top of page
#Project365
Project 365: As 2020 came to a (much needed) close, I was reflecting on the year and everything that happened. We definitely went through a lot as a whole and the year was full of challenges, uncertainty, and separation. We went through a tornado, a global pandemic, riots, social changes, and to cap the year off, a terrorist bombing less than two miles from my house in downtown Nashville. One of the things that keeps me moving in a positive direction is keeping my mind busy. While I was thinking about what I had accomplished this past year I was thinking of what to come for the next year. I wanted to follow up "52 Weeks of Music City" with a new project. I've taught photography to a few friends in the past (just the fundamentals and the pyramid of photography) and I always end each session with "You can know everything there is to know about photography, but if you don't get in the field and shoot as much as possible that knowledge is useless. Consistency is everything!" That's what this project is about. Consistency. I am going to shoot a picture every day for the whole year and will post it on different platforms of social media. I will have the description posted below of the influence that went behind the shot and what was going through my mind as I took the photo. There is no theme, just what I'm feeling for that day. Every photo will be different and I will search for the shot of the day trying to develop my knowledge and my eye. I hope you will follow the journey!
Day 1
Day 1: As the day started I was thinking about how to start this project. I want to take beautiful photos that will show love and positivity, as I feel we need that very much today. This photo is in the middle of 2nd Street in downtown Nashville. This was a week after the bomb exploded. You can see how it's roped off and the boards on the windows from the destruction. This is a very loved street for me as I have many memories here over my decade in Nashville. The beautiful thing: We, as a community, have gone through a lot from floods to vicious tornados. And we have always come together to help our fellow neighbors in desperate times of needs. The term #NashvilleStrong has become a thing because we always look out for each other and we sincerely care for one another. This is the strongest community and there is little doubt that we can't overcome any natural disaster or attack. I believe in Nashville.
Day 2
Day 2: If you are a local, you know this carpet. It's been called the ugliest carpet in an airport, but it gives me comfort as I have walked through BNA to travel to some very special places to experience life long dreams. These green Pumas, also been called the ugliest shoes, have seen a lot and have walked through many countries and cultures, including Running with the Bulls in Pamplona Spain. But this carpet was the start of the journey to each destination. BNA is currently renovating the whole site and the carpet will be removed soon, so I wanted to capture the memories in what might be my last time seeing the carpet. This particular trip was to Houston TX for our annual away game for the Tennessee Titans to see them win for our journey to the NFL playoffs.
Day 3
Day 3: Downtown Houston, TX. I was carrying my camera around Main St looking for the shot and as we crossed the street I noticed the cables for the trains, and then the poles that divided the road. I also noticed the sun coming in bright on the right side of the buildings and total shadow on the left side. This has always been a challenge for me to capture both low light and high light in one shot. The settings have to be just right to make it as even throughout the photo as possible. I also loved the depth of the photo and how the street separates the buildings.
Day 4
Day 4: One concern I have with this project is finding the passion and creativity in a photo. I don't want it to ever seem "convenient", as this photo seems. We were still in Houston, about to head back to Nashville. There was a lot that I could have found, but this image of our hotel hallway stuck out to me and was anything but "convenient". I have always loved the line of sight and the vanishing points with all the lines leading to one point. When you are standing the lines are a lot different and aren't flat. But when you got down to the level of the middle trimming you could see the point of perspective a little differently. I wanted to show a horizon line with the frame and got down to the level where it would be a flat line in the center of the photo.
Day 5
Day 5: One of the things that I love capturing is colors and textures. I try to make them compliment each other as much as possible. I feel like the color of the sky is not taken advantage enough, and more so taken for granted. I saw this building as I was walking to get the tags to my Jeep renewed and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I loved how the red door popped and how the red was in the bottom, then there is a lot of gray space, and then the blue sky at the top. The texture of the brick and the large entry of the door frame is what inspired me.
Day 6
Day 6: My friend Pepper was moving into a new house down the street from me. She asked to store some things that wouldn't fit in her storage unit and one of the things she brought was this snake plant and vase. It's a simple picture, but I really loved the texture of the pot and how it stands out from the plain white walls and the green color of the plant really stood out a lot. Some people would say there is a lot of wasted space but I have always loved simple photos like this where that "wasted space" is used to put full focus on the subject.
Day 7
Day 7: I visited my friend Welch who had recently bought a condo downtown. I've always loved pools that had a downtown view. But I've also loved how the pool lights come on as it gets dark, accompanied by the lights of the buildings. This was a very cold day, which is why the pool area was completely empty, and I thought it looked so peaceful with the small ripples of the water and the reflection of the buildings as the day was coming to an end.
Day 8
Day 8: I was walking to pick up my Jeep from the shop in a windy 30 degree Nashville. I was walking from my house and crossed the bridge overpass on Jefferson St and say the sky and the commuters closing their day out. I was listening to a song as I walked, "Freakin' out on the Interstate" by Briston Maroney. The bridge was loud and very windy and for some reason it just felt like the photo to take today. Night photography has always been a challenge for me as the settings need to be precise. The shutter speed has to be long enough where the light can come in, but not too long where everything is blurred (which can be used for a cool effect). The ISO has to be high enough, but not too high or it will be very grainy. I haven't perfected it yet, but it is on my list of things to perfect on this journey.
Day 9
Day 9: In an earlier post I talked about how strong we are as a community and how much we care about one another here in Nashville. We had the flood of 2010 and the community rebuilt and supported one another. Less than a year ago in March 2020 a devastating tornado ripped through Nashville a few blocks from my house, where this photo was taken. It's crazy to see how vulnerable things are to something as invisible as wind. This is a reminder of how close things can get to me which could change my life, or end it. But it's also a reminder of how much love and support we have for each other. I woke up to countless missed calls and messages from people reaching out to check on me as I was so close to the path of the tornado. We can rebuild buildings, and we will, because we are #NashvilleStrong.
Day 10
Day 10: This is an abandoned garage in my neighborhood from a house that is likely to get torn down. It looks empty, dirty, and dark. But this is actually a home to a lot of homeless people who have nowhere to go. I wanted to capture the depth and the darkness that goes towards the back. But I also wanted to recognize that, for some people, this is home. As I took this photo it was extremely cold for the brief 15 minutes I was out here. But then I realized that my 15 minutes of uncomfortable was 24 hours for a lot of people. Don't feel bad for what you have (ever) but also don't take it for granted (EVER).
Day 11
Day 11: January 10th was the end of the season for the Titans. I was at this game. It was the end of a great season where many accomplishments and milestones were achieved. But this mural is a sign of all we went through in 2020, together. I took this picture the day after the season ends as today is the day the next season begins. I'll always be there in support.
Day 12
Day 12: This photo seems very simple. Because it is. I was wrapping up the work day today and thinking of today's shot. It was a pretty frustrating day, so I was relaxing and having a beer on my balcony. I looked up at all of the birds flying over and I remember a photo a good friend of mine, Matt, took that was similar to this and it inspired me to replicate that. I had an idea of what I wanted to take today, but out of nowhere was inspired and ran downstairs to get my camera. Inspiration comes out of nowhere and is sudden and can be simple but also have a lot of meaning.
Day 13
Day 13: I've always had a fascination with trains and railroad tracks. I found an abandoned track that is no longer being used and the carts looked pretty warn down with graffiti all over. I loved the faded colors and rust on the wheels but also the lighting on the top of the train and the angles of where it's going down the tracks. That's primarily what drew me to take this photo.
Day 14
Day 14: I was carrying my camera around trying to think of what to take. The day was ending and I was running out of time. I was having a beer with some friends in a place in Midtown where we go a lot and I've always loved this room where there are wine corks all over the wall in a pattern with writing on each cork. The shadows from the lighting was interesting to me since it really showed the dimension of each cork.
Day 15
Day 15: This old sign is an old cleaner that is still operational in Nashville. The sign is pretty plain and obviously outdated. The faded colors worn from weather and the rust building up shows it's age and how long the business has been there. I typically hate power lines as they ruin pictures, but I absolutely loved them in this photo and how they are pretty much everywhere in the background. I tried to angle it without the power lines at first, but as I was taking the picture I liked them more and tried to involve as many of the power lines as possible.
Day 16
Day 16: This building is downtown Nashville right next to the capitol. I have always loved this building and the simplicity of it. At the very top is the American flag and the Tennessee state flag. I have always loved photos like this where you have something so large and the lines look like they are not parallel when you are up close like this. The lines and symmetry is what is mesmerizing to me. I used a specific lens (16-35mm) so I could really capture how much space there are and how the columns start large and as they reach the sky they get smaller.
Day 17
Day 17: This was a special day for me. My good friend, Ray Kasun, of 20+ years came down. He, like everyone, has had a rough 2020 and one of the things he loves is golfing. So I took him to Top Golf down the street so we could have a relaxing day, hit some golf balls, drink some beer, and take our mind off day to day stress. I had actually envisioned this exact shot for this project with the clouds in the back and just the silhouette of Ray swinging. I love everything that it represents and how he is focused on his shot, in the moment, not thinking about anything else. I was surprised his ball was the only one in the sky with it being a driving range. This has been my favorite shot of the project so far, because it will always take me back to this good time and all of the laughs from the weekend.
Day 18
Day 18: I was walking around downtown looking for the right shot to capture for this very important day. I wanted to do something to honor Dr Martin Luther King on his day. As I walked around I saw the street sign and thought it was very significant, as he has a street named after him in just about every city in the US. So obviously he had an enormous impact on this nation and it's a great reminder that we have come a long way, but the journey is still a long way from being over. I specifically was waiting for the red light as we really need to pause and reflect on what is going on in the nation and how separated it is. It's all of our job to come together and until we do that, the light won't turn green.
Day 19
Day 19: I was driving down Jefferson Street and I saw this old school bus that was transformed to a piece of art. It incorporates a lot of things about Nashville and the colors are so perfectly chosen. It's something that I probably drive by all the time but never noticed it since I wasn't on the hunt for something beautiful to take for the photo of the day. This is one of the reasons I'm really starting to love this project, I'm noticing more and finding beauty in a lot more things that I have previously dismissed so easily.
Day 20
Day 20: This is the state capitol in Nashville, TN. I have always loved the uniqueness of this building. Today is inauguration day. There was talks of the state capitol being protested and rioted so I didn't know what to expect, but I was set in my head of getting this photo for this day. I woke up at 4am because I wanted this shot to be at night. I have always loved how this building looks lit up at night, and I thought with the night sky and lights it would be perfect. I look at this building every day from my balcony and admire the architecture and it reminds me of how amazing this city is and how fortunate I am to be where I am. I was relieved to find nobody around as we have had a hard year already. It was a very peaceful moment.
Day 21
Day 21: There's a playground I drive past often and I've always noticed this stone statue. It looks pretty simple and basic, but when I took the picture in full frame I didn't like all of the surroundings. It just added too much from the picture and I felt like it wasn't well composed. I zoomed in a lot and really liked how the rock popped with the sky. I was initially aiming to have downtown Nashville in the background, but found this composition was a lot better. I went in with a complete different expectation for this shot and, even though it's not the whole statue, it turned out better than what I had originally imagined. I learned it's ok to adapt your initial vision.
Day 22
Day 22: When I went to take a picture for Day 21 I looked over to my left and saw this sitting area with a unique patio roof made of bicycle wheels and I thought it was interesting. I took a picture to see what it would look like and it turned out great! But part of this project is taking that picture that same day. So I went back today to take the same picture. The reason I'm so strict about that is because I have to make myself go out there and take the picture each day. The purpose behind that is forcing yourself out in the field, even when you're not feeling it, to build consistency of using your camera and your eye every day. I inspired by the lines of the spokes accompanied with the round wheels. They really went together in harmony.
Day 23
Day 23: I used to live by this old abandoned tower and always loved how it was just in the middle of an industrial part of Nashville. At some point there was a beautiful mural painted on the side and every time I drove past it I always loved it. I was driving around for inspiration for todays shot and saw this tower and knew that was it. Specifically with how clear of the day it was. I wanted to get the best angle possible so I drove around that tower for about 30 minutes to find the best location. I picked this specific spot because it was the best place to get most of the mural, but also the way the old man is looking at the moon. The placement couldn't have been planned and that's when I knew I got today's shot.
Day 24
Day 24: Every day I wake up it starts with me thinking about today's shot. Sometimes it gets a bit stressful because I don't want to just post something without meaning or purpose, and time is limited. I want everything to matter and to be relevant. When I first started this project I told my mom about it and that inspired her to do the same thing but with painting. She's been painting a different picture every day (another difficult project). I was drinking coffee on my balcony and thinking of where I would venture to today. I thought of her as I was looking in the sky because the clouds looked like an abstract painting with the different shades and depth. I immediately put down my coffee to get my camera knowing that this shot will soon be over. She has always been an inspiration to me from a creative perspective, and the result of today's photograph.
Day 25
Day 25: It was a cold rainy day in Nashville. I ventured over to the east side with the idea of getting some reflection lighting from the rain. I drove past a well known music venue called "the 5 Spot" and saw the gate closed and immediately knew that was the shot for the day. I have always loved this music venue, but with the gate closed it looked very interesting and the square concrete siding was something I never really noticed before. This project is really getting me to notice things I never saw that were right in front of my eyes. It wasn't the reflection I wanted, but I loved how the wet street set the mood of this photo. The way the vines are growing on the left side of the building and the stickers on the newspaper stand went with the uniqueness that is East Nashville.
Day 26
Day 26: I was having a very long morning with back to back conference calls and I needed a short break. I went down to Marathon Music Works by my house with a friend to get a cup of coffee and I brought my camera, just in case. My friend, Pepper, ordered a bougie drink with a design on it and I thought it looked interesting. We sat on an old table and she watched me take pictures of her coffee as it got cold. I specifically centered the coffee so it would stick out but placed it where you could see the color and dents on the table. I thought the white cup against the dark wood really complimented each other in this shot.
Day 27
Day 27: I was driving all around Nashville looking for today's shot. The daylight had quickly ended and I was running out of options. This is where I start to panic, but try not to show it and try to trust the process. I was driving towards downtown from East Nashville and I drove by this liquor store off Main St. I always loved how large their sign was and it kind of reminds me of Vegas for some reason. I took many shots as it's a night shot with lights, so that's always a challenge. I got some that I really liked, more than this one actually, but I chose this one because I loved the man walking up to the store. Throughout the pandemic, liquor stores were one of the few businesses allowed to remain open, and this specific liquor store got hit by the tornado back in March. A unique, but difficult shot with great timing for a last second idea.
Day 28
Day 28: I got off work and it was a nice sunny day. I wanted to take this shot of this piece of art downtown. I was driving down Demonbreun and noticed the sun was setting right down the center of the street and I knew time was limited. It was a bit after 4pm and traffic was heavy. I wanted to get the glare of the sun going down the middle of the street and I knew parking would be an issue. I luckily found a spot right next to the site and ran out to take the picture and was relieved that I had made it just in time. I took a few different angles and was instantly relieved that I had gotten the shot and today's stress was relieved. I love this piece of art and how the curves really go with the straight symmetry of the buildings. With all the glass and the clear sky the colors really mesh with the sunlight.
Day 29
Day 29: I drove to the park with another expectation of a shot in my head and escaped with something completely different than I had originally envisioned. I was trying to get something a bit closer to the Parthenon than this, but I had to walk around this pond. As I was walking I thought since I was already here I would take a couple shots. As I was shooting these two swans swam by and I was able to capture it. I love this shot because it taught me that you must always be prepared, because: if you aren't, it will be gone in a second. I was only able to get one chance for this shot, because it was gone in a blink of an eye. I learned that you will always have opportunities to capture something or experience something or plan to create something, but what you will never be able to recreate a special moment that was unplanned.
Day 30
Day 30: I picked up my friend, Chuck Feltner, to go and get today's shot. With the pandemic it's been over a year since I've seen him. We talked and got caught up on each other's lives. I didn't know specifically what I was looking for in today's shot so we were driving around aimlessly. We hit a stop light and he said "I've always loved that sign. It's just randomly there in an empty field. It obviously used to be something." And then I looked up and said, "Yeah. That's pretty cool. Actually, that's very cool! I think that's it!" We got out and took some photos and we were done. I love having friends come with me on this journey because they see things that I didn't initially recognize. It's always helpful to have an extra set of eyes and someone there to help find inspiration.
Day 31
Day 31: Tennessee State Prison. This building is where "The Green Mile" was filmed. I went here about a decade ago and we just walked right in and took photos. When I came by today a cop stopped me and said I was trespassing. He said, "You know you passed two signs saying you are now trespassing. You can go to jail for this." I had to go a little further away to take this shot. It was a cold rainy day so I thought it really went well with what this building used to be. I took the shot and then I thought it would be cool to get the railroad track in it as well. I've always loved the architecture of this building and it's castle like features. I was hoping to get a little closer but it's a piece of Nashville that I felt needed to be included in this project.
Day 32
Day 32: This is not a political post. And I refuse to allow it to be. If you make it political, you could very well be part of the problem. Again, this is not a political post, but in fact a Christian post. There is a lot going on with the BLM movement and the opinions are everywhere. I've heard many people against it and many for it. We can't escape the fact that police brutality is a real thing. But when you think of something that has been happening for so many decades, I can understand why that specific demographic getting fed up as well as fearful for their own life. We have failed to put ourselves in their shoes. What if that happened to a family member of yours? And then someone started naming their families names? You would (and should) be pretty upset. We are failing to see the hurt and loss that is going on and we all need to learn to be more compassionate and willing to see the other side. If the roles were reversed, everyone would have a much different opinion. If the first thing you do when confronted with someone full of anger, rage, and hurt is dismiss their emotion, you should reconsider yourself as a Christian. Instead we should see where these emotions are coming from and listen because it's quite possible they are experiencing something that we haven't and to dismiss that, to me, is a very unchristian thing to do that causes more damage. This picture isn't necessarily about the movement, but understanding where it came from and only from there can we work on fixing it. We should always love and take care of each other. This life is way too beautiful and short not to.
Day 33
Day 33: This is Cravath Hall at Fisk University. It is a private historically all black university in my neighborhood. I pass this building every day. I intentionally waited until night to take this photo since the lighting on the building is so detailed. I wanted to capture the essence of it at night since it always reminded me of walking on campus when I attended the University of Kentucky. This building is on the opposite end of my street, so I feel very lucky to pass it every day. Fisk University was the first African-American institution to gain accreditation from SACS, and it's something I'm very proud of in my neighborhood. It is something to recognize.
Day 34
Day 34: This is an abandoned building that is off Jefferson. I was driving around looking for spots to take pictures and I noticed the art on the windows and door. I was such a huge fan of Ray Charles that I wanted to include this shot. I really loved how the stone goes against the brick with the different textures. It's pretty obvious that this building has been uninhabited for a while with the grass taking over the sidewalk and the boarded up windows. I've always been a fan of symmetry in photography and I don't know if I'll ever grow out of that. But this picture tells a story of the difficulties this neighborhood has faced both with the tornado and economically.
Day 35
Day 35: I had an idea in my head to do a specific shot with a silhouette musician in an empty room in my house. I was experimenting a few weeks back and didn't have much success. I felt like I needed someone there so I could make adjustments, but I kind of felt like I still wasn't going to get what I specifically wanted. But, I'm hard headed, and I tried anyways not caring if I would find failure. I found failure. I couldn't get the picture I had envisioned. My friend Chuck Feltner came over to help me capture this shot and I quickly learned, again, that it wasn't going to work. We tried a bunch of shots and tested the lighting in the whole room, but I instantly knew it was going to be different. I absolutely fell in love with this shot because of all the focus going to Chuck and the details of his outfit. But I did fail. And I'm not going to listen to anyone who tells me I didn't. I didn't capture what I wanted, so that was a failure. But I learned so much today and I grew a lot. So I took something from a failure and now far more educated. And I'm so glad I failed, because if I didn't, I didn't learn.
Day 36
Day 36: Today was not a good day. I was so excited about yesterday's shot that I woke up inspired and ready to shoot. It was a beautiful day out so I knew I'd be able to get something special and I wanted to follow up with yesterday's shot with something amazing. But I worked all day and the light slipped away and I had a friend coming in from out of town. I was driving around and couldn't come up with anything. I knew this day would come, I was just hoping it would be later. But as I was driving I found this vacant house with an empty lot. I knew I would incorporate my Jeep at some point. I'm not going to come up with a story of how I like the "whatever" in this photo, because this was just simply all I could come up with today. But in many ways this photo is very important. Because a lot of this isn't going to be some great amazing photo. A lot of it is going to just be "eh". And that's ok. I still went out and took the shot. I'm always looking to do something amazing and breath taking, but it can't be every day. At least I got the shot and came up with SOMETHING. I pray I won't have many more of these days in the future of this project. It's a challenge, and it's hard. But I'll finish, and as best I can.
Day 37
Day 37: I went out to search for today's shot and I was thinking about where to go, and what I could capture. As I was walking to my Jeep I heard "HEY! Where you goin?!" It was my neighbor Ms. B. She is the queen of the neighborhood. She knows everybody and knows everything of what's going on. She also takes care of me and watches out for my house and my guests. I told her the project I was doing and then I thought, this would be a great shot on her patio! She got so excited and was posing. I could have moved some things around, but she was already in model mode so I wanted to use that natural energy! I had no idea what to expect from today's shot and I thought it was going to take hours. Instead it took 5 minutes and I couldn't be happier. It's good to get out because you never know what to expect.
Day 38
Day 38: The End. A very unique music venue to Nashville. It's primary focus is heavy metal. I've shot many shows here, including a review for "52 Weeks of Music City". If you ever go, you will need ear plugs. During Covid, many venues have struggled to stay afloat since the city has been shut down. For smaller venues as this one, the capacity is very minimum and can't accommodate to stay open. They have temporarily shut their doors in hopes to reopen some day. I wanted to get this shot with the uniqueness of the building with graffiti all over. Besides the sign being damaged, this is pretty much what the building always looks like. As 2021 becomes more of a reality and things are beginning to look like they might get back to normal, we cross our fingers that these businesses find their way to reopen and bounce back with music.
Day 39
Day 39: I was driving home from the End yesterday and I saw this old classic car from the corner of my eye. It was a moment where I almost got out to take the shot then, but I knew I'd have to go back the next day. I really loved the torn down wall next to the car that needed a lot of fixing. The two kind of went together. It was just so accidentally and uniquely positioned almost to perfection that it felt like they set this up for me. There is definitely a story here. I have no idea what it is. But I love it. This car has been here for a long time collecting dust and rust. It's been here so long there is nature starting to grow on the car. As I took the photo I started coming up with my own story. Maybe it was just abandoned there. Maybe it's the owners dream car and they had hopes to fix it, but something happened (maybe tragic) and they couldn't afford to fix it or didn't have the time. It's makes your mind expand over something so subtle. And I love that. Or hey, maybe there is no story and they are just too lazy to do anything with it. We may never know. So make up your own story.
Day 40
Day 40: Once again I was driving around directionless looking for something to shoot. I drove around for close to an hour and made a few stops, but it felt forced. I had a shot I wanted to take that I kept in my back pocket for cases like today. I was driving to the spot and I saw a pretty clear picture of a crane. It's actually hard to get a crane shot without something in the background wether it be buildings or power lines. I saw this crane and it was pretty clear with nothing in the background. I decided to zoom in all the way to really capture the metal and all the lines and cables. I've always have been fascinated with cranes for some reason. I always have wanted to climb up one and take photos, and maybe jump off with a parachute. It's my goal to get on top of one of these one day to take some photos. But for now, this shot will have to do. I love the dark color against the grey background. Simple and very linear.
Day 41
Day 41: This seems simple. It seems like I had nothing to shoot today. Not true. I had purchased this Studio Light box a while ago and had been so busy I didn't have time to even test it out. It may seem like I just put this together, got something from my house, and took a picture. But I didn't. I specifically wanted to get a unique shot that would bring out the details of this bull. To be honest, Day 41 was the most pictures I've taken so far during this project. I really wanted to capture the horns, which is hard with a white background, but I didn't want to lose the detail of the bull's body. All the settings must be correct in order to achieve that. I wanted this picture to be like how you would see it with your own eyes. The aperture had to be just right so every part of the bull would be in focus. The shutter had to be set at the correct speed since there was so much light. I learned a lot from this shot. So, anything but simple.
Day 42
Day 42: I was driving off Charlotte and noticed these concrete objects randomly scattered everywhere. I drove past it a lot and started to notice the ridges of the gear-like figure. The more I drove by the more I noticed. The different color from weathering. The gravel around the base. The different sizes and random placement. I drove back for today's shot, specifically because it was raining. I felt it would have a more unique reflection at the top, rather than just a dry textured. I walked around the whole settings a few times looking for the right angle. I wanted a perfect composition rather than just snapping and being "done". I want to learn how to get the best shot in any scenario. I want there to be thought and intention behind each shot. I got my camera out and adjusted the settings before I take the first shot. I want to learn about my environment and mathematically know where everything should be. I can't learn if I don't try before doing what I'm told (from looking at the exposure from the LCD screen). I chose this angle because I liked the separated stone with the others in the background. This was also the angle with the least amount of dead space. And I liked the height placement with this first stone being the smallest. This is all what was going through my head as I walked to the location.
Day 43
Day 43: The community who serves you is always a special thing. I have not had the best opinion of the USPS, but my mailman has always been great to me and made me feel welcomed at my house. We stop and talk sometimes and catch up with all the things going on in life with work and the pandemic. Even when I don't have any mail coming in he comes by to say hi, or at least wave from a distance. This particular day I was actually expecting a package. This was a photojournalism book I created from "52 Weeks of Music City". I worked 80+ hours a week the whole year of 2018 and spent the next few years converting the photos into a book. It was a long time waiting and I asked if he would be a part of this project and he nicely accepted. I always appreciate the people who serve my community and it's important for me to include everyone I can. I was happy he could be a part of this project and this special day for me.
Day 44
Day 44: It was another cold day. I was a bit lost driving around looking for inspiration. I caught this unique tree that was half in the ground that almost looked like a dragon in the sea. I kept driving and then started going into a place where there was little visually to shoot. I decided to turn around and go back towards the city. I passed this tree again and thought it would be worth the stop. I walked around it a few times and then decided on this angle so you could see the trunk laying down as well as the large roots going through the ground. At the same time you could see the curve of the tree and the branches at the top looked like tentacles from a horror film. I used a little larger of an exposure to separate the branches from noise in the background. But I also wanted to be focused on the texture of the trunk.
Day 45
Day 45: I went out to get today's shot and the majority of the time I see something that catches my eye just before I drive by and it's gone. I saw this steam coming out of this building pretty heavily and I immediately turned around. I really liked the metal bridge over the road and all the power lines going everywhere adding to the industrial look. The steam was coming in pretty heavy, but stopped for a moment. I waited for some minutes and then it started again. This was the image I saw as I passed initially. I knew this would be a difficult shot because the sky was winter grey and the steam was white. So it would be very difficult to capture the steam against a bright background. The settings had to be very specific. If the aperture was too low than the steam and sky would blur together. I needed a fast shutter speed to capture the steam so it could be dark enough to be distinguished from the sky. This was a shot where I set my camera before looking at the LCD screen to see if I got it right. I was close, but still needed to adjust. I'm getting there.
Day 46
Day 46: The Nashville snow has come. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, take advantage of it. The thing about the cold in Nashville is it's so bitter cold, it goes deep. So deep your bones can feel it. It's one of those days where I wanted to get something inside to keep warm. But I would lose so much that rarely happens in Nashville. I decided to walk around the neighborhood to see what I could capture. I walked around and took a lot of photos but couldn't come up with something I appreciated. I felt like I was rushing it so I could go back inside. I thought to myself "NO! This is part of the journey. You have to be uncomfortable to get that amazing shot." This wasn't necessarily a breathtaking life changing shot. But I liked it. I found this tire laying on the side of an old brick wall in an alley and I thought I'd try to get the shot. I really was going for some of the snow, but thought the tire was so oddly placed I decided to incorporate it. I didn't want the whole tire in the shot so it wouldn't overwhelm the frame and take too much focus. The detail of the tire and just the brick under it is what I was going for.
Day 47
Day 47: This is the view from my sidewalk. It seems a little lazy. It was planned. I took the shot yesterday and saw the street light shinning on the empty parking lot covered in uncommon snow that Nashville isn't used to. If we do get snow, it's gone by the afternoon. It stayed overnight and I checked the weather and it called for more snow. But late in the afternoon. I monitored it all day so I would know if I could get this shot or if I needed to venture out. The time came closer and closer and there was no snow. I had visioned the street light with snow coming down and thought that would be very unique to the fact that I have lived in this house for four years and we haven't had snow like this yet. I was starting to think of ideas of where I could go and then it started to snow again. I waited until it came down a little harder so you could capture the snow falling. I particularly wanted to get this shot because I knew it would be difficult. I thought from the night before of the challenges. I wanted to get the city in the background, but also not drown out the street. I wanted this photo to be as close to what I saw (but black and white). The snow was coming down and I got the shot in the blistering cold and walked in the my warm house happy.
Day 48
Day 48: I'm going to take advantage of all this snow as I possibly can. The Parthenon. This famous Nashville site is always full of visitors. It's a life size replica of the Parthenon in Greece. It's very photogenic. But in this rare formality it was in it's most unique state covered with snow and no people. It was very quiet. I walked around the building looking for the best angle. I thought of doing one from the side angle but I felt like that had been done too many times. But do step way far out and have nobody in the shot with a fresh blanket of snow was very rare. I was annoyed before I even arrived here. I waited outside of my house warming up my Jeep and trying to get the windshield wipers to work for over 30 minutes. They were frozen and the rotators wouldn't move. I honestly wanted to give up. But I didn't know if the snow would be gone the next day and I wanted to take advantage while I could. I walked to the center of the field in tennis shoes and without gloves. I was cold before my first lap around the building. The snow was starting to come down heavy. This is a miserable feeling for a photographer. Your camera is cold and getting wet, the snow is coming down, and you have to protect your lens. I'm glad I was miserable. Because if you don't put yourself through that, amazing can't happen.
Day 49
Day 49: I knew I was going to get this shot. Before I even started this project, I knew I this was going to be one of the shots. I love this view of the capitol in front of the park. To be honest, I was saving this for a day I was uninspired. It was a good shot that I knew I could get. In fact, I was on my way to get a shot of downtown with the snow. I drove past this view just to see and decided to stop and get a few shots. I got done and went downtown to get my "shot". I wasn't really impressed and it wasn't the vibe I was expecting. Technically, I was done for the day. But I decided to drive back by the capitol when it was a little darker and the building was lit along with the park. There are people walking around everywhere playing in the snow and sledding on Capitol Hill taking advantage of the moment. It was such a beautiful surreal moment that I didn't want to keep it in my back pocket. I didn't want to wait for when I was uninspired. I'll have to make up that day. This is a view that doesn't happen often, and I wanted it for today. The funny thing about this project is I'm not publicizing it. I'm not tagging people or using hash tags. I want to share this as openly as possible because it is such a great shot. I want to be recognized for it, because it's a great shot. But this is part of the project and part of the rule and this one is not for sharing or gaining temporary worthless credit. It's just for me.
Day 50
Day 50: I had, yet again, no idea what to expect today. I wake up thinking about the day's shot and then I get to start working and I get so caught up with my job I don't have time to think about personal projects. I try to really think about what I want to capture but then get a call or an email. And the day ends and I'm wondering what to do. I usually end up driving around in search for something. I made multiple stops and looked around but felt I was settling. I would get back in my Jeep and just drive around and look in every direction. And then something just catches my eye and then I know. It feels like a swoosh three point shot, or a perfectly tuned guitar. It just feels good. I wanted to take advantage of the cold as I know it will be gone soon. I drove by Belmont and saw this half frozen water fountain and it felt perfect. Then my brain started to go to work. I wanted to capture the water falling so I specifically had the shutter speed a little faster. I didn't want as much depth so the aperture was set a little higher than normal so the snow and building wouldn't collide. The thing about this project is it can take 5 minutes to find something or multiple hours. One of the goals is to find that inspiration more quickly and that will develop the more I shoot.
