17T00:00:00+00:00

Look, a bridge!

christmas parade

2012-12-12T00:00:00+00:00

This kid was entranced by the (incredibly creepy, let’s be honest) adult-sized rudolph at the christmas tree lighting ceremony.

pinnacle at dusk

2012-12-11T00:00:00+00:00

128

2012-12-10T00:00:00+00:00

Police officer providing security at the Christmas Parade. Nashville, TN. December 7, 2012.

view from ryman alley

2012-12-07T00:00:00+00:00

Ryman alley, Nashville, TN. April 2, 2012.

I like this photo because it reminds me of Bladerunner. For some reason.

christmas parade

2012-12-05T00:00:00+00:00

Revelers* watching the Christmas Parade. Nashville, TN. December 3, 2010.

The Christmas Parade is coming up this Friday. Be sure not to miss it, as there are always amazingly exciting things, such as the wheels falling off of a shriner’s miniature car.

*Reveler is what you call a drunk person when you approve.

smoke break

2012-12-04T00:00:00+00:00

New Orleans, LA. September 25, 2010.

second avenue christmas

2012-12-03T00:00:00+00:00

Second Avenue, Nashville, TN. December 19, 2009.

night driving

2012-11-30T00:00:00+00:00

I-65 and Franklin Road, Nashville, TN. November 27, 2012.

My friend Will Clendening had a few paintings that I really loved — these monstrous canvases of black with broad, minimalist strokes of light. I’m not sure if he was actually going for it, but they reminded me of the sortof wistful loneliness of a late night drive. So I guess this photo is an homage of sorts in his memory.

from the east

2012-11-29T00:00:00+00:00

Nashville, TN. November 12, 2012.

I bet you didn’t think I knew what the skyline looked like from this side of the river, did you?!

rainy day

2012-11-28T00:00:00+00:00

A rainy day in Five Points, Nashville, TN. April 5, 2012.

percy warner

2012-11-27T00:00:00+00:00

Percy Warner Park, Nashville, TN. November 24, 2012.

Took the dogs for a romp in my old stomping grounds this past weekend. Not far from the heart of Nashville, Percy Warner Park and Edwin Warner Park together comprise 2,684 acres of old-growth forest that makes for pretty decent hiking without a far drive. The land was donated by Percie Warner Lea and Luke Lea, who were later ruined (relatively speaking) by their dabblings in various forms of financial fraud.

five points

2012-11-21T00:00:00+00:00

Five Points, East Nashville, TN. November 19, 2012.

pizzaman

2012-11-20T00:00:00+00:00

Five Points Pizza, Nashville, TN. November 15, 2012.

fall

2012-11-16T00:00:00+00:00

The Capitol as viewed from the Bicentennial Mall, Nashville, TN. November 8, 2012.

unidentified

2012-11-09T00:00:00+00:00

Huge prize** to whomever can identify this plant.

** the prize is seeming smart.

nomination

2012-11-06T00:00:00+00:00

Patrons at the Flying Saucer watch Barack Obama’s nomination acceptance speech. August 28, 2008.

snowy construction

2012-11-05T00:00:00+00:00

Pinnacle Tower construction site in the snow. Nashville, TN. March 8, 2008.

goblynn

2012-11-02T00:00:00+00:00

#39, Goblynn, of the Hard Knox Roller Girls. June 12, 2010.

One of my favorite shots from the Honky Tonk Stomp in 2012 of one of my favorite skaters, Goblynn, who retired earlier this year.

layla’s

2012-11-01T00:00:00+00:00

The Silver Threads at Layla’s Bluegrass Inn. January 17, 2012.

melrose theater

2012-10-31T00:00:00+00:00

Melrose Theatre, Nashville, TN. January 20, 2011.

A new development is revamping the complex containing Nashville’s historic Melrose theater, although the exact wording was that there will be “adaptive re-use” of the theater, turning it into a “resident amenity area”, whatever that is. Color me skeptical, but perhaps I’m just still bitter about what giarratana and co. did to its sister, the Belle Meade Theater.

robert’s

2012-10-26T00:00:00+00:00

Robert’s Western World, Nashville, TN. October 23, 2012.

juggalos

2012-10-24T00:00:00+00:00

Juggalos. How do they work? Nashville, TN. October 19, 2012.

karaoke

2012-10-22T00:00:00+00:00

Karaoke at Wanna-B’s, Nashville, TN. October 20, 2012.

There are some things a camera can’t capture: sound, for instance — in this case, the sound of a hilariously heartfelt cover of Anarchy in the UK by this gentleman, who I’m pretty sure crashed Barcamp with the sole intention of waiting around for this moment in the spotlight.

shelby park

2012-10-19T00:00:00+00:00

Shelby Park, Nashville, TN. October 17, 2012.

trolley barn

2012-10-04T00:00:00+00:00

Burned-out trolley barn. Nashville, TN. November 16, 2007.

One of Nashville’s too-few preservation success stories: the trolley barns downtown. These buildings date back to the WPA, and were used for years as maintenance sheds for trolleys (hence the name), and later maintenance trucks and buses. For a while in 2007, I spent many a night sneaking past security photographing the old general hospital and these buildings, which at the time were suffering from years of neglect — fenced off entirely as if for demolition. The above photo is of one of the worst: it was badly burned and crumbling. Imagine my surprise that not only have they survived, they’ve been rehabbed and are thriving! I’m not sure, but I think this particular building is the new home of Emma.

hay bale

2012-10-02T00:00:00+00:00

Leipers Creek Road, Tennessee. September 29, 2012.

rocks

2012-09-27T00:00:00+00:00

Cave Point, Door County, Wisconsin. September 2, 2012.

Door County, Wisconsin is beautiful, if you didn’t know — Door County being the “thumb” of Wisconsin that extends into Lake Michigan, separating it from Green Bay. On the Michigan-coast side, there exists a vast expanse of moon-like rocky coast called Cave Point. (I assume there are some caves nearby). People have stacked rocks all over the beach. A spontaneous act of rebellion against the impermanence of human existence? That, or people just like stacking rocks.

old men

2012-09-26T00:00:00+00:00

Discussing the roller derby. Evansville, IN. September 22, 2012.

smoker

2012-09-21T00:00:00+00:00

Woman in the audience at Live on the Green. Nashville, TN. September 21, 2012.

Despite the fact that it was a grim glimpse into what people actually care about with respect to (at least my) photography, this photo has grown on me.

lady fury

2012-09-20T00:00:00+00:00

Lady Fury of the Nashville Roller Girls. Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, TN. September 15, 2012.

Photographing roller derby has given me an opportunity to learn and perfect pan shots — a skill that has been surprisingly useful elsewhere! I was pretty proud of a couple of shots from their most recent bout last weekend, this one included.

live on the green

2012-09-14T00:00:00+00:00

Live on the Green, Nashville, TN. September 13, 2012

Good turnout and great weather for a free concert last night.

skating

2012-09-13T00:00:00+00:00

At the rivergate skate center. July 25, 2012.

waves

2012-08-27T00:00:00+00:00

St. George Island beach, Florida. August 21, 2012.

While we were in Florida, I got bored (read: drunk) enough to go into the surf with my camera and try to apply my rollerderby photography skills by attempting pan shots of the waves in motion. It .. kinda worked, but not really. This one turned out okay, even though it wasn’t much of a pan.

Apparently the waves in this area are currently nearing 12-17 feet, thanks to tropical storm (soon to be hurricane) Isaac. That’s big. Here’s hoping NOLA pulls through this one.

beach sunset

2012-08-16T00:00:00+00:00

Sunset, Cape San Blas, Florida. August 22, 2009.