Day 51
Day 51: I love weekend shots because I feel like I have more time and not as rushed. I get to get out in the world as early as I want and I'm not as restricted for light timing. I was exploring all over Nashville and I saw a few things I liked but then I passed this alley and saw this bridge over the highway. I loved the symmetry with the hand rails and the fence going in the distance. The snow added a certain texture that wouldn't have made this photo the same. The way it's on the stairs and has a path created from pedestrians walking up and down. I loved the detail of the arch of the bridge and how it starts wide and in the middle gets more narrow. That is what attracted me to stop at this location.
Day 52
Day 52: I had a direction today, but not a vision. That seems to become a common trend. I went towards the east side but decided to go down some roads I haven't been down for the duration of this project. I went by an industrial part of town and noticed the business with bricks and rocks everywhere. I like the different shades and the texture of all the bricks. Initially I was zoomed into get only the bricks but I stood there thinking for a minute and decided to take a few shots with the city in the background. I didn't want to zoom out too much because it would take away from the bricks, but I liked having the city in the back with the tree and bridge since it added other elements of depth. I went back and forth using the city or not, but initially it felt more complete with the city and added more character to the photo. This was a perfect example of how I'm trying to create an image out of something where they may not really be something photogenic. I didn't just take the shot and leave. I stayed. I thought about it. I thought, "What would make me like this photo? What would make this an interesting shot?" It's not just snapping a photo and moving on. It's about developing your eye, which takes time, and cannot be rushed. Only then will you learn and grow as a photographer.
Day 53
Day 53: Exit/In. My favorite music venue in Nashville. It's a very small venue with about a 500 capacity. It's one of the most legendary venues in Nashville. There have been some of the largest names in the industry visit this stage. It was also a venue I shot many shows at for my earlier project: "52 Weeks of Music City". I fell in love with the venue. I fell in love with the staff, everyone from the bar tenders to the bouncers to the door guy, Vic. I thought of this shot because of all the names on the side of the wall. It's so recognizable that even though it doesn't have "Exit/In" in this shot, locals will know where it was taken. It suffered severely from the pandemic and they have been trying to purchase this space for many years now. I hope I'm wrong, but it might not last. I would be devastated. I wanted to capture this image to have forever. This year is it's 50th year and Nashville needs another 50 years of Exit/In.
Day 54
Day 54: I want to be 100% transparent. I was a little nervous going into today's shot. Yesterday I drove around for over an hour, stopped by multiple locations and drove down so many "dead ends" with zero success. I was running out of time and I the sun was setting. I went to a location that I knew I was going to get at some point of this project and decided to use something I kept in my back pocket. A phrase that I absolutely despise. But that's why I have a few of these to keep in case of times like yesterday. I thought "I have absolutely nothing to shoot! I'm in an amazing city full of creativity and I can't think of shit! I'm not even two months in, I don't know if I can do this!" So today I was very skeptical. I decided to drive in a different direction I haven't been, and within five minutes I found this beautiful mural that was very uniquely done. It caught my eye because the musicians are in such detail, and then the artist decided to add a touch of abstract with the dripping paint. I thought it went very well with this months theme. And it brought me to a realization that there are going to be days where there is nothing and I'm (quite literally) lost. And there are days where it just comes. But the truth is, it didn't just come. I went down a different road in search, learning that I need to be more optimistic and step outside of what I know in search of something new. This particular building look like it was hit pretty hard from the tornado and it was taken in a vacant lot so I don't think this building will be here too much longer. And I was able to capture something that will make this mural last forever.
Day 55
Day 55: This is a shot I knew I wanted to get. It's on 12th Ave right next to my house, so I knew it would be an easy one. This is basically the side of a building into the parking area (I believe). it's really unique and I loved the pattern. I love simple things. The hard thing about this photo was getting all the squares aligned as perfectly as possible and as centered as it could be. But I really liked the shadows in between each brick and the texture that is subtle but noticeable. I had my settings positioned where the other side would be all blacked out so the patterns would pop more. I love when you stare at one square the others seem to bend from the corner of your eye. I also loved getting lost in this photo if you stare at one square for a long period.
Day 56
Day 56: I had good luck the other day when I drove down Jefferson and found the mural with the musicians so I decided to start in that direction today as well. I saw a few things that looked cool but didn't stop to even try. Nothing really stuck out. I drove a little longer and came up to TSU's campus and drove around for a bit. I saw this really cool spot, but it didn't feel right. From the distance I saw this statue by their football stadium. I didn't know if it would work or not but I decided to head in that direction. I got out and walked around the statue and decided to walk up a flight of stairs to get the shot. I took a few and like it and thought I was done. When I walked down I noticed the flag and thought I would try to get something including that and resulted to be the shot of the day. Even though I was done I had a last second pulse of inspiration and decided to get back to work. If it didn't look good then it didn't look good. But the angle of the statue is actually a lot better from this angle and the flag positioned where it is made it the shot I was searching for. Even when you're done, don't stop being inspired and never stop the pursuit for perfection. The people who settle are the people who are content and the people who are content are the people who will never have their best work come out, and those are the people who will realize way too late that they could have done something more meaningful and amazing, and they are the people who will say they have regrets. Absolutely nobody is inspired by mediocracy.
Day 57
Day 57: One of my favorite couples, Bryan and Kiki Montmeny. I've known them for the majority of my time in Nashville. I've seen them grow as couple to a marriage and now a family. I feel like as far as we have come as a Nation, we still have room for a lot of growth. But that growth won't happen until we recognize and appreciate where we are. Bryan and Kiki are a constant reminder of that. Interracial dating was historically very frowned upon from both sides and still holds heavy unfair stereotypes. But when you find true love there isn't anything that matters except that other person. They are like the Romeo and Juliet and society is the parents with their unapproval. They don't talk about it. They aren't vocal about their challenges. They act like every other couple. They decide to put their focus on each other. It's a beautiful thing. I am from an interracial family and saw the extreme challenges from both sides of my family. But the thing that always stuck out was how my parents didn't listen to the noise and chose to focus on each other. This picture isn't about the past, it is about today and the future. It's about Bryan and Kiki.
Day 58
Day 58: I reached out to a new friend for a favor. I had an very good idea in my head of what I wanted to shoot and what I wanted it to look like. AJ quickly replied and came over to help out without questions in exchange for a few beers. When he first walked in he asked "So just out of curiosity, why did you think of me?" I told him he just had a "look" that I knew would turn out great. AJ has a certain energy when he walks into the room. You notice it. His confidence in undeniable. He has a look with the big beard and style that is unique to himself. A main focus of mine is to get better at directing people with photoshoots. Whenever I do a photoshoot I have a speaker playing music to set an upbeat comfortable vibe. It's more fun and relaxing. We were done in a matter of minutes and I knew I accomplished everything I was trying to. I edited with a smile.
Day 59
Day 59: I end this month where I began it. Just a slightly different perspective. I had originally wanted to get more of the street in this shot but there was no possible way to make that happen without a crane. I took a different approach and got down more on the street and noticed the clouds forming and decided to get a good part of the sun shining down on what I was originally trying to capture. I loved the empty parking lot and how the rain on the street reflected from the sun. I noticed the trees and how bare they look and how the detail of the tree really came out against the sky. As I cross the second month of this project I didn't think "Only 10 months to go!" Instead I thought "I can't believe how much I've grown and how much I've learned in Only 2 months!" We can't look at a milestone as an accomplishment. The milestones should always be celebrated but we can't recognize it as an accomplishment. The accomplishment is the end of the journey and you have reached your destination. And this is not the destination.
Day 60
Day 60: I had pictured a few options in my head today. I had about three directions and locations that were on my mind. I went towards midtown and the main road there was closed for construction. I took a slight detour and headed to a different direction towards the other location I had in mind. I was downtown and the traffic was very heavy so I took a few other turns. I was in close proximity of Demonbruen and stopped. I had the idea to shoot a specific alley. I got out and the shot just felt right. This is a place (that I will not name) in Nashville that is one of the last local bars that aren't infested with the drunken tourists. I thought of this alley while I was driving all over Nashville in every direction until I was close to it and thought of the location because it is so hard to find. It's out of nowhere. It's not advertised. You won't see it from just driving by. There aren't any signs. It's local. It's Nashville.
Day 61
Day 61: I've done a few night shots. It's something I really want to prefect by the end of this project. I want night images to come out exactly how I see them in real time. This was on the break of dawn. The sky had some very unique shades. It almost seemed like the colors were from an album cover from a California shoot. One of the things I want to document during this project is what was happening and what I was going through at the time of the shot. I'm not going to remember it, but it is also part of both the learning experience, but just experience in general. It was relatively quiet tonight. I saw an older gentleman walking up the street where I was at. He seemed homeless and in this area it's an unfortunately accurate assumption. I always talk to people. They deserve that respect. We are the same in many ways. Almost every time someone stops to talk to me they ask for money. Even if I think they are going to ask, I still give them the time of day. I still talk to them. They are still human. This gentleman asked me what I was shooting and I told him I was trying to get better at night photography since it's so hard. He said "Man that looks like a nice camera! I thought it was a gun from far away! Would you mind showing me the photo?" I showed him and he said "Oh great job! That's nice!" And I carried on taking photos while he was talking to me. We talked about everything going on with the pandemic and the vaccine shots and we shared a few short stories. He said "Well, it was a real pleasure talking with you" and started walking up the street again. I said "Sir! It was very nice speaking with you as well!" Not everyone wants or needs something from you. They may just want to say hi. And everyone deserves that. It was a good shot.
Day 62
Day 62: As I closed up yesterdays photo at dusk I open up todays photo at dawn. A year ago today Nashville opened their eyes to utter destruction, chaos, and confusion. I woke up at 5:30am to go get this shot because the morning represented the start of the day where many lives were changed. As the morning sky lit the city we began to learn of the horrific damage. A photo from earlier (Day 9) demonstrated the effects of this massive tornado. Basement East is a famous music venue (and the best one in East Nashville). It is another location that was completely devastated leaving one part of the wall where the "I BELIVE IN NASHVILLE" sign remained after the encounter. One year later and Nashville opened their eyes to a rebuilt city that is stronger than ever. This building represents that. This tornado was almost like a sign of the year to come. We followed the tornado with a global pandemic that completely shutdown the city followed by riots and injustice. Today I see this as a sign for the year to come. We went through a very rough year in 2020 and as that day started with heartbreak and fear, this day starts beautifully and at peace.
Day 63
Day 63: There is church off Rosa Parks Blvd and whenever I pass it I look at the cross and thought that the brick it was against was very uniquely positioned. This is not a religious post. This is not a religious picture. This is something that I saw that could be beautifully positioned if taken correctly. I wanted to make a statement with the cross on the corner and being perfectly positioned and perfectly vertical. From the angle I was at it looks a little off, but I was directly in front of the cross, and the position overpowers the rest of the photo. I've always loved photos like these. There is such thing as dead space and that can be bad, and most of the time frowned upon. But if you use that dead space to put all the focus on the subject, it makes the subject more powerful and the presence is higher. As a photographer I have had many "higher and more experienced" photographers criticize my work. I actually love hearing feedback and what they thing I could have done better. I have grown to a point where people are asking me for my feedback. I always say "You took this picture for a specific reason. At the end of the day, if you love it that's all that matters." Instead of picking apart of the photo I try to find out what their inspiration was and what they were trying to capture. Once you know that then you can give feedback. I've never given feedback before knowing the reason behind a shot.
Day 64
Day 64: This was a convenient shot. But it wasn't something that I had thought of and not something I was thinking to capture. Last summer I did a pretty large landscaping project that took a few months. When it was all completed I planted 300 tulips at the base of where I planted trees. I was outside watering my plants and I noticed the tulips starting to come out of the ground. I knew this was going to be temporary as they will grow pretty quickly, so I decided to capture the first growth as we approach spring. Specifically with this shot I wanted to get the tulip in the center around the mulch and have the aperture set low to give the depth where everything was blurry except the actual tulip. I wanted to bring out the texture of the ground just around the tulip to show the depth. It's the start of something that I am truly looking forward to this spring. My hope is that they all come in strong so I can take another picture to show the full growth.
Day 65
Day 65: The outcome of this picture seems pretty simple which is one of the reasons I like it so much. To some people it may seem like I just see a building and point the camera up and take the picture. There is actually a lot more thought that goes into it. How can you take something simple and make it creative? You have to study the subject and all variables. I walked around and took it from a specific angle so the to sides of the building that would meet are in the center of the photo. I chose this side specifically because of the sun and shadow adding contrast and lines from the shadow. It's incredibly linear which is what caught my eye. The way the building is shaped against the sky looked interesting to me. And the way the windows are tinted giving a contrast look to the building. It was this specific angle that I was going for. If you stare at it for a while you can almost get a little lost. The sky was perfect with the tint of blue and not a cloud in the sky. When I was looking through my lens I was trying to decide how much sky and how much building to take. I zoomed out a bit to get more sky, but it overtook the angles of the building. I zoomed in all the way and it was more overwhelming. I thought about 3/4 of the building was the best ratio. I took a few quick snaps and felt great with what I got. But by no means looked up, took one shot, and left. The thought process of something simple is deeper than it seems.
Day 66
Day 66: This is Becky Baxter. She is a client of mine who needed some videos for "how to" cooking videos. We had a conversation on the phone to get it started. Immediately I knew she had her head on her shoulders and was a go getter. We scheduled out 9 videos and every time I went over there to film I became more and more passionate and felt more welcomed each time. There was one specific time I'll never forget when we were filming and she stopped and said "There is something you're not happy with. What would you like me to do?" She knows how to read people when there is something not working. Her attention to detail is spectacular. She had influenced me so much with her journey and similar work ethic that I wanted to include her in this project, specifically now with International Women's Day. I have so many women in my life who inspire me that I wanted to dedicate a week to it. When I went to take pictures we reminisced about the past projects. We started talking about entrepreneurs and how nowadays people have such a fabricated reality of what true entrepreneurship is. We started laughing about the amount of time and dedication goes into building something. Becky is married and has two kids and works full time for her business and is constantly learning and finding ways to grow. She is willing to do whatever it takes and makes many sacrifices, yet, still knows how to enjoy life and find somewhat of a work life balance. But, as we talked about, with true entrepreneurship that work life balance isn't always available. With the work ethic and positive attitude that Becky gives with no excuses, only solutions, she is a leader who continues to inspire the people surrounding her.
Day 67
Day 67: Today is National Women's Day. I couldn't think of a better woman to honor on this day than Angie. She has been a close friend for approaching a decade. She is the perfect person to be in the medical field. Angie is incredibly smart, but also extremely caring and compassionate. There is just absolutely no way I could ever get where she is today. First off, I lack the intelligence and wouldn't have made it past the first semester of medical school. Second off, the hours and the things she has to see on a day to day basis is something I couldn't handle. My stomach is way too week. There has never been more stress on doctors and nurses with the year we've had facing the global pandemic. They are true heros. Angie was telling me about her day and how hectic it got and the crazy hours she has in the coming days. Yet she was ready and available to dedicate her time to take this shot, with a smile. The dedication and patience it takes to do what she does on a day to day period is a job in itself. It takes a true person full of strength to accomplish what Angie has. It makes me feel privileged and proud to have such an important person in my life.
Day 68
Day 68: We all have people surrounding us who we are passionate about. Cherith Wooten is one of those people for me. I met her many years ago through mutual friends and we grew closer as friends as the years passed. I saw her dedication and passion for what she does as a hair stylist and we've had multiple conversations on her business and how to grow. She may not know it but year after year I saw her get closer to her dream. She always had a vision and eventually her passion impacted me and motivated me. I saw her success making me happy and more and more I found myself rooting for her on her sideline. And then life happens. She has been through a rough year full of uncertainty and surrounded by unimaginable unfortunate loss. It deeply effected me. It also showed me how strong she was to carry on and look at the positive. I couldn't go through what she went through. But her smile carries on and is addictive. Cherith has a pile of excuses that she could use as a comfort blanket but instead choses to use those excuses as fuel. Her presence is positive and it's contagious. I am lucky she's a dear friend.
Day 69
Day 69: This is Shea Windley Johnson. She was one of my early mentors in my discovered passion of photography and film. She openly took me in to teach me a lot. She was hard on me. She challenged me. I learned a lot. She has had enormous success and has an impressive resume. She doesn't know this, but I talk about her a lot. I brag about her and have told stories about her being my mentor. I have always said you need to have a mentor who will teach you and guide you. It doesn't matter how old they are. It doesn't matter if they are male or female. It matters if a) they are willing to teach you, and b) they have knowledge. She had both. I was going to pick her brain and learn as much as I could. I was in good hands. We have worked together on multiple music videos and multiple photo shoots. She has directed many that I was a part of and I directed many that she was a part of. We are a team. We had worked together for about 5 years. I always went to her first for opinions and feedback. Because I knew I would get what I needed to hear and I wouldn't always like it, but I could always use it. It's been a few years since we have worked together and when I came to take this shot we hugged and caught up. She said "Do you want a beer?" Silly question. She had gone to the store to get me a six pack of Bud Light since she knew I was coming over. That made my day. It's things like that which makes you so appreciative of the people in your life. They show their appreciation towards you. We carried on talking and she had a new venture that she's been working on for years creating western turquoise jewelry. She has yet again found a lot of success in a very difficult industry. We laughed as I was taking photos since she's used to being behind the lens. A beautiful soul that I was so happy to be a part of this project.
Day 70
Day 70: Through my time in Nashville I have developed a lot of great friendships through mutual friends. Amanda Zhang is one of those great friends. She is incredibly smart and enormously self motivated. Two things that are essential to find success. She has a vision of what she wants and she drives in the fast lane to get it. We've hung out a lot over the years and went on a trip to Las Vegas to see Kentucky play. Amanda is a strong person who has no problem voicing her opinion. But she is also she is very caring and always puts people in front of herself. When I was first introduced into this group of friends 4 years ago I immediately felt included in everything from the first minute. Whenever we see each other we talk about the things going on in life and Amanda always mentions all the projects I'm doing. It's nice. These projects are very time demanding and it's very easy to feel distant from people. Amanda makes me feel close as she talks about specific pictures. It's true friendship with deep conversations that are important.
Day 71
Day 71: I seem to have a lot of friends in the hair industry. I never really thought about that business before. As a guy, I got a hair cut, and left. But over the many years I have learned a lot. It's a tough industry. It's is incredibly competitive. The business side of it is complicated. To get started you have to go through so much and really build a clientele in order to be successful. And that's just working in a salon. Jennie Hayes has done all of that but took it to a whole other level. She had partnered with another successful stylist and opened her own shop. That takes a very long time to develop that clientele and to plan everything for the business side and to find a place to open shop. But the location she chose was Midtown. This is a very high traffic area and also very expensive real estate. It comes with a risk. But she was able to grow her business even further adding a few more stylists. It is incredibly impressive how far she has gone and how she did it. As a business owner, I don't know if I could do what she did with the space and the employees. Her vision has come to reality. She walks in that building wanting to be at the palace she created verses walking into someone else's space giving them money. Beyond that, she has been an incredibly dear friend for a long time. She is always willing to support my business and is always there to help me whenever needed. She replies "yes" without hesitation. It makes me very happy to have close friends find success in their passion.
Day 72
Day 72: This is the second time I've included Kiki Montmeny in this project! I had a few cancellations that were uncontrollable so I got in a tight spot. And then I was thinking what to do and Kiki came to the rescue. And then I thought, how could I have not thought to ask her to do this first? She is an amazing wife and mother and such a good friend. I've never seen her without a smile. She is always there for me and always supportive. She's willing to help no matter what. A few years back we took a trip to Chili to visit Easter Island and then went to Peru to hike Machu Picchu. She actually got pretty mad at me before. We were talking about not going to Easter Island because it is very far out of the way and was pretty expensive. We all had dinner and talked about it and I somehow convinced a group of 5 to go. She later said "The point of this dinner was to break it to you that we aren't going to Easter Island..." But we booked it and went and Kiki's reaction was so loving. She just said "Ok, well I guess we're going!" And was nothing but positive from that moment on. She selflessly went with what the majority of the group wanted and she did it with a big smile. It shows so much of the type of person she is. It was such an amazing trip and that's where I really learned Kiki's "go with the flow" type attitude. It's very relaxing and easy going. I can't think of an environment where she wouldn't still make the best of the situation and be able to find a smile. It is specifically the type of person you need in your life.
Day 73
Day 73: I got off to a little later of a start today. I had a lot of time still so I wasn't too stressed. I was a bit uninspired since I was tired and caught off guard with the time change and it was a rainy day. I started my drive to the gas station and there was a train so I took a quick left to go around it and went through this underpass and notice this spare tire sitting there perfectly in center of this concrete pillared. I loved the round shape of the tire against the vertical lines and horizontal lines that the old train track rails created. It was a simple shot but the space used was exactly my type of shot. I thought this would be a good place to put in the back pocket, but then I though, "No. I got inspired from this today. So it should be this shot today. That tire might not be there tomorrow." I'm trying to get better of getting the detail of the objects around the initial subject. The ground came up in detail with all the dirt and the gravel, and the pillared had a texture to it that I wanted to make sure would show. I've always been a big fan of symmetry and this shot uses it quite well. The point isn't to just see something and take a shot but to see something that normally wouldn't be a shot and make it creative. How much of the tire do you use? How much of the pillared. How far back and at what height of the tire is in the photo? What type of lens? Do you go wider and get more background? But that would sacrifice focus of the tire that was the subject. These were all the questions I asked myself as I studied the shot before taking the picture. It was not a lazy shot, just a quickly inspired shot. I like it.
Day 74
Day 74: I had a typical long Monday. I got caught up at work and had to stay a little late. If I have time between the day I usually try to get small things done around my house. Unload the dishwasher. Fold some laundry. I wasn't able to do anything since I was so behind. It was one of those days where I had to sit on my patio and drink a beer before working again. I took a big sip and as my head was tilted back I was looking in the sky as it was getting dark and it was so blue. I noticed the bare trees without leaves and it almost looked like veins. I thought the tree silhouette against the dawn sky really complimented each other. I zoomed in a bit to make sure it covered the entire frame. I had the aperture a little high so the further away limbs would blur a bit adding a bit of dimension. It was pretty spontaneous but I also knew the bare trees would soon be full so I took advantage of the opportunity while I could. It was a little relaxing as well reminding me to enjoy the natural beauty of the world. In just a second you can appreciate something so simple.
Day 75
Day 75: Today was a breath of fresh air of whats to come for this project. I drove around for a bit with the intention of taking this photo of this statue off Buddy Killen Circle if nothing popped out. There wasn't really anything sticking out so I headed towards this direction. I got out and had to park a few blocks away. As I was walking towards the statue I appreciated how amazing the weather was and how we are in the break of spring as it was nearing 80 degrees. I thought of this project in the coming months and how I can walk all over Nashville capturing more than you could see from just driving around. Potentially interacting with more people and getting some unplanned shots. As I approached I noticed people running, reading in the park, walking their dogs. I came up to this statue and walked around looking for the best position. I liked this angle the best with how the hand is in the air and the face is visible, but you also know he's playing the piano. One of the things that was very important to me for this shot was the detail of the statue. I wanted to get the facial expression, as well as the worn out side of the piano. I specifically wanted to get a shot where you could see it in a "Nashville" magazine. That's not the goal. But everything I take I want it to be worthy of that. So, again, it's not taking out your phone and snapping. It's going into it knowing what you are trying to capture and what will look best. The angle and direction is so important. And how much of the statue do you show? What is your focus point? Putting the whole piano would have taken away too much of the detail of the man playing. This shot didn't take long, but it was well thought for all those specific features.
Day 76
Day 76: Today was one of those days. I was left unmotivated and not wanting to take a photo. It was cold again and had been raining all day. I just wasn't feeling it. More so today than any other day. I know some of these days are going to come. I think people can tell when I'm just not on my game. I tried to make the best of the situation as I could. I went on my balcony and always loved this view with the tower and the industrial side as well as residential side. I was going to save this shot for an even more unmotivated day, but the sky was interesting as the dark clouds at the top covered Nashville. Even though I was unmotivated and uninspired, I still studied the view to make it as good as it could potentially be. I walked out and the main subject I've always focused on was the rusted tower. I was at one angle where the tower was connected with the building and I felt it was not isolated enough. I moved to the furthest left side of my balcony where it had separation from the building. I ended up happy with this shot since it was thought of instead of just taking it on an uninspired day. I could have shot the picture zoomed out further but the tower would have been so much smaller where it wouldn't have been as significant. This is my view that I admire and appreciate every day.
Day 77
Day 77: Yesterday was a bad day. I'm fine if I have a bad day, as long as I make it as good as I can during that state of mind. I always want to think ahead of time and make sure bad days don't follow over to the next day. I woke up to go to the bathroom and I saw the sky covered with clouds and the city lights reflecting off of them. I looked at my clock and it was the next day. So I decided to take a shot, and if I didn't like it I could go back to bed and get something else later that day. I stood out there in the cold for a while. I wanted to get the same perspective as the day before so I could compare the two. I have always struggled with night photography. It's very hard with the darkness conflicting with the light of the city. There will be many more night shots as this year progresses and I will come as close to perfection as I can. I went to bed and woke up the next day and started editing. I was happy with what I got because I saw a few mistakes. The ISO was a little high adding more grain than I wanted. My biggest mistake I made: I didn't use a tripod. I thought about it, but it was the middle of the night and I didn't want to go through the trouble to get the tripod and set it up. That is the laziest thing I have ever done. This photo could have been so much better if I wasn't lazy and took the extra time to do it correctly. When you're tired and out of it and you add in the uncomfortable cold rain, you want to get done as quickly as you can so you can go back to bed. I did take time to think about the settings and to get the same perspective as yesterday's shot. But I wasn't patient enough. I should have gotten the tripod. I'm looking forward to having rough days and seeing how creative I can get. I'm also looking forward to more of these night shots so my knowledge can grow further.
Day 78
Day 78: Eddie. Such a good boy! I absolutely love dogs, but I am not a small dog person. I'm not really a small dog person though, particularly small boy dogs. They typically don't listen, they bite, they have problems going to the bathroom in the house. I had a friend out of town for the night and I got to watch Eddie. He would listen, let me know when he needed to go outside, and he was my little shadow for the entire time he was here. He would not leave my side. He is seriously one of the sweetest dogs I know. He has so much energy it would be impossible to get a picture of him. I though, "I have all day to try and get this shot, and he's here, so I might as well try." Animal photography is extremely hard to do. Dogs don't know what's going on and they don't know what to do. They get easily confused and they don't know what you want them to do. Eddie would listen for a good 5 seconds, then I would have to get up and go back to him to reposition him, then when I walked back to my camera and laid on the ground he would get right up and come to see me. It could seem frustrating, and it was a little, but putting myself in his spot, he was just confused and wanted to be closer to me. I wouldn't yell at him. I would just speak to him in a firm voice and would continue to communicate with him what I wanted him to do. It did take a bit of patience, but he listened very well with the amount of energy he has. I would get a couple good shots, but they weren't really what I was wanting. He started to not listen so we took a little break and played, and then went back to work. We had to do that a few times but that is what got him to listen more and more. I sent the shot to Pepper (Elena Serrano) and the first thing she said was "How did you get him to stay still for so long?!?!" It was simple communication and understanding that he was confused and trying to make that work. It is one of the parts of directing, which is what I'm trying to get better at. It wasn't an easy shot, but it was a fun one for sure!
Day 79
Day 79: Today is the first day of Spring. Winter is finally over and we can look forward to complaining about the heat. Bart Pickett asked me to help him unload some furniture from his car and to pick up some new furniture that he purchased. He said he had a good idea of a spot to take my shot for today. I went in the front side of the house where he was parked and unloaded the hutch. We drove to pick up the new dresser and we decided to unload it in the back side of his house. When I first walked in I noticed his tree in full bloom. I immediately said, "This is the shot for today!" We unloaded everything and I started to take the picture. I wanted to get a little higher so you could get more of the tree, but also more of the pedals that were on the ground. The sun was just right and it was a beautiful day. Regardless, we still went to the other location Bart was thinking about just in case I saw something else. I didn't really see anything that captured my eye the way Bart's backyard did, so I decided to stick with this shot. It was the perfect way to summarize this day that we have all been looking so forward to. Everything seems so peaceful and happy.
Day 80
Day 80: Today was the perfect example of why I am doing this project. I was sick, slept in, feeling incredibly unmotivated. Drove around a bit, didn't see anything, went back home. I was feeling worse as the day went on. I was going to do a lazy shot at my house, that's how sick and unmotivated I felt. I decided to go out before the sun went down and drove around and ended up in Centennial Park. I saw a good enough place and took a shot. It was so horrible I decided to suck it up and walk around a bit. I took a really good shot that I liked and packed up. As I was packing I noticed these two birds on the tree facing each other. I thought to myself by the time I got my camera back out they would be gone. I didn't convince myself and decided to hurry up, change my lenses and to try and get the shot. They just stayed there the entire time and I was able to get an amazing shot that is one of my favorites. I went into this day with the mindset that I wasn't going to get anything amazing. Even when I was on site I was settling. But I pushed myself to search for something greater, and I found it. When I saw those two birds I immediately didn't care about how I felt and all of the pain and tiredness went away and all my focus and energy was on getting this shot. Inspiration can come out of nowhere and can be very powerful. You never know what is going to turn up, but you have to search for it. It won't come to you.
Day 81
Day 81: My friend Rael was telling me about some tracks he was about to finish mastering. He wanted me to listen to them so we could think about doing a possible music video. We were going to originally meet out in Midtown but instead I thought it would be better to meet at my house so we could listen to the tracks on good speakers vs headphones. It was a nice day so we just sat out on my balcony listening to his music and having a few beers and talking. I was telling him about my project and he was immediately down. He said "Dude I'm rollin lookin real trashed out Hollywood blvd status so... Lol it'll work." Rael is originally from San Diego California so I wanted that "west coast" vibe. When he got to my house my initial thought was "perfect!" Portrait photography has never been my strength so anytime I can get a unique look I thrive on it. The white sunglasses with the outfit was the perfect, and typical, Rael look. I wanted to show the neck tattoos specifically. It was early afternoon so the sun was still well out. I wanted to have the aperture right to have focus on all of Rael with the city in the back ground, but you couldn't really tell what the city was. I'm trying to perfect the settings without looking through the view finder first. It's definitely becoming a mathematical process verse a "trial and error" process. You have to think about your environment and then the three variables of ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. You will never master this unless you shoot as often as you can. It is a process learned by experience in real time on location.
Day 82
Day 82: Today got away from me. I got lost in the day and I can't even remember what I was doing from beginning to end, it was so busy. This is where the project gets hard. How do you cope with your every day job and also support your passion and a huge project that takes up a portion of your day, every day? Sometimes you don't have time to think or plan. There are days where I am so busy I forget to eat, so busy I forget to use the bathroom. Today was one of those days. It was also horrible weather unmotivating me to get outside. Whenever I have the mindset like this I try not to think about the negative variables and usually think of a direction. I don't know what I'll find in that direction, but having a direction is better than nothing. When this happens I usually walk around my house and look at some of my photos and try to get a sudden dose of inspiration from my previous work. As I was walking around I looked up to this painting my amazing friend, Emily Jokisch Robinson painted for me years ago. I saw a painting she did many years ago and absolutely fell in love with it. I asked her to paint me one, but a much larger version. When I bought my new house I pushed her to get started because I had the perfect place for it. When I first saw it my jaw fell to the ground. You could feel the passion and love in the painting. I was looking at it and I thought this would be too amazing not to include, and I hadn't even thought about it. The way the stars and clouds shape and the colors were so perfectly detailed. I wanted to really bring out the strokes and color as much as possible. This was a little tricky for me because I've never done a picture of a painting. I ran into a few challenges. There needs to be light so you can see it, but too much light will give a reflection (that you can see on the bottom right) that I was initially trying to avoid. It is one of those attention to details that will help me with future projects for sure. Looking at the ENTIRE frame.
Day 83
Day 83: In an earlier post I took a shot of a single tulip that was starting to come out of the ground. It was an exciting moment to me since I had planted 300 tulip bulbs and that was the start of the product of my labor. Every morning I would have a cup of coffee and walk out front to see the progress. They started coming up very aggressively. As the days went on more and more started popping up and eventually started to bloom. When the sun is out they are fully open. I wanted to capture the inside of one to show the different colors in the inside. The unique growth from bulb to bloom. More specifically, you have to have a specific lens and what it will capture. First off, I only wanted one tulip in the photo. So having a wide lens wouldn't work. The 70-200mm has always been my "go to" lens because of the quality and range. As amazing as the range is for this lens, it is not a close up lens. you can only get so close to the subject until the focal point won't work. So you have to back up further from the subject to get the perfect focus. It's one of the most important features of being a great photography, knowing what your equipment is capable of and how to use it. I've gotten to the point where I can picture what the photograph will look like with which lens before putting it on. I can't express how important that is. Changing a lens takes time and you want to do it as few times as possible when in the field. You just have less chances of getting debris in the camera and lens.