The obligatory vacation beach sunset photo from a few years ago. T-minus 24 hours till I head to the beach for the first time in far too long.

red door

2012-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Red Door, Nashville, TN. August 11, 2012.

Sunlight tries its best to penetrate the smokey interior of Red Door in East Nashville.

cicada

2012-08-14T00:00:00+00:00

Cicada. Nashville, TN. August, 2012.

Not a periodical Magicicada (the only periodical brood out right now is Brood I, the Blue Ridge Brood) like we had last year, but a cicada nonetheless. Lots of these and some other black and white variety out this summer.

plates

2012-08-09T00:00:00+00:00

License plates on display at Layla’s Bluegrass Inn. Lower Broadway, Nashville, TN. August 6, 2012.

zealotry

2012-08-08T00:00:00+00:00

Downtown Nashville, TN. August 6, 2012.

carmac falls

2012-08-04T00:00:00+00:00

Carmac Falls, Evins Mill, TN. July 22, 2012.

If you’re looking for an easy daytrip this summer, consider Evins Mill. A short 1.5 hour drive from Nashville, Evins Mill is a cool old mill they’ve turned into a resort. On the property are Carmac Falls, and $20 a person gets you a nice bagged lunch and access to hike down to the falls. The hike is actually a bit treacherous. Usually when the owner/guide warns me the difficulty or time required for trails, you know, I scoff, because their speech is typically geared towards retirees with families. This trail, though, is legit — a pretty steep and narrow decline with not much more than a rope to give you something to hang on to. My parents went a few months before and someone had broken their leg and had to be evacuated out, so be careful.

Also, a word of advice: bring water shoes. The base of the falls are a great little swimmin hole, but they are full of treacherously slippery and sharp rocks. Also a fish tried to kill me and I stepped on a snapping turtle. Nature! Seriously, though, check it out. It’s a good escape during this brutal heat.

UPDATE: It is important to note that Carmac Falls is located on the private property of Evins Mill, a resort and special event venue that hosts weddings, conferences and other contractually exclusive events. As such, one must be a guest of the resort in order to enjoy its trails, including the one to Carmac Falls. For those who wish to do so without staying overnight, the venue offers “day-tripper” packages that are available by reservation-only, made a minimum of 24-hours in advance. For more details, see https://www.evinsmill.com/Dining/DayTripperPackages.html and/or call 615.269.3740. Those who access the property without an advance reservation are trespassing and may be prosecuted.

riverfront

2012-07-31T00:00:00+00:00

Cumberland Riverfront, Nashville. TN. July 27, 2012.

I’ve never verified it myself, but I’ve been told that when the Cumberland is low (as it is above), if take a kayak under the current concrete structure, you can still see the remnants of the old docks.

citizen

2012-07-20T00:00:00+00:00

Citizen, by Thomas Sayre. Nashville, TN.

I am still not 100% sold on Sayre’s work at the public square, but it’s growing on me. A mindblowing sunset and thunderstorm in the background helps.

if you see red

2012-07-12T00:00:00+00:00

4th of July, 2012. Nashville, TN.

If you see red, shoot it.

pizza and pinnacle

2012-07-10T00:00:00+00:00

Pizza stand, Nashville, TN. July 3th, 2012.

This pizza truck was lit quite festively and was playing a stream of rat pack era italian-american music. I don’t know why, but it cheered me up. Possibly, this had something to do with the contrast of the music playing on the actual stage at the time, which i can only describe as “america rock”. I’ll take Dean Martin, thanks.

i’m fun

2012-07-06T00:00:00+00:00

She’s fun. Happy Friday, everyone.

Downtown Nashville. July 4, 2012.

audience of one

2012-06-13T00:00:00+00:00

Busker and audience. Lower Broadway, Nashville, TN. June, 2012.

carmack, the capitol, and a thunderstorm

2012-06-12T00:00:00+00:00

Statue of Edward Ward Carmack at the Tennessee Capitol. June, 2012.

Edward Ward Carmack: proponent of temperance and prohibition. Vociferous opponent of the 15th amendment. Other notable achievements include: denouncing Ida B. Wells as a “black wench” for daring to decry the lynching of three black store owners (effectively running Wells out of town for 30 years), starting (and fatally losing) a gun battle in the streets of Nashville, which sparked the ban of sale, manufacture, and consumption of intoxicants in January 1909.

So, why do we still have a statue of this guy again?

fiddler

2012-06-11T00:00:00+00:00

Violinist on lower Broadway. Nashville, TN. June, 2012.

light bulb

2012-06-08T00:00:00+00:00

Eastland Cafe, Nashville, TN.

Check out this sweet light bulb.

post parade

2012-06-07T00:00:00+00:00

CMA Festival (fan fair) parade. Nashville, TN. June, 2012.

She was standing in the middle of the road like this for quite a while. I don’t know what she was doing, but it looked like posing, so I took a photo. It’s what I do.

all summer in a day

2012-06-06T00:00:00+00:00

RIP Ray Bradbury, 1920-2012.

rambo’s last jam

2012-06-04T00:00:00+00:00

Rambo Sambo’s last jam as a Nashville Rollergirl. Nashville, TN. June 2, 2012

An emotional send-off for Rambo as she says goodbye to her fans and teammates and heads north to New England.

cowboy

2012-06-01T00:00:00+00:00

nashville skyline

2012-05-30T00:00:00+00:00

Nashville Skyline, August 2008.

An old crowd-pleaser shot from the Shelby pedestrian bridge.

athena parthenos

2012-05-29T00:00:00+00:00

Statue of Athena Parthenos in the Parthenon replica. Nashville, TN.

A requisite stop on any tour of Nashville — the parthenon. I showed a michigander-in-SF and a Londoner around the city this weekend. Other notable facets of the tour were Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, Hog Heaven, and uhm.. racism.

the peri

2012-05-25T00:00:00+00:00

The Peri, Acklen Mausoleum, Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Nashville, TN.

Following the death of her second husband, Adelecia Acklen toured Europe, where she purchased many works of art for the Belmont mansion. Her favorite among them was this statue by Joseph Mozier, The Peri. From “Angels in the Home”, by Lauren Lessing:

Acklen’s largest and most elaborate ideal sculpture was a nude, standing, winged figure by Joseph Mozier, The Peri, which she displayed in Belmont’s grand salon. Near the center of the room, standing eight feet high on its pedestal, the sculpture presided over nearly all of Acklen’s most important social functions. The subject is taken from the Irish poet Thomas Moore’s 1817 poem “Lalla Rookh.” A story within the poem tells of a peri, or fallen angel, who longs to return to heaven. After several failed attempts to reenter paradise, she is at last admitted when she brings the correct gift to the guardian of the celestial gates—the tears of a repentant sinner. Mozier’s sculpture depicts the peri standing in a graceful contrapposto pose, her slightly upturned face transfixed by an expression of joyful reverence. With her open right hand, she presents the sinner’s tears, while her left hand holds a goblet—perhaps a reference to one of her earlier gifts, a cup containing the blood of a patriotic hero who died defending his native land from invaders. Her feathered wings, which extend down past her knees, are folded behind her like a mandorla. Although The Peri—Mozier’s only nude female figure—is both voluptuous and completely unclothed, the sculptor followed nineteenth-century academic conventions by omitting genitalia and body hair. The smoothness and whiteness of the marble lends The Peri a chaste, spiritual air that, as Hiram Powers famously argued, made nudity permissible in ideal sculpture. The truncated spiral column supporting the figure is well suited to Moore’s orientalizing tale of spiritual redemption. It is both a common element of Islamic architecture and a reference to the columns supporting the dome of St. Peter’s basilica in the Vatican—columns that purportedly originated in the Temple of Solomon. Inscribed on the pedestal are the words from Moore’s poem, “Joy! Joy forever. My task is done. The gate is crossed and heaven is won.”

Pictured above is the statue in its current/final resting place: interred alongside Adelicia herself in the Acklen family mausoleum.

pickup

2012-05-23T00:00:00+00:00

new year’s day

2012-05-22T00:00:00+00:00

Second Avenue, Nashville, TN. New Year’s Day, 2011

santa

2012-05-21T00:00:00+00:00

Santa Rampage, December, 2009.

Santa Rampage: your source for people looking contemplative and/or serene while dressed up like Santa Claus.

horse and barn

2012-05-18T00:00:00+00:00

Horse Farm, Big South Fork, TN. April, 2012.

An uncharacteristically pastoral scene, for me. We went horseback riding while we were spending the weekend in Big South Fork. I am quite pleased with myself in that I didn’t fall off even once!

R2

2012-05-14T00:00:00+00:00

An R2 unit at the Chattanooga Convention Center. May 12, 2012.

Ah, levitation — the force is strong with this one. I had just about the same reaction, but I managed to take this picture nonetheless.

steeplechase

2012-05-12T00:00:00+00:00

Steeplechase, Nashville, TN. May, 2009.

“And this also has been one of the dark places of the earth.”

waiting for wingz

2012-05-11T00:00:00+00:00

Ghot Wingz, Nashville, TN. May 4, 2012.

Members of the Centresource crew wait for assorted spicy chicken products.

scrimmage

2012-05-10T00:00:00+00:00

Nashville Roller Girls Scrimmage, May 2012.

pinnacle

2012-05-09T00:00:00+00:00

Pinnacle Building, Nashville, TN. May 7, 2012.

I overheard some people talking smack about the Pinnacle tower the other day. I’m no architecture expert, much less a snob, but I think it’s quite nice. I wish they hadn’t insisted on marring it with the giant “PINNACLE” sign, but what can you do? Even the Ryman auditorium is now the NISSAN ryman auditorium.

berry’s loan

2012-05-08T00:00:00+00:00

Berry’s Loan, Nashville, TN. May 7, 2012.

It’s odd to see this sign not lit up. It’s been a fixture on 4th avenue north for more than 40 years. After 71 years in business, Berry’s is closing up shop. Its remaining inventory was auctioned off on Saturday night.

I don’t know what it is about that particular spot, but I’ve always found it to be particular photogenic. Nonetheless, I never felt like I got a particularly good photo of it. And, so, I’ve tried to get that Perfect Shot over, and over, and over. And over. Oh well. Quantity is a sufficient substitute for quality, right?

No word yet on who won the sign, which was auctioned off along with everything else on Saturday.

hollywood 27

2012-05-07T00:00:00+00:00

Regal Hollywood 27, Nashville, TN. May 6th, 2012.

Lots of thundering outside while we were inside watching the Hulk smash and the Avengers avenge.

smoker

2012-05-04T00:00:00+00:00

Smoker, Nashville, TN. May 3, 2012.

skateboarding

2012-05-03T00:00:00+00:00

Skateboarding on the Legislative Plaza. Nashville, TN. May, 2010.

Perhaps the most skilled and worthwhile activity that has taken place on legislative plaza in weeks.

flood anniversary

2012-05-01T00:00:00+00:00

River Plantation (Bellevue), Nashville, TN. May 8, 2010

Today arguably represents the 2-year anniversary of the 2010 Nashville flooding. 13.57 inches of rain fell between the two days on May 1st and 2nd, and water began entering people’s homes and businesses. I thought about posting here one of the more eerie, picturesque photos of downtown Nashville without power and full of water. Pretty pictures, maybe, but those photos don’t really capture the true losses of the flooding. Those businesses quickly hired equipment and people, pumped the water out, cut their losses, and were back in business before too long. The hardest hit and longest affected areas, of course, were the least visible, and there was nothing pretty about it.

The photo above reflects the more painful reality of what countless individuals faced when the waters finally receded. Entire homes gutted and turned inside out, their life’s belongings on display for all to see. Their neighborhoods and streets turned into makeshift dumps.

Bellevue was lucky, relatively, being a more visible and affluent suburb, quickly amassing a veritable army of volunteers to help strip the houses. I didn’t even take a camera with me to Bordeaux, where things were a little more bleak. Many houses stood empty, abandoned, and some had a smattering of volunteers starting to trickle in. I recall the house I helped to demo: An older retired couple owned it, and were insisting that we carefully scrape the 20 year old linoleum off of the plywood subfloor, so they could salvage it. I didn’t have the construction expertise, but mostly didn’t have the heart, to tell him that it would all have to be ripped out. It’s no easy task to tell someone that the home and life they’re desperately trying to save is destroyed.

I won’t moralize too much here about it all, since this blog is about pretty pictures. So, yeah. Tomorrow I’ll post a photo of a flower and some kittens or something. Happy Tuesday!

camping

2012-04-30T00:00:00+00:00

Camping at Big South Fork, Tennessee.

power failure

2012-04-27T00:00:00+00:00

Downtown Nashville. May, 2010.

One of the eerier aspects of the post-flood period in Nashville was wandering around the vast swaths of downtown that were entirely without power. Pictured here is the trail left by a maintenance worker with a headlamp on.

hermitage hotel

2012-04-25T00:00:00+00:00

Hermitage Hotel. September, 2010.

flowergirl

2012-04-24T00:00:00+00:00

Wedding in Gatlinburg, TN. April, 2012.

arrests

2012-04-20T00:00:00+00:00

Occupy Nashville Arrests, Nashville, TN. October 28, 2011.

Highway Patrolmen guard the plaza as arrested demonstrators are loaded onto buses.

sunshine

2012-04-19T00:00:00+00:00

Sunshine of the Nashville Brawl Stars preps for a bout vs. the Vette City Vixens.

Bowling Green, Kentucky. April, 2012.

stop sign

2012-04-18T00:00:00+00:00

Yes, another stop sign.

vette city leg wrestling

2012-04-16T00:00:00+00:00

Leg Wrestling at the Motor City Bar & Grill. April, 2012.

Vette City takes their leg-wrestling very seriously. I thought about putting my name in the bracket but I didn’t wanna make anyone feel bad.

doctor girlfriend

2012-04-13T00:00:00+00:00

Doctor Girlfriend. Dragoncon 2009.

bridges

2012-04-12T00:00:00+00:00

The Shelby Street Bridge, originally called the Sparkman Street Bridge, was built in 1909. Behind it stands the much newer Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge (also known as the “Gateway” bridge).

Bridges!

union pacific 4015

2012-04-11T00:00:00+00:00

Union Pacific 4015 at the Union Station trainyard, Nashville, TN. December, 2009.

tattoos

2012-04-09T00:00:00+00:00

Full Moon Tattoo and Horror Festival. April 7, 2012.

bus

2012-04-06T00:00:00+00:00

When will I tire of taking pan shots of buses? Never. NEVER, I say.

ryman

2012-04-05T00:00:00+00:00

Back entrance, Ryman Auditorium. April, 2012.

Lots of talent has flowed up this staircase. Note my willpower in not titling this “STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN”, or “IF WALLS COULD TALK”, or something similar. I am so restrained.

icons

2012-04-04T00:00:00+00:00

The now-completed Pinnacle tower, Tootsie’s world-famous orchid lounge, and the world-famous air-conditioning ducts out back.

pinnacle construction

2012-04-02T00:00:00+00:00

Pinnacle Tower under construction in Nashville. November, 2008.