Day 84
Day 84: The storm is here. I was on my patio having an afternoon beer debating what to do. I knew the thunderstorm was approaching. And then out of nowhere it was, quite literally, in my face. I heard this loud shattering as hail the size of a quarter was covering the streets and hitting the cars. It was so aggressive I was getting hit from my patio and had to run inside. The hail stopped after a few minutes, but the rain came harder and lasted throughout the night. I saw this street lamp on the rain coming down after it got darker and thought it looked really cool. But I was thinking "How will I be able to capture this as I see it?" I thought about it for a moment, thinking which settings I needed. The shutter speed had to be perfect to get the rain, but then it would be darker so the aperture had to be lower and the ISO was set a little higher. I also had to change the white balance since it was directly focused on the street light. Lighting is everything. How do you use it and can you manipulate it to your advantage? You can. It's possible. I haven't found out how to maximize that, but night photography is how you learn. I wanted this photo to come out the way I saw it with my eyes. It didn't. It was close, a lot closer than I have gotten in the past, but still quite far away from where I want to get. There are so many elements to this environment that effect the outcome of the photo. From the night darkness accompanied with the bright street light to rain continually falling. I specifically love the lower power line with the light shining on it giving it a little dimension with the detail glowing from the reflection. Even though it was far from where I want to be, it's much closer than where I was at the beginning of this journey.
Day 85
Day 85: When specific seasons some, I try to take advantage of the brief moments we have as much as possible. Earlier when we had the snow storm a friend said "Are you going to take another snow picture?" I thought... "Yes." These moments last a short amount of time and will be gone soon. I try to appreciate these moments because in a few weeks, they will be gone. I went back to Centennial Park to capture a photo I didn't use earlier. I liked it a lot, but found something more unique (with the two birds facing each other). When I went back a short five days later, that picture was gone. The blooms had fallen and the leaves started to come out. It reminded me that everything is so temporary, and because of that, we should embrace it while we have it. There is something poetic about the spring time with the trees blooming. There is such a sense of peace involved. We wait all year for this to happen and then it's here for a short period of time. It's the sign of a new beginning to a new season. As I walked around the park I was looking for other subjects to shoot. I came up with a few but wasn't really impressed. I decided to walk around more and came up to this tree that was in full bloom. I loved this specific shot because you could see the other colors in the background. I wanted to focus on the center bloom so your eyes go there first, yet yo still notice faintly the surroundings. It's almost as if you were there. Enjoy these moments.
Day 86
Day 86: Ew, today was rough. It was pouring rain all day. I was waiting for an opening when it would quit but it just never let up. It was starting to get dark and I pretty much called it a day where I'd have to do something in my house. So I started thinking and drinking a few beers. Nothing was really going through my head. Then my friend Pepper called and said "The rain is starting to slow down." I asked her if she wanted to come with me to look for a shot. She came and picked me up and we drove around. I thought downtown would be good, I should be able to find something. We made a few turns and ended up by the river. I took some really amazing shots and then we were done. We were driving in to Midtown to have a few beers and we came across these sewer drains that had heavy steam coming out. I said, "That actually looks really cool!" Pepper immediately suggested, "Do you want me to turn around?" I thought, "I already got my shot, but who knows? Yeah, just in case." It was something I don't see very often. I thought it looked really cool at night with the lights shining on the steam and the car lights. I decided to use this shot because it's not something that can be recreated. Sometimes things just pop up like this and you think, "Oh, that'll be a really cool shot!" I took many so I could have a good variety to choose from and I wanted the cars to be just right with the steam going everywhere. I actually had a friend comment "You should have taken it from the middle of the street." Which was a good point, and actually where I was initially starting. But the main road going down would have been lost and the depth of the cars parked on the left wouldn't have been as visible. I wanted it off to the side so it would add to the picture, but not over control it. What started as a day of negative attitude thinking I wouldn't get anything turned into a shot that I was extremely happy and then into a random inspirational shot that is in one of my top favorites. It's ok to be negative some times. Nobody is ever positive all the time. It's not ok to be lazy. It's not ok to see an opportunity for something that can potentially be amazing and dismiss it as unimportant.
Day 87
Day 87: I love days like today. It was beautiful out. I woke up early and got some work done and ran some errands. We had a down pour of a storm last night that wouldn't stop. I thought I'd go back downtown to see what I could find. I was looking for some kind of large puddle that would have a reflection that might look cool. I drove around and thought I'd drive across the river to the Titans stadium. I thought it might cool to get this art piece that is right next to the stadium. When I got there it wasn't what I expected. Usually you can walk down and under this sculpture but the rain was so heavy everything was flooded. I was talking to a gentleman and his kids as I was taking pictures and we started talking about the flood of 2010 and how bad it was. We shared stories on how we were effected and how the city bounced back and helped one another. This was no comparison to the flood in 2010, but it was a reminder of how vulnerable we are and how much things can change in such a short period of time. When I got there I changed my lens to a wider angle and thought of how to capture it. I wanted the sculpture to be the focus and positioned myself so the batman building would be in the open center but also wanted the dramatic staircase with the water coming up. I didn't alter the color at all. This was how the sky was and the color of the sculpture. I wanted to leave this as close to the original as possible.
Day 88
Day 88: It was another very nice day so I thought I'd go back downtown and see what I could find. I was going to go back towards the river since there were so many good shots. I drove down Broadway to the end and there was nowhere to get out or park (unless I wanted to spend $30 for an hour). As I was driving towards Broadway I saw this building on 2nd Ave with a huge American flag. I decided to go back and decided to capture this shot. This is the same street that the bomb went off on Christmas 2020. You could see all the windows boarded up and construction going around this street. This is a reminder to me that a terrorist set off a bomb just three months ago, yet we are always going to repair and become stronger. I was initially going to get the American flag a lot closer with the 70-200mm lens. It looked good, but the way the sun hit the top left side of the building was to powerful and overwhelming to the rest of the building. So I decided to get a wider lens and capture the other buildings as well. I specifically wanted to have all the construction cones in the shot, especially the one on the bottom. I wanted that because it added to what was going on. There were a few tourists walking around, but for the most part 2nd Street was very quiet, unlike the noisy Broadway. I was able to easily move around when I tried each lens and I was able to have time to think about how much of each building I would let in. I've noticed that things move very quickly in this city. You have to really try and stop and breath it all in because the things we love are constantly changing, so enjoy it while it's here.
Day 89
Day 89: This was a shot I had in my mind a while ago. I was driving down Charlotte heading home and I love the pillareds of the bridge and the angle they held. I was thinking about having the city in the background, but that would make the bridge much darker and that was the main subject. So I decided to have the ISO higher to drain out the city and the focus would be all on the bridge. I walked around and up the side of the ramp to try and get a good perspective. I walked on both sides of the highway studying the bridge to get the correct shot. I was possibly thinking about getting the ceiling. I was taking a few pictures here and there but I didn't want to just cross my fingers for a cool shot so I put the camera down for a few minutes so I could think. I walked a little further out and saw this vine overtaking the side of the highway almost like a vein. I decided to to get this angle since the vine was so strong and the sides of the closer pillared were more dramatic. I also wanted the highway at the top to be the be flat with the photo. When I was editing this I wanted to take out a lot of saturation to make it look even more dramatic. The concrete had so much texture and was such a dull color, I wanted to match that with the rest of the colors in the photo. I ended up very happy since this shot turned out exactly like what I had in my head.
Day 90
Day 90: I was driving to the grocery store and I noticed this stone wall that was damaged. This house is on a very narrow alley and there are multiple trucks going down it building numerous houses. I see the large trucks backing in and out every day, so one can only assume they damaged the wall. But when I walked closer to it the inside looked pretty cool. The different sizes of the rocks is what I noticed. I was looking to get the best angle. I wanted to get part of the house with the different color of red brick. This particular house has been vacant for many years. There was some green moss growing on the side that showed the age of the stone wall. It's not the best shot I've taken through this journey, but it is much different than if someone walked by and just took a picture without thinking of the composition. I got down a little lower so the picture wouldn't be at eye level. I also wanted to get both sides of the wall with the emphasis on the corner that was damaged. Getting down lower made the focus more on the corner. I'm trying to develop my eye in a way where a normal picture can have more depth than just snapping and being done. When you put thought into it you can make a normal picture much more creative.
Day 91
Day 91: I've been working on perfecting aperture through this project. I want to understand more specifically the mathematics behind aperture. The fundamentals are pretty simple to understand, but when you look at the numbers behind it then it starts getting complicated. The lower the aperture the brighter the picture will be, but also the more depth it will hold, and there is more light coming in. I was able to drown out the background to capture just the tree and watering globe. I didn't want to lose too much of the trunk so I had to raise the ISO a little more. I wanted the focus to be on the trunk specifically and not as much the leaves. I turned the tree around in all possible directions to get the best space filled with the leaves and most interesting side of the trunk. I liked the large leaves on the left because they were in front and I like how it slightly overlapped the tree trunk, so you could tell these leaves were much closer. It shows a lot more depth because of that. I only had the globe filled about half way to show the water in there adding a little more dimension. This was another example of thinking about the photo and how I wanted it to look before taking the picture. I was debating about how much of the leaves to put in. How much of the pot. What height of the pot. I wanted it to be just over the top very slightly so you could see both sides, but it wasn't overwhelming. I thought about which direction to shoot from, and where would the leaves fall in respect to the tree trunk and globe. This is not a shot you can get with an iPhone. You have to know how to manipulate your settings and you have to know how you want the photo to turn out in your head. Don't just take a bunch of photos and hope that something cool comes out. If you do that, you are not a photography, you just got lucky.
Day 92
Day 92: In an earlier post I talked about the 300 tulips I planted back in December. I was so excited when one of them started coming out of the ground. And then more come up, and all of a sudden they are started to bloom. This was in full bloom. It puts a huge amount of joy in my heart to see all of these turn out the way they did. I worked so hard to plant these for two full days. My entire body was sore. Now almost four months later I get the see the beauty of the hard work I put in. When I see all the flowers I forget about the amount of physical work it took to get to this. It's called work ethics. You work really hard, for projects like "52 Weeks" or "#project365" and it absolutely sucks while you're doing it. Not all the times, but definitely some times. There are a lot of challenges and it is very mentally demanding and a lot of times physically demanding. When I first did "52 Weeks of Music City" people said I was crazy and that it was too much. They suggested doing one show a month verse one a week. People say the same thing about this project. "Maybe you should spend a whole day and get 30 photos and then you have a whole month!" But that defeats the purpose of this. The reason why I didn't take the easy way out is because you have to do something so extreme in order for it to be really amazing. It has to be overwhelming in order for it to be amazing. It can't be something easy or something anyone can do. Otherwise everyone would do it and it wouldn't be special. MUCH like the 300 tulips. If I just planted 50 because it was too much work, the outcome would look NOTHING like it does today. When you do something to the maximum, the end result will be amazing. And when you see the blooms come, that's when you get to relax and enjoy your labor. There is something very poetic about a flower blooming. This shot continued my study for aperture. I knew the setting had to be higher because I wanted the majority of the tulips in focus. If there was too much depth then you wouldn't be able to see the multiple flowers as clear. I wanted to position myself at the right height so you could see as many of them as possible, but they were as close together from the top angle. This was one of my happiest shots.
Day 93
Day 93: I was wondering what to capture today. I was thinking about where I'd go. I was about to take a shower and head out and then I got a phone call from a good friend. I sat down to talk and drink a beer and I randomly looked out the window and saw this light hitting part of this tree, and only the tree. Everything else was in the shadow. I went outside immediately because I knew the sun would soon change. The way the light reflected off the leaves was what stood out to me. It was dark in this area except for where the light was shinning. I decided that this would be good enough to try and capture. I took the shot while I was talking to Chuck describing it. I had the settings in a way where the light would be the main focus and overwhelm the darkness a bit. You can see the background, but you eye automatically go towards the leave that are lit. This kind of seems like a lazy shot but I noticed it in mid conversation where my mind was elsewhere and it made me think enough to try to get it, so I thought that was mentionable and important.
Day 94
Day 94: Today I was heading to a friends house for an Easter lunch. I hadn't had time to get the photo so I thought I'd just play this day by "eye" and brought my camera with me and see what comes. It's a bit nerve racking when the day is getting late and I haven't found anything. But it also helps me develop my creativity as I am constantly looking for something. It's true that you never know what you will find. Before this project I would just be creative when I needed to be. It was never forced like this. Now I am consistently having to keep a creative mind. So I'm noticing a lot more than I used to before. I would dismiss something so simple and not truly appreciate my surroundings. They day went on and I had my camera, but no pictures. I thought to myself, I'm not going to worry about it. I'm just going to keep looking. I thought about getting something quick to be done, and I told myself I'm not in desperation mode yet. There is still a lot of time left in this day. We were sitting outside on a patio and I looked up in the sky and noticed this unique metal awning. I thought it looked pretty cool and if I had the settings right, you wouldn't really know what it was. The sky was bright so I wanted to take advantage of that and really get the contrast with the awning. It's something that is unique with the way it was taken, it almost looks like it was computer generated. I love those illusional photos where you see something that's not there because of the pattern and this photo does that with the slight grey dots in between the white squares. I also liked how the squares started to fade towards the bottom. A very simple shot.
Day 95
Day 95: I had a call from a friend and he needed me to give him a ride to get his car since it broke down. I met up with him at his house and we had to wait until the tow truck could come pick up his car. We were sitting on his patio having a few beers and I was looking around to see if there was anything worthy of getting a shot. I took a few. Wasn't really feeling good about it. I took a couple of his dog. It wasn't coming out like I wanted to. I had something, but I didn't really have anything. The tow truck company called and said they were on the way to his car. So we drove over there where he was parked and I saw this huge sign in Cross Points parking lot. This was the church sign that got torn down from the tornado. It was huge, there was glass all over the place, and it was obvious the amount of damage. When I looked closer I noticed all the metal poles with parts of rust in some sections. The way the sun was hitting I thought it was far more interesting than what I previously shot. I decided to go with this one because of the uniqueness and the lighting. It's going to be cleaned up, so there won't be another time to capture this. I was walking around and thinking how far or how close to get. The close up shots seemed really cool, but the subject of the photo was the sign and how enormous it was on the ground. You don't realize that with a close up shot. I positioned myself so the lighting would be just at the break of the top of the sign so it would give some character, but wouldn't be over powering. It's definitely not something I would have ever noticed, had I not picked up my friend to help out.
Day 96
Day 96: I've been in Nashville for over 11 years now. It's home. I've settled down and can't think of another city I'd rather live in. There was a phrase that came about called "New Nashville". It was pretty cool. Basically, everyone really started embracing such a diverse group of music and getting away from the stereotypical country that is all over Broadway. We have so much more music other than country. There was even a term "No country for new Nashville". Not that we hate country, at all, but the majority of music in this town isn't country. It was just a fun way of saying we offer so much more, and it's amazing. There is now a NEW NASHVILLE, that everyone absolutely despises. Our town is changing, and the locals do not want it. We are such a strong community who has each others back. When someone needs help, Nashville shows up. It's who we are. We love each other and we take care of each other. What NEW NASHVILLE represents are the changes that we feel are destroying our beloved city. People are selling their overpriced houses in California and New York and moving to Nashville. They are a different type of people who used to move here. A decade ago it was struggling musicians with a dream and a desire to be a part of the music scene in this historic city. Those people can no longer afford to live in Nashville since the newcomers have had such an enormous impact on the living market. They are now moving outside of the city where rent is affordable. NEW NASHVILLE is a bunch of money hungry developers building high rises and taking down historic pieces of Nashville. I've talked about Exit/In in an earlier post and how much this music venue means to me. I have such a close relationship with the staff there. I was texting Alex, the bouncer, when I heard the news. Exit/In was under contract to be sold to a New York developer who is going to tear down this venue in place for a luxury hotel. Exit/In has been in battle for years with threats of this happening. During the pandemic, everything was closed. Music venues suffered enormously and many of them had to shut their doors for good. For a venue to remain open and go through a whole year of economic loss is hard enough, just to get out of the pandemic and things are starting to open back up and then it's getting sold and that's out of your control. NEW NASHVILLE is very dangerous to this city and it will burn the charm until there is nothing left but a large, over populated city. There is still hope. The mayor has voiced his opinion on this awful change and Exit/In has his support. As much as I appreciate that, I feel more needs to be done to prevent something like this from ever happening. Rolling Stone has put out an article covering this disaster and many celebrities have spoken out. Exit/In started a "go fund" me page to raise money to buy out the contract. $200K was needed and with 48 hours in they have raised over $150K. This is just another example of how we support each other. We are Nashville.
Day 97
Day 97: Oh man, has it been a while since I've done live music photography? The last time I shot a show was at the Ryman the night of the tornado. Shortly after that the city shut down from the pandemic. I haven't even been to a show since. It was definitely a social adjustment for me as I typically go to at least one show a week. During "52 Weeks of Music City" I often mentioned how every show is special in it's own way. This particular show was special and unique in it's own way. Exit/In hosted a patio show outside to help publicize the danger they were in with possibly losing the venue to a developer. There was a lot of people there and many members of the city who spoke out of the danger of these changes losing Nashville's unique charm. The owner of Exit/In spoke out and the media was there to report the event. I was asked to take some photos for the bands involved and thought it would be such a great opportunity to pick up live music again. I loved the unique rawness of this particular musician and the look and vibe he put out. The thing I love most about live music photography the most is to be able to capture specific moments of passion. You have to always be ready because that moment will be gone in less than a second. You have to be ready at all times. When I first started live music photography I was snapping all the time and I didn't really know what to look for. The more shows I shot the more I learned, when you take photos in burst mode you will hate yourself later in the post edit stage. You have to have your finger on the trigger ready to shoot, but you have to connect with the artist and feel their passion and wait until it reaches the peak of the bell curve. So you will have 4-5 shots of this particular moment instead of 150 if you don't know how to wait. There is a time to blast and it is pretty much a three second window. I fell in love with this trait as it has been the type of photography I gravitated towards and looked to perfect. I feel as if I have came a very long way in my journey of this type of photography, but I still have more to learn. Part of this project is to step away of what I am good at and learn more about my environment and my eye which will directly translate to my eye in live music photography.
Day 98
Day 98: I was driving down the street to get today's picture. This is one that I had thought of in the past from driving by to get another shot. I was driving by and saw the clouds overtaking the sky with the sun trying to get out unsuccessfully. The way the clouds surrounded the peak of the church was pretty dramatic and that's what made me stop to consider this shot earlier than originally expected. I initially wanted to have a clear blue sky and that is what I was waiting for. Something told me that this was the shot for the day. It's a little more complicated than it looks. I knew I wanted it to be in the very center. By now you know how much I love symmetry. But how much do you put in and how close do you get? I thought about zooming out a lot more, but then there would be parts of the other building and trees in there. And then it would have been so much more smaller which was the original main focus. I decided to zoom in almost so it touches the top of the photo. I wanted to leave a little space so it would compliment the clouds instead of overtaking them. I also wanted to have just a very small part of the roof to show a foundation of the photograph. I was careful with the settings because I didn't want the clouds to be so bright that you couldn't see anything else. I wanted a little detail to come out, but faintly.
Day 99
Day 99: Earlier I said I have really learned to embrace my surroundings and appreciate the temporary things that will not be here much longer. There was a row of trees that were still in bloom and the colors were so aggressive. I drive around a lot more than I used to and I noticed all of the blooms have started to fade into their natural green leaves. So I knew this moment would soon be gone. It was a beautiful spring day and the temperature was what we have been waiting for. When I stopped to take this photo I thought about getting one branch in detail, but then the rest in the background would be blurred together. I had already taken a shot like that once so I wanted to capture this in a more widely detailed style. I decided to put the aperture all the way up and set the ISO a little higher so it wouldn't be too dark. I did a little slower of a shutter speed than usual to bring the light up a bit. This way the trees all look in focus. I didn't want to just take a picture of a sidewalk. I looked at the fence next to me and go to a position where the lines where more horizontal instead of taking it from a higher angle (if I was just standing up and taking a shot without positioning what the vantage point of the camera would capture). These are the things I am starting to pick up in this project. You have your initial subject, the trees, and how do you capture that to emulate what's in your head? The settings have to be perfect. But then you have to take it a step further and study the rest of your surroundings. The fence is just there, but how do you use that to make your photograph more visually pleasant? It's not the subject, but a main part of this photo, so you need to learn how to use it effectively. Your surroundings will either add or take away from your photo.
Day 100
Day 100: This is the part of the project where it's starting to become routine. It's very hard at first because you are adapting to the consistency and being creative every day, as much as possible. Now, this is something that is just an expectation out of the day. I've learned not to worry as much. I found just bringing my camera with me everywhere I go is a pretty good way to get something spontaneous. I was meeting up with a group of friends and some of them were from out of town, so they wanted to go listen to live music. I thought it would be perfect to just play this day by the minute and see what happens. I'll see something and it seems "eh" but would be nice to get the picture out of the way. But that's when I remind myself, it's not just about getting a picture and being done. It's not a task. It's not on the to do list. I've shot 100 pictures so far for this project, and not a single one have I settled. I have 265 left to go and I will not settle on any of those either. I'm learning to trust my eye more in knowing I will be able to find something beautiful to capture. We went out for a few beers in Midtown and then decided to walk to this rooftop hotel that has a very bougie atmosphere. The sun was just over the horizon showing off all the colors and reflection from the clouds. I knew I had limited time, a matter of minutes, until this went away. Sunsets have to be caught at the right time because, obviously they go away quickly, but also the colors change so quickly so you must adjust the camera. I had to make sure the settings were perfect because I wanted the detail of the buildings to be there but very faint. If I made the buildings too bright then the sky would just come out white. I had to have the sky at the right exposure to capture the colors and the dimensions of the clouds. It was almost like the conclusion to a wonderful day.
Day 101
Day 101: Today was a fun day. My parents stopped by to visit me on their way home from Atlanta. I hadn't taken a picture yet and they had just arrived so I was thinking about it while we were catching up. I told my dad I was going to get a picture of him and he said "sure". I tried. I seriously tried. But he was not being serious and making goofy faces. It was impossible. He was watching TV so I sneaked by and got a side profile shot. This type of photography is hard when your subject is being cooperative. After the shot we talked and hung out and enjoyed the rest of the evening catching up and having a few beers. It was one of my favorite days.
Day 102
Day 102: This picture is all about perspective. This is how you look at things differently. How can you see something and capture it completely different than anyone else? Can you find uniqueness or beauty in something that is just plain and ordinary or worn out? These three poles used to hold a big sign for a church that was taken down from the tornado. The only thing that left from the sign was these poles. They are in a triangle all at similar heights. When looking at them from far back they form a line. Pretty basic, not that interesting. But when you stand right in the middle of them it looks like they are coming from all different angles and actually for that same triangle at the top. It doesn't have to be the most amazing photo ever, but how can you make it the most interesting it could possibly be? That's how you become a better photographer. By seeing the world differently. You have to constantly think outside of the box and get away from what you see with your own eyes and think about the subject and how you can capture it differently. That takes years to develop. You also have to know how to use the equipment you have to be able to capture what is in your head. I have failed so many times, but with every failure came a lesson that was incredibly valuable. You have to take your time. When I was taking this picture I was looking in the air for quite some time. I was looking at the triangle in the center and making sure that it was perfect and at the right angle and then thinking of the poles and how much of those to have in it so it would add to the triangle but not overpower it. What was originally a pretty boring shot became unique and interesting.
Day 103
Day 103: This was a very important picture. This was the picture that I finally felt like I knew what I was doing. It looks professional. The colors and the details came through as I saw it with my eyes as I took the photo. The thing about "professional" is you never really notice it. You see something that looks great and it makes you interested. But you never think about the photographer. That's a beautiful thing. You are so focused on the product or the image but you don't ever think about all the thought that went into that photo. So many things go into snapping the perfect image. I had a soft box lighting that I layered with a black background. I adjusted the light to a specific setting that was a little lower so the shadow would be there, but fairly faint. I also didn't want the glare of the light to reflect too much on the bottle. I wanted to make sure the bottle was perfectly horizontal, so I spent a lot of time positioning it down to a fraction of a millimeter. I wanted to use this unique wine rack since it so the bottle would look like it was floating. After I had all the settings and the position where I wanted I zoomed in to have the bottle and rack fill the photo almost to the edges, but keeping the bottle in the middle. I decided to keep the dust on the bottle to show a bit of age and texture. I got this bottle of wine in the country side of Italy on a trip a few years back and I thought it would be a great subject with the dark bottle. All together, this picture meant a lot to me because it was a sign of my growth.
Day 104
Day 104: I had a really close friend call my today and she was very upset about a few things going on in her life. She was talking about some things that happened to her today and then just started crying. I asked her if she needed to meet up for a bit so we decided to get a few drinks at Red Door in Midtown. I brought my camera because I hadn't taken a picture yet and I knew I'd have to get something. It started getting darker and I was looking around. It was a pretty quiet night and there wasn't a lot of people out and the sign lit up and I thought this would be a good time to get the sign. I wanted the sign to be in the middle of the photo and I really wanted to show the different textures of the wooden fence. Red lighting is incredibly overpowering. It's one of my biggest challenges when shooting live music photography, so I've learned to adapt a bit to it. This shot was a little challenging because of that, and it was very dark, but the lights were very bright. One of the things I really need to develop more knowledge about it color balancing. It's something I haven't came close to perfecting or even understanding the fundamentals. I like the shot and how it turned out but I feel like there was something more I could have done to enhance the photo, I just didn't know what that was. Photography can be extremely overwhelming since there are so many detailed factors that go in to it. I try to focus on one thing and perfect that and then move on to the next. I feel that is the best way to learn so it's not as overwhelming and you don't confuse different terms, such as ISO and aperture. As far as I have come, I have a long way to go.
Day 105
Day 105: My best friend from college came to visit me in Nashville. He has been living in Chicago for quite some time now and with the pandemic and life happening we haven't seen each other in 2-3 years. We went to get dinner and sat on the couch talking for hours. It was one of those moments where we got in such a deep conversation that time was unknowingly passing and the day was gone. It was now past 10pm and I had to get my picture. We were sitting outside on my patio with the lights on and I thought, this would be a great subject since I'm trying to perfect low light photography and trying to perfect aperture. I was looking at the bulbs and I really liked having one in focus and the others more blurred as they get further away. I wanted to have everything else in the background as dark as possible. This was a very impromptu photo that turned out very well. The lighting was where I wanted. The focus was perfect. And the lighting was composed correctly with the angle and spacing of each light. It was a pretty technical shot with all of the challenges, but one that I walked away feeling proud. I had adjusted the settings prior to taking the photo to see how much I've learned. When I took the first photo I was off a bit, but not by too much, so that told me my understanding of these fundamentals is raising by the photo. I'm retaining my knowledge a lot more because of the consistency of shooting. Everything so far with this project has been turning out as I had planned.
Day 106
Day 106: There are a lot of cool places in Nashville. A lot of buildings have became condemned or abandoned. There is a really cool place that is under a bridge where you can walk down. You have to be very careful where you go though. These places are abandoned but they are also occupied with squatters. I have always wanted to go down to this specific spot but wanted to make sure I had someone with me. With my friend being in town we decided to walk down to this building. I was really drawn towards the color of the brick with the graffiti all over and then vines growing on the side. I also like the large cylinder chimney. This was by far the scariest photo I have taken so far for this project. When we were walking down here we heard these soft voices whispering but we had no idea where they were coming from. We were trying to be quiet and to get the shot and leave but I had to change lenses so it took a little more time. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a man started crawling out of the small opening on the bottom right. He wouldn't face us and he said "Do NOT take a picture of me or my face!" I wasn't interested in taking his photo and then he begged us to leave so I had already gotten my shot and we packed up quickly and left. We started walking up the hill back to the road and I saw the man crawl back into the chimney. We got in my Jeep and as we drove away I noticed another group of men walking on the railroad tracks. Anything could have happened, but for the most part I feel like they wanted to be left alone. I'm glad we had just enough time to get the shot, but it definitely was startling.
Day 107
Day 107: I had to run a few errands today so I thought I'd bring my camera to see what I could find on the way. I drove around for a bit going down streets I hadn't been down in years. I was driving down a random street and saw Santa's Pub. This is a very off the grid place. I've been a few times but could never tell you how to get back there. It's a small bar that only accepts cash. It's been closed down throughout the pandemic with little sight of reopening. It has always been a very local spot but has quickly been discovered by tourists. It is a very unique establishment. I personally don't go there often, but it has the old school Nashville charm in the sense that it is not a nice place and they aren't trying to be high end or luxurious by any means. I don't know how long they will be here, but it was a place that I had memories and wanted to capture it before New Nashville plagues the area.
Day 108
Day 108: My friend had left town. We had a great time, I was very exhausted. It was Sunday and I was relaxing, getting some things done around the house, and just wanted to take it easy. My friend asked to hang out so I told her I had to take my photo for the day, but it's always great to have company. I had another friend downtown on Broadway asking to meet up so we decided to go downtown. I usually stay as far away from Broadway since it's always so packed and surrounded by drunk tourists, but Sundays are a little slower. I knew I would be able to get something, but I wasn't really seeing anything that stuck out. I was going to get some live music, but bands were in between sets. We walked over to a roof top patio and had a few beers there. The day was running out and the sun had set. Usually this makes me a little nervous because your options become incredibly limited. But downtown where all the lights are, the options become numerous. As the sun went down I noticed all the lights from the buildings coming on. The later it got, the more lights lit. I saw all the buildings and have always been fascinated with architecture. I couldn't stop looking at the blue color of the buildings so I decided to get a close up of a few of the buildings. I wanted the buildings to overpower the frame so I made sure not to get any of the sky. It was a little darker so I wanted to try and get the shot as I saw it without the camera. I took a mental image of what I saw and this was pretty similar. It really captured a nice night with great friends and companionship.
Day 109
Day 109: One of my closest friends, Bart, texted me a picture of his bushes earlier in the day. He said "This would be a great picture for the day" so I went over there a little after work. His bushes were in full bloom. I wanted to get a close up and have as many in the background as possible. When you do a wider angle it takes off so much focus from the flowers and they don't become the main focus of the picture, they just add to the picture. I wanted the flowers to be the only focus so I wanted a larger image of them. I've taken photos like this multiple times for this project, so I pretty much knew what to do and what to set my camera to. But this bush had so many flowers blooming I had to get the right portion of the bush and at the right angle. I looked through the different angles to see where the flowers would overpower the frame. I decided on this one since there was a main focal point but you could still see all the colors in the background. I didn't want everything to be in focus so it would add a lot of depth. I was done shortly after that and we sat on Bart's front porch and caught up on some of the world things going on. It brings much joy to me that I have so many close friends in my life who want to help with inspiration and think about what I'm doing. It's days like today that I can't believe it's already been 109 days.
Day 110
Day 110: George Floyd. Today was an emotional day for many. If you haven't noticed I try to take a picture for what's relevant in the world at that moment. I couldn't think of anything more relevant than this mural. Today was the day the trial verdict was announced for the police officer who killed Mr. George Floyd and he was found guilty on all three charges. It was a day of justice. It was a day of accountability. It was a day of change. Please ignore all of the politics because that is not what today was about. It was about a man who was forced to be laid to rest that was preventable and uncalled for. It was before his time. As I feel justice was provided today, the grieving process still continues for the Floyd family. They will never get him back. It's a situation where nobody wins. I watched the verdict and then left my house to get the photo of the day. I didn't know where to go. I started driving away from downtown, then drove through Midtown, and eventually ended up downtown. I saw a lot and almost stopped multiple times but I decided to perhaps come back to those spots at a later date. The evening was early and I had time to venture around. I started driving through different areas of downtown. I was on a pretty populated road so I was driving fairly fast. I passed a building and saw this mural in about two seconds from the corner of my eye. I had no idea this mural existed in Nashville and I wasn't driving towards it on purpose. I just headed that direction and randomly stumbled upon it. This was a part of Nashville that I have only been maybe once in my time here. I wasn't expecting it. All of a sudden I had a very strong emotion to quickly turn around. My direction today led me many different directions and I had no idea what to capture but it led me to where I was supposed to go. I didn't seek out this location. I didn't know it existed. But I'm glad I found it.