A test shot with an old lomo that I ended up liking — from back in the days when I still suffered the expense of playing with film.

cape san blas night

2012-03-30T00:00:00+00:00

Cape San Blas, Florida. August, 2009

This is one of the few photos I’ve taken where technology really annoyed me as a limitation. I thought the result looked great, but unfortunately it was riddled with noise — the unfortunate side-effect of the smaller sensor on the Canon 20D, the heat, and the longer exposure. Ah, well.

stop sign

2012-03-29T00:00:00+00:00

Stop sign. Yep.

season opener

2012-03-28T00:00:00+00:00

Municipal Auditorium, March 24, 2012.

A few veterans of the Nashville Rollergirls look on before the season opener bout.

US customs house

2012-03-27T00:00:00+00:00

U.S. Customs House, Nashville, TN.

Playing with my industar pancake. It’s actually passably sharp at f/8 — a ringing endorsement for a lens if ever there was one. But hey, it’s small!

waitress

2012-03-20T00:00:00+00:00

Waitress, Flying Saucer, April 2007.

decades

2012-03-19T00:00:00+00:00

Decades dance club, Nashville, TN. July, 2007.

I haven’t heard anyone else lament its demise, but I’ll go ahead and say it: I’ll miss Decades. Sorta.

crossing

2012-03-17T00:00:00+00:00

schermerhorn

2012-03-16T00:00:00+00:00

Schermerhorn Symphony Center. March 12, 2012.

peanuts

2012-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

The Arcade, Nashville, TN.

Did you know that “professional photography” is not allowed in the arcade? Fortunately, I am not professional.

carriage ride

2012-03-13T00:00:00+00:00

Carriage ride, downtown Nashville. March 12, 2012.

As much as I hate these things, they have their anachronistically photogenic charms.

storms

2012-03-02T00:00:00+00:00

Storms, Nashville, TN. March 2, 2012. I had precisely the wrong lens for taking storm photos on, but I couldn’t resist a quick snapshot.

long night

2012-02-28T00:00:00+00:00

April 2010, Melrose Billiards.

Who among us has not had a night like this at Melrose?

god of war

2012-02-18T00:00:00+00:00

God of War, Dragoncon, 2009.

I chatted with this guy a bit at dragoncon in 2009 and 2010 — super nice guy. But then, it’s easy to be nice when you’re the god of war.

butler run

2012-02-17T00:00:00+00:00

Butler Run, Nashville, TN.

tree

2012-02-16T00:00:00+00:00

Radnor Lake, November, 2011.

ride

2012-02-10T00:00:00+00:00

Tennessee State Fair. September, 2008.

dog

2012-02-09T00:00:00+00:00

Dog at the flea market. May, 2011, Nashville, TN.

maryland manson

2012-02-08T00:00:00+00:00

Maryland Manson of the Nashville Rollergirls, looking determined during her first bout appearance.

pinnacle

2012-02-07T00:00:00+00:00

Pinnacle Tower, Nashville, TN. February 1, 2012.

fans

2012-02-07T00:00:00+00:00

Fans at the Nashville Roller Girls’ pre-season bout. February 4, 2012.

Never a shortage of colorful characters. I can only assume the guy on the right is distant progeny of this guy.

chevy

2012-02-06T00:00:00+00:00

At the fairgrounds this weekend, during the Nashville Roller Girls‘ pre-season doubleheader, there was also a car show. I think it was probably the shittiest car show I’ve ever seen, but there were some cool specimens. My favorite was probably the pimpest Buick Riviera ever (not pictured).

hood

2012-02-03T00:00:00+00:00

There are a lot of cool cars in east nashville. I would have identified this one, but I’ve already forgotten. I’d guess maybe a Nova or something? Props if you can identify it.

angel foot

2012-02-02T00:00:00+00:00

Statue at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. February 1, 2012

flare

2012-01-31T00:00:00+00:00

Fun with lens flare. Farmers market, Nashville, TN.

first baptist

2012-01-25T00:00:00+00:00

First Baptist Church (sortof) at sunset. Nashville, TN.

sunset

2012-01-24T00:00:00+00:00

Renaissance Hotel at sunset.

etta

2012-01-20T00:00:00+00:00

Etta James at the Wildhorse Saloon. April 8, 2008. Rest in Peace.

bartender

2012-01-11T00:00:00+00:00

I am surprised I haven’t posted this before — it’s one of my favorite portraits. Taken at Robert’s in February, 2007.

union station

2012-01-09T00:00:00+00:00

Union Station, Nashville, TN. October 20th, 2011

flowergirl

2011-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

Flowergirl. Chicago, 2011

los baños

2011-11-30T00:00:00+00:00

Los Baños de Doña María de Padilla, Sevilla, Spain.

One of our favorite spots was the Alcazar in Sevilla, which is a fairly typical Spanish castle complex. This one, though, is surrounded by sprawling acres of gardens you could get lost in for hours. Indeed, we nearly did get lost in one of the garden mazes. On our way out, we almost walked right past the entrance to the highlight of the trip — Los Baños de Doña María de Padilla, which wikipedia had this to say about:

The “Baths of Lady María de Padilla” are rainwater tanks beneath the Patio del Crucero. The tanks are named after María de Padilla, the mistress of Peter the Cruel. Supposedly, Peter fell for María and had her husband killed. María resisted his advances and poured boiling oil over her face to disfigure herself to stop Peter’s pursuit. She became a nun and moved to a convent afterwards. She is regarded as a symbol of purity in the culture of Seville.

I guess they didn’t have restraining orders back then.

plaza mayor

2011-11-29T00:00:00+00:00

In Madrid, our hotel was nestled in some side-streets near the Plaza Mayor. Built (well, rebuilt/expanded) in the early 17th century, this plaza was (and is) widely used since as a public space for markets, bullfights, etc. It was also host to more gruesome aspects of Spain’s history: public executions — including, during the Spanish Inquisition, “auto de fe” — a ceremony of public penance followed by execution by burning at the stake. As you sit peacefully enjoying the cool night air and watch people stroll and relax in the plaza, it’s hard to imagine it as the site of these acts of religious insanity and carnage.

During the day, the plaza is home to a constantly buzzing throng of tourists flocking to a statue of Philip III, and being entertained by a host of bizarre street performers. At night, the restaurants explode into life, taking advantage of their prime locale and setting up for business in the plaza itself. We ate dinner in the plaza on our second night in Madrid. The meal itself was substandard — a fairly mediocre paella and surly (if not actively hostile) service. Such is the price you pay for the atmosphere, which couldn’t be beat. We finished up with a stroll around the perimeter of the plaza, which is lined with shops of all sorts, and dotted with grand arches leading into the twisty maze of old Madrid’s streets.

el tren y el campo

2011-11-28T00:00:00+00:00

One of the things we really enjoyed in Spain was their amazingly convenient high-speed train system. Aside from the obvious benefit of being able to take day-trips to Spain’s various historical points of interest, it was nice just to get a feel for the country and its terrain. While watching the scenery fly by, I found myself thinking back to Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia (my only real point of reference for modern Spanish history). It was hard not to imagine every burnt-out farmhouse or decrepit villa as the scene of some chapter of Orwell’s flight from the fascists.

Madrid’s Atocha train station, the site of the grisly 2004 bombings, seems to have recovered nicely, and was our main point of departure while we stayed in Madrid.

catedral de segovia

2011-11-23T00:00:00+00:00

Catedral de Segovia, Spain. September 29, 2011.

I got museumed out pretty quickly in Spain. I’m a fan of several veins of religious art, but there are only so many statues of the virgin mary with the baby jesus you can see before they all start looking the same. But I never got tired of the cathedrals.

carrer del portal

2011-11-17T00:00:00+00:00

Carrer del Portal, Tossa De Mar, Spain.

Just north of the fisherman’s beach, we stumbled across this magical little strip of restaurants outside the old castle walls. No one other than us and the ghosts of Tossa de Mar were around, but these restaurants had all fired their ovens and lit their lamps nonetheless. The result was an eerie juxtaposition of this empty 3,000 year old street, and the warm inviting glow (and smells) of these restaurants. It was like something right out of a Miyazaki movie. I kept expecting that after we gorged ourselves we’d be turned into pigs for eating the food of the spirits.

We braved it anyway, and had probably the best meal of our entire trip in Spain. I had a simple dish I can’t recall the name of, but it translated roughly to “fisherman’s stew” — a mix of basically every form of sea life in the Mediterranean in a savory tomato sauce. It. was. incredible. I .. I still have impure thoughts about it. Our only company the entire evening was our waiter and a very pregnant cat begging politely for scraps (I gave her a prawn).

UPDATE: The name of the dish is zarzuela de mariscos. Yum.

girona sunset

2011-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

Sunset in Girona, Spain. October 6, 2011.

tossa de mar

2011-11-10T00:00:00+00:00

Evening at Tossa de Mar, Spain. Looking south towards Lloret de Mar along the Mediterranean coast.

key west

2011-11-09T00:00:00+00:00

Key West, Florida. November 4th, 2011.

Congrats to my brother Jonathan and his lovely bride Megan who tied the knot in Key West this weekend.

protest

2011-10-31T00:00:00+00:00

Legislative Plaza, Nashville, TN. October 28th, 2011.

Protesters form a human chain at the Occupy Nashville protest, just prior to being arrested by the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

RIP Chris Kent

2011-10-19T00:00:00+00:00

Just heard from my dad that Chris Kent has passed away. Honored to have heard him play a number of times and take this photo of him — one of my favorite music photos ever. RIP.

printer’s alley

2011-10-14T00:00:00+00:00

Printer’s Alley, Nashville.

alley

2011-09-20T00:00:00+00:00

flatiron

2011-07-14T00:00:00+00:00

The ol’ Flatiron Building. Never the tallest, but always one of the coolest skyscrapers in New York.

wing

2011-07-13T00:00:00+00:00

It seems like the pattern now is that every time I go somewhere, I post the one good photo I took there, followed by the shot I took out of the window on the plane home out of boredom.

manhattan

2011-07-12T00:00:00+00:00

The Manhattan skyline as seen from Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

shelby street bridge

2011-06-30T00:00:00+00:00

With apologies to basically everyone I know for posting yet another picture of this bridge.

pinnacle tower

2011-06-29T00:00:00+00:00

farmers’ market

2011-06-28T00:00:00+00:00

Farmers’ Market, Nashville, TN. June, 2011.

Question of the day: should it be plural or plural possessive? Farmers or Farmers’?

public square

2011-06-24T00:00:00+00:00

lines

2011-06-23T00:00:00+00:00

motorcycle

2011-06-22T00:00:00+00:00

Part of an ongoing series: “Things Happening In Front of 301 Broadway”.

Not really.

crossing

2011-06-21T00:00:00+00:00

warmup

2011-06-06T00:00:00+00:00

Rambo Sambo warming up in last week’s team scrimmage before the Honky Tonk Stomp.

tracks

2011-05-26T00:00:00+00:00

Railroad tracks, North Nashville. I’ll lay off the storm pictures soon, I swear, but for now storms and cicadas is pretty much all that’s goin on around here.

lightning

2011-05-24T00:00:00+00:00

It sure is spring.

stormy monday er friday

2011-05-13T00:00:00+00:00

I found this old picture from 2008 that I never posted for some reason. Probably because I got hit by lightning shortly after taking it. (Actually, I think it was because i took this one right after and lost interest in everything before it.)

I also stumbled across an older lightning shot and spent some time re-processing it to not look so dumb:

Stay safe in the storms this morning, folks.

Magicicada tredecassini

2011-05-12T00:00:00+00:00

They’re heeeere. Brood XIX emerged this week in Nashville: tredecassini, a 13-year variant of the Magicicada genus. There’s a lot of hysteria surrounding these little critters, but they’re a relatively minor nuisance. It was one of my first years in Nashville that Brood XIV emerged, and ever since then, to me, the cicada song has just been a part of summer in the south.

I was starting to think we wouldn’t see any around these parts. I live in Germantown, a small (old) neighborhood just north of downtown. There aren’t many in general because of all the changes the area has seen (with every generation digging up the ground anew for construction of some sort), and the relative lack of trees. In just the past few days, though, we saw a ton emerge underneath the relatively old tree in our front yard.

The cicadas pictured here are just emerging from their carapace — hence the white color. It’s not until they’ve dried out a bit in the air that their wings begin to harden and their color starts to darken. They’re supposed to be pretty good eatin’ in this state, but I don’t know if I could eat them now. They’re just so CUTE!

A couple more pictures here.

fountain

2011-05-06T00:00:00+00:00

Legislative Plaza, Nashville, TN.

lady fury

2011-04-29T00:00:00+00:00

Lady Fury of the Nashville Roller Girls, barely containing her fury at the afterparty.

lightning (and chair)

2011-04-27T00:00:00+00:00

Stormy spring here in Nashville. Lots of late night storms, too, which makes it a constant dilemma between going to bed and staying up all night taking the same lightning shots over and over.

hunting

2011-04-13T00:00:00+00:00

A few years ago they introduced a bunch of hawks to downtown Nashville in an attempt to combat the pigeon problem. I don’t know if it worked, but it sure looked cool at times. No word on what they plan on doing about the starling problem.

columns

2011-04-07T00:00:00+00:00

Bicentennial Mall, Nashville, TN.

cold air

2011-03-24T00:00:00+00:00

An army of air conditioning units after a spring storm. North Downtown Nashville.

overpass

2011-03-23T00:00:00+00:00

Overpass – Downtown Nashville, 2011.

oyster bar

2011-03-05T00:00:00+00:00

Shaw’s Crab House (and oyster bar), Chicago, Illinois, 2010.

An older photo that jumped out at me for some reason, so here it is.

miss murder

2011-02-09T00:00:00+00:00

Miss Murder, Hard Knox Roller Girls.

One of my favorite portraits from the Honky Tonk Stomp last year.

butterfly

2011-02-04T00:00:00+00:00

car

2011-01-28T00:00:00+00:00

exchange

2011-01-21T00:00:00+00:00

I-65, I-440, and Franklin Road. Nashville has more than 80 miles of interstate. I don’t know if that’s a lot, but it sounds like it.

snowmen

2011-01-11T00:00:00+00:00

Building snowmen. Centennial Park in Nashville, TN.

2010

2011-01-04T00:00:00+00:00

2010, a year in review. Click above for a slideshow of my 2010 project 365 (a picture a day for a year). Yes, there are only 333 pictures. Finishing stuff is overrated, anyway.

stairs

2010-12-27T00:00:00+00:00

Parking garage, Philadelphia, PA. An odd splash of color in an otherwise drab parking unit.

the great white south

2010-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

An unusual December snow in Nashville this week, and now freezing rain on the way. Bundle up and drive carefully!

popcornopoly

2010-12-13T00:00:00+00:00

Popcornopoly. Corner of 2nd and Broadway, Nashville, TN.

lightning encore

2010-12-03T00:00:00+00:00

Lightning in the Encore, 2008

An oldie but a goodie. The night this was taken, I was peering out of my window (I did this a lot when I lived downtown) at the storms blowing through. Suddenly a couple of fire engines came tearing down the streets headed for the Encore building, which was newly completed but not open yet. They flanked each side of the building and started doing their thing — including raising the ladders on each truck to the side of the building. I wasn’t sure if there was a bomb threat or a hostage situation, or a localized fire on an upper floor or what.