Day 111
Day 111: I got a text from my good friend Chuck early in the day that he was having a bonfire tonight. I thought it would be cool to get a shot of the bonfire. We're men and like to play with fire and when you add a few beers in there it makes it fun. We were talking and catching up getting the fire going and I was waiting for the day light to settle. I had an original idea to get his pool in the background since he has such a phenomenal setup with patio lights everywhere. It's one of my favorite hang out spots. For this particular photo I wanted to focus more on the fire. I had a vision of having the fire pit with the flames raging and everything else in the background is dark. As the darkness came I decided to get my camera out and think about the settings. We played around a lot, like boys do, and had a ring of fire going throughout the top of the fire pit. It looked really cool and was in such detail. I got a shot that I was happy with. Very happy. So I was done. As we ran out of firewood Chuck decided to throw the wooden pallet on top, with a lot of lighter fluid, and the flames came to life. It was what I had originally envisioned for my shot. I had to get my camera out and take another photo. I decided to step back and get my 70-200mm lens. I laid on the ground as Chuck drenched the fire with lighter fluid. I saw the detail of the flame at the base of the fire and that's why I wanted to switch to this lens, to get the more detailed aspect of the flame. When taking a picture like this it goes from the perfect settings to way over exposed after the flame grows so quickly. So I had to make the settings for when the fire was at it's peak right after the lighter fluid was poured on. At the end of the shot I was really happy with what I captured and it was what I originally imagined, so I'm glad I decided to shoot another shot.
Day 112
Day 112: I finished up the work day today and had to go meet up with my boss downtown to get some work stuff for an event this Sunday. Obviously it was a good idea to bring my camera since I was already gonna be downtown. She lives in the Art District so I knew there was a lot of cool things in that area. I met her husband downstairs and we talked a lot and caught up since we haven't seen each other in over a year due to the pandemic. We were talking about this project and then I thought "Y'all have a roof top patio, it would be cool to check it out. So we went upstairs and I saw the bus that was on the roof of Bobby Hotel. It's a really cool spot (that I've only been to a few times) but you can sit on the bus and have some drinks and hang out. It's a really cool atmosphere, but I didn't even think about capturing it from the outside. Originally I was going to get a closer shot of it, but I really wanted to express that it was on the top of a building so I zoomed out a bit to capture more of the building and LP Field in the background.
Day 113
Day 113: My friend Bart needed to pick up a table in Ashville, NC so I went on a quick road trip with him. We got to Ashville pretty late and hadn't eaten yet so we went downtown after we dropped off the car at the hotel. We walked around and I didn't see anything specific so we just bar hopped a bit and on the way to the next spot I saw this alley with all these trash cans lined up. I thought it looked really cool and the lighting was good as it was approaching midnight. A local stopped and asked what we were doing and where we were from. We were talking a bit and he was telling us that the locals call this place "Rat Alley" for obvious reasons. It was an interesting shot for me with all the power lines and pipes everywhere. The color was pretty dull which added to the atmosphere. I really loved this shot because it was another night shot that came out just like I saw with my eyes. I had set the camera up and after I took the shot I looked at the photo and knew it was the one for today. The settings were set perfectly on the first try. It was another step of me developing my knowledge of my environment and applying the mathematics to the camera. I felt like I was growing more as a photographer.
Day 114
Day 114: On the drive back to Nashville I was wanting to get a picture of the mountains since it was such a beautiful view. Unfortunately we were on a bit of a time schedule and it was raining pretty aggressively and there was nowhere to pull off the side of the road with the large trailer we were towing. It was more of a hassle and with the rain it was incredibly inconvenienced. We drove past Knoxville and I thought we could get a shot of the globe near downtown. Originally I wanted to get more of downtown but the globe was so small in comparison since I had to use a wider lens, so the focus took off the globe. I decided to zoom in a lot more and get it with the bridge underneath. Originally we had gone to a location that was almost right underneath, but I wanted to get more of the city. That was a learning experience because I didn't take the shot since it's not what I originally envisioned. I probably would have used that one instead of this one. It was still raining to the point where you didn't want to be outside with expensive equipment. It was a tough lesson learned the hard way. I was pretty annoyed with myself because if I had taken the time to think about my shot more I would have realized that the globe would not have been the main focus of the shot, it would have been the city as a whole. I felt a little rushed, but it's no excuse because these are all things I should have known which would have ultimately changed this shot. It would have "worked" and it's great to have options. I try not to shoot just anything just to shoot and hope for something good. That can be a very good thing most of the time, but not today. Today was a lesson.
Day 115
Day 115: I had a pretty busy day today. I had a work event at Top Golf with some old team mates who got promoted to a new company and moving to Dallas, TX. It was such a nice day with the sun out throughout the day. I got home a little later and had some friends downtown. I was going to go down there but felt hesitant. I was on my balcony drinking a beer thinking about today's shot. That's a very common place for me to think because I overlook the city and can visually think about a direction. I looked down and there was a small patch of purple flowers and I thought I could try to see if that would work. I thought about getting a wider shot but really liked how this one was composed. There is a lot of detail and the ones in the back are a little more faint. But I decided to stick with this location since the sunlight was perfect and the shadows were not too strong. I actually captured a shot of a bee on there but the composition wasn't as good as it was for this shot. I actually texted a friend and asked her which one she would go with since she is a very talented photographer and has an amazing eye. I was hoping she would say the bee photo, but I had a feeling it would be this one. She said "Go with your gut" but my initial gut was to ask for advice and to take it. We were on the same page as far as the composition. After looking at it for a while I had to agree. The colors are what really drew me to get out and try to get the shot. The purple against the green was really complimenting each other. I didn't want too much focus on the leaves because it would take away from the subject of the flower.
Day 116
Day 116: Today was another day I didn't really have a direction. I wasn't worried or concerned with the time. I was just driving around. I didn't even have a starting point. I just drove. I saw some cool stuff and I will definitely go back to it, but it wasn't something I was feeling at the moment. I drove all through town and ended up going down some neighborhoods I hadn't been through for years. I got lost without concern. I was exploring, so if you don't get lost you're not doing it right. Eventually I found my way back to a street I was familiar with. I was going to turn back towards town but I wanted to get a bit further away from my comfort zone. I was driving further and noticed this creek on the side of the road. I saw a bridge and decided to get off the main road. I was able to get in the middle of the stream to get a good angle. The road was far enough where you couldn't see any cars driving by, otherwise I would have continued getting lost. I wanted this to be a nature picture so having a car drive by would be contradicting. I felt like this was a great shot and not at all what I would have thought I'd capture today. I'm glad I got a little out of my comfort zone and ventured out a little further out of the city than I normally do. As it gets warmer I hope to do more nature pictures but a lot further out of the city.
Day 117
Day 117: Yesterday as I was driving around I saw this wall from the corner of my eye. I was driving pretty fast so I thought I'd come back to it later. Traffic was very heavy and I didn't have anywhere to turn around for a while. I ended up really loving yesterday's photo, so I'm very glad I trusted my gut and kept moving. This is in an alley off 21st Ave. I've seen a lot of pictures of it on social media but never recognized it as I drove past. It was a very nice day so I thought I'd revisit the location since I knew exactly where to go this time. It has always caught my eye because of the uniqueness. I love the red lips dripping against the white wall. I'm a huge fan of brick so I'm glad I was able to capture some of that texture. This wall is pretty long so I wanted to make sure the windows were perfectly spaced. I knew I was going back to this location so I changed my lenses before I left. I knew the alley was narrow so I needed to use a wider lens. It was a pretty quick shot. I thought about how close to get and how far to zoom out to capture more of the lips, but then any further out and the top of the building and the ground would show and I really wanted the focus to be all on the mural. I took a few and was pretty much done. I looked around a little more to see if I had captured the best description of the painting and anything else would have taken away from it.
Day 118
Day 118: Today was the latest start I've gotten so far (I believe). It was a pretty busy day with work so I had to stay on a little longer and I had to run a few errands after. I didn't leave my house until 6:30pm. I wasn't worried about it. I felt good and even though there was still day light available, I knew I would be able to get something. I drove to get gas and then thought to switch directions. I was actually looking around my house for something to get since it had been raining all day. I decided to ignore that and see what I could come up with. After I got gas I went back towards downtown. I had a specific location I was thinking of, but for some reason never made it close to there. I was driving across the bridge and I saw this modern waterfall, but it would be cool to get it from the other side. I was driving in traffic and I thought "Eh, I'll come back to it another day." I drove all the way to 1st and nothing captured my eye. I decided to go back and look. I parked and the building looked empty. I didn't even get my lens cap off before a security guard told me I wasn't allowed to take pictures. I was pretty confused. I said "Really? Why?" She said the owners don't allow cameras and they don't want photos taken. I replied "I'm literally just taking a picture of this water against the wood, like one photo, five minutes." She had a mask on but I could tell she was smiling. "Ok, I don't see any harm in that." I wanted to be respectful and hurry up so I didn't get to spend as much time to think about the shot as I wanted to. I had to really think quick about the settings. As I was working we were talking and she asked what I was taking pictures for and told her about this project and she quickly replied "Oh that's just wonderful!" I was so grateful for that moment. If I had waited to try and go back another time she might not have been working and I wouldn't have been able to get this shot. And she also made the experience a lot more enjoyable with her company.
Day 119
Day 119: I have a friend in the music industry and he recently finished filming a music video with his band. It's a very common thing in Nashville to have a music video release party. When I found out it was at a place near downtown called Bar Sovereign I immediately knew this was where I'd get my shot. It is a very unique place full of interesting "out of place" things. For example, the front entrance has a seating area that has barber chairs with the head piece. The way it's decorated is very interesting and there are plenty of options. I got there a little early so I could look around. I was looking for specific compositions in low light. They have these empty liquor bottles as lights and they were uniquely positioned randomly. I stepped far away to get a few angles. I got more of the lights from a distance, but the main focus was on one of the lights so I decided to zoom in and have one specific subject with a few scattered in the background. I looked at both options and was going back and forth on a couple. I was with my friend Cherith and Jennie. I told them I was between these two shots and I wanted them to chose the final one. Sometimes I get in my head a little too much and I like to have someone make the final decision. I was already leaning towards this one and they both confirmed it. It's a good idea to get some outside feedback. But, whenever I asked someone for this decision I have to ask specifically why. I don't want someone to just say "I like this one. I don't know why but I think it's better." Cherith and Jennie specifically said the composition was better in this one and that's why they chose it. It's what I was originally going for so they definitely made the correct choice.
Day 120
Day 120: I ended the work day and was ready to go get my shot right away. I had plans to meet up with my friend Pepper and as I was leaving she texted me that she was ready whenever. I asked if she wanted to come along, like she had done numerous times in the past, so I picked her up and we started driving around. Sometimes I just start on a road and then where ever it takes me is where I end up. I started going away from downtown and then somehow ended in East Nashville. I thought to go to Shelby Bottoms since we were already in East Nashville. We got out and walked around and I saw this huge train bridge. I thought the lines everywhere was a good look. I really wanted the detail to come out on this. The lines and the rust on the metal was very important. I thought about the lower area, I wanted to get the horizontal bars to show the depth of them getting further away and I wanted to get the concrete blocks just slightly with a little bit of the grass. I also wanted the detail of the bolts to come out. It's a pretty common shot for me with the symmetry and the depth. There are so many options on what to capture and how to capture it. You have to start with what's in your mind before you can accomplish what you can capture.
Day 121
Day 121: This is another photo about perspective. I have been trying to train my artistic eye to see things differently. How someone inexperienced will capture something is totally different than someone who has experience in the field. This is a stick sculpture downtown. I had been thinking about taking a photo of this for a while, but it is something that is incredibly recognizable to Nashville. A lot of people have taken pictures of it from a distance. My question was how could I separate myself and my vision from everyone else and bring something unique to the photo. I knew I was going to take this photo but I wanted it to be different. I knew I wanted to get in the middle of the sticks and shoot up. But then I had to strategically place the camera in a specific location so it would capture the most sticks in the most interesting view. I got my 16-35mm so I could get as large of an angle as possible. This lens was very wide so I wanted to make sure not to get any of the buildings or trees around the edge of the shot. I also had to wait for the right time of day because I didn't want the sun directly over the sticks. It was a pretty quick shot once I got positioned where I wanted to be. I moved around a few times to see if I could capture anything differently but was pretty satisfied with my initial angle. One of the things I really want to master is the rule of thirds. It's the fundamentals of photography that you can only accomplish with practice. It is the foundation of most of my shots. But this particular one is more chaotic with all the sticks everywhere, not following any rules. A little chaos is nice from time to time. But it can't be accidental. Good chaos is intentional chaos.
Day 122
Day 122: I was really not wanting to do anything today. It was rainy and I wasn't feeling good. I woke up and had some coffee, did some work, laid around, and eventually worked out. I just wasn't feeling like getting out. I took a shower and kind of pushed myself to go since the rain had stopped for a bit. I was driving away from town and saw this random pink elephant off Charlotte and for some reason I stopped. I noticed this upside down smiling face sticker and thought that was kind of funny. It is by no means an amazing shot or has any deep thought or emotion. But I got out of the house and searched and that's the most important thing about this project. Working all the time, being creative all the time. I was talking to a very close friend of mine and he has dedicated a lot of his time to writing music. He wants to write as many songs as he can. He said, "The majority of these songs a trash, but every once in a while an amazing song will come out. And that amazing song wouldn't have came out if I didn't consistently write like I am." It's not all going to be good and I like that. Sometimes it's just "eh" and every picture cannot be better than the last. But you can consistently be creative, even if the end result is "eh".
Day 123
Day 123: Today was a little better than yesterday. The work day went great. I felt great. I got a lot done. I was feeling motivated and creative. I was on a bit of a time constraint today since I had a friend coming over a little later. I thought I'd drive down to the Titans stadium because I knew this huge gear was right by the river. There is an angle of this gear where you can get the batman building right in the middle. I actually took a few of those photos but it's been done SO many times. If you've never seen it, it looks cool, but it really has been overdone. It wasn't a creative shot for me because everyone has done it. I thought keeping it simple was best. I wanted to have the full ring of the gear looking straight on and capturing more of the buildings. I got a few different angles and close up of the teeth but ultimately I landed on this because I wanted to show the size of the gear.
Day 124
Day 124: I decided to walk around my neighborhood today. It was about to start raining so I knew there could be a challenge. Like most days I didn't really know what I was looking for. It was nothing specific. I was near a neighbors house and they had really let their yard go. I really liked how the wildflowers were below with the tall grass behind them. I was visually pleasing up close. From far away, not so much. I knew they'd be cutting the grass soon so I thought I'd try it out and see what it would look like. I went home to edit the shots and I was a lot happier with it than I thought I'd be. What made me stop was the white positioned randomly against the green. I decided to take the saturation down a little to make the shot look a little more dramatic and not as poppy with the greens being bright.
Day 125
Day 125: There is a Mexican restaurant in East Nashville that is very popular. They are known for their margaritas. I don't drink liquor so I don't know if they are good or not, but that is the word on the streets. They are more famously known for their sign on the side wall that has hilarious messages. Being that today is Cinco De Mayo I felt it was fitting to include them in today's shot. Besides their messages I love the color of the brick. It stands out very well and is creatively positioned with the use of color. If you are in the mood for great Mexican food while in East Nashville it would be a unique experience to check out. Originally I wanted to get this shot from across the street with the 70-200mm lens so I could capture it from regular eye height but there were way too many cars parked in front. When I parked I went ahead and switched the lens to a wide angle since I knew that shot wouldn't be possible. It's very important to know your gear and how it will capture things. This will save you a lot of time and you don't always have time to change your lens. I got down a little lower to capture as many of the colored bricks as possible but I didn't want to go too wide because the sign would be smaller and not be the subject.
Day 126
Day 126: One of the things I wrote about in an earlier post was the rule of thirds. I have been trying to focus a lot more on that during this project. It definitely makes a difference. There are times when you can break the rules and it works. There are other times where it's imperative to follow the rules of thirds because the photo just feels so much better. Initially I wanted to take this shot right in the center. The rule of thirds states that the photo is more "pleasant" if you don't. I have to agree. The negative empty space is being used to bring all the focus to this tower. It almost puts more focus on the photo and makes it more interesting. That was the primary reason for me choosing this photo. A simple practice in studying the rules of thirds which are historical fundamentals of photography. Further more the tower was very interesting with all the devices attached to it and as the storm was coming in the shapes of the clouds in the background added to the texture in the sky.
Day 127
Day 127: I went to Raleigh North Carolina for a family reunion this weekend. We made a stop in Hendersonville to visit my mom's cousin and they have a beautiful house with a lake on their property. We were hanging around catching up. My brother Adam and his wife Heather met us there and we were laughing and telling stories. My brother has two daughters and we spent most of the time hugging playing. Eden wanted to go by the lake and since I hadn't taken my picture yet I thought I'd take my camera down to the lake. She was running around in every direction soaking up the new environment and then eventually settled down on this swing. Immediately I took some shots and she looked back at me for just a moment to see where her Uncle Mark was. I'm glad I took this shot because she immediately ran over to me to see the picture. She looked up at me with the hugest smile and said "I love your pictures Uncle Mark!" And then she continued to give me the strongest hug she could. This is such a beautiful picture with the placement of the swing in relation to the lake and trees in the far distance. But the most beautiful thing was Eden and the unconditional love she has for me. Whenever I see her for the first time in a while her face lights up with love and excitement and there is no greater feeling. This photo could have never been taken and I would remember this image for the rest of my life. My heart is full.
Day 128
Day 128: Today was the day of the big reunion and I was so distracted with hanging out with everyone and catching up with the years that have passed that I had lost track of time and needed to get my photo for the day. I couldn't imagine a better image to capture then the family together. This is a very important photo because this is the first time we have all been together as a full family with my grandparents and aunt along with my brother's amazing wives and beautiful kids. We don't take "proper" pictures for our family photos. We take natural pictures for our family photos. This is literally all of us in our natural element. We are goofy and we have fun and this perfectly represents how the time we spend together is. Laughing and being silly and making funny faces. I am not in this photo, but I was behind the camera, so I was there in all of the chaos. We ran around and played and laughed and told storied. For me, this might be the most beautiful photo I've taken so far during this project. My grandparents look so happy and fulfilled. The kids are having so much fun. Dumbvid is making his typical crazy face, Adumb has his eyes closed as always. My amazing sister in laws are loving the moment. It was the best day.
Day 129
Day 129: The reunion ended and we all sadly went our separate ways. I was the last to leave and my flight was late in the afternoon, so we had a lot of time to kill. My parents drove from Louisville so they gave me a ride to the airport. They asked what I wanted to do to fill the time until my flight and I said I wanted to go drive around NC State since that's where my dad got his PHD and where my parents met. I had the most amazing time driving around with them. We went down random streets and my dad would tell me stories about his friends. We got out of the car and walked around and he showed me the building where he got his degree. He was telling me about the research projects he did and told me stories of where he would go with my mom. Sadly most of those places don't exist anymore. But we went on campus and had lunch and I said I wanted to get an iconic shot that is familiar to NC State and he immediately said the bell tower. We drove up to it and I told him I wanted to get out of the car and get him in the shot. For me, this moment was very sacred. This is where his life took the next step and he met my mom and started his new life. From all of his stories I could tell it could have gone in a bunch of different directions. The reason why I am here is because he was here. We were taking pictures and then he started giving his opinions on how I should shoot the shot... "Dad, I know what I'm doing!" He was saying how I was too close and the tower in the background would be blurry. The lens I used was a wide angle so I had to be very close to get him in the shot, but also I wanted the bell tower to be blurry. I wanted it to be in the background, but I didn't want the focus on the tower. The focus was on my dad. I had to lower the aperture to where he was in focus and the background had depth. When I asked him "Dad, did you like that photo I took of you?" he said "Yes." That was it. That's a compliment coming from him. But also it was a picture of him so obviously he like it. After we took this shot we drove around a little more and he took me to the place where him and my mom lived for their first year of marriage. Definitely a day full of laughing and fun.
Day 130
Day 130: My good friend Chuck called me a little after work. He wanted to hear about my weekend and the trip to Raleigh. We were talking and then we started talking about other things and then other things as we always do. The day had gotten away and it was starting to get late. I had this idea to shoot this photo and for some reason felt passionate about it this specific night. "Hey, what are you doing tonight? Do you want to come over?" Right away Chuck said "sure, I'll leave in 5." Chuck came over a while ago and I was going to throw away some liquor that seemed like it was pretty much gone and he refused to let me throw it away. He said it was really good and high quality. So I said I'd keep it for when he came over. Well, I had another friend come over and unknowingly finished it. So I decided to get a good bottle of scotch for the next time he comes over. I tried this and it's not my drink. I think it's personally disgusting. I wanted to get this picture but I didn't want to throw out and waste this expensive scotch so that's why I invited Chuck over. It's a shot that I had imagined. It's a little closer to home for me because my dad gave me this Tiffany's glass that he had for many years but never really used. All that aside, this is an important photo. I wanted to get to the attention to detail for every variable. I used my light box and I studied the light and how bright to make it. Then I looked at the ISO to see where that should be. I knew the aperture needed to be a bit higher than I normally use and the shutter speed had to be a little slower because of that. This was a very challenging shot because the bottle is dark and the glass reflects so much light. If the settings are too high then the glass would not be as clear. I spent a lot of time dusting the background and I washed the bottle and the glass to give it as clean and perfect as I could. I fixed all the settings and ended up as one of my most satisfying photos of this project. It wasn't a difficult shot, but it took a lot of playing with the lights. Which tells me I'm not where I want to be. This took about 30 minutes to set up. I want to be at the level where I turn on the box light and know exactly how bright to have the lights and what the specific settings to be. I'm getting there, I'm just still far away from it.
Day 131
Day 131: The summer days are getting longer so there is less pressure for me to run out of the door right when I finish work. My friend called me and was pretty upset about something so I thought I'd stop by for a moment. I told her I had to get my picture of the day but I would bring my camera and see if I found something on the way, otherwise I would have to come up with something later. I drove to her house and I saw nothing different from what I normally see. I have found that when you are in a neighborhood you typically don't have a lot of options. I turned on her street and it's what I pretty much expected. But as I approached her house I noticed these railroad tracks right off the road. I came inside and we had a beer and talked and then I told her we should walk to the railroad tracks. It's a pretty common shot but there is actually a lot that goes in to it. You need to know what kind of angle you want. I wanted the tracks to get closer the further away they got so that is best taken from the direct middle. But then I was thinking about how high I should take the photo. A lot of people just taking a picture would just take it and then be done. But I wanted a more dramatic shot so I got down almost to the point where I was laying down where I was about 6 inches above the metal part of the tracks. It put more focus on the railroad which is what I was going for. I am happy with this shot but I think there is more growth and more for me to learn about these kind of shots, so I think there may be a few more of these to come in the future.
Day 132
Day 132: I was thinking about a shot all day and going through locations in my head. I knew there was a great spot that I have done a few photo shoots right by the science center downtown. I drove to the site of Fort Negley since I was aware of the environment and knew what to expect. Except I didn't. When I pulled up everything looked normal. You have to walk up this hill in order to get to the place I had in mind. The further I walked the more I noticed that it had been untouched for a while. It used to be very well kept and you could walk all around it. This particular day was roped off where normal paths couldn't be taken. I walked to the top and that's usually where you can get some unique historic shots. But everything had been overgrown and you couldn't go in. I was a little bummed because what I wanted wasn't available. As I was walking up I saw this enormous tree that was covered in vines and it was surrounded by tall grass and to the side you see the historic stone wall that the Union troops built in 1862. I thought I'd give it a try and I'm glad I did because it was a good example of the rules of thirds. It was a perfect day and ended up being a great shot.
Day 133
Day 133: I was having a beer on my balcony the other day and noticed this scaffold on the side of a building cleaning the windows (I'm assuming) and I thought it was pretty cool. I've taken a photo of this building earlier where I was at the very bottom looking up. It's an iconic building to the Nashville skyline. The only thing is my lens only goes to 200mm and I knew it wouldn't be enough to get closer. I called my friend Baker and asked to borrow his 100-400mm lens and within seconds he replied "Yes, as long as you need it!" I went back to my balcony and set it up. This was really a shot that I had to learn new equipment since I had never used a lens that was so close. From that distance, if you move the lens even a millimeter, than your subject won't be in the frame. I took a bunch of photos and kept running downstairs to look at it. Baker told me to use a tripod and at first I didn't, but I decided to take his advice and use one. I still think I could have used either shot (with and without the tripod) but I wanted to take his recommendation and advice. It's definitely a hard lens to use in this atmosphere. When I initially took this photo it wasn't this close. I had to zoom in on the edit to position it the way I wanted. And there was a lot of editing that followed since that made the photo a lot more grainy. But it was good to know the capabilities of this lens and how to use it. I really was going for the scaffold to be positioned right where it was and all the lines and dark windows turned out just as I wanted. A great linear shot.
Day 134
Day 134: It was another beautiful day in Nashville. I was inside all day working and was ready to go sit on a patio and have a few beers to enjoy the rest of the sunlight the day had to offer. I had a bunch of friends reach out to make plans, but I had to get the photo for the day. I explained it could take 20 minutes or 3 hours, I didn't know. So a lot of people made plans, as would I, not knowing when I'd be done. It was a little frustrating for me because all I wanted to do was to hang out with my friends on a perfectly warm day. But I had my priorities and my commitment to myself that this project comes first. So I took my time, drove around, really searched for some locations and eventually landed at Bicentennial Park. There is this huge globe that rotates and has water going all over it. It's a memorial for World War II. When I walked up I knew immediately it was what I wanted to capture. It's a very large globe that is all black. But it's also very reflective and you can see the color of the trees and especially the blue sky. I hate to admit this, but I accidentally captured this at the right moment where you could see the state of Tennessee on the map towards the right. I had taken a few photos and I definitely wanted the most "white" from the continents as possible so it would add to the photo. It was just the luck of the snap as the globe continually rotates. I chose this angle because of the perfect placement of the trees in the back. Whenever it's a beautiful day Nashville seems to always take advantage of it as there were families walking around the park and people walking their dog and throwing the football. A family with a bunch of kids came up and they were playing with the globe. In my head I was thinking "I just want to get this shot so I can leave," but I put myself in their shoes. They loved this globe and were touching it and playing in the water. I thought if I was that age, I would do the same thing. So I patiently waited for them to enjoy it and when they left was able to get my shot.
Day 135
Day 135: I was a little uninspired today. I wasn't feeling very creative and had no direction. I got lost driving around Nashville and had no idea where I was. I didn't check the map, I didn't try to find a new direction, I just kept driving. I had a few moments where I paused, but didn't want to force anything. I felt like those moments were settling just to get the shot and move on with the day. I have to realize when I'm in that state of mind because it's not where I should be. I'm trying to get out of the mindset of capturing something amazing and instead how I can create something amazing and unique. When you do that your options increase dramatically. I drove out to West Nashville and I saw some newer buildings and got a lot of ideas for the future but ultimately was attracted to the tracks. I just took a railroad picture recently so I was hesitant to do another one so soon. But when I got on the tracks and saw the different tracks connecting I wanted to focus on the detail of the track verses the depth of the tracks in the distance like the previous picture. I took a few wider shots and came down to two options. I asked advice from a few friends and it was about even. I decided on this one since the detail of the tracks really came out and this shot was different from the previous. I was able to get a really cool shot that had a lot of different options because I decided to push on and not settle. It's a great example of how you have no idea what you will find if you push yourself, but if you don't one thing is for certain: You will find nothing.
Day 136
Day 136: It seems I was going every direction today. I was fine with that. I was taking my time and I was looking for something different but nothing was really sticking out. I saw this really cool white building off of West End and I decided to turn around and look at it. I was really unsure of it but as I was walking up I noticed this large area with huge trees and this swing that was tied up from a very high limb. It was a cool image in my head. I was a bit nervous because I wanted to get the swing and include the tree limb it was tied to, but the wide lens can distort the image to where the subject isn't as prominent and can get lost. I usually stand fairly close to my subject when shooting with this lens but this time I took a few steps back and zoomed in instead. This way the distortion isn't as extreme. I typically try to avoid people in my photos since that makes it more complicated, but I do wish there were someone on the swing to add to it a little. I didn't think of coming back to it at another day so I probably won't use that again for this project.
Day 137
Day 137: I love art so much. The creative aspect is so appealing to me, and then when you put your vision on to paper that is a very spiritual moment. It's a very vulnerable state to be and that is when your talent is displayed for everyone to see. And in this city, everyone is a critic. Nashville is covered with wall murals all over the city. This particular mural is on an enormous building. That really complicates things for the artist as they are so close up and painting a small section on an enormous canvas. When I first approached this painting I was debating how close to get and how much of the ground and how much of the sky to include. I wanted a little bit of ground and the sky was great with the blue and the clouds so I wanted to get more of the sky so it would show the height of the building. I got fairly close to the building and got down pretty low to make a dramatic angle of the height where the side of the wall had an angle that was extreme for my perspective and wasn't just straight up. It added from the angle of the guitars moving outward and I felt like it added to the dimension of their height.
Day 138
Day 138: This day was a bad day. It was a frustrating day. I guess I'm happy to say that considering we're on day 138 and this was the first bad day I had where I wasn't in a good mood. I had just heard some very frustrating things at work and my mind was in many different places. So frustrating where I left early to get a mental break, and I hadn't had to do that in the 11+ years at work. I went to run some errands and get things done around the house and I came back to get my camera and drove off Jefferson. There is this vacuum for cars right at an intersection. It's not a nice place, in fact there was a shooting a few months back where they had to block off the entire intersection. This is a pretty dirty area with trash everywhere and the vacuums are very old and dated. I drove by and I noticed all this trash and to the side it was full of old used tires. You can tell from the wear and tear on some of them. It completely summarizes my day today. Uncontrollable trash and chaos. It's a day where I realized I need to let go of things that are out of my control and redirect my focus. These are good days because you learn your worth and you discover your values and you decide not to settle. I told a friend recently "You have to have an image of what you want. And then you need to have self realization on what your doing and you need to ask yourself 'Is what I'm doing moving me closer to my image, or further away from it?' And then you need to cut out the things that you're doing that are moving you further away from that image." That image that you have is sacred. It's a life line. It's everything that you value and it's everything that matters. Everyone's image is different. But what are you doing today to move closer to that image?
Day 139
Day 139: I was pretty sick today and woke up with a really bad headache. I wasn't really planning on doing anything but resting. My friend Chuck needed some help with putting mulch in a his front yard. I was starting to feel more alive around 5pm so I decided to go help to get a little exercise and blood flowing. I still needed to get my picture so I thought it would be a good opportunity to search for something on the way. I looked on the way there but didn't see anything. When I got to Chuck's house I started looking around and saw this random pineapple and really cool ottoman. I thought the two would look good together with the different textures. I initially had the pineapple in the center and you could see the entire ottoman. I thought about going back to the rule of thirds and it does look better in this case. Having the pineapple zoomed in more and left to the first third of the photo is visually a better shot. There are specific reasons why these rules are in placed and why they should be practiced and understood. If you do decide to break those rules it would have to be for a very specific reason. Some say they should never be broken. I think it's good to experiment but you should always be knowledgable and have mastered these simple rules.
Day 140
Day 140: There is a place in Nashville called Percy Warner that is known for it's beautiful hiking trails and elaborate grand entrance with all these stone stairs leading up to the trails. All of Nashville knows about this location and on any given day it will be crowded full of people wanting to hike and be outdoors. It is near impossible to get a picture of these stairs without someone walking on them. I was setting up my camera and then right as I started to shoot a lady started walking up the stairs. It takes a while to walk up/down these stairs since there are so many. As soon as she got to the top a runner from the top of the trail started running down the stairs. And of course, as you can imagine, once he got close to the bottom an older couple started walking down. Halfway down a deer walked by and they stopped to watch it for a while. They started walking down almost making it to the bottom and there were people at the top admiring the view. It was pretty frustrating because a 3 minute shot took 45 minutes. As time went on I would have to readjust my camera since the sun was going down. But from their perspective they were trying to get from point A to point B. And if a deer had walked right up to me as it did the older couple, I would have stopped to give it attention as well. And after a long hike and you are at the top of this hill and you just want to rest for a moment and take in the view while you catch your breath. After everyone had passed I was able to get my shot and it was definitely worth the wait.