Naturally, I grabbed my camera. Because that’s what photographers do during tragedies, apparently: they set up a tripod and kick back. So I had my camera all setup and I was just taking longer exposures to see if I could capture anything — and it ended up being lightning reflected in the front moving in behind me. Goes to show that you never really know what you’re gonna get.

I found out later that this was actually a test drill. Any time that there’s a new high-rise building, the fire department deploys their trucks and raises the ladders to make sure they know how high the ladders will reach from various points around the building. Pretty cool.

melrose billiards

2010-12-02T00:00:00+00:00

Melrose Billiards, 2010 — a few days after the flood.

Yesterday I posted about the Melrose Theatre. Located in the same building, Melrose Billiards (sometimes called Chandler’s) sits in the basement, a few doors down. In the face of the more serious destruction of the flooding in Nashville this year, it was hard to get too upset about the smaller casualties — but they were sad, nonetheless.

Melrose Billiards was among them — it took a pretty bad soaking in the floods, with water nearly up to the ceiling (I’d guess around 7-9 feet, judging from the floodline). This is surprising, because it’s nowhere near any major body of water. There is a small drainage creek behind it that terminates north in the river, but I suspect the flooding mostly came from runoff on the hill, and the bar just had the misfortune of being in an unusually deep basement. But I digress. Fortunately, due to the owners’ determination and a grassroots community effort, the bar was quickly drained, dried and renovated and is back in operation. (and by “renovated”, I mean “looks pretty much the same”, i.e. 40 years old and vaguely smelly).

The bar keeps a relatively low profile, with nothing but the above door/sign indicating there’s anything present. Although it can get packed on the weekends, it still mostly serves regulars and other assorted locals. Melrose Billiards was opened in 1969 by the Chandler brothers (hence the alternate name and the sign above the bar), who also went on to open or buy many other Nashville establishments including the Sportsmans’ Grilles, and the Gersthaus. This is the reason you can still find $3 Gerst on tap — a nice perk. While I do love the bar, it has its ~~downsides~~ quaint charms: foremost among them, a nearly impenetrable haze of cigarette smoke that probably dates to 1969 itself. You don’t go to this bar wearing anything you don’t plan on immediately washing or drycleaning. What can you do? The bar is a throwback to a different era in more ways than one. Check it out sometime. It’s a Nashville establishment worth protecting and patronizing.

dusk

2010-12-02T00:00:00+00:00

Nashville at dusk. A late-night post for all you night-owls, while I sip some tea and relax to Bill Evans before bed.

melrose theatre

2010-12-01T00:00:00+00:00

Melrose Theatre, Nashville, TN.

Built in 1942, the Melrose theatre was one of three grand theatres in Nashville that shared a similar design — the other two being the Belle Meade Theatre and the Inglewood Theatre on Gallatin. Sadly, the Inglewood theatre was closed in 1977 and demolished sometime thereafter — a shuttered drugstore now occupies the spot. The Belle Meade theatre fared much better, operating as a theatre well into the late ’80s before Bookstar turned it into a book store, with minimal remodeling. Sadly, in a move so crass and lacking in historical sensitivity that it could only happen in Nashville, the Belle Meade Theatre was recently gutted and turned into a grocery store by Tony Giarratana, leaving (I believe) only the facade and the projector room intact.

For its part, the Melrose Theatre has been remodeled a few times, but still remains relatively intact as a theatre (at least on the outside). I recently saw it all lit up for an event recently, and it was quite spectacular — sadly, I didn’t have a camera with me (weird, I know). This picture from 1984 (when the theatre was still in operation) will give you some idea of what it looked like. I don’t know the state of the interior, but perhaps the Melrose can be revived as a theatre some day.

second ave

2010-11-24T00:00:00+00:00

Second avenue, Nashville, TN. It’s around this time of year that downtown gets very photogenic.. hoping to get out there for some quality time with my tripod this year.

storm

2010-11-23T00:00:00+00:00

A spring stormfront rolls in over the cumberland river and the gateway bridge. May, 2008.

on prints

2010-11-23T00:00:00+00:00

So, over the past few years, I’ve had a lot of people ask to buy prints of my photos. It’s incredibly flattering to know that people appreciate my photos enough to want to hang them on their walls at all, much less pay me for it. As such, I’ve always felt compelled to do my best to fulfill these requests, despite the fact that I know very little about the actual printing industry, much less matting, framing and decorating. To be honest, though, it’s become a hassle. The industry is changing daily due to the digital revolution, and the frequency of people asking me for prints is relatively rare. Thus, every time it happens, I have to re-evaluate the vendors, and then negotiate a price (read: pull one out of my ass), which always felt a bit disingenuous (more below). Plus, again, I’m often asked to provide expertise in an area (printing, framing and decoratin) that I know nothing about. I actually once had someone ask me which of my photos would work best in their living room, and gave me a rundown of the furniture and color scheme. At the end of the day, I’m a photographer, not an interior decorator.

To that end, I’ve decided to start offering prints for free. Of course, I don’t mind if people want to compensate me for them, naturally, but it’s easier for me to just handle that via donations. This gives people the flexibility to get whatever they want, and frees me to focus on what I do best: taking pictures. I’ve put up instructions and details, but I felt like some elaboration was necessary — hence this post:

Most photographers protect their images rigorously. They watermark them. They only upload smaller resolutions. They market their pictures as an exclusive or “fine art” product, and only offer prints in limited, expensive runs. Why don’t I do that?

Well, my demure response is that there’s never been any such demand for prints of my pictures, and I think it’s silly to try to artificially create it. This is my response to the modest demand for prints of my photos that I’ve seen. It’s not enough to make a living, and I don’t suspect it ever would be.

If you’d twist my arm a little, I might go on: A lot of photographers are stuck in a mindset that hasn’t yet caught up with the modern world we’re living in. Limited/numbered runs are a comically archaic way to distribute your photography. It made sense in an age when the material costs of the actual print-making process were a limiting factor. It’s ridiculous to expect that someone would pay a premium for a print of a photo because you only made 50 when they know perfectly well that you took the photo with a digital SLR and could very well make 50,000 if you wanted. Let’s not delude ourselves. Very few photographers are good enough that this sort of artificially generated demand will work. Nonetheless, every aspiring professional photographer on the planet attempts to frantically “protect” their images against barbarian hordes that simply don’t exist. You have to be a pretty amazing photographer for someone to still want a print of your photo when all they can see is a 500×500 watermarked thumbnail. And trust me, you’re not that good. I’m not that good.

Secondly, the process by which prices are negotiated in the market for art always left a bad taste in my mouth. When people asked me how much my photography cost, I was always forced to pull a number out of thin air. There are no physical constraints that would factor in my setting a price for the actual prints, and the attempts by some photographers to artificially create some (as mentioned above) struck me as dishonest, or at the least, overly-arbitrary. I think that’s why this solution feels so good: aside from the fact that it caters to my laziness, it’s also very honest.

I want people to see my photography. I’m vain, what can I say? And I want people to see my photography in a clear, unobstructed, large format. In a digital age, this means simple, large, unaltered, high-res digital images. Does this mean that, really, anyone with a lick of sense could snag a high-res copy of my photos and print them on their own? Absolutely. Am I worried about throngs of malicious people doing so in high volume without paying for it? Hardly. Most people that want to buy my photos are honest people that like my photography and want a modest print of it, and/or want to support my photography, which, again, they are most welcome to do!

Lake Pontchartrain

2010-11-21T00:00:00+00:00

The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway — one of the longest bridges in the world.

special operation

2010-11-19T00:00:00+00:00

Downtown Nashville, 2007. 1984 Oldsmobile Delta 88 with a .. uhm.. “special” trim package. Heeeeell yeah.