Day 141
Day 141: I had a few places in mind of where I wanted to try to go today. I started off in my area and saw a few cool spots but they were overly crowded where any kind of shot wouldn't have been possible. Before I knew it I was in East Nashville. I was driving on the main road and from the corner of my eye I saw this mural. It's one of my favorites, but I had never seen it. Only pictures. It's just so simple and clean. I decided to turn around and drive back so I could see if it would work. With the sun shinning right on it the colors really came out in their natural color. I was thinking about coming back another day when there aren't any cars in the parking lot, but this is on the side of an apartment complex and shared with a bunch of restaurants on the street, so there would likely never be a time where there wasn't cars. With the colors uniquely placed I was very drawn towards this simple mural as it's become a known site in East Nashville. It further proves the art community is very strong in Nashville and the creativity that the city has to offer. You can find these murals all over the city, you just have to look.
Day 142
Day 142: If you haven't noticed, it's becoming a common theme that I have no idea what I'm shooting or where I'm going. I just keep going until something catches my eye and makes me think. I'm a huge fan of simplicity. I was driving through Marathon Music Works and there was a lot of construction going on and I saw this fork lift with all these pipes on it. I really liked the depth of the long tubes. I centered the focal point on the center tube to show the distance and I was really focused on the circles. I also thought it was neat how the other end of the tube almost looks like a Mickey Mouse head. I faded out the colors a bit since the pipes were white and I didn't want the color to distract the shapes. I was very drawn to the patters and the lighting that went through the tubes. I set the aperture pretty low so the main focus would be on the front part of the tubes. I didn't want to zoom out because there would be less of the pipes and more dead space at the top. I positioned the camera so it would have as little uncovered area at the top.
Day 143
Day 143: I had a big group of friends going downtown on one of my buddy's roofless tour buses. The Preds were playing in game 4 of the playoffs and it's a tradition that we go on the bus and get off at Broadway Brewhouse to watch the game. We basically drive around in circles throughout downtown and have a few beers on the bus. It sounds stupid and boring but it's actually a lot of fun and you get a little different perspective of downtown. It was a warm sunny day and the breeze was perfect. I brought my camera cause I knew I'd be able to get something from the bus ride. We passed by the new JW Marriott and the way the sunlight rays were creeping through the clouds was really beautiful and I loved how the clouds reflected off the building and displayed the different shades of blue. It's a really cool building and the way it stood out with nothing else in the background was why I chose this shot. It was a little difficult since there are buildings surrounding it. I knew it was going to be the shot but I thought I'd keep snapping throughout the ride just to see if I saw something else and to get a little more practice.
Day 144
Day 144: I was talking on the phone with a friend having a very in depth conversation. I was having a beer on my balcony while we were talking and thinking about the shot. The day was starting to come to a close and I thought I had better start thinking. I stood up to look around and get my brain working and then I noticed this light pole at eye level and thought that was unique in the way you never see one that high since you're typically on the ground. I really wanted the detail of the weathered wood to come out and show the detail of the wire, and I wanted everything else in the background blurred to show the depth but keep the focus on the light. I thought about taking the shot later at night when it was lit but I feel like it would have lost the depth and the detail of all the splints in the wood. I was thinking of the rules of thirds while taking this so I specifically positioned the camera where it would follow those rules. I faded out the colors a little to bring more detail on the texture and the wear on the pole. It was a spontaneous good shot.
Day 145
Day 145: There is a whole in the floor at a bar in Nashville and if you get down and look through it you will see a skeleton. Anytime you try and get someone to do it they think you're messing with them and gonna hit their head to hit the floor, but it's not a joke, it's really there. It's a very small hole about the size of a quarter so I knew this was going to be a very challenging shot. The light is low and the hole is so small so it's really difficult to not move the camera because one millimeter the wrong way and the shot is ruined. I was wanting to get a more solid circle around the hole and have it less blurry. Looking back I should have turned the aperture all the way up and kept the ISO lower so I could have a more fluid shot without any blur. After I got home I was a bit annoyed with myself because I knew that and even though it wouldn't have been perfect, it would have been better. It's fundamental knowledge that should be automatic but when you get on site you start thinking of other things. That's one of the reasons why this project is good because it makes your brain more automatic with the more you shoot. It was a tough lesson learned.
Day 146
Day 146: My friend Bart bought a fixer upper second home in his hometown of Huntingdon TN. I had been there a few times during the pandemic and helped out with a couple things around the house. It had been a while since I had been down there so I planned a trip to go stay the night and help paint. It's a very small town where everyone knows everyone. I love going down there to get some peace and quiet and to get away from all the noise that I'm surrounded by. It's really nice because when I come to help Bart has beer ready and takes me out to eat as a thank you for helping. We were putting up wall paper and it started getting late and we were hungry so we took a break and went to eat. I hadn't taken my shot yet but I thought to take one of the town square that is a block away from his house. He suggested the road leading up to the courthouse since it's lit up and there are the old street lamps leading up to it. On the way home we stopped and I knew it was definitely the shot. I do struggle with low light photography and that is something I want to get better at and this was a perfect opportunity. I stood in the middle of the street and made a few adjustments and it went pretty quick. I like the way it ended as it's always a challenge to get a shot where something is lit up very well but the rest of the frame isn't.
Day 147
Day 147: I was still in Huntingdon doing stuff around Bart's house and was starting to think of the day's shot. I was going back to Nashville a little later and was thinking of getting some of the country since there were some great spots I saw on the way down. I was outside and noticed these flowers he had hanging and they looked really nice. The purple flower to the left is simple and then the ones in the back are more complicated so I felt like it was a really great composition to have both of them. I love the different shades of purple the flowers offered and how the one on the left was separate and simple but held all the focus. I thought I'd try to see how it would turn out and it ended up being very difficult to chose the right shot for the day. The composition is what sold me on this one after an hour debate in my head getting blinded by my computer screen. I love it whenever that happens because it's better to have options.
Day 148
Day 148: I was back in Nashville and had a friend come down for Memorial Day weekend. Ray had been down to visit multiple times during this project so he understands and definitely supports the dedication it takes and he's very supportive and patient. I was working all day and then he arrived about when I was done, but then I had to go and get todays picture. He offered to drive so I could focus on finding the right spot, which makes it a lot easier to concentrate on finding the shot verses driving. We drove around a lot, pretty far down Charlotte Ave and went to multiple locations. I stopped a few times and took a shot but then wasn't really feeling it so I decided to have my chauffeur keep driving me around town. I thought of a location I previously shot so we headed that way. I remember these enormous silos. When I approached it there were so many options. There was one spot I specifically liked but the sun was not right. I looked at a different section and I was a little bored. I came to this section and it was simple but there was definitely a lot of color change and the vines growing on the side were subtle yet interesting. I went pretty close up to it to get the detail when I had originally thought about getting the whole thing further away. I wanted to get this perspective to show the height but also because you can't really tell what it is and have you use your imagination.
Day 149
Day 149: Luckily I had my chauffeur again today because we started in one direction and then ended up downtown. We were driving in circles. I would think I saw something interesting but then changed my mind. We were driving down a road and I saw this street with the bushes in the median and I asked Ray to do a lap around and then we stopped. I really loved the vanishing point and the trees that are lined down the street leaving the small building with the American flag displaying and then the enormous building behind it. I took a few shots and some were a little closer but ultimately landed on this one because of the depth from tall building making the smaller building's size not as extreme. I waited for quite a bit because I didn't want any cars in the road and traffic was a little heavy. A man was walking in the middle of the road at a distance with no cars driving and that was the shot for me.
Day 150
Day 150: We went back downtown during the day to meet up with some friends. I brought my camera because the later the day gets the more the city lights up and you can find just about anything interesting to shoot on Broadway. We were at a rooftop patio enjoying the weather and the sky was clear. We hung out for quite a bit and I didn't have the distraction of my camera. I was very much in the moment of the company I was surrounded by. We talked and listened to music and I wasn't even thinking of my shot because I didn't have the stress of time. Eventually I looked over to the side and saw the reflection of the batman building against the mirror glass. It's very subtle but if you look closely and squint your eyes you can make it out. That was the main focus of this shot. The distorted vision of the famous batman building. It is one of those shots that looks cool and it's interesting but when you see it it makes the picture more meaningful.
Day 151
Day 151: A lot of people may not be aware of this but May is mental health awareness month. I have lost a few people in my life to suicide and have had to help friends with their struggles and help show them their worth and value. Last year was a tough one and I am still trying to give attention to some who I know are currently going through rough times. I drove by this mural on Charlotte many times and I saw it's message and knew I would include it for this project. I wasn't putting it in my "back pocket" as I hate saying. I just didn't know when to capture it. I didn't know specifically May was mental health awareness month but when I found out I felt like it was appropriate. Guys, It's gonna be o.k. It's also gonna get worse, it's also gonna get better. But either way, don't try to figure it out yourself. It's so important to be aware of everything in your life. Focus on the good and notice the bad so you can adjust to what's bad. I have an amazing support group of amazing friends and family and they have helped me through rough times. So that's what I try to give other people. We all need to care and love each other. As much as possible. As I approached this mural I noticed the brick and how each one was out of place a little more giving it a really cool texture to the background with the shadows. But it was a reminder to me that nothing is placed perfectly, and even if it is at the time eventually it can change. But collectively it's beautiful, together.
Day 152
Day 152: I feel very fortunate to have so many friends who are joining me in this journey. Bart texted me today that today was Tennessee's 225th birthday and to celebrate the city had laid down 225 Tennessee flags in front of the capitol. He mentioned that would be a great shot for the day. And I love incorporating current events into this project. I didn't have a doubt in my head that this is what I was going to get. The capitol is right next to my house so it was an easy drive and right up the front were all the flags. I started to get the flags with the capitol in the background, but the flags were a far distance from the capitol that was across the street. So there wasn't a really photogenic shot to get the wide spread of flags with the capitol in the far distance. I decided to take a different approach and get only the flags that were perfectly lined up lower on the ground so I could get the majority of them. Otherwise I would only be able to get a small portion of them and I wanted to show how many there were. It wasn't possible with the capitol in the background as I had imagined. I didn't really know what I was getting until I got there and the moment I got there I knew I'd have to take a different approach.
Day 153
Day 153: I was feeling very frustrated and uninspired today. It was a very frustrating day and the last thing I wanted to do was to go and hunt for a photo. I didn't think it was going to be good. I drove to a few locations I was thinking about and wasn't feeling it. I drove to a few places I had tried to get a shot and tried again. I felt like I was forcing it. I ended up getting lost at one point and found my way back to Music Row. I went to a specific location that I knew would be good. It was torn down. The frustration was building. I kept going and went closer to Midtown and thought of an alley that I had been on a lot but not during this project. I was driving slow, looking for anything and then came past these electric meters, or whatever they are, and really was intrigued. I got out and took the shot and packed up and went home. I edited the shot right away and was very happy with it. It's something I haven't really seen so I felt it was unique, but I really liked the shadows of the pipes and the different shades. I hardly ever do black and white and I don't really like it. But the color distracted from the pipes and I felt like it made sense. Black and white can definitely work if it's used properly and not overdone. For this particular shot it works. The day that started so frustrating and uninspired turned out unique and very artistic. Up until the last second, you never know where the inspiration and creativity will come from. Today's photo was a lesson.
Day 154
Day 154: My good friend Chuck Starks told me about this renovated warehouse that had hundreds of vintage arcade games and pinball machines that were everywhere. I was supposed to go there this past weekend but our schedules didn't work out. He went anyways and he was telling me how amazing it was so I thought it would be a great place to try and get the shot. We scheduled a day during the week so it would be less crowded. The moment I walked in I was thinking "Oh this is a photographers dream!" We walked around the venue and checked it out. The lighting was very dark but with the colors and lights coming off the machine it was great. It was difficult the way the lighting was but it was a good challenge. When Chuck first told me about the place he said the pinball machines were lined up along the entire wall and I immediately envisioned this shot. I wanted to get him playing but without anyone in the background. It was a lot more crowded than we expected so we had to wait a while for people to finish their game. They had these cool beer holder stands so I wanted to incorporate that on the far corner so if you look it was there but didn't take away from the full image, it just added to the photo in a subtle way. We took quite a few just to be safe since I didn't know how it would translate from my camera to my computer. At the end, the shot turned out exactly how I imagined. It was a fun shot. I love directing. It's one of those shots that I'll remember forever.
Day 155
Day 155: Chuck texted me again today and told me there was a show at the original Basement. It's one of my favorite music venues because it's so small and intimate. I shot there multiple times for my last project "52 Weeks of Music City". It's a venue where I fell in love with the staff and the people. Because of the pandemic they were closed for about a year and a half. At this point I hadn't seen them in so long and when I first walked up to get a beer the bartender Jared said "Mark! It's great to see you! We don't have bud light right now." That's how well he knew me and it was like time didn't pass. We talked for a bit and caught up on the year we all just had. It was a very comforting feeling to know "I'm home!" Today was the first official day I had been back to the basement music since it had reopened. This particular show was outside in their parking lot. They are starting to do outside shows every Friday and today was the first one. I thought I'd go and get some shots since live music photography is my niche. As I walked through the venue I ran into so many people I hadn't seen in over a year and it felt great to be able to hug people again. I watched the first set and when the second band came on I decided to get to work and take some shots. I didn't take too many. I have shot so many shows in the past I get this feeling of knowing when I got the shot I wanted. It felt like normal again and it was a sign of things to come as we approach the old normal. There will most likely be a lot of live music shots to come as musicians have had over a year to write and create so I know everyone is eager to get their new material out. And it is Nashville, so the expectations are high.
Day 156
Day 156: Every year Sylvan Park hosts a yard olympics with the whole block. It's quite the event where they have game set up in different yards of the block and there is a huge trophy to the winners. It gets very competitive and as the day goes on the trash talking gets louder. The event didn't happen last year because of the pandemic so people naturally showed up this year to make up for lost time. It's such a beautiful event as all the neighbors get together to have a day full of fun and games and it really shows the community and how close they are. It reminds me of the old days where entire neighborhoods would get together as and grill out and everyone knows everyone. This is in my good friend Bart's neighborhood and he invites me every year. I never participate in the games but it's fun to go and watch and talk to everyone. During half time they have a huge game of 28 vs 28 flip cup and Bart suggested getting a picture for it. Before the game everyone cheers and when that happened I started shooting. I got a lot of great pictures of the game in progress but I chose this shot because it shows the sportsmanship and how much fun everyone is having. The level of competitiveness for a simple game was at an extreme high. It's moments like these that I love capturing so we will always remember the good times.
Day 157
Day 157: My friend Pepper needed to go to Costco to pick up a large item and she asked me to go to help. I thought I'd bring my camera just in case I saw something on the way there or on the way back. We went in and I got some groceries and then we started heading home. I had a few ideas that I liked, but nothing unique. As we were driving home I saw this building for a split second and then it was gone (since it was between other buildings and only visible for a brief moment). This is in West Nashville way down Charlotte and as often as I had been to this area it was the first time I've recognized it since it's a little hidden. I'm not too sure if it's an office building, an old replica, or an original cabin. I thought it looked really cool and it was interesting how it was positioned in a roundabout in a shopping center. When I got home I did a little research to find out it was a replica in honor of James Robertson's wife Charlotte (in which Charlotte Pike was named after). Even thought it was a replica it was a pretty cool looking cabin with great historic value as I had never known in my many years in Nashville. This photo is another example of not knowing what to expect and it's almost poetic how you will find it when you're not looking for it.
Day 158
Day 158: I had visited this bridge downtown multiple times. It's never more beautiful than at night. When there are specific events in the world Nashville reacts to it and shows it's support. When Prince died they made the lights blue. When France went suffered a terrorist attack in 2015 we lit the bridge in their colors to show their support that even though we are very far apart, we are still together and in mourn together. That is what this city represents. It's love in all ways. If someone has a tragic experience, even if it's our far neighbor across the world, we feel the pain as well. I actually took this shot already, but had to come back to it. It was taken at an earlier day during this project but I saw something very unique that couldn't be recaptured so I decided to come back to this at a later time. The way the lights reflect off the river is always such a beautiful thing and you can lose a lot of time getting caught up in the moment of this view. I'm still trying to get better at night photography. I was really focused on making the dark areas as black as possible to put more focus on the lights and the reflection on the river. It's getting better but I'm still not quite there, I have a lot more to learn.
Day 159
Day 159: When I went with my friend Pepper to go to Costco and took the photo of the cabin we walked around and I saw this tunnel that led to this guitar on the other end with vines hanging down the other side. There was a lot of graffiti on the walls and it was very dark. This is a shot that looks pretty normal and nothing too complicated. But in reality it was a very difficult shot. It was very bright outside and the tunnel was dark. I wanted to shoot this how I saw it with my eyes. I wanted to show the wear on the walls but also the guitar as the main focus. It's difficult because to get the guitar at the levels that I wanted I needed to adjust everything lower because of the brightness, but then the tunnel would be completely dark. When you were there you could see it normally but on the camera the functions don't work the same. When I adjusted the camera for the tunnel's darkness, the guitar would almost be faded and over exposed. So it took a specific setting for each of the main components. I set the ISO pretty low and the aperture was higher with a medium shutter speed. I wanted the ISO low to bring the outside light down and the aperture was high to compensate for the low ISO making it brighter. I feel as if this turned out as close to what the eye could see as I could make it.
Day 160
Day 160: My friend Ray had came down a few months ago and we shot the large building from the base of the building looking up. When we parked I noticed the "EAST" sign painted on the side of a parking garage right in the beginning of East Nashville. This is a very well known structure since it's right off the highway. I was definitely wanting to include it at some point but I had never seen an angle that was good. When I went to take the earlier shot with Ray we walked by this street and I knew that was the angle. I loved how the buildings surrounded it and it's right in the middle. It was a pretty rainy day and it had just started to quit so I decided to revisit this location. I took some shots without any cars but I wanted to include them to show how busy Nashville is. I felt like it added to the shot so there would be no whitespace on the street. I was going to get right in the middle of the street but the angle wouldn't have been centered with the EAST painting in between the buildings. It ended up just as I imagined.
Day 161
Day 161: I was doing some yard work and I noticed these wild flowers coming out from the side of my fence. I thought it was a great shot to get so after I was finished I went outside to take the shot. I was going to get rid of the trash around it but I wanted to get it as it was. The neighborhood I live in is very rough and has a lot of crime. I hate saying it, but it's true, it's a low income neighborhood. People throw trash out of their cars all the time. I see it on a weekly basis. It's pretty frustrating since I live at the end of the street where all the trash blows into my yard. But more frustrating than that is the neglect of littering without caring about how our community looks and the effects it has on our environment. The composition of this photo was good with all factors considered. I took a few shots but this was the last one as I got very low down and had just a bit of the sky in the top. The cup is broken at the bottom so it's obvious it had been outside for quite some time. I thought it was interesting how some of the flowers were dead and how the dead part overlapped the litter. But we should all do more and be better. Doing the right thing shouldn't be celebrated, it should just happen. It should be a way of life.
Day 162
Day 162: Last night my good friend Matthew came over to hang out and share a few drinks. He had been quarantining for over a year throughout the pandemic not seeing anyone so it had been a very long time since we had seen each other face to face. We sat on my front patio and talked about the crazy year and all that we had missed and each other's experience. Eventually we got hungry and went to eat and then came back to my house for a few more drinks and to listen to music. Matthew does music for a living so I thought it would be fun to jam out and write a little. I switched back and forth from guitar and the djembe since I was extremely rusty. We played late into the night and I was so exhausted I went to bed without really cleaning up. I came down for work this morning and saw the guitars laid out over the couch and it was a reminder of the fun we had jamming. It was a reminder that I need to pick up an instrument every once in a while. Photo wise, I loved the detail of this shot and how clear it came out. I say this a lot but I really try to make it come out as I see with my own eyes. The composition was natural and interesting because you know something fun happened, but was it good or trash? When I walked down it just felt like a comfortable environment which is what inspired me to take this shot.
Day 163
Day 163: I had to take my friend Bart to Percy Priest and I hadn't taken a shot yet so I thought I'd bring my camera and see what I could capture. I knew I would be able to get something with the lake. I dropped him off and I was thinking of where to take it. I saw this new dock that was being under construction so I walked by it. I really fell in love with the lines of the horizontal and vertical going against each other. I got down really low to take this to show a more dramatic view and I specifically liked the walls in the background and how they spiked up separate from the line of vision of the dock leading to it. I feel like they were contradicting in a way, but it made sense and added to the background. I wanted the center point to be in the center of the shot as well. I feel like it's more visually pleasant and love how the rails get smaller the further away. It's a very mathematical shot in a way. It wasn't what I was initially trying to capture but it was outside of the box and a way where I could get creative from a simple boring shot and make it interesting.
Day 164
Day 164: Today was another day where I wasn't feeling particularly well and spent a good portion of the day relaxing physically and mentally. Those days don't happen often but are very good to have from time to time. I wasn't very productive. I actually took a nap for a few hours which hasn't happened in many years. I've fallen asleep on the couch, but never with the intention of resting. I woke up and felt a lot better so I decided to work out and make a little food. My friend Cherith texted me and asked if I wanted to go to this DJ that was playing near downtown. I hadn't taken a shot so I thought it would be a good opportunity to get something different and hang out for a bit. I had been there before so I wasn't really sure what I would get and if it would be at this location. I walked in and met with a bunch of friends and started listening to the music and then noticed this very green background against the glass windows where the DJ was playing and I felt like I should take it while the sun was still hitting the window. It was a very dark atmosphere so it was great practice shooting in low light. I was going to get a little closer but when I was further back the light fixture was positioned perfectly so I decided to stay back. It was a pretty unique environment with a lot of challenges surrounding so I went with it.
Day 165
Day 165: I had to go to Huntingdon today to help Bart with some house projects. I starting driving there right after work so I didn't have time to get my shot before I left. I knew I'd be able to capture something. I was almost to his house and I saw this field on the side of a road and it was full of wild flowers. I thought immediately to stop and there were so many options. I took a few because in this case it's always good to have a few different angles. I saw these three tall flowers standing by themselves so I caught that a few times. When I went back to look at them I kept landing on these three wild flowers and I thought I was doing that for a reason so I went with this shot. The composition was great. Looking back, I should have set the aperture a lot lowers so they would all equally be in focus. It was really hard to tell from the small screen and the light shining so aggressively. But that's just an excuse for my failure. In reality, I should have KNOWN to have my aperture set lower. I've had a lot of people tell my I'm an "amazing" photographer and I'm a "professional" photographer. Amazing-professionals don't make this simple mistakes of the fundamentals and then make excuses for not being able to see the mistakes on a small screen. They would know what the setting should be without looking at the shot on a big screen. This is a very mathematical and calculated measurement that should have been known. I have a lot more to learn and I am on my way to being better and more professional, but very far away. I want to look at the shot in it's environment and know specifically what to do. There's nothing professional about trial and error.
Day 166
Day 166: I was still in Huntingdon and just finished the work day. I helped Bart finish a project we started yesterday and we called it for the day since I had to head back to Nashville. I wanted to get this shot at some point because I really liked the old door with the old fashion key hole. This house is over a hundred years old and has so much character and a lot of the old backbone to the house. It shows the age of the house with the old technology of the lock that is inside the house. The faded color and old door knob, but specifically the keyhole, is what drew me to this shot. It is very simple but the details are great. The texture on the plate is very warn and the shape of it was unique since you don't see that type of door knob in modern houses. It was a bit challenging since it was very close to the other side of the wall and I had a 200mm lens, so I had to be as far back as possible to be in the focal range. I was thinking about zooming out a little wider but I thought going close and sharp gave a lot more attention to the keyhole which is the main draw of this shot so I decided to kept it tight.
Day 167
Day 167: It was another very busy day at work today. I had to stay online a little longer, then when I got done I had to mow my lawn and go to the grocery store. I was having a bunch of friends over for our dinner night. Once a month we have dinner nights at my house and they are all different themes. Mexican, Italian, and tonight was tapas. I was preparing some bread and it was naturally like this, I didn't reposition anything. I hadn't taken a picture yet and I thought this looked really cool with the angle and the color of the bread. I liked how the bread knife laid and the end piece by itself on the side. It was a quick snap and I wanted to incorporate the dinner event somehow so I thought this was the worst case scenario. But as I looked at it I really liked it and thought that was the one. As soon as I put my camera up people started coming in so I took it in good timing. As the night went on I was looking for different things to take but I didn't even get my camera back out with this image still in my head. Simple is good.
Day 168
Day 168: It was another busy day at work. That seems to be a theme lately. Right after work we had a team happy hour that a partner threw for us. They are really fun events and this is the first one we had face to face in more than a year and a half. It was really great seeing all the faces and the new faces from the new hires. We were out in Cool Springs and the night ended a little later than I expected. I walked up to my house and the solar lamps had turned on and were fully lit. I thought that this would be a great time to get some practice with night photography. The composition is always important. But the first thing I look at is the exposure. How high should the ISO be and you have to be careful with the shutter speed if you aren't using a tripod. Once I have the settings where I want then I put some time on focusing on the composition. I actually took it out of the ground to make it higher so you wouldn't see any of the fence. And I looked at the lights to the left in the church parking lot and I wanted to have those even with the lamp. That's why I had to make it a little higher. But I didn't want any of the background light to overlap the lamp. I was thinking of the rules of thirds as well which is why I positioned the lamp further right. It was another simple, but well organized shot with proper planning.
Day 169
Day 169: I went back to the same location that I had visited a few times before. I got three very different shots in the same location. One was the large building looking up from the bottom, then the EAST sign in the middle of the street from a distance. And when I took that shot I was by these stairs and decided to explore and found this statue of soldiers. This area is a memorial and also has a veteran office. There are different statues through out this area. I feel Nashville always does a great job recognizing it's history. I was thinking about going in one direction but I remembered this spot and wanted to capture it. I wanted to zoom in to get the detail of the statue and the different shades of green. I went as much as I could to get the rock they were on so it would fill the frame as much as possible. It reminded me of the old toy soldiers I used to play with as a kid. It was a pretty quick shot in a hidden place of Nashville that I had never been. This project has been great for discovering pieces of history that I would have never otherwise discovered.
Day 170
Day 170: I went to East Nashville to go to an antique store with my friend Bart. He needed a ride to his car and told me about this shop that had some cool stuff so I thought we could take a long detour to East Nashville and I'd bring my camera in case I saw anything. After we left the shop we were driving around and I saw this abandoned building covered in graffiti so I decided to stop. I wasn't crazy about it but thought I would try. When I got out of my Jeep I noticed the back of the building that was covered as well and it was a much better wall art then the other wall so I was happy I stopped. This was a loading dock that hadn't been used in quite some time. You can tell by the age of the dirty brick, covered graffiti, dirt on the drive way, grass growing through the concrete, and the rust on the rails. There was a random mattress on the left side. I thought the empty space with the dirt was great since it put a lot of focus on the graffiti. I was going to zoom out a bit more to get some of the roof of the building but I felt like it would take away too much of the art and I wanted to be focused on that. It was a shot that is pretty simple, but took some thought to capture it in a way that it would bring out the graffiti the most.
Day 171
Day 171: I was goin to get gas and I brought my camera so I could ride around and look for a shot and I looked up and saw this sign. This is on the corner of Jefferson and Rosa Parks. It's not a good area of town and there are a bunch of homeless people in this area. I love this sign because it's a reminder of the sacrifice Jesus suffered for us. It's a very busy intersection and it's a nice subtle message when we are so busy getting from point A to point B. I get so caught up in what I do with all these projects and the day to day grind that it's good to take time to slow down a little and reflect on what's important. Taking a picture every day isn't just about taking a picture every day. There's a lot more to it than that. In the past I put so much emphasis on what other people thought of my art and the critics came hard. I was so focused on who is going to like it and what a shot would do for my career. It's hard not to put so much into something and ignore the harsh critics. Unfortunately, if you listen, you lose your passion and eventually you start to hate it. If that happens to you then you're in a bad place. I'm fortunate to have found my love and passion for art again and it has saved me mentally.
Day 172
Day 172: I finished the work day and took my camera down to Marathon Music Works. I know there is so much amazing subjects to shoot there. I was outside where some construction was going on and to the side I saw this large object (I have no idea what it was) but the red color made me come closer and the round wheels and rust all over really intrigued me. I loved all the detail and everything going on in this shot. I originally stood back a little further to get the whole object in one shot but I felt like I would lose too much of the detail so I stayed close to get a tighter shot. I was also going to go directly in the middle to get the round symmetrical composition but I felt to the side was a better angle to really capture more of the depth with the axle coming out. When I edited this photo I decided to leave the color as natural as possible. I didn't want to alter too much. The age was apparent so there was no need to fade out the color to a duller tint.
Day 173
Day 173: I had plans with my good friend Chuck to go to a new spot near me. This is a really cool new spot that has bowling alleys and is right next to the Sounds Stadium. I haven't been, but I've seen pictures and I knew I'd be able to get something there. So that was my plan. I was having an afternoon beer on my balcony listening to music and the enormous crow came up. I thought it was worth it to try and get a shot. If it didn't work then it didn't work. Most of the time when that happens the moment is gone by the time I return with my camera. I got back outside and the crow was still there. This looks like such a peaceful photo. It is in fact not. These two birds were sitting on the power line and fighting with each other. The crow was making crazy bird calls and the smaller bird would go up and attack the crow. I took a few shots of them on the power line but then they flew off. I love the composition of this photo and it was taken at the right moment with the wings expanded. But it was a bit out of focus. I only wish the moment hadn't gone so quickly. There are no reshoots in nature, so you always have to be prepared.
Day 174
Day 174: I think this might be the most important picture I've ever taken. There is so much to say about it. At first it looks pretty simple and interesting. I was taking a break from work and making breakfast. I had one egg left so when I went to the grocery store the other day I knew to buy more. I had one white egg left and the eggs I bought were brown. I cracked open one of each and was curious if I'd be able to tell any difference. I could not. I immediately thought about everything going on in this world and this past year we all shared together. I have never seen our country so divided. And then all we do is point fingers on whose fault it is. When you break the eggs and see what's inside you have no idea which is which. It's really as simple as that and if you try to make it more complicated then I feel that's unfortunate. We are not all the same. And we come from different backgrounds and different circumstances that are uncontrollable. But we all have a heart. When I took this shot I took it on my counter and said to myself "Ok, that's good. I think I got it." Key word: "Think". And then I told myself, this is a really important message, and I owe it to everyone to make it as good as I can. I got my light box out and set it up with the black background to really make everything stand out. I felt better about the shot. But it wasn't there. I actually decided to turn the light off completely so there was no reflection, but also keep the eggs in the box to get rid of outside light because of shadows. I took a few more shots and that was it. I captured it exactly how I wanted and was very pleased with the results. I'm starting to feel like a photographer. I'm starting to feel like a journalist. But the only thing that matters is what's in the bowl.
Day 175
Day 175: I had to go to East Nashville to take some photos of my friend Bryan and Kiki's house so they could post pictures to rent it out. We took some photos and sat around and talked for a moment. They have an amazing back yard with flowers planted in every area and they have bamboo growing all across the back fence. I took a few shots but I came back to this particular one. I thought it was interesting how they were slanted at an angle instead of standing up straight. I was very drawn to the texture of the flower and the deep purple color. I wanted to get them all in focus so I raised the aperture higher as well as the ISO to compensate for the darkness and about a little less than medium shutter speed to avoid blurriness. I felt the composition was great with the angles and how close I got. I wanted the flower to be the center of attention so I couldn't zoom out too much since they would lose the power and be drained out if the shot was too wide. I kept the color the same primarily. I didn't feel like it needed to be enhanced that much.