THE Nashville Roller Girls

2010-11-17T00:00:00+00:00

This year, I had the honor of photographing the Nashville Roller Girls through their 2010 season. I skulked around in the background through practices, scrimmages, bouts, and, begrudgingly, afterparties, where I was forced, against my will, to cavort and socialize with all of my subjects. It was hard work, but in the interest of journalistic integrity, I felt it was necessary, to give you, dear readers, the real deal. Seriously, though: I met a lot of truly, truly amazing people, and made lots of great friends. I also, surprisingly, found myself the fan of a sport. No, really! I know the rules and everything! I’ve even found myself yelling alongside other belligerent individuals at other sporting events. Roller derby is apparently the true gateway drug.

I witnessed a team of young, raw recruits training their asses off, while a tireless group of individuals worked behind the scenes to keep things running. I witnessed that team face the uncertainty of their entire league’s future, with their former home at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds uncertain. I saw the team bent low by injury and relocation, but not broken. I watched the same team rise to the challenge and emerge victorious — eventually heading to the national championships. A true accomplishment. I understand Atlanta wanted to be there, but they couldn’t make it.

So, I’ll probably be featuring a lot of the 8 brazillion photos I’ve taken over the last year on this blog, but I have actually made an effort to edit all those photos into a coherent set, which you can find here. See you all at the next bout!

gonzo

2010-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

Dr. Gonzo. Filmmaker, photographer, and announcer for the Nashville Rollergirls.

if you see red, shoot it

2010-11-06T00:00:00+00:00

Downtown, Murfreesboro, TN. I might be working on Black & White photography, but some things beg to be shot in color.

bert

2010-10-26T00:00:00+00:00

Although he stretched the theme of his own party (“animated”), making my own Sergeant Slaughter costume the clear winner, Greg’s Bert costume was pretty incredible. It also made it clear that Bert is merely a jaundiced hare krishna.

airport

2010-10-25T00:00:00+00:00

Smyrna Airport. Overflow for Nashville International, and capable of landing any aircraft but the space shuttle.

Turns out airports aren’t that interesting from the ground, but hey, the clouds look nice!

fall

2010-10-22T00:00:00+00:00

My favorite time of year. We got an early start on halloween this year, with some early October pumpkin pie action, although naturally those were made with pie pumpkins, not these big boys.

fire

2010-10-18T00:00:00+00:00

dusk

2010-10-14T00:00:00+00:00

capitol

2010-10-13T00:00:00+00:00

Tennessee’s Capitol. They do capitol-ey things in there.

union station

2010-10-12T00:00:00+00:00

Union Station, Nashville, TN. Shot out of a moving car, because apparently I have no regard for my safety or the safety of others.

Union Station opened almost 110 years ago, to the day. Oct 9th, 1900. They used to have alligator ponds in the lobby. I think they should bring those back. Alligators are cool.

ground and pound

2010-10-11T00:00:00+00:00

Mixed Martial Arts at the fairgrounds. 10/09/10.

cary ann hearst

2010-10-01T00:00:00+00:00

My friend Cary came through town yesterday, and I swung by the Marathon Motorworks building to snap a few pictures while they were doing some video work. Cary and I have been friends since we were like 10, and she had an amazing voice even then. Lately, though, she’s honed it into a dangerous weapon of an instrument, and she’s been touring like a mad woman with her husband, Michael Trent. If you haven’t seen them yet, you’re really doing yourself a disservice. I know that you can’t throw a rock in this town without someone promoting themselves or their friends’ music, but I have yet to convince anyone to see them that didn’t leave with their jaw on the ground. Lucky for you, they’re coming to town! On their way back from New Orleans, they’ll be stopping here to play at 3rd and Lindsley on Friday, Oct. 8th. You should go. If you’re wondering what to expect, this video, and this one should give you a pretty good idea.

rue ursulines

2010-09-28T00:00:00+00:00

618 Rue Ursulines, New Orleans, LA

We stayed at the Villa Convento, in New Orleans, located on Rue Ursulines near the old Ursuline Convent. Some say this location was the original House of the Rising Sun, but no one really knows for sure. If you were going to pick a building that looked like a former brothel, I’d be hard-pressed to find a better one, but I would think that a brothel located so close to a convent would be odd (or convenient?). This, however, is not the Villa Convento. It’s a nice courtyard located at 618, next to the hotel, which I suspect is quite new — at least relative to the surroundings.

The sparse decor and empty spaces reminded me of a painting we saw at a restaurant the day prior, which was of a very oddly proportioned, empty Spanish-style courtyard, with weird, misshapen shadows — more likely the result of bad artistry than any purposeful intent, but the effect was something out of a Salvador Dali painting. Very surreal, stark and dreamlike. And empty. I’ve been thinking a lot about spaces, lately. With all the wealth in New Orleans, there are vast spaces that contain great historical significance and beauty (and are purposed for extravagant leisure) that go unused and unoccupied, which seems like a waste. Economic disparity aside, just think of all the awesome parties they could be hosting!

Interestingly, I did a bit of research on the location, and if this letter is accurate, it may have been the original location of Loujon Press, the publisher of The Outsider, the magazine that published a lot of Charles Bukowski. The magazine and the publisher are now long gone, and it looks like the original location is, as well, which would explain the apparent newness of the courtyard that appears to have taken its place.

holt cemetery

2010-09-27T00:00:00+00:00

Holt Cemetery, New Orleans, LA.

Founded in 1879, Holt Cemetery is a cemetery for the poor, run by the city of New Orleans (although it’s not clear that there’s anything to run). It’s the resting place for many older jazz legends: cornet player Buddy Bolden and singer Jesse Hill, among others. Unlike most of the other cemeteries in New Orleans, all the plots in Holt are below ground burial, which can be obtained (more or less) for the cost of burial.

When we first arrived, the scene above greeted us — a crude semi-above-ground plot that had been washed away badly by the recent rains. Our guide was quick to spot and replace a jawbone that had washed out from its resting place. The terrain is tricky to navigate: the ground is littered with coffin handles and other detritus from decomposed plots, and open or poorly sunk graves are strewn haphazardly through the cemetery. It’s not uncommon to see a coffin half-uncovered, due to poor coverage and subsequent rains/flooding. The plots themselves are decorated liberally with homemade signs and mementos. Some are charming and creative, and others are sparse makeshift tombstones (one plot even used a school zone street sign with blank paint/tar) — a sad reminder of the charming endurance of the city in the face of the poverty and neglect that plagues it.

clouds

2010-09-17T00:00:00+00:00

I realize that shots out of an airplane window are a little cliche, but hey: clouds are awesome. Suck it.

legends

2010-09-16T00:00:00+00:00

Loud shirt, loud music.

grinding

2010-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

manitowoc

2010-09-14T00:00:00+00:00

broadway

2010-08-03T00:00:00+00:00

I’ve been trying to work more on black & white photography. So. Yeah. Here’s this in the meantime.

bridges of davidson county

2010-07-23T00:00:00+00:00

An oldie but a goodie from last year. One of the things I miss the most about living downtown was the ease of night photography around the city.

east monroe

2010-07-21T00:00:00+00:00

I went to Chicago this last weekend. This is a view looking west down East Monroe, from the (I believe new) walkway from Millenium Park to the Art Institute of Chicago. Full trip recap here.

beat the heat

2010-06-22T00:00:00+00:00

It’s hot out.

this guy

2010-06-09T00:00:00+00:00

Fan fair’s in town, folks — which means a veritable cornucopia of tourists offering photographic opportunities. Not this guy, though. I think he’s probably a local.

two for the price of one

2010-06-03T00:00:00+00:00

I’ve been busy working on a photo project, so I haven’t had a lot in the way of photoblog material. So, here’s some crappy rainbow.

things we lost in the flood

2010-05-05T00:00:00+00:00

So, Nashville is under water. For those of you not from around here, Nashville had a “1000 year flood event” caused by around 16″ of rain in a 48 hour period. I assume this is one of those “oh fuck” situations they use in the Army Corps. of Engineers basic training (do they have that?) to scare the newbies. (YOU CALL THAT A TRUSS, SOLDIER?! THAT TRUSS AIN’T FIT TO SUPPORT YOUR MOMMA’S BE-HIND!! DO IT AGAIN!!) I haven’t had much of a chance to get out and help, much less take any proper pictures, because I’ve been dreadfully ill and cooped up at home, shivering and sweating while my friends and colleagues bravely sandbagged and soldiered on (easily one of the most frustrating and helpless weekends of my life, but anyways). I had to get out today and see some of it for myself. The above picture is where I used to live, Market Street Apartments. While I was out, I ran into a friend that still lives there on the first floor — leaning against a wall on 3rd just crying her eyes out. Shit’s real. It’s not getting a lot of national attention, but it’s real.