Day 176
Day 176: I woke up very early randomly to go to the bathroom. I looked outside and the moon was so bright and the clouds covered the sky. It looked really cool. I have this thing where I'm trying to get these difficult low light shots to come out how we see them with our own eyes. It's very difficult to do, especially when you're half asleep. It looked very neat the way the clouds were lit up from the moon. But the moon was so bright that I couldn't get the texture of it, otherwise the clouds would be dark and unnoticeable. When I tried taking that shot it pretty much looked like a clear dark sky. I had to compromise a little because the main draw here was the clouds and the texture of them. So the moon was a little brighter then I wanted, but the clouds were an important focus point. I really liked the color of the reflection and how it starts with a hint of blue and the further away it got a little red where the details of the texture in the clouds came out a lot more.
Day 177
Day 177: I'm ok. Last night was a pretty traumatic event. I had some friends over to grill out burgers and we were hanging out on my front patio. I kid around 13 years old came up and asked for money. I said I didn't have any and left and came back a minute later asking again. I really didn't have any cash. He pulled a gun out, cocked it, and pointed it at my head and said "How about now?" He told me to give him my wallet and everyone who was with me and said he'd shoot everyone. I handed him my wallet over the fence locking eyes with his and the second I saw his eyes focus on grabbing my wallet I reached through the fence to grab the gun. As I was pulling it away it went off and the bullet went in the ground. He ran off and I called the police to file a report. I took this photo today for reflection of what happened. It was scary and nerve racking but I am still here. It's hard to focus and hard to carry on this project when something like that happens. But I have to be strong and continue. I took time to reflect and chose to surround myself with loving people in my life and that is a huge factor of me being able to carry on. I love you all.
Day 178
Day 178: I really needed to get out of my house today. I just wasn't feeling very comfortable. I have such amazing people in my life who always want to be there for me. I went with Chuck, Pepper, and Matt to go to Greenhouse. It's a restaurant inside a huge greenhouse that has plants all over the place. It's one of the most unique places in Nashville. I was hanging out with Chuck the day before and he took a really interesting picture of his beer zoomed in very close. It inspired me to think outside the box a little and to get some tighter images. I took a picture of this cactus and at first it was a wider shot where you could see most of the room, but when I zoomed in it put so much more focus on the cactus. I was particularly trying to get the new leaves that were sprouting out. As I was taking this shot I was incredibly focused on the rule of thirds. I think shots like this should have a lot of depth to put the focus on the subject, making it stand out more and making it more prominent and powerful.
Day 179
Day 179: I needed a little more time away from my house. I got a little bit of stuff done around my house but was still uncomfortable. I ended up going to Chuck's house for one more night away. I needed some place I knew was safe and relaxing and some place that brought me to a happy place. His place has always done that for me and created a very zen environment emotionally. It's great company, amazing conversations, and something I've always treasured. I hadn't taken my shot yet so I brought my camera. He is redoing his pool liner, so his pool is empty at the moment. We hang out in his back yard pretty regularly. It's just so beautiful the way he has it set up. Incredibly fun and inviting. It's what I needed. I thought it would be a cool perspective to get in the pool and take a picture of it while it's empty. For some reason I've always been fascinated with empty pools. I was originally going to take the shot from the middle of the pool but the linter was still in half the pool and with the sun it really drowned out the majority of the frame since it was so loud. I decided to go closer to the side of the wall to show the vanishing point going into the distance.
Day 180
Day 180: I woke up, made some coffee, and talked to Chuck for a bit since he was already up. I needed just one more day to mentally take care of myself before working. It has been really hard to focus on things but I know that will change soon with the appropriate time given. One of the things Chuck always told me was to be in the moment and when you are feeling this, FEEL it. It's not healthy to keep things in and we need to recognize where we are at so we can accurately find a solution. We talked for a bit and I was in his kitchen and noticed this huge round Edison light bulb. I thought immediately that would be a great shot. I wanted to zoom in pretty close to get the coil. I was originally going to get the whole bulb but I specifically wanted more emphasis on the actual coil. I zoomed in as much as I could, any closer and I would be out of focal range. I had to adjust the settings since the background was so dark and really just the light was there, but it was fairly dim but not dim enough where it worked in my favor. It was still bright so the settings had to be just right. I wanted the details of the coil, but if it's too dark the bulb gets lost. I was thinking of the rules of thirds during this photo, and it turned out the way I saw it. It was a success.
Day 181
Day 181: I worked today and had a pretty hectic day from being out. It felt nice to start to get back into my routine. I stayed at my place last night and slept amazing. I feel I just need to start continuing my life as much as normal and reach out to the amazing close people around me for support when needed. Pepper lives right down the road from me and she needed help moving a large rug and installing some doorbell cameras. I went over there after work and we got everything done. We were hanging out having a few beers and I saw this wine rack her brother in law made for her. I thought it was hilarious and I brought my camera since I hadn't taken a shot yet. I saw these wine corks and thought it would add a little to the photo. It was a pretty quick fun shot that led to some much needed laughter. Starting to feel normal again.
Day 182
Day 182: My parents needed to come to Nashville so my dad could renew his passport. He's not a US citizen so he had to go to a specific office and the closest one to him was in Nashville. They arrived right as I was ending the work day. I have a tradition with my dad where we have a few beers before dinner and talk and catch up and laugh and joke. I sliced up some oranges to put in our beer and I realized I hadn't taken my picture yet. I thought the color was great and it was a good simple shot. As I was taking it they did the best photobomb ever. I took a few and then started laughing and said "Y'all know this is going to be my shot for today!" We continued the night laughing and talking about everything going on. This picture is a perfect representation of the time we spend together. Goofing off and having a blast being together. It was, again, a much needed time that was fulfilling and comfortable. It's probably the image that makes me happiest.
Day 183
Day 183: My mom has been an inspiration my entire life. She is the most important person in my life. I don't know anyone more loving and caring as her. She is such an amazing artist and has built a very impressive career for her business doing her passion and blessing people with her gift. A while back I told her about my project I was doing this year and she decided to do something similar but painting a different piece of art every day. It's definitely a lot more time consuming than my project, as my dad so quickly confirmed. And it is. But to see her develop and learn as much as she has when I thought she already was perfect was a fun thing to see. Her art is definitely developing and she is on her way to mastering her craft. When we first started doing this we talked a lot about the project (and we still do) and I had a thought to get a picture of her painting and one of her paintings can be of me taking a picture of her. It seemed so relevant since we both inspire each other and push each other, probably more this year than ever before. Below is the painting she did of me. Probably her best one yet!
Day 184
Day 184: I had a pretty relaxing Friday afternoon. I went to a show with Chuck and then we came back to my house to have a few beers on my balcony. We do this a lot instead of going out and spending money. We have better conversations without distractions in a more relaxing environment. I had to take Bart to the lake and Chuck lives on the way home so I thought I'd stop by on my way home. When I got there he wanted to go to a restaurant as it was approaching 2:30 and he hadn't eaten yet. I hadn't taken my picture so I brought it with me. This is a dark hole in the wall type place a little further out from downtown. They had this long shuffle board table and there is sand all over it. I saw it with the light reflecting and the sand really stood out. I like the different shades of the sand on each side of the table. Where it's dark, the sand looks white and normal. But in the reflection of the sun it looks black. This was a really dark environment so I had an opportunity to really take my time and get it right where it would look like what I saw with my own eyes. I wanted to get low to the table to give the perspective of the shuffle pucks and the make the vantage point more dramatic. I'm getting better at low light and it's starting to turn out how I imagine. Practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.
Day 185
Day 185: It's been a nice quiet weekend. Sometimes that's how I like it. Today is 4th of July. It's one of my favorite holidays. I typically have a party where we grill out but I wasn't really comfortable having that many people over just yet, I need a little more time. I didn't have any plans. I couldn't make a decision. I'm typically pretty go with the flow so if something came up I'd just make decisions as they come. My friend Irina was going downtown with some friends so I knew I'd be able to get some shots, and was specifically hoping to get a good shot of the fireworks. We were walking around enjoying all the festivities having a few beers at a bar and then walking around to the next. We had this idea to watch the fireworks from the pedestrian bridge but it was so crowded by the time we got there it would have already started, so we decided to stay in the area just off broadway on 1st Ave. We walked down and it was pretty crowded. I saw a small area where we could stand. It was a bit crowded with four of us, but everyone around was welcoming and it worked out perfectly. We were right in front (kind of an asshole move but we did ask if it was ok before and they said yes with a smile). The fireworks started and I made the adjustments. It was set with a lower ISO because I knew once they went off the brightness would be higher. I snapped a lot of shots but knew when to blast and that was this moment when it was all the white fireworks going off all over the sky above the Titans stadium. I sorted through a lot and landed on this one. This was my first attempt at taking photos of a firework show so I'm happy with the results.
Day 186
Day 186: It was a nice long weekend and I was looking to get my shot of the day. I was getting a lot of things done around the house and playing catch up on some business tasks I fell behind on last week. I had let the day slip away a little and lost track of time. It was still sunny out so I knew I had time to still find something. I left my house and saw across the street these bushes with large red flowers on them and they seemed to be in full bloom. I thought I'd give it a try. I was primarily focused on the composition since the background wasn't the best. There were a lot of cars and people in the distance. I zoomed in all the way and got a little lower down and pointed up towards the trees so I wouldn't get any of the background noise and traffic. I took a look and was very happy with the depth of field and how I was able to get only the trees and none of the surrounding houses. I thought the colors really complimented each other and the sun was hitting it at the right angle. I try to capture nature when I see it and throughout this project I have noticed it and appreciated it more than ever before.
Day 187
Day 187: My friend Cherith wanted to go to a show to a small venue so my immediate reaction was "yes" because the live music, I love doing live music photography, and I hadn't taken a picture yet. When I got there I saw the background and instantly knew that would be the shot. It was a really cool atmosphere and the music was very passionate. I took a couple snaps and then sat back down to enjoy the show. I was looking around to see what else there was to shoot and there was definitely a lot going on. They had a pool table and some dart boards and a really long bar. But it was an older spot, not too fancy, and kind of a hole in the wall. Not dirty but not clean. It's 100% my kind of place. This venue hosts original music every Tuesday and it's a nice change of scene. I didn't get this artists name unfortunately but I remember she had great chemistry with her band and was incredibly talented vocally. Someone recently asked me if I'd ever do "52 Weeks of Music City" and my quick response was "Never again!" It was the most time consuming project ever, but I do still miss it. When I take a couple shots like this one it reminds me of the good times and how much I enjoy live music photography.
Day 188
Day 188: It was a long work day. I didn't have anything going on in the afternoon so I was thinking about my shot. I drove around a bit but didn't really see anything that was significant. It was raining and then the sun started to come out. I decided to go to Midtown to have a bushwacker and thought I'd get a simple shot. I thought of this because of the detail of the condensation on the glass. I brought it in just enough so the full straw would be in the frame. I was thinking about the rules of thirds during this shot and having the glass to the side to satisfy that. I also got really low, almost to the table level, but just above. There were neon lights in the back ground so I positioned to where the glass would be in between the lights to add depth to the shot. It looks pretty simple, and it is, but there was a lot of thought that went in to this picture. I was thinking "How do I make this glass look as good as possible? In a way where if someone else just took it, the picture would be very different." It's about working with what you have and how to make it as artistic and photogenic as possible. In order to do that the aperture had to be higher to give the background more depth, and the white balance had to be changed from the heavy red lights. A lot more learning went on which is unseen.
Day 189
Day 189: Today was Pepper's birthday. We went downtown for a few rooftop drinks and I got a couple pictures. I wasn't really satisfied. I had a thought in my head, "Well, at least I got something I can use." Very quickly I discovered I was settling and I can't have that. We were walking to Printers Alley and I noticed the famous sign. It was a night shot which I am still trying to learn more and perfect. I got in the middle of the street after I adjusted my camera and took a few pictures and then I felt good. This was the shot for today. The other ones didn't compare. It's a reminder that I can get something at any moment and inspiration can come very quickly. It's such a good feeling knowing when you get something that took a little longer. I feel this shot was well taken with the dark sky and then the lights everywhere. That is was makes it difficult because you can lose a lot of detail if the settings aren't correct. I love the people walking across the street with the headlights shining on them and I took it right at the moment where they weren't blocking any of the lights. The composition was well timed and I was able to capture the shot.
Day 190
Day 190: It was Friday afternoon and I had plans to meet up with a big group to celebrate my friend getting married. I was getting some work done before meeting up. I was thinking about my shot and nothing really came to mind as that usually happens. It's one of those times where I didn't really want to bring my camera out because I knew we'd be bouncing around. I was thinking really hard in my office. I looked over to the left and saw my 12 string guitar and thought I could do a close up. I decided to leave it as is and not clean it up because the dust added texture to the guitar. Again, I was thinking about the rules of thirds in this shot. I wanted to make it as visually interesting as possible. This wasn't a "take a picture and then post it" kind of day. I brought some lights out and adjusted it to bring as much focus and not have any dark areas. I took some time to think about how close I wanted to get and also positioned myself so it would be directly in front. I took a few snaps, came back to my office to edit. I was getting closer but it wasn't quite there. I repositioned the lights and then took a few more. At that point I was satisfied and went to work on editing. If you look closely enough you can actually see me in the reflection.
Day 191
Day 191: I had a few friends in East Nashville so I decided to head that way in the afternoon. We were going to Rosemary and I had never been there before. I was looking for things to capture on the way and nothing really reached out to me. Usually when I see something I think, "That's interesting, but eh, not really feeling it." I have to get a feeling where I get a passion for it immediately and it almost pulls me closer to it. I was walking to Rosemary and I noticed this mural of Dolly and it drew me closer. She is incredibly beloved in Nashville from her singing to her community involvement to the messages she conveys to people. I had to capture it. When I walked by initially I didn't take the picture because I was running late and I knew I'd be back by it within the hour. I should have taken it then because there were no cars in the parking lot. Of course when I went by later the parking lot was full. There was very little room to move around so I had to switch to a wider lens. It was a frustrating reminder to not procrastinate and to get it done when you can. I was able to capture the entire mural with this lens but I actually decided to go a little tighter on the face because I wanted all the focus to be on that. I love all the art displayed all over Nashville. You have to capture it quick because it does change a lot.
Day 192
Day 192: Greenhouse is a very special place in Nashville. I've never seen a more unique atmosphere. I go there to get away from the noise, but can still enjoy a beer without the loud drunken tourist yelling and making a scene. The vibe is always good. There's always something to shoot there. I could have a whole year of photography at Greenhouse alone. The music is great but not overwhelming and it doesn't overtake the conversation. For the most part the people are locals. Please don't go there. It's not a party spot. I was sitting with Chuck and I saw this cactus and thought it was really cool how it was growing on sideways. I also thought it was interesting how the leave were only growing on the top and not the bottom. I positioned the camera so it would be towards the bottom third but also have the lights hanging in the background. They have a very unique setup with all different wicker lamp shades. I had the aperture pretty low because I wanted there to be an aggressive depth of field.
Day 193
Day 193: I was driving around this afternoon looking for my shot and I felt a little overwhelmed with all the other things I had to get done today. That's what makes this project hard, because it could take 10 minutes, or it could take 3+ hours. I never know. Sometimes things just pop up and it's just interesting. As I was driving down Jefferson I looked to my left and saw this building painted blue with this weird jetpack looking thing. I thought it was so cool and creative that I definitely wanted to capture it. I also loved how the flowers have a wire leading down as the stem. The artist did a great job with keeping this simple which, by this point, you know is what I love. Simplicity is best. It's unique art like this which draws me and is appreciated as I notice it every time I drive by.
Day 194
Day 194: Last time we went to Greenhouse we found out one of our favorite bartender, Lisa, was leaving for good. We decided to go back to visit Lisa on her last day. She's always been so nice and friendly so we always came back to visit her. I told her I was going to include her in this project and she got so excited. Greenhouse can get very busy in waves, and then it has it's dead moments where there is a little downtime. I told her I was going to wait until it slowed down because I didn't want to take away from anyone else's experience. It started to slow down a bit and Lisa asked me where she wanted to take the picture. I told her I thought the spot right in front of the beer taps would be good. I adjusted my camera while she was helping a few people and then it got busy again. So I waited a while longer and I felt like it was starting to quite down again. The Greenhouse lets in a lot of natural light, so when an hour goes by the sun has completely changed and the original settings I had are now irrelevant. I reset my camera since I was going behind the bar to take the shot and I didn't want to waste time since there were people walking back and forth and I was in everyone's way. Lisa did a few fun poses and I took some snaps and it was done pretty quickly. It was a fun little shoot behind the bar of one of my regular spots.
Day 195
Day 195: Pepper needed to run a few errands and I hadn't taken any pictures yet so I decided to tag along. The sun was huge and I thought it would be great to capture it since it looked larger than normal and the sky was so red around it. We start to chase the sunset but every where we went was too crowded to get to or was blocked by a building or trees. Nashville is a very hilly city so it's hard to go to a specific spot unless you are prepared and know exactly what direction and where to be for that specific shot. I knew of a place that was a little more open up where there wouldn't be any buildings or trees, but the problem was by the time we got there the sun was already passed the mountains. We turned around and started driving off and then we realized this huge pile of sand. I thought it looked really cool, especially with the color of the sky in the background. I knew if I took it just right it would be a unique shot that could be anywhere on this Earth. I had a few people asking me where I was. Literally in an enormous parking lot with different piles of sand and rocks all over the place. There were a lot of trees around, but zooming in closer to the top I was able to avoid them and capture the composition I wanted to. I still loved the subtle different colors of the sky, and when I saw that, I knew I got the shot.
Day 196
Day 196: I got off work today and had plans a little later after I got my shot for the day. I had an idea to go to this river in North Nashville because you could get pretty close without anything blocking the view. It's an industrial area of Nashville and I was originally going to get a wider shot. I thought it would be a pretty quick shot since the scenery doesn't change. It was a bit harder than I thought since the sun was so strong and the reflection off the water was so bright. I saw this small boat going down the river from a far distance and I thought it would be really cool to get a shot of it. So I waited for the boat which made the shot take a lot longer than I originally thought. As it got closer I thought it would be great to get the boat right as it passes the reflection of the sun. That made it difficult to plan. When It was far away from the sun it was approaching slowly, and the settings were different as what it would be when it passed the reflection. I had my settings a lot lower and I knew once the boat was in front of me it would be moving quick and I would only have a second to get it right over the shot. I set my camera based on the lighting of the sun's reflection and then followed the boat with my camera as it approached. I snapped away once it went through and when I looked back there was only one good shot where it passed right where I wanted and the settings where right where they were supposed to be. This is a case where you have to know your environment and you have to understand that you won't get a second shot if the first one doesn't work.
Day 197
Day 197: I found myself clueless, yet again, with no direction. I was driving around aimlessly all through Nashville. I got lost a few times, so bad where I had to turn on my GPS. I had driven by this building multiple times, one time specifically with my friend Ray. I somehow kept coming back to this building. There is a lot of symmetry with the thin windows and the doors. I really thought it was cool how they have two different color doors. And the long rectangle at the top that has the damaged concrete added to the mystery of this building. I was wondering what it was and what goes on there. You can make up stories of what this building does and who occupies it and wether or not it's legit. I have no idea what it is, but it's fun to imagine. It was a very bright day which I love because you can set the ISO very low giving a sharper shot. I love the things I talked about in this picture but this one in particular was more about the mystery of what it is. Let your imagination run with it!
Day 198
Day 198: I've taken some photos for this project that were pretty far away. Houston, North Caroline, etc. But these were places I've visited and had to take a shot there to complete the project. This particular shot is the furthest I've travelled to get a shot for this project. This was the only reason why I was here, for the goal to get this picture for this project. I drove 3 hours to my friend Dustin's farm. He has this field full of sunflowers that he planted and I told him I wanted to include it in this project. He said it had to be this weekend because they are in full bloom and won't be here much longer. I had to adjust my schedule a bit but we made it happen. I drove down and we rode horses for a few hours and waited to get this when the sun was setting. It was another hard shot to get with the sun in the background and making everything else dark. I waited over an hour for the sun to set more so it would not be as harsh. I was thinking to get up close at a few of them to get the details of the yellow leaves, but then I thought it was more powerful to get the full view. I stepped back a few feet and when the moment was right I got it. The composition was well planned, as I had over an hour to plan it. I wanted to get the trees on the hill in the background and I wanted the sunflowers to be divided right in the middle. It felt like a long wait, but the wait was worth it. More shots to come from this location in the future.
Day 199
Day 199: Today was supposed to be a fun day and I had a lot of plans but they all got cancelled from the rain. During the day it seemed ok and like nothing was gonna happen, but then out of nowhere, it came. That's pretty typical for Nashville weather. It was raining so hard I cancelled my backup plans. I wasn't going out in this weather with expensive gear. There wouldn't be anything I could really capture (that I'm aware of). But I do love a good rain storm. I sat on my patio thinking of what I could get and I saw on my front steps the rain was pouring so hard creating cool looking splashes. So I decided to run in and get my camera. I took some photos that I really likes, adjusting the settings just right. I had to have a fast shutter speed to see the rain drop splashes come back up. The only thing I wish I had done was to get level with the water so I could really see the splash more clearly. It gets a little lost from the higher angle I took. But it did give me an idea for a future shot. I will definitely have another try to capture exactly what I anticipated in my mind.
Day 200
Day 200: It was a bit of a gloomy day today. I didn't really have any plans and I didn't really know what to do. My friend Steph asked me to come over and then we could drive around, hoping that the rain wouldn't come. She told me about this old building that had been in Nashville since she was a kid. Belle Meade is a very nice subdivision of Nashville. This building used to be a movie theater and then (I believe) it was a library and then a grocery store. Now it's vacant and has been for quite some time. But it's very old fashion and unique. I wanted to fade out the color a bit to give it the age of the building. It's part of Nashville's charm and takes you back decades. It's a similar type of charm to the earlier shot I did with the old motel sign. I love that old things are still here and relevant. But unfortunately that is changing very quickly. People are starting to care less. Wait a minute, let me correct myself. New people who have a shit ton of money are moving here (specifically from New York and California) and they couldn't care less. The only thing they care about is making money, even if it's tearing down Exit/In or other places that holds Nashville's heart and soul. This is such an amazing building and it should last.
Day 201
Day 201: I was on a schedule today. I had to go downtown to a show around 6:30 and I was working until about 4:30. I had to get a few things done around my house but I had to go get my shot of the day. That's what was most important. I hate saying this (because I hate this term so much) but this was one of the shots that was "in my back pocket". I knew I was going to take it at some point and I knew it would be a great shot and I knew exactly where it was and how to access it so I knew it would be a quick shot. I went down to Marathon Village and this is where this staircase is located. I've been up and down this stair case many times. There are large rooms where they host multiple events/parties/weddings. I shot a few videos here as well. But as many times as I've walked on this stair case, I wouldn't have thought to capture it if I hadn't done an album cover for an artist. He was sitting on the middle of the staircase and that's how I knew to come here. It's a very unique place, over to the right is a room with all these very old classic automobiles. This area used to be a car manufacturer and they have a lot of the old tools and equipment still on display. That is an old gas pump to the left of the stair case. This is a very old and historic part of Nashville. Instead of tearing it down they decided to renovate it and put it to use. It is now an office, the majority of it has souvenir shops and a big part of it is a large music venue, Marathon Music Works. There are a lot of memories in this building, and I hope they last.
Day 202
Day 202: It was a pretty relaxing day at work. Fairly quiet and uneventful. After work I had to get a lot of stuff done and by the time I was ready to go get my shot the sun was setting and it was approaching 7pm. It was a bit of a weird day since there was a huge fire going on in California and apparently we were on an air quality alert since the smoke from the fires had made its way to Nashville. So it was very smoggy feeling and not very clear like it normally is. I thought I'd try to go to Love Circle to see if it was anything worth capturing. There is a perfect view at the top of this hill and it's surrounded by trees and people go there to sit around and talk and enjoy being outside. I did get a shot of downtown that I liked very much, but I knew with the conditions it would be better to save for another day. I looked around to see if I could get anything else and from the opposite angle I saw these two large cranes that looked like they were in the middle of nowhere. The sun was at perfect height and the color was amazing and the way the mountains looked in the background was really amazing. But the detail that came from the crane and how you could see all the wires is what I loved. The composition was important to me in this shot.
Day 203
Day 203: I was done with the day and I was enjoying an ice cold beer on my balcony on this 90 degree sunny day. I was talking to my mom and she asked what all the noise was in the background. I said there was some kind of fire and multiple fire trucks and ambulances were driving right by my house. Then this news helicopter came out and was getting quite low. I was about to leave my house to get my photo of the day but then my mom called so I thought I'd wait since there was still a lot of day left. And when this helicopter came so close I knew that wouldn't happen again and it was really cool. I got my camera and started shooting. I've talked a lot about settings during this project. This one is specifically important. You have to have an idea in your head first, before you shoot anything. You can't set the camera and think "Oh damn, that's not what I wanted, let me tweek this." Because then the moment could be gone. You don't always get a second shot in this industry. I knew I wanted to get the helicopter blades in the moving motion so the settings were all adjusted around the shutter speed. If it was too quick then it would be a still blade that looked like it wasn't moving. If it's too slow then the entire shot would be blurry. It took a few tries, so I'm not quite where I want to be, but getting there.
Day 204
Day 204: After work I had to meet up with a friend to get a specific lens for a shoot that I have coming up. We decided to meet in Midtown and it was Friday so we decided to have a few beers on the patio. The plan was to walk around after and look for a shot for the day, together. Our friend Meryl came as well and we all sat around talking for a few hours. I went inside to get a beer and when I came out she was isolated in a different section of the patio talking on the phone. The way her posture was and her entire vibe was so funny, relaxing, and chill. She was in her element and didn't care what anyone thought. She was comfortable. When Meryl first walked up I mentioned how much I loved her shirt, the Ramones is my favorite punk band and I grew up listening to them. The holes in the jeans, the sun glasses, feet propped up. When I see something like this and it just clicks and resonates with me I don't hesitate. I've had people say "Nope, I'm not going to be a part of this" which is fine, I just say "Ok, just trust me." I ALWAYS get their approval to post the shot before because I don't want to post something forever that someone doesn't like. But I've never been turned down (so far). Meryl was a bit hesitant for a second but went with it. I showed her the shot and she loved it. So the days work was done and I got to relax knowing I was done. If I have a shot to take I really try not to think about it and relax, but (if you know me) I can't relax. It's not fun for me. I won't stop thinking about it. And when I do get the shot there is a sudden mental freedom for the rest of that day.
Day 205
Day 205: Today was the perfect day. I had known exactly what I was going to shoot and I knew when I would be able to shoot it. So I was able to relax all day without the stress of finding a subject and I got some work done, watched some of the Olympics, talked to my brother, etc. I saw the moon a few days ago and it was huge just over the city with the sun going down at the right moment where it was red. It almost looked full so I looked it up and apparently it was going to be a full moon a few days later (today) and at 100% illumination. When I first saw the moon I didn't have my friends 400mm lens so that's why I decided to wait until it was the full moon. It was around 7:30pm so I thought to myself, "I just gotta be home by 7ish and then get the shot and then I have the whole night to do whatever I want!" I go outside on my balcony to have a beer and I'm looking for the moon and I can't see it anywhere. I thought it was early so that's probably why. No biggie, I'm sure it'll pop up in an hour. I'm looking at it's just after 8 and I still don't see the moon. I go downstairs to watch some more of the Olympics for a while. I know things can pop up at any moment so I wasn't freaking out yet. It's was now 9 and I'm thinking, this was weird because it was nowhere in sight. I started getting a few shots of the city as a backup because I really didn't know if I'd get it or not. My friend Jay called and he came over to hang out with me on my balcony. We were talking, listening to music and at this point it's 10pm. Just as I look over the city, there it is. As huge and as illuminated as it could be. I already had all the settings correct and the camera was ready to go. I took multiple just in case. The camera was on a tripod but it's still a 400mm lens, so the slightest moment and the shot is wasted. I got some great shots with the moon over the city but this was the main one I was trying to capture. I was beyond ecstatic when I saw that huge globe coming over Nashville. I didn't get to do anything after since it was so late, but it was a perfect night.
Day 206
Day 206: I still had my friend, Baker's, lens. Yesterday the shot was taking longer to get and I captured a few that I really liked with the lens. I knew I had to give Baker his lens back so I decided to put it to use one more time. I saw this angle of all the power lines and I thought it was really "busy" looking with all the poles. Almost to an uncomfortable level. But I really liked it and decided to try to get it when the day was strong so I could get some of the shadows and texture of the poles. I liked the depth of the hills in the background and the poles as they get smaller in the distance. Their is a mixture of colors with the different shades of green and the metal poles verse the wooden, and then some of the wooden poles have different colors. It's a very industrial neighborhood with a lot of near by factories. It's one of those shots that I got but it's not really normal to what I would usually capture. I think that's why I like it. It's not the typical "simple" shot.
Day 207
Day 207: Back to simplicity. I went out after work to go get my shot and it was unusually hot. That is unusually hot for Nashville TN. So it was so uncomfortable that when you walked out you started dripping in sweat. The humidity level was at an all time high. It was so humid that my lens kept fogging up and I had to wipe it off multiple times to get a clear shot. Pretty much every time I took a picture I had to wipe off the lens again. I love the linear composition of this shot. It really shows the vanishing point of the bricks. I tried to take it right next to the wall but it was too extreme and you could see a more aggressive vanishing point from this perspective (a few steps out). It's what we unknowingly see with our eyes. Everything is so natural to us and so many things go unnoticed because it's such a part of our busy day to day routine. But, I have found, to be creative and to make a simple subject interesting you really need to take your time and analyze your subject and everything it has to offer. Then your creativity will take you to much higher places. I wanted to leave the color noticeable but I did drown it out a little so the focus would be more on all the lines verses the brick itself.
Day 208
Day 208: I was outside looking for a shot and I noticed all these weeds growing between the sidewalk cracks. It was an excessive amount considering the height. I saw it from a distance and noticed all the stems coming out all over the place. It's a pretty simple shot but also you can get lost in it by focusing on only one end of the stem. It was another very hot and humid day and the sun was fully exposed. I was able to keep the ISO all the way down and had enough light to keep the shutter speed quick and still have a lot of depth with the aperture. I was going to take it a little sooner but the sun wasn't quite right. The shadows weren't quite right for the plant and there, more specifically, was a huge telephone pole shadow doing right next to the subject. It completely took away from the shot so I had to wait for the right timing. The color in the background was really great. I definitely wanted to show that there was concrete all around and that this weed was out of it's normal element, but also striving to exist.
Day 209
Day 209: I was driving around trying to look for a good shot. I stopped by this puddle that was full of birds, but for some reason it just didn't really feel right. After I got home I'm glad I kept moving because it wasn't right. Like I said earlier, "When I know, I know." I made a few turns and was headed downtown and I remembered there was this old British telephone booth somewhere in the area. I thought I'd try to go capture it. Anytime something like this happens where I'm looking for something but don't really know where it is I just drive around looking. I don't pull it up in the maps, I try to find it and I look for something while I'm on my way. It ended up being right down the street so I got out and stood across the street. This was around 5:30pm so the traffic was heavy and I had to wait for all the cars to pass. I wanted to be a little further away so you could get the whole telephone pole but also a good portion of the building. I didn't want to go any larger on the building because then it would take away the focus of the telephone booth. It was another bright day so the ISO was very low. I needed to be careful because I didn't want the white brick to drown out. But any darker and the rest of the shot would have been too dark. Everything was at the right levels.
Day 210
Day 210: I had to go get a COVID test today for leaving the country with my friend Bart so I picked him up right after work and we drove over to the testing facility. I brought my camera and after I got back to his house I knew there was a bank off of Charlotte Ave that had a very unique roof. It's definitely one of the most unique I've ever seen. I knew I wanted to include it in this project at some point. I used to live right next to this bank so I passed it all the time. It was the perfect time of day as the sun was shinning on it making different colors and shades of the golden roof. I thought to include the entire building but I felt like it took away from the roof, which was the entire point to shoot it. The main focus was the roof so I decided to zoom in as much as possible. It almost looks like an abstract painting. I tried to get to a position where there would be no power lines but in this area it wasn't possible unless I zoomed in all the way. The result wasn't what I initially expected, but it was what I ended up going with and I'm pretty happy with it.