How can you help? Well, just go here. Also, keep your eye on this. And if you’re in the Nashville area and I catch you watering your lawn, I’m gonna forcefeed you pictures of the Ghost Ballet until your eyeballs explode.

Gabriel

2010-04-16T00:00:00+00:00

Meet Gabriel. Gabriel allowed me to take a few photos when I ran into him manning the elevator at the Hotel del Coronado this week.

gird yourself

2010-03-04T00:00:00+00:00

… for a really terrible pun. Sorry, that was bad, but truss me — I won’t do it again. So yeah. I will not miss sitting in traffic at this particular intersection, but at least it’s photogenic now and then.

New Orleans

2010-02-23T00:00:00+00:00

I had the opportunity to visit New Orleans for the weekend: a quick whirlwind of food and drink to celebrate the Chinese new year. On Saturday, after a healthy (i’ll keep telling myself that) quantity of food and drink, I got a kind offer from a local to visit a spot he knew on the river with a good view of downtown. He said he enjoyed showing off his town — a sentiment I can relate to. I wish I had more time to explore.. Next time!

snowy broadway

2010-02-10T00:00:00+00:00

a race car

2010-02-01T00:00:00+00:00

I find myself taking pictures of cars a lot lately, for some reason. And snow, but that one’s a little easier to explain.

rear end

2010-01-23T00:00:00+00:00

street

2010-01-20T00:00:00+00:00

In which I inadvertently channel Edward Hopper.

colors

2010-01-19T00:00:00+00:00

last call

2010-01-18T00:00:00+00:00

In no way am I trying to capitalize on the popularity of Jersey Shore, I swear. Back when I worked on second avenue, my office was above a coffee/ice cream shop that capitalized on its location on the weekends by selling “last minute” beer. When 2:50AM or so rolled around, the coolers would be emptied of ice cream, six-packs of hard lemonade and cheap light beer would magically appear, and a queue would form — mostly people that needed anything but more alcohol. The questionable wisdom and legality aside, it sure attracted a motley crew, as this picture can attest.

sunrise

2010-01-13T00:00:00+00:00

frost

2010-01-05T00:00:00+00:00

It’s cold out. The formerly slush-like blood of my Wisconsin childhood has thinned out into a runny mockery of its former self.. Nothing a thick cardigan can’t fix, though.

no re-entry

2010-01-03T00:00:00+00:00

curry village

2010-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

I took this picture in Yosemite at curry village last year — you know, back in the aughts. It drives me nuts that it’s not in focus, but I still love it anyway. It was one of those “la la la oh crap i really need to be taking a picture of this with my camera that is TOTALLY NOT READY” moments.

union station

2009-12-24T00:00:00+00:00

a foggy day

2009-12-22T00:00:00+00:00

… in London town. It had me low, and it had me down. Okay, technically I took this last night. And it’s Nashville, not London.

WKDF

2009-12-20T00:00:00+00:00

I spent some quality time in the rain with my new best friend.. I really wish the radio station advertised on the top of the Stahlman building was one cooler than WKDF. You know, like some imaginary radio station that’s actually still cool.

euphorbia pulcherrima

2009-12-14T00:00:00+00:00

A nice portrait in an unlikely place — taken at the tail end of the Santa Rampage, at Decades, of all places. Outings at Decades tend to yield pictures more like this. See the flickr set for more characteristically chaotic santa pics.

do you have a flag?

2009-11-30T00:00:00+00:00

One of the first pics I took with my LX-3 when I got it this year that I really loved. ALSO one of the first pictures I’ve ever taken at fort negley (my photographic white whale) that I actually liked.

fog

2009-11-29T00:00:00+00:00

Taken a few years ago in december.

lower broad sunset

2009-11-28T00:00:00+00:00

When I’m sick, I get a bit stircrazy. So, instead of taking pictures, I re-process old ones. Here’s a reworking of a picture I like a lot. Dusk is one of my favorite times in downtown Nashville, even if the starlings roosting can turn it into a birdpoop barrage.

phil hummer

2009-11-24T00:00:00+00:00

Phil Hummer performing at the full moon saloon.

the bird’s the word

2009-11-20T00:00:00+00:00

Karsten emulating Johnny Cash, and Jim Reams emulating Jim Reams. I can feel the love. For more gesticulated obscenity, see my middle finger set!

red brick dream

2009-11-18T00:00:00+00:00

Taken last may with my little Vivitar toy camera (RIP little buddy).

hazy

2009-11-12T00:00:00+00:00

Taken last year in Wisconsin for my grandmother’s funeral.

river

2009-11-11T00:00:00+00:00

Taken last December, sometime before Christmas.

sunset

2009-11-10T00:00:00+00:00

Went up into the mountains.. Check out this tree I saw there. Sweet tree.

golden hour

2009-11-04T00:00:00+00:00

courthouse

2009-11-02T00:00:00+00:00

Taken last year in May. Seagull 4B-1.

Richmond Avenal

2009-10-31T00:00:00+00:00

halloween

2009-10-27T00:00:00+00:00

This party was not nearly as serious as I made it look.

fall

2009-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

It’s fall, for sure. (I checked.)

rough night

2009-10-11T00:00:00+00:00

man,

2009-09-27T00:00:00+00:00

good thing I brought my backlight.

friends and strangers

2009-09-22T00:00:00+00:00

Fun-filled weekend with friends means lots of portraits of them. And random hipsters. Congrats to Hannah and Ben who got married!

jessica rabbit

2009-09-09T00:00:00+00:00

I went to dragoncon to see the pretty people.

beach

2009-08-24T00:00:00+00:00

angel island on fire

2009-08-07T00:00:00+00:00

Because I’ve been sick and haven’t posted anything in a while. Angel Island in flames from last year in SF.

closed

2009-07-23T00:00:00+00:00

derrek phillips

2009-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

skyward

2009-07-12T00:00:00+00:00

melrose

2009-07-12T00:00:00+00:00

I am pretty sure the guy on the right there has been at Melrose every time I’ve ever been there. Including, like, 10 years ago.

Happy 4th!

2009-07-04T00:00:00+00:00

some awesome pictures take themselves

2009-07-03T00:00:00+00:00

What more can I say?

tourism is an ism

2009-07-01T00:00:00+00:00

I’ve been forcing myself to take my LX-3 out more, and point it down instead of up. Old habits are hard to break.

bees

2009-06-23T00:00:00+00:00

Shortly before Trail West moved to its new location, it shut down briefly because its current location (pictured here) was apparently infested with a giant bee hive in the building. It’s been sitting there empty ever since. I can only assume that there’s some sort of mutant master alien bee race regrouping and growing stronger in there. Waiting, patiently waiting.

stormy monday

2009-06-22T00:00:00+00:00