Day 211
Day 211: We arrived in Panama City, Panama mid afternoon. It was a 6am flight so I was pretty exhausted already. On the way to the hotel from the airport I was looking around at the foreign country I had never been to. It can get a bit overwhelming with all the options to shoot since there was so many. I know this is going to be a really interesting part of the project since it's somewhere outside of Nashville and the opportunities are endless. But I was so tired and not really mentally wanting to take photos. As we pulled up to our hotel we were driving down a very narrow alley on a steep hill. From the distance between the buildings you could see downtown and it looked amazing. I decided to use this for my photo of the day because it pretty accurately represents Panama. It was a slightly difficult shot so I took my time to set my camera. The city was in full sunlight and I was in the shade. I wanted to see the city in the background but also not lose any of the details of the immediate buildings. It took a little editing to get the ratio correct, but I got it how I wanted it to look, how I saw it with my eyes. I love all the business going on in this photo. A city full of energy and life.
Day 212
Day 212: Day Two in Panama and we decided to wake up early and go on a hike. There is this huge hill that overlooks the entire city and at the top of the hill is a huge Panama flag that is the size of a basketball court. If you've seen a picture of this city, you've seen this view. We got a 6 pack of Panama Light beer and started our hike. When we made it to the top the view was definitely breathtaking. There is so much beautiful architecture in this amazing city. Typically, when I travel with Bart, we go to see what we want to see but don't spend too much time there so we can move on and see something else. When we made it to the top we took our time. Catched our breath, and had a few beers. I didn't have to take many photos to get this one. The only problem was the humidity was so heavy that the lens kept fogging so I had to continuously clean the lens and shoot quick. I'm glad we took the time to soak up the moment and then it started raining pretty hard. We decided to stay a little longer to let the rain pass. We were under heavy trees so we weren't getting wet. After a little while the rain slowed and we made our way back down to the base.
Day 213
Day 213: We have this amazing view of downtown right from our hotel. Our hotel has a rooftop patio with a pool and a few bar areas so we usually go there at the end of the day to have a few beers and enjoy the view. There was a pretty heavy storm coming and the lightning was filling the sky. I've always wanted to get a cool lightning shot, but that has proven to be incredibly difficult. You can't have the settings where you would for a normal night shot since the lightning fills the sky, it would be over exposed. So I had the camera set a lot darker with a faster shutter speed to be able to capture the lightning. I wasn't successful this go around but I did capture this shot right as the lightning was coming down and I fell in love with it. The city in the back accompanied with the clouds was so amazing, almost as if from a Batman movie. The water was fully lit and you can see the silhouette from the palm trees against the water. I didn't edit the color this way, it was naturally this color and when I fixed the shadows and brightness the clouds really came out. It was a perfectly natural composition with the clouds and great timing, I just wish I would have gotten that lightning shot. It's something I've tried multiple times, but it is exhausting. I just need to be more committed when I have the time.
Day 214
Day 214: We knew the storm was coming, and it definitely came hard. We went to bed early (after our few night caps on the rooftop bar) so we could wake up early for a rainforest tour the next morning. I woke up and it was pouring rain. I immediately knew it was going to be a rough day and my clean clothes options were less than optional. We were picked up at 6am and drove to the Panama Canal were a boat would take us to multiple islands. When we were on the boat the rain was coming down extremely hard, but it started to slow as we approached the islands and when we got there it had completely stopped. It's a rainforest, so that's to be expected. I put all my discomforted energy towards the experience. When we approached the islands these monkeys would jump down on to the boat and we would feed them. Some of them would be on a limb right next to us. I decided to try and capture a shot as close as I could. I didn't want to get a shot of them on the boat, I wanted to capture them in their natural environment. We went from island to island and there were different species on different islands. We landed on this one specific island and this particular monkey was on the side near the boat for a while so I decided to take advantage of him posing and was able to get exactly what I wanted.
Day 215
Day 215: It was the last day in Panama and as much fun as it was, I was ready to head home. We woke up at 5:30am to make our way to the airport. There is a cool view right from our balcony of the old buildings and I loved the colors and everything that is visible in this photo. You can see the barbwire all around the roof to keep people off. The roof was made of metal slabs that overlapped each other. And the faded side of the buildings and you can see where they patched up the cracks on the side of the walls. It was very early so the sun hadn't came up yet. It was very dark so I had to have the ISO up a lot higher than I normally like. There is no lighting around this area so I was counting on my camera to provide me the tools, and it did. A lot of these buildings have private rooftops and it was one of the things I loved about this city. There is an amazing view from every angle. It was an unbelievable city and a very friendly culture who were inviting and polite at all times. There are definitely bad parts, but the majority of it was safe. I would highly recommend visiting this amazing country.
Day 216
Day 216: First day back in America and I'm back to simplicity. It was definitely a busy day. Anytime I leave for vacation for more than a few days I come back to 300+ emails. So by the time I get caught up I feel like I need another vacation. I had to run a few errands right after work and when I was on my way home I noticed this construction of a new building and it had a unique shape to the roof so I thought I'd capture it. I wanted to make sure it was as symmetric as possible. I wanted it to fill as much of the frame as possible. I wanted the top to be almost to the end and I wanted it to be perfectly centered with the ends coming out at the same angle towards the edge. It was a quick shot but I definitely took the time to think how I wanted the composition to lay on this shot. I was debating how close to get, but I also wanted to show the full column so I decided to zoom out a bit. I wanted to show the shadow of the beams verses the light shinning on them. To me, this is simple but has a lot of other things that I looked at while shooting. I wanted to show the slight damage and scratches to the column and the holes in the beams. Not too sure who will like this or not. Don't care, I do. But I took this because or the shape it made from looking up into the sky.
Day 217
Day 217: It was another busy day at work. I hadn't had an opportunity to think about today's shot. It was a pretty frustrating day so at the end of if I was wanting to get out of my house for a few hours. I went in to Midtown and got a few drinks with a friend. I brought my camera and was trying to see something interesting. I saw these flying skeletons and thought it would be a good picture. The environment was incredibly red and it really overpowered everything. I got a few angles that I liked and then looked at the photos and was happy with it. I knew the real work would be the post editing. I try to drain out the red as much as possible, it was so heavy to the point where I almost did it in black and white. I composed the shot where the flying skeleton would be centered with both wings fully in the shot, but barely. I also wanted to have the necklace beads hanging down as well. This shot reminded me of shooting shows where the red light was so heavy you would spend a very long time correcting the color. The easiest correction is to just do black and white, and sometimes that's the only way. But it took away too much of the depth that I wanted to leave the color and just drown down the saturation as much as possible.
Day 218
Day 218: I got off work and did a few things around the house. It had rained earlier so the sky was very overcast. I was meeting up with some friends a little later so I knew I had to go ahead and get my photo. I was driving around Nashville and randomly stopped at a few places. I got some shots but it just didn't feel like it was good enough. So I kept driving to different locations. I went through a few roads that were pretty small with no traffic and I came across this unique gazebo. I took some shots from the outside. I was getting there, but it wasn't quite there yet. I decided to change to a wider lens and I saw the ceiling of the gazebo and I really liked the linear work. I got down low and snapped a few shots and was pretty happy with it. When I got home I had about five different options to chose from. Sometimes it's a little hard to chose which one from that many, but this was an easier choice. It really was a more unique shot than the others. This one left a lot more questions where the others were good, but you saw what you saw and moved on. That's why I chose this specifically. The color wasn't very appealing so I did decide to do this in black and white so the focus was on the lines in the composition. I was happy I went down the little roads that led me to this place. Without that this shot wouldn't have happened.
Day 219
Day 219: I woke up a little later than normal today. When I woke I wasn't really feeling motivated. I got some things done around the house and worked out and kind of took my time getting ready. I was meeting up with a friend for a few drinks a little later and lost track of time working so I didn't have time to get my photo of the day. I was hoping to get it done before I left so I wouldn't had to worry about it. I brought my camera, it was just before 6pm so it was still early. We were hanging out talking and I was looking around to see if there was anything there I could get. Nothing was really sticking out to me. Some more time went by and I got my camera out and snapped a few shots but it wasn't really worth trying to get. It didn't inspire me. I waited a little longer and then I noticed this drink machine next to me with the vents on the side. I thought a close up of that would be very interesting. There were cool colors and the shadows on it looked great. It was something that I wouldn't have normally thought of, but I was in search for something and landed on this. I, again, loved the symmetry and then the detail of the lines and the colors. It came out very sharp and extremely crisp which is what I am trying to get better at. So this photo was a big success considering I'm trying to capture things as you would see with the eye.
Day 220
Day 220: I left really early the night before and got in bed around 9:30. I knew I had a long day today so I wanted to have time to wake up, get some things done, work out, and go on my adventure. My friend Pepper had told me how much she wanted to go sky diving but nobody would go with her. I had been once before so I thought, "I'll go again, why not?!" So we left a bit after 11am to go to the air field in Tullahoma, TN. We got there and signed the waiver and put on our harness. After that we had some time to walk around so I decided to get a shot of the plane I jumped out of. I took a few different angles but I really love the front (again symmetrical) point of view. I used a wide angle lens to make it more dramatic. There's something amazing about planes. They are so photogenic and interesting. I knew I wanted to try and include something like this for the project, especially since I've always had a fascination with planes. It was another incredible experience. It's something everyone should try. It's very safe and you'll never be more in the moment. When you are in the air you aren't thinking about work, bills, drama, relationships. You are completely free.
Day 221
Day 221: I started today with (kind of) a direction. I wasn't really feeling motivated and I really thought this was going to be another one of those days where I drove around endlessly for hours getting lost and not finding anything. I started driving off, and then I thought of a location where I wanted to try and capture that I hadn't had the opportunity to try. It was downtown but in an easily accessible area so it should be easy. As I was driving there I noticed this small door to my left that was open and when I drove by I very briefly saw this enormous courtyard. I immediately turned around to explore. I parked my Jeep and walked in and was amazed. There was large statue in the center of the courtyard surround by huge columns all around the square. It was a dedication to the men of Tennessee who had sacrificed their lives during World War I. This was a hard shot to settle on since there were so many different amazing angles. I might come back another day because it is a really cool area. I ultimately settled on this since the composition was more my style. The colors were already so dull so I decided to make it black and white. Normally I am against black and white because I feel like it's some filter people throw on just to make it look vintage. It rarely works because, I feel, it's not used correctly. This was an old error commemorating the sacrifices of an event over a hundred years ago so I felt black and white fit the context of the photo. It brought more depth to the photo so I was alright with it. Unless it's a color issue, I won't do black and white.
Day 222
Day 222: Today I made the decision to get vaccinated. I refuse to make this topic political, and if you do than you're the problem. I wasn't going to get it because I am terrified of needles to the point where I'm shaking. It's a phobia I have that I can't control. My thought was if everyone got it who needs it or wants it then we'll be fine and I don't need it. But the cases have spiked heavily again and the Delta Variant is extremely contagious and aggressive. So I felt like I have to suck it up and it was my duty to get it. End of story. So I got the shot and then later that day went to get my shot. My friend Wes had given me this idea to shoot at Bobbie's Dairy Dip a few months back and I thought today was appropriate since I should treat myself for being "so brave" when I got my shot. Not only that, it was over 100 degrees today so it was very refreshing. This is a very old Nashville restaurant that has been around since 1951. I had to bring a friend to hold it so I could take the picture. I had to be quick since it was so hot, the ice cream was melting VERY quickly. The composition was exactly how I wanted it. The swirls on the ice cream was perfect. I wanted to have the sign in the background but wanted it to be a little faint so you could tell what it was but wasn't fully focused since I wanted the focus to be on the ice cream. It turned out just like I had originally imaged.
Day 223
Day 223: I was done working for the day and I was thinking about what to shoot. My friend Cherith said that her and Wes were going to play darts in East Nashville at a place called Lakeside Lounge. It's a cool spot with dart boards and a few pool tables and we almost always run into at least one other person we know. I didn't really want to get a shot of the dart boards. Maybe one day, but just not feeling it this particular day. I love the pool tables they have with the blue felt and I have been wanting to get a pool table shot, so I thought it would be fun to play a game and try to get my shot of the day with Wes shooting pool. I lived with Wes for almost 7 years and we used to go play pool and throw darts a few times a week, so it was only appropriate to include him in this shot. We did set up the pool table to make sure we have a well composed table. I wanted the tall beer can on there to add to the pool bar atmosphere. The only problem I had with this shot was the lighting, specifically on the 8 ball. I wanted that to be more prominent but it wasn't possible with what I had. I tried to set up my phone light, which worked, but then the phone was in the shot. Other than that the lighting was perfect. I love the lights in the background and the light on the pool table was great. It was a fun shot to create.
Day 224
Day 224: My buddy was having a bad day so I decided to grab my camera and hang out with him after work. We were on the fence about going out. We had originally planned to go to dinner and grab a few beers. I got to his house and we were sitting around watching TV. I said I was pretty content with just hanging out at his house and taking it easy. We ate a little dinner and drank a few beers and sat around talking and decided just to stay in. I was thinking about my photo of the day. I was walking around to see if there was anything that caught my eye. I was outside on the front patio and had an idea to get a simple shot. As I was shooting his dog Ruby was running around. I tried to get a quick shot and it looked ok, but she was running away the moment I snapped. She is a young puppy so her attention span was very short. I positioned her on the front steps and she would stay for about a half a second. I tried a few more times, got some treats to influence her to stay, and she ended up being a bit more patient. I've always said animal photography is one of the hardest because they never stay still. I had about three really good options to choose from and landed on this one because it took the most of the frame and she looked happy, her ears were perfect, and her look was what I was looking for. She's such a sweet dog full of love and a lot of energy, so it was challenging, but I was very happy with her.
Day 225
Day 225: I had a friend coming down to visit for the weekend and he was about an hour away. I was done with the work week so I decided to venture out to try and capture something so we could enjoy the afternoon. It's not the act of "getting this out of the way" it's more so about being in the moment more with friends. If I hadn't captured something, the work day would continue until I was done and my friends understand that. I was driving a little slow around Marathon Music Works. There is definitely so much there, but I didn't want to just capture anything. I want to be specific on what really engages my eye. There is this room that is full of extremely old cars that used to be manufactured in these buildings. The cars are really amazing looking and are as vintage as it gets. I was in the room taking different photos. I wasn't just clicking away, I wanted to have a few options. Sometimes I feel different about what I want to include and leave out, so I give myself a few options and a little more time to think about it. I got some cool angles of the front of a car but when I went around the room I saw this emblem which represented the car manufacturer at the time. I felt that was more iconic and relevant than anything else I'd capture in that room. I switched lenses so I could get a more direct sharp image. I wanted to be close up, but also include the logo at the bottom.
Day 226
Day 226: I had a pretty busy day. My friend was still in town but we had to go help a friend put a tool shed together (that took about 3 hours) and for our work she made a nice steak dinner. I had a close friend tell me about a show he was having at his house so we decided to all go after we ate dinner. My friend who was in town has been to Nashville many times, he comes about once a month just to escape and have a fun weekend. I told him out of everything he's done in Nashville, this is the most "Nashville" thing we do. Private house shows. It's something that you can't go to unless you're invited. It's not something that is announced so it is as local as it gets. The hosts typically provides beer and has a nice out door setting with chairs and blankets and then you tip for the beer and music. And if you don't, it's very frowned upon and you won't be invited again, so don't be cheap. Charles Johnson was a close friend of mine for years and he was actually a part of my last project "52 Weeks of Music City". When he told me about this I knew I was going to include it for my photo of the day. I was getting shots from every angle but I love the back shot from behind the stage. I chose this specific shot because you really get a feeling about the night and the vibe and how relaxing it was. Charles and his wife, Shea, did such an amazing job making everyone feel welcomed and comfortable. The atmosphere could not have been more perfect and that's why I chose this shot, because it really captures what it was like. After the show my friend said that this was definitely the most amazing and unique experience he's had in Nashville yet.
Day 227
Day 227: It was a pretty relaxing day today. I woke up a little early, got the house cleaned up. Worked out and then met up with a friend to play a little pool and enjoy the afternoon. My friend Chuck and I used to go play pool once a week until the pandemic happened and shut everything down. As things started to reopen and the vaccines became regularly available we decided to start our tradition again. There is an enormous pool hall off 8th Ave that we've been going to for years. It's pretty hidden in the fact that there is no sign with the name on it, so if you don't know where it is then you'll miss it. It's just a red door that is hidden to the side. It is definitely a local spot. I was thinking it would be a cool place to get the shot of the day so I brought my camera and the moment I got there was in search of what to capture. I had the idea to shoot the front door since it's unique with the round window and the billiards sign. I got a few shots inside but loved this one the most because of the simplicity and of the establishment. If you are a local then you definitely know where this is. I'll keep the name a secret.
Day 228
Day 228: I got off work at the regular time today. I didn't have to work too late since I was fairly caught up. Typically I get out right after work in search for my shot but I was being a little lazy and wanted to sit on the couch for a bit. I hardly do that but I was pretty exhausted. After about an hour I got physically motivated to go out. I really didn't know what to get, as usual, so I was again driving aimlessly around Nashville. I drove by 21st Ave since I don't go in that direction too often. I made a turn where Belcourt Theatre is and kept driving. I went to the end of the street, made a few turns, and then saw the park across the street. I looked to my right and there was this enormous dragon statue swimming in the grass. I had seen this place a lot in the past but it never registered to capture it for this project. I had forgotten about it. As I walked up I was thinking this would be a fun, but difficult shoot. I walked around it many times looking for the perfect angle. I wanted to capture the majority of the body but also somewhat close so you could see the tiles. I used a wider angle lens so I'd be able to capture as much as I could. I took some shots from different angles, taking my time and thinking about the composition on each shot. I went with this angle because of the head and the way the arch is you could see the rest of the dragon from the background. It was a more difficult shot than I originally thought because there were some tough choices with the options. But I love how large the head is and the way it gets smaller from the distance.
Day 229
Day 229: I was about to leave my house to get my shot and my friend Steph Lundi texted and asked if I wanted to get some food and a few drinks. She was going to this market off Charlotte that I've always driven by and thought looked cool, but never had the opportunity to go in. So I thought it was early enough to go and try to get something and if I didn't like anything I still had time to search around. It was definitely a pretty cool place and there were a lot of different options, but the market was closing and all the cool neon lights were off so I didn't really want to capture anything. We went outside for a beer and there is this tall chimney and I thought it would look cool to get up close to it and point it up. It was almost like a brick road to heaven. I loved everything about this shot from the sky being half clouded to the color of the brick and the overall composition. I don't want to do too much of the same thing but this was a little different from my earlier shot as it's looking up verse looking from a distance. It's a good idea to step outside my comfort zone and just trust the process that I will be able to capture something. I put a lot of pressure on myself to find each shot and make it as special as possible. Some say too much pressure. But until this project is completed, the pressure will always be there.
Day 230
Day 230: It was a very stormy day. It started raining in the early afternoon and never really quit. It was still very light outside and the sun had peaked out a little. I was working at my kitchen table and I looked out the window and the raindrops were everywhere. I thought it would be an interesting shot if I could get to a specific angle where it would be bright, but also not have anything in the background. I took some shots and really liked how it turned out. I loved the different sizes of the raindrops and the way there were so many but also spread out all over the window. Any time I have a shot like this I like to really take my time and think about it and do it right. I continued working at my kitchen table and then took a break to look at the photos. I really liked it but thought it may be a good idea to take a few more. This was a few hours later and it was so hot that most of the raindrops evaporated. This is the perfect example of how when you see something really take the time to perfect it or appreciate it and be in that moment. Don't EVER come back to it because it's not always going to be there. In this case it was obviously something I wasn't emotionally invested in, but in life the message is completely relevant. In short, don't ever come back to something, do it now, finish it now, relax later when you're done.
Day 231
Day 231: The Katsumi Teriyaki Burger. My specialty. The one thing I do right. For over a decade I have made this burger and have adapted the recipe until it reached perfection. It's almost there. My dad makes an amazing teriyaki sauce and I accidentally used it on my burgers one time. I have used it ever since. There is a specific recipe and way to make it. I usually don't make it quite this big, and this was a huge one. But I knew I wanted to have it as my photo of the day so I wanted it to really fill the bun. I layered everything to make the burger as photogenic as possible. I was looking for a plate to put it on and decided to use this sushi board my brother made for me. I felt it really went well together. My friends Matt and Chuck came over to grill out burgers and hang around and drink a few beers. This was the first time grilling and hanging on my front patio since the incident and Matt was actually with me when it happened. We talked about it VERY briefly (for about 30 seconds) and quickly moved on. We went inside to eat and I already had my light box set up. I had the lights at the right brightness and the camera was set up to the perfect exposure. I love shots like these because it makes something so simple look like a model. I've been thinking about dabbling in advertisement, so I need to get a lot better and consistent with shots like these. I really enjoy them a lot and there is a very creative aspect of it. I had to pick the item to put the burger on and then specifically dress up the burger to show it's "best side" as well as being OCD and making sure everything is crisp and clean. It was a very fun shoot for a very fun night with great friends.
Day 232
Day 232: I finished the work week and Pepper had texted me to go run some errands near Brentwood after work. I always go on those trips because I can look for something to shoot in a location I don't go to often. We drove around and it took about an hour but there was nothing I found which was remotely worth stopping for. We had a few friends in Midtown that we decided to meet up with after. We were hanging out, talking about the week, and the weekend to come. I was looking around and still couldn't find anything. The day was moving quickly into the night and the end of the night was quickly approaching. The sun had gone down, I was thinking about what to get. We were on a patio and there is this guy balancing a guitar on his chin. I immediately thought it would be the perfect opportunity for a unique photo for today. I explained the project to him and he was very excited! We went across the street where there was better lighting and a more useful background. We took some shots, and I decided to change the lens so it wouldn't be so wide and distorted. I walked back and told him where to stand and then to start balancing the guitar again and he did a few poses and this one turned out perfect. I showed him the shots, we were both very excited and we exchanged information so I could send him the photos later. The composition of this is great. Very symmetrical that I love. The subject is right in the middle and he did an amazing job centering the guitar perfectly and the way he did the poses was very authentic and made the shot so much more interesting. It's hard to trust the day when you are past the hours and working with minutes. But if I've learned anything about this day its the fact that you will never know what you will find, but you have to be looking for it.
Day 233
Day 233: Today was a pretty similar day as yesterday. I had plans to meet up with Bart and get dinner. I usually try to find a picture before going out so I can enjoy my time with my friends stress free. But it was raining all day and being outside with expensive gear always sounds miserable. I put myself in the same situation. I was really on a "go with the flow" mentality this weekend which can work, but also creates more stress and pressure on you. We went to a friends restaurant for an event they were hosting and it was a little too crowded and hot so we decided to head to another restaurant nearby to watch the rest of the Titans preseason game. We were talking about the shot for today and all brainstorming which I love. I really like having friends as part of the thinking process. Sometimes when I'm on the fence I will actually let them pick the final photo. We were sitting at the table and across the street was a liquor store and I really liked the way it looked and was actually thinking about that as we drove up. After some of the cars had moved I went across the street to get the shot and chose a few different angles. The front of the shop was cool and had more neon signs, but it just wasn't quite what I was feeling. I chose the side of the store because of the composition with the signs and the trash can and old dirty brick. The window to the side as well was the main point of interest. It had just finished raining so you could see the reflection of the neon lights on the ground. It was a shot I really ended up liking and it is a night shot that is well lit up. Something I've been trying to improve. Not there yet, but getting closer. Today was a reminder that it's good to surround yourself with good people who care. I feel like I'm burdening people sometimes with this project but when they ask about it or make suggestions it shows me they care as well.
Day 234
Day 234: I went to meet up with Bart for a few afternoon beers but I hadn't gotten my shot yet. It was a very hot day and I didn't feel like carrying my camera around so I decided just to relax and enjoy the afternoon. I got home and was looking around and brainstorming of something interesting I could capture. I pulled a few things out but then noticed this enormous glass vase of wine corks. I thought it would be cool to get an overhead shot. I was at my parents house a while ago and they had the vase there and it was full of wine corks. I tried to find the same vase so I could do the same but couldn't find one anywhere so my mom gave me hers. I keep all my wine corks for some reason and I had every wine cork I consumed since I had been in Nashville and it was barely anything in comparison. I initially used my 70-200mm lens to get it close up. I was already home and had time to experiment so I got my wider angle lens and got some of the surrounding glass. I liked that more since it displayed the circular shape of the vase. I liked how it made the floor distorted and I really loved how you can see all the different brands. It was fun to set up and I definitely took my time and thought about the shot. But I feel like I may have lacked the creative passion on this day.
Day 235
Day 235: It was another hot day in Nashville. I had a lot going on today so I didn't have a lot of time and brain power to dedicate towards today's picture. I drove around and got out at a park and started walking in one direction and then, out of the corner of my eye, noticed this water fountain. As I walked up I saw the large Tennessee state flag and thought it was a good composition. The day light was great, but the flag was in the shadow so I had to be very mindful not to drown that out. I was looking at the fountain and was thinking about my shot and I was going to get much closer to the water and a little lower but I wanted to see the top of the water as it fell over. I wanted to also get it at this specific angle so you could see both sides so it would add a little more value to the picture verse just straight ahead. Day shots with a lot of light are very easy to set up, but when you have something in the background that is in the shade that can work against you. If the sun wasn't so strong and there was a little less light then it would have been easier. The shutter speed has to be just right so the water isn't too still but also isn't blurry as it falls. So I more relied on the ISO and aperture for the perfect exposure. But it came out as I saw with my eyes so I was happy with it.
Day 236
Day 236: Today was the day that I knew would come. I was feeling sick. I woke up a little late so I had to stay working a little late. I was exhausted and I had a bad headache so I couldn't really think. I was working slow all day and didn't really have an appetite. I knew this would be a lazy shot because the last thing I could do was go outside in the heat. I was sitting down watching the news but mainly thinking about what I could do. I have had a thing about close photography and making it very unique. I was looking around and then saw my guitar amp in the corner and love the pattern on the front. I brought it up to my counter and took some shots. I was really debating whether or not to get a wider shot to include the surrounding trim with the knobs. I tried both and really liked them. Then I realized I still had my friends 400mm lens so I decided to switch so I could get really close. The details of the threads came out a lot better and it was more simple so I decided to go with a much closer shot. It's always easier doing something convenient, but I find myself actually working harder and thinking more. I'm home so I have time and I don't need to rush anything so there is absolutely no reason for anything less than perfection. I went back and forth on the composition. I know going a little wider would be a good shot and you could tell that it was an amp, but I also like not knowing what it is. Pretty happy with how I felt physically.
Day 237
Day 237: I took a picture earlier of a guy balancing a guitar on his chin. I thought it was very spontaneous and random so I wanted to take advantage of that opportunity. I talked with him for a while and we kept in touch and he sent me a project he was working on similar to mine. He is doing a podcast video once a day for the whole year. He had just gotten started a week ago so he is in the beginning of his journey. We talked about the themes and he asked me if I'd be interested in being a guest in his podcast for the day. I happily accepted. I went to his apartment and he had everything set up. He has a really cool graffiti backdrop with his name, Rosko. His equipment was really good and he had the new mirrorless camera so we geeked out on gear for a bit. Half way through we took a break and I really liked his set up and the colors so I decided to get a shot of his studio area. I'm excited to see the final video and he has since invited me back for other topics. I'm looking forward to what this creative relationship comes to and it all started with noticing something and acting on it. Don't be shy and put yourself out there.
Day 238
Day 238: My friend Cherith came over and we were going to go on a photo adventure but she had limited time since she had dinner plans later in that afternoon. While she was here she got a text that they needed to move up the dinner to an earlier time so we had to postpone our photo journey to another date. I was perfectly ok with that but was still wondering what to do. I was about to head out and then the rain started sprinkling and then all of a sudden the storm came. It was raining so hard I had no intentions of getting out in it. I was sitting in my family room and I noticed the rain falling so hard on my windows and I saw this dragon that I got when I was in China. It was on my window seal so the rain next to it looked cool. I took some shots but then I thought I could really capture the detail of the dragon if I got my light box out. I picked the white backdrop so it would bring out more of the shapes of the spine. I went back and forth, working with the white balance and fixing the light to the correct brightness. My biggest struggle was the composition. I had this shot here but also the dragon a little smaller but on the bottom left corner. I went with this because it just felt so much more comfortable. I've said it a few times but I feel like these types of shots take the longest. I put so much more attention to detail since I have so much more time. I'm looking for perfection. With this shot, I feel like I'm one step closer. This obsession with perfection is the only way you can master photography and have the perfect photo. With a perfect photo comes with a perfect exposure. And that takes time and practice.
Day 239
Day 239: I had plans to meet up with a friend in East Nashville so we could go to an outdoor show. It was a really cool spot. There was definitely a lot to choose from. And I love live music photography so it was right where I needed to be. There was a really cool rocky hill that had a neat sign like the Hollywood sign. I captured that and a few other things but then went back to the artist. I had it in my head that I was going to use the sign, but also whatever I feel when I get home will be the final shot. The lighting was amazing and I'm very surprised I landed on this shot because I absolutely hate red lights. Ask any live music photographer and they will agree. It's our kryptonite. But the way the silhouette was against the red light was perfectly times and I kept coming back to this shot. I was thinking about still using the sign but it's quite possible that I could capture that moment in the future. This moment had already happened and can't be recreated. Whenever I have a shot of a musician it always takes me back to memory lane when I did "52 Weeks" and I always start missing it again. I can never do that project again. But I do miss it.
Day 240
Day 240: Today was such a great day. I got the privilege of seeing two friends getting married. Adriana was an employee at my work gym that I went to every day and her husband Francis worked with me in the same department for a few years so we've all known each other for close to a decade. I was really trying to be in the moment so I didn't want to focus too much on my picture of the day. They had photographers there so I didn't want to be in their face with a camera since they paid someone to do that. Adriana is originally from Texas but her family is Mexican, so it was very Latina themed with all the traditions and customs they demonstrated. It was a really cool atmosphere. I've seen pictures and some videos of Mexican weddings and they know how to celebrate. It was a lot of fun. Before dinner was served there was a mariachi band that would come and play at every table. It doesn't get more traditional than that. I really loved the charro they wore. I was enjoying it all up until the time they made their way to our table and a friend at my table asked if they knew how to play "Rocky Top" since they were a UT fan. As a Kentucky fan I just couldn't clap to it. It was just physically impossible. Other than that, the band did an absolutely amazing job. They made their way to the center of the dance floor and it just seemed like a perfect time to capture a shot. It's not something I'd ever expect to see but it was so unique with the enormous guitar and trumpet. It was a true blast as we celebrated Adriana and Francis.
Day 241
Day 241: I was invited to do a podcast from my friend Justin Covers to talk about my journey in photography, how I started, past projects, and the current project I'm working on. He has a small studio where he does a lot of his music and art. I've followed him for many years now and love the work he puts out. He releases a lot and we talked about the importance of consistency. It can't all be good, but with consistency you will eventually pull out an amazing form of art. I really liked how the room was set up with his instruments and a few pieces of his art. Before we did the podcast I set up my camera and had the timer connected to my phone so we were able to pose for my photo of the day before we started talking. I told him that I was more than happy to participate, but didn't really think I was that interesting and he replied how my projects had inspired him to get more consistent with the volume he released. You never really know who's watching with this project. I post the photo and then pretty much move and I don't focus too much on the "likes". I did that during "52 Weeks" and it was exhausting so it was nice knowing that this project is having somewhat of an impact.
Day 242
Day 242: It was Monday and another hectic day at work. I was going to get my second vaccine this week so I wanted to go enjoy a beer before I met the after effects of the shot. After a few beers with some friends I headed home and was still in deep thought of my photo for today. I was really thinking about getting an interesting shot with the settings of the camera. I have this modern chandelier hanging over my kitchen table and I wanted to really work with the composition and extreme camera settings to build off of my knowledge. I wanted the lights to be centered in the horizon of the shot, but they were at different heights so I had to make the majority of them centered. They are also right next to each other so I had to take it from a side angle to get them exactly where I wanted. I wanted them to all be in focus so I ran the aperture almost all the way up. I wanted the lights to be on and wanted everything else in the background drowned out so I kept the shutter speed fast. The shot turned out exactly how I imagined, even though it took multiple tries to get the composition perfect. It was a great example of the technical aspect of knowing what you want and how to set it correctly. This doesn't come overnight.
Day 243
Day 243: It's August 31st. The last day we have to get out of Afghanistan. It was the 20 year war, the longest war in our history. Yesterday I was in Midtown with a few friends and I saw these 13 beers sitting by themselves with a note. I feel like it's a representation of America and how we love our troops and what they sacrifice, not only their sacrifice but to the sacrifices of their families as well. It's a small gesture in the big world but the most important thing is it's remembering and recognizing the people who dedicate so much for the greater good. Earlier in the week there was a tragic event in Kabul where 13 of America's greatest were lost during our departure of Afghanistan. I try to be consistent with the times I take a photo so I decided to come back to capture this shot as today is the last day. It sends a powerful message that, even though, we don't personally know these brave service members we will grieve together and remember what they have given to this country. It is a day we will always remember.
Day 244
Day 244: Today was a sick day. I had just received the 2nd vaccine so I was pretty drained all day. I took a sick day so I could rest. As the day went on I wasn't feeling any better. I was wondering what to capture but it was so hot outside I couldn't even stand outside for a minute without passing out. I was looking for inspiration in my house. Earlier in this project I took a picture of a painting a close friend did for me. That was a pretty difficult shot for me to get. I didn't realize but the glare is so strong in paintings. My mom painted a copy of the Mona Lisa for me and it is my favorite art piece I have. I really wanted to try again but with a little more planning. I learned from the last shot that you need less light so I moved the painting where there would not be as much or direct natural light hitting. I didn't want to get the entire painting because I wanted a more portrait style. I positioned myself to where the focal point was on her eyes. I also wanted to get a closer shot so you could see the detail of the painting. The color was difficult. I wanted to make sure this turned out as natural as possible so I focused a lot on the white balance. When I came to editing I was very careful not to adjust anything too aggressively so it would come out as you'd see through the eyes. I'm very glad I was able to capture this. It was a bit difficult but the painting itself is so incredible, my mom did an amazing job and she is where I get my talent from.
Day 245
Day 245: I was feeling great today, back to normal. I worked and got a lot done and the day felt perfect so I decided to go have a beer on a patio with one of my friends. This time of year is always the best weather, but it's also a reminder to me that winter is coming and we don't have many days of this left. So I try to enjoy them every chance they're given to me. I was going to Demonbreun and there is a round about called Buddy Killen Circle. This is right where Music Row is. There is a large statue called Musica and is a very iconic piece of Nashville. I got in the middle of the round about with my wide angle lens and was right next to it. I wanted to get an extreme angle to show the height. I also positioned the camera where the sun would be hitting through the cracks to show a more dramatic image. This was a shot where I knew I was going to get eventually. It was a part of this project that had to be included. I just didn't know when. I know the weekends are the worst time to get anything because the tourists are out and will be in every image. So today felt like the right time since it was during the week and not too many people out. The time of day was perfect where the sun was in the right position it needed to be. I was very pleased with how this shot turned out.
Day 246
Day 246: I was driving to Bart's house one day and noticed this church with an old red door and thought that would be a good shot. I stopped to take it and was thinking of to composition. Initially I wanted to have more of the building with the roof and cross at the top. My original main focus was the red door since that's what captured my attention. When I pulled out further and had the roof it took away a lot of the focus on the door, so I decided to keep it tighter to put more emphasis on the door. I also really wanted to focus on the details of the texture on the stone. The settings had to be correct to make the image as sharp as possible. It was a pretty bright day so the ISO was set a little lower and the shutter speed was fast. When I got to editing I set the definition a little higher to bring out the texture a little more aggressively. I love the symmetry of the door in the center and the position of how close it was and where the stair case started. It was a pretty simple and quick shot but there was a lot of thought for the composition and settings. The detail is what I was happiest with the final result.
Day 247
Day 247: I had to help my friend Chuck with some yard work at his house. He has an amazing pool and was having a small get together for Labor Day so I was helping him prepare for that. We had to make a run to Franklin to go to the pool store to get some chemicals so I thought I'd bring my camera. On the way there is a huge tower that I always saw from the distance. We decided to take a small detour to try and capture it. I took a few pictures from afar but really had it in my head that I needed to get closer up. So I walked across a very busy street and brought out my wider lens so I could get as close to it as possible. One of the main things I wanted to include was the cables that held it up. I wanted to bring that out which was a little more difficult. I wanted it to be centered and after a few tries was able to get the perfect view. The editing was very important on this shot because that's how I made the cables stand out more. The clouds added great contrast helping show the height of the tower. This was a shot that I had wanted to get every time I passed this tower so I'm glad I was able to find a way to include it in this project.
Day 248
Day 248: I had a pretty late night helping Chuck the night before and we still had a few things to do so I decided to crash at his house so we could wake up early and get started with the day. I went to make some coffee and we sat down and talked for a bit. I already had my camera and Chuck has a lot of interesting things around his house so I thought I'd try to get something here. We were sitting on his couch and I saw his light fixture in his family room and thought I'd try to get that. It was interesting with all the lines and the way the bulbs are positioned. I got right under it and made it perfectly centered. I wanted to zoom out a little to show the lighting and how it faded. There was a dimmer on the light switch so I lowered it to get more of the vignette effect. I thought it was really unique and captured well. There wasn't much editing since I was able to take my time to get the settings right. I dulled the colors a little and made a few adjustments and that was it. I kept the vignette off in the post edit since it naturally came out perfect.
Day 249
Day 249: It was Labor Day and all the work from the weekend made it well worth it and we relaxed and hung out at the pool and sat around, listened to music, grilled some food, and had a few beers. It was very relaxing. I did a photo shoot for Chuck the year before in his pool and it turned out so great I wanted to include it in this project. When the sun started setting we got in his pool to try and recreate that moment. His pool is very large and there are a lot of great different angles you can get. I was looking around to get the right angle and this was the best since the lighting his the water perfectly from the fence. I wanted to position Chuck in the horizon of the shot to capture both the lights on the fence but have an even balance of the lights reflecting. Night shots are always more tricky because you have a lot of dark space, but then the lights are bright so you have to have the white balance correct which will help in post editing and the exposure needs to be perfect. You want to make sure the detail comes out so the ISO can't be too high otherwise it will be too grainy. The shutter speed is very important and needs to be a bit longer but not too long or there will be a blurry effect. We had lights positioned right under Chuck to add a little dramatic feeling. It was a perfect shot to include for the project and a great conclusion to the weekend.
Day 250
Day 250: My friend Chuck Taylor had texted me a few days ago to visit his dad's brewery that's right down the street from me. We had talked about shooting at Blackstone Brewery from the beginning of this project. There are so many cool things to shoot. We met at the brewery and started with a beer, of course, and then walked around the site to see what inspired me. The moment I saw this piece of machine I knew that would be the shot, I just needed to walk around to see the best angle. We walked around and opened up all the doors so we could see through and capture some of the bar area in the background. There's so much going on in this photo, I love how busy it is. This particular machine is what fills the bottles with beer. I got a little overwhelmed with the options of how to shoot this. I wanted the upside down bottles to be the primary focus and then the bottles in the back ground a little more blurry and finally the bar area less focused. I wanted you to notice it but not immediately. The aperture needs to be adjusted perfectly for all these things to happen. I wanted the bottles in the front to all be focused so if the aperture is set too high only one of them would be. It's a very mathematical formula for the perfect exposure. Something that I'm trying to master and takes a lifetime to accomplish. Everything comes into factor at this point. How close are you to the subject, what is the distance from the objects that you want to have more depth and then what do the other settings need to be at to accomplish what you want. I'm getting closer every day but still very far from mastering it.
Day 251
Day 251: This is my desk. I had thought about doing a concept shot that is very typical to my life, and has been for many years. I spend a lot of time at this desk and most of them are very late into the night and alone. I was working on a few shots I had taken that I needed to send to a client and I hadn't gotten a chance to eat yet that day. Before I knew it the night had arrived. I ate alone at my desk so I could work and when I'm done I usually slide my empty plate to the side. I don't take it to the kitchen because I'm typically in a specific state of mind where I don't want to walk away from. I thought it would be interesting to try this concept shot of me working so I set up my camera and took some shots. I loaded them on my computer and decided to get a shot of me editing that same shot. I wanted to keep the lighting very low because this is how I work. This was another one of those nights where I worked well into the morning. It sounds awful and mentally not healthy, but I love what I do and it's hard for me to step away from my passion. This is what it takes in order to accomplish something. These photos and videos won't edit themselves so you have to sacrifice a lot of personal time. If you aren't willing to do that, don't try. The people who perfect photography put in a lot of time and there is simply no other way to accomplish that.
Day 252
Day 252: I had to pick up a friend from the airport and on the way home was driving around to see what I could capture for the day. I passed by this small mural off Charlotte Ave and thought it was a great mural and wonderful message. I thought it was especially relevant for the times as we are approaching the 20th anniversary of 9-11. So much has happened since then and we have been through a lot as a country. For the shot specifically, the origami cranes are perfectly positioned in the art and the colors are perfect. I like the texture of the brick and the red brick around the white really complimented each other. I framed the shot so the red would be the same distance around the mural and I didn't want to get anything beyond that. It would have taken away from the focus of the mural. I also wanted to get some of the grass and plants at the base. There is a lot of art like this sprinkled around Nashville and the messages a lot of them hold are great. No space is wasted.
Day 253
Day 253: I had a friend having an event at her hair salon in Midtown so I wanted to go to support her. I brought my camera because I didn't really know what to expect and thought it would be fun to see if there was something there I could capture. They had this really old truck that had flowers on there advertising another one of her friend's business. It was really cool and perfectly decorated. I thought I'd walk around it and try to get some interesting shots and then decide when I got home. I knew I had something I could use. I got some really great shots throughout the night but the second I saw this one come up I knew it was it. I got right in front of the truck, had my wider lens so I could get really dramatic with the angle. The color from the rust was so perfect and the faded color was great. The moment I saw this truck I knew I wanted to get something from it but I didn't really know what specifically until I started walking around it. I probably looked like I was trying to steal it since I walked around it so many times with a contemplative face wondering "How could I do this?" I'm often so in the moment I don't notice what's going on around me.
Day 254
Day 254: I was a freshman at the University of Kentucky. It was a Tuesday and I was about to go to my algebra class at 9:30am. It's weird that I remember that class because it's the only one I can remember the time and day. I was in my dorm room still asleep. My usual routine was waking up about 5 minutes before class so I could get my cardio in for the day by running to class. My roommate walked in and woke me up to tell me what happened. I was in shock and I was scared. I didn't know what was going to happen and I couldn't take my eyes off the TV. This was the moment where our lives changed and history would be forever changed. It showed that we were vulnerable but also incredibly strong and united. I wish we were still that way. Today it's 20 years later from that morning. It is a day I will forever remember. I put my flag at half mass and decided to get a picture to show my support in honor of all who we lost that day and the decades after. This day had a light breeze so the flag was flying being uncooperative. It took a while to capture it but I was pretty set on this being my shot of the day. I took a few different angles, some from a little further away, but I wanted to look up at the flag and everything it represents and everything we lost that day two decades ago.
Day 255
Day 255: I was driving to Pepper's house the other day and I noticed this church that was near demolished from the tornado about a year and a half ago. They were rebuilding it, leaving the original walls. I decided to go back and see what I could capture. There were a lot of really cool angles and I originally wanted to get the empty roof with a wider lens. After I got home I was debating the shots and this one straight on was the most unique in the way of the linear composition and the way the frames were around the church. The empty room covered in debris really added to the magnitude of the power of the tornado, and the broken glass on the front door really completed it. One of the reasons I didn't get a wider shot was because the glass door would be almost unnoticeable and that was a feature I really wanted to capture. It's saddening to see this happen to the city I love so much but it's also empowering to see how we grow back together and help our neighbor. But we always need reminders.
Day 256
Day 256: Mondays are always a little rough. The weekend happens and I try to enjoy my time as much as possible, but I always go back to a pile of emails adding to my "to do" list. It's a bit exhausting. I try to think about my shot throughout the day but I get distracted with everything that needs to be done. I usually have a beer on my balcony to think about the day and what to capture for the day's picture. Today was a bit rainy off and on but the sun came out in the evening and as the sun started to go down it bounced off the clouds. There was one particular cloud that was so well lit but right under it was where the rain was coming. I went to grab my camera to see what I could get and really got excited with the options. What I love about this project so much is that I'm in full control. There are no rules. I get inspired, I take a shot. I wanted to show the darkness under the lightness. I wanted to show the definition of the clouds and the colors how they transition from white to a redish orange color to the darkness. I really wanted this to almost look like a painting and with the heavy shadows, specifically the top right, I think it really does.
Day 257
Day 257: I had another long work day and worked a bit later than I am supposed to. I made dinner and was thinking about my shot. My mom called and I talked to her for a bit and was messing around with my camera as we were talking. I took a few shots and experimented with a few things. It just felt forced and wasn't good enough. I was pacing around the house and I remembered this dead boutique of flowers my great friend Bailey made for me. I got off the phone so I could concentrate. It seems like this is a "lazy shot" where I didn't put a lot of time or effort into it. But that's incredibly inaccurate. I took it away from where it was by my TV and put it against a white wall so it could be isolated. And then I had to have it far enough from the wall so there would be no shadow. I also had to have it at a specific height. Then I took the shot and I was really contemplating the composition. I thought to have it zoomed out where you would see the whole top and most of the vase. When I took a closer shot it was just so much better because of the details of the flowers. But the one shot I liked for the composition it was a little off for the white balance so I went back to get a few more. I wanted the white background to really stick out. So this was anything but a simple, quick, lazy shot.
Day 258
Day 258: I had to run a lens by a friend who let me borrow it for a few months. He lives a quarter of a mile from me so I thought about grabbing my camera bag in search of today's shot. He met me outside of his apartment and I asked him if he had any inspiring ideas. "Nah" as I thought he'd say. That's typically the response I get. We talked for a few minutes and then I adventured out towards downtown. There is this one street that has these really cool looking buildings made of a mirror glass. I always loved the look of buildings like that. I drove past it but there was this closed off wall from all the construction and you couldn't see over it. I walked towards it and if you climb to the side before the fence then you can barely peek over. This site is very cool because it's an empty lot next to brand new buildings and you just know something is coming soon. I centered the horizon directly in the middle so you would have the top half finished and the bottom half dirty and untouched. The architecture has really progressed in this city and I love it. I just hope we aren't growing too fast, but judging the last 10 years, we are.
Day 259
Day 259: Today was another day where I was off work and thought "Ok, now what?" My friend Matt texted me and I asked him for ideas and he mentioned this place next to my house that has tires everywhere. I said I shot it already, but I did drive past it the other day and there was a random couch there, so that could be a cool shot. I told him I just needed a subject so he came over to get a couple shots and then we went to get a couple beers. This place is gross. It's dirty. There is litter everywhere. It is unsafe. It's not a place you want to be for too long because it's right on Jefferson and 12th Ave. Heavy traffic and heavy crime. But facing the other way you don't see any of the city. It's a unique idea and the composition is great. There were a lot more tires behind the couch but I didn't want it to overtake Matt sitting on the couch. I got a little lower to give an eye level point of view. And Matt pretty much did his thing. He tried a few things and needed little directing and it was very natural. I had a few ideas that we tried on what I specifically wanted and it was a quick easy shot. We were about to walk away and I said "Maybe I should try the wide lens. Just in case" but we were already mentally done. Matt said "Yeah! That could be cool. I mean, we're already here." He's there to help me get the best shot and that's the objective. I switched lenses really quick and took two shots and said "Nope. I knew this wouldn't work the way I thought" and then we were off to Midtown for a few beers.
Day 260
Day 260: I got done at work on time(ish) and the one consistent thought (with just about every other day) occurred. "What am I going to shoot today?" It's pretty annoying because I wake up and the first thing I think of is my shot. I always tell myself I'm not going to drive around Nashville aimlessly wasting gas. It's good to do that some times. To LOOK for the beauty. But I think it's important to have a plan on what you'd like to capture. And I try to think about that throughout the day. And every day when the time comes I throw up my hands and say "I got nothing!" It's part of the process and my friend "Two Tone" told me "Mark, trust the process." So I'm trusting it. A friend came over right after work to have a beer and I had an idea of a concept shot that I've been wanting to get. It's right by my house in the parking lot across the street so we walked over and tried to capture it but I quickly realized that location wouldn't work. So we walked around a bit and I got a couple shots and nothing was feeling right. We sat on my porch and I walked down to my flower bed and thought how I could make something work with what I had. I took a shot of my plants and noticed the rain drops on the leaves and that felt right. Jay left so I went back down so I could focus on the shot and came in and landed on this one. I took some great ones but this one specifically with the detail and focus on the rain drop was what I was going for. It's hard to trust the process all the time but when you do, beautiful things can come from it.
Day 261
Day 261: I've talked about shots that I have planned and this was one of them. My friend Dustin has a farm in Bardstown Kentucky and he took a really cool photo of him in the lake with one of the horses. I loved it so much I knew I had to include it. We had made plans to drive up in the early afternoon and ride horses all day and when the sun was setting we'd go down to the lake for this specific shot. We were driving from Nashville and it was raining. Pretty hard actually to where I was worried. The weather was going to hold up in Kentucky but it was still very cloudy so I was concerned if I was going to get the sun how I wanted it. We got there, rode around, drank a few beers and went to the lake. It was still pretty light out and the sun wasn't really setting yet, but I went with it. We got the shot and then started riding again. I saw the sunset over the horizon and said we needed to go back. I ran down with my horse and it was much better. He got in again and the horse was not cooperating. He even fell down. It was obvious that they were both getting annoyed with me. I kept yelling for Dustin to move the horse around to create ripples in the water. He said "I'm done Mark!" And we sat around for a bit and this is where Dustin got really annoyed with me. The sun had set a bit more and then it was perfect. I told him he has to go back in. He got the horse that I always ride to go in. I'm actually happier with that because I love X so much. We had really created a bond so I wanted him to be a part of this project. The colors were perfect and it was such a beautiful moment. It came out way better than I could have ever hoped. I'm glad we suffered through the first shots because that really helped me test the composition I wanted. This was a perfect shot. But it doesn't compare to what we actually saw.
Day 262
Day 262: We stayed the night in Bardstown so we could enjoy the night and not have to worry about getting home so late. I woke up at some point in the morning as the sunrise was going through the windows and what's the first thing you have to do when you wake up? I walked outside to pee, because when you're on a farm that's what you do. I have no idea what time it was. The morning fog created such a wonderful landscape with the trees in the distance that I decided to grab my camera to get a few shots. I played with the settings to make sure the exposure was correct. I was still asleep so I wasn't really thinking and couldn't tell you my thought process for this shot. I remember I was happy with what I got, went back inside, and fell asleep hard. We woke up early, at this point it was about 7ish, and we headed back to Nashville. When I walked out I thought to myself, "Man, I'm glad I decided to get that shot when I did because it's back to normal." We were on our way back and the rain started coming. I love getting shots early in the day so I have a little breathing room and can mentally relax. I didn't find anything to capture on the way back so I was relying a bit on this shot since it was raining so much. I started looking at the shots and said to myself, "Yep. You got it. You're done for the day." The composition was great with the fence on the lower section and the trees right on the center and the depth was well captured.
Day 263
Day 263: I love days like today. I had my typical busy Monday and zero food so I went to the grocery store right after work. I was walking out and saw my neighbor Ms B. She said she hadn't seen me for a bit so I told her I'd come have a beer with her when I got back. We hung out on her front porch and then I told her I had to go work. I went inside to grab my gear and walked outside. It was raining all day and pretty nasty out so I wasn't particularly excited about getting out. When I walked outside I saw this rainbow coming down and I thought I'd go up to my balcony to try and capture it. I was up there for a good 10 minutes and the sun started to come out and the rainbow got more noticeable. I decided to stay up there a little longer to try and perfect it. The lighting was great and I thought it was really interesting how the inside of the rainbow was a lot more blurry than the outside. It really showed well. I love days like today because sometimes what you're looking for is right in front of you, you just have to pay attention.
Day 264
Day 264: I was out running errands and brought my camera with me. It was a beautiful day in Nashville. The weather was perfect and there were few clouds in the sky. I was heading home and I was driving off 8th Ave and came across the Melrose sign. This is a fairly large sign that you can see from the highway. I used to live off 10th Ave and we used to come here all the time to play pool. It brings back nothing but great memories. I thought it would be good to get this sign since the environment was so perfect. I really liked how the sky matched the sign. As I got out I walked around looking up thinking of the best angle. This project isn't about taking a shot and you're done. It's about finding the correct composition and really studying your subject. I specifically wanted nothing in the background so I had to find the right spot. One angle had buildings all around, the other angle had power lines everywhere. This angle was perfect. Something I've gotten really good at for these first 264 days has been the realization of everything in the photo is important. You have to have your main subject, but then everything else in the background either adds or takes away from the shot. You can't perfect composition if you only focus on the main details. The small details are just as important. Composition is one of the hardest parts of photography. You can study and learn the technical side, but composition is something that you can only study so much. Composition takes practice and experience.
Day 265
Day 265: Earlier in this project I took a shot of a church that was devastated from the tornado and almost all the walls were blown away. I drove by that same church a few days later and they had completely demolished the other walls. I was originally going to wait to take that shot but something told me to go ahead and capture it. This was a lesson for me. You should never wait to do something because that opportunity could be gone at any moment. Things change so quickly, especially in Nashville, so you have to take advantage of every moment you can. I thought of stopping back by and getting the same location but from the opposite side of where the wall used to be. I liked the aged texture of the stairs and how the railing was broken on about to fall down. This was the same type of shot as before. I used the same lens and shot straight on. I liked how the stairs were now leading to nothing. It's a subtle reminder of how powerless we can be and how vulnerable we are, but most of all, how things can change so quickly which is out of our control. Experience the things you want to while you can. Embrace the things that you have for now but mostly the people you are surrounded by.
Day 266
Day 266: It was another beautiful day in Nashville. Not too hot with a cool breeze. I got off work and started driving in one direction. I drove off Charlotte and then West End and ended in Centennial Park. Nashville really takes advantage of the weather on days like today so parking is scarce. Since I found a rare parking spot I decided to stop and see what I could capture. I had taken a few pictures at this location so I was a little hesitant. I got out of my Jeep and walked around. I was by the lake and saw a flock of ducks hanging around. I decided to stop and get a few shots. I got a few side profiles that I liked, but the full composition wasn't really there. I decided to go behind the ducks facing the lake where the sun was beating against the water. I got a few really cool shots and I really liked the silhouette I could get from this angle. I came down to two shots but couldn't decide. I went to meet up with my friend Matt and decided to give him control on the final decision. Sometimes I like doing that because they may see something I don't. I was happy with his decision because I was already leaning towards this one. I really like getting opinions and involving other people in the process. It's good to let go of control, even when you don't need to.
Day 267
Day 267: I got off work and was thinking about my shot. Pepper texted me that she needed to run a few errands and asked if I wanted to come. I decided to tag along so I could look for some shots on the way. It's so much easier to do that so you can pay full attention to the project without being distracted from driving. We drove pretty far down Charlotte and I saw this Chinese temple with statues around the building. The sun was still up and shinning on this statue. I took a few shots but spent more time on this particular one. I have started thinking about post editing while I am shooting. I adjusted my camera so it would be more dark in the background. I wanted to do that so the lines and carvings would come out more distinguished. When I got home I didn't change the exposure setting in the post edit. I found myself doing this much less. I hardly touch that specific setting anymore. That's a pretty good sign. It means I'm learning and getting the exposure correctly in the field. It's a step closer to becoming a good photographer. When you have the settings correct in real time on the site you should have very little adjustments to make in the post edit. I have less than 100 days in this project, so I know I will not master it. But it is a very noticeable difference between now and when I first started. I'd say I'm at the "good" level. Still a lot left to learn, even after this, but "good" is a great place to be for how long I've been shooting.
Day 268
Day 268: I decided to have a "go with the flow" kind of day. I woke up pretty early, had some coffee, got some work done, and did a little writing. I was meeting up with my friend Jay a little later to watch some football on his birthday. I thought I'd bring my computer and whatever happens happens. I wasn't going to stress about it. He texted me and said they were on their way to Pins over by my house. I met up with them and sat down. We talked for a bit and I decided to walk around to see what I could get. There are definitely a lot of options. It a very unique place full of games and mini bowling. After about an hour our lane was ready so we walked over and I really loved the way the pins reflected off of the lane. I immediately knew that was the one I wanted to capture. I was thinking of the composition and I wanted both the pins and reflection to be evenly in the horizon, but then I wanted a little focus on the strings holding up the pins. I wanted a little space on both sides of the lanes to put a little more focus on the pins. It was a great "go with the flow" shot that was different from the rest of this project.
Day 269
Day 269: This will never be an important photo for most people. It will be overlooked. Let's take the concept of the photo first. It's a good shot. It's out of place in the sense of nature "doesn't belong" in modern advancement. It's out of place. But the modern brick against the nature desperate to survive is relevant. It's a good photo but I decided to drown out the colors despite my forever hatred of black and white because sometimes, just some times, color isn't relevant. Sometimes we don't need color to make the moment accurate. But, photography wise, it makes sense to not have it in this case. I didn't want to have it because I feel like in this case we all lose. This shot is important (to me and only me) because I was busy taking another shot that I thought would be the "shot of the day" but got yelled at from below by AB she said "Mark, this shot is your shot." It was a collective effort that my good friend Cherith who saw something and AB vocalized that I needed to redirect my focus. I took it and looked at it and then I thought more about it. The importance, that most people won't unfortunately know, is that people are always on your sideline seeing things that you don't see because you are looking at something different in another direction. Even though it's not what you originally thought of, it was different. Maybe better, and different. In this case, better and glad I had a group of second eyes to help.
Day 270
Day 270: It was a very nice day today and I did my typical Monday work day and ventured out shortly after. I drove through the back alley of Marathon Music Works since I hadn't been back there in a while and there are a lot of buildings that are half torn down. As I drove I saw the empty rusted water tower from one of the vacant windows and immediately stoped to go back. It was a unique perspective from outside the building. I was thinking about the composition and wanted the water tower in the center and then I was thinking of exposure. The light was pretty heavy so I had the ISO pretty low and I wanted to show a lot of depth so I had the aperture set low with the main focus being on the tower. I decided to position this side of the tower to show the ladder and wanted a little bit of the sky on the top. I liked the natural colors to much to alter them. I was going to fade the colors a bit but the rust against the blue sky matched too well to change it. I liked this photo because it almost looks like a picture hanging on the wall.
Day 271
Day 271: I was having my old boss over for dinner today so I had to run to the grocery store. I knew time was a bit tight so I decided to bring my camera in case I saw something along the way. As I pulled into the grocery store I saw this mural of a version of Michelangelo's Creation of Adam. I liked the texture of the brick and the different shades. As I looked at it I was thinking of how close to shoot and how much of the wall and outside of the wall to get. I decided to go a little tighter so there would be no distraction of the background. This was one of my favorite paintings ever and as I was shooting it reminded me of the time I went to the Sistine Chapel and saw this beautiful spectacular ceiling. A lot of people were taking pictures with their phone which is strictly forbidden. I did not. I wanted to take that moment in and keep it just for me. The mental image I took will never be as good as any photo I'd ever take. Memories will last forever if you take time to go back to that moment and remember them.
Day 272
Day 272: Pepper reached out to me about a good location to shoot she found when she was going for a walk in East Nashville. I had no idea how to get there so we went together shortly after the work day. We walked a while to get to the location and had a great conversation on the way (irrelevant to this project). I love when friends come along on shoots and we get to spend some alone time to catch up. When we got to the location the swamp was just as she described. We were on a bridge that crossed the swamp and I thought it was a better perspective to get down as low as possible to make everything more photogenic. Being closer to the water made it look a lot more interesting, almost like you were in the water. The hardest problem I had was the direction to get. On the opposite side the sun was setting and it looked really cool but the green water wasn't coming out because of the lighting. I liked the one with the sunset but this was the reason I came to this location so I decided to stick with this angle.
Day 273
Day 273: As the ninth month closes out I have found it getting harder and harder to capture things I haven't done yet. It's very hard when you spend the majority of your day working and I'm approaching the time of year where sunlight will be less as each day passes. I walked out to get my shot and I saw this enormous spider web on my front patio. I really wanted to get the spider web to come out but with the background it was very difficult. It was hard to find the right focal point. The settings were extra sensitive since the web is so thin. Having the spider right in the center as well was a perfect natural composition that I couldn't create myself, because I wasn't touching that spider. It was huge. I love when I get inspired at my house because it's very easy to go back if I screw up. I did screw up so went back outside to visit my unwanted guest. I changed the settings to make sure the web would come out more. I went back inside to look at the new shots and I thought "I can do better" so decided to take advantage of the convenience and try again. Finally on the third try it clicked and felt right.
Day 274
Day 274: It was another beautiful Friday. When I first started this project I told a lot of friends about it. I had a lot of people reach out about ideas of what I should shoot. My friend Stephanie was one that gave me many ideas and was excited about this project. We had went on a few photo adventures and she told me about this house so a while ago we decided to drive past it. The moment I saw it I knew I would have to include it in this project. On this specific day I thought it would be a good idea to go capture it so I picked up Steph and we drove out there. It was almost like they knew we were coming with the perfectly mowed lawn. I love the shape and the symmetry of the property. I have always been big on architecture, especially modern architecture. I was a little worried on the drive there because the sun was setting and I wanted to make sure we had enough time. In the photography world 30 minutes could make or break a shoot. Luckily it was right at that time where we had just made it. I originally was going a little tighter with the zoom lens but Steph liked the wider shot more and at the end I had to agree. The bridge to get over added a lot to the composition and having the house centered in the shot with the trees and skies above really made it a well composed shot.
Day 275
Day 275: It was a long Saturday for me. I was working a lot and lost track of the time and the daylight had passed me. My friend Cherith wanted to hang out after the Kentucky game so I brought my camera since I was distracted all day. I had no idea what I was going to get and didn't want her to drive around without a purpose and then she said, "I know what your shot is" and she took me to this new place where the old Sounds score board was. The clouds were very dark and ominous and the lighting on the shipping containers was cool. I walked around and got a lot of different angles but I'm so big on symmetry that I had to go with the forward shot. It was a little tricky getting this shot. Whenever it's dark and there is also lights around it makes it difficult. The ISO has to be set higher but then the shot is so much more grainy and wherever there is light it bleeds through. I took my time to get the shot and then we went to have a few drinks with friends.
Day 276
Day 276: After we left last night I noticed this barber salon and decided to revisit to location to capture this image from last night. I took a few shots the night before but it was raining so I didn't really get anything I could use. I like this shot because it's very hard, much like the shot from yesterday, with the dark night but also having a bright light shining. But I really liked how the light was so powerful where the salon sign is and as you go further to the right the detail gets lost in the dark. I thought the door really added to it and I have a thing for the textured brick on the side of the building. The light and shadows really stick out, specifically on the right side, and you can see that they aren't all perfectly positioned and some are sticking out further than the others. Night shots are always more challenging and it's still something I'm trying to get better at. But having such a powerful light next to the darkness is incredibly hard to do well. Sometimes I say "I'm getting better, much better" but in this moment I have to say I still have a lot to learn.
Day 277
Day 277: I was in Midtown with a few friends and I was walking around looking to get an interesting shot and I walked by this parking garage and saw all these pipes running in different directions. It was pretty dark out but the area was well lit, so it really stood out to me. I really liked the different sized of the pipes and the neutral colors. I thought to go a little tighter but was more drawn to the overall wider shot showing more of the pipes. It's pretty simple and not really much to it but the linear aspect of it is always something that stands out to me. I really liked the way the center block complimented the pipes and how they were the same color. It wasn't the most inspirational shot, by far, but it was something that stood out and caught the corner of my eye so I felt it was important to ackno
Day 278
Day 278: It was Tuesday and I was going to be off the rest of the week, so I had to work a lot later to finish up some existing issues for customers before being out of the office. As soon as I was done I left the house and the sun had already made it's way over the horizon. I was driving towards downtown and was on a bridge and saw Union Station against the new hotel off Broadway. I decided to stop in a parking lot and walked along the bridge. I took a few shots but really wanted the towers to be separate, but unfortunately the angle wasn't available to get the both off the background of the Hyatt. It was a shot I had thought about getting but didn't know at which angle and when I was crossing the bridge I felt that was a wonderful location to shoot. I ended up really liking the old historic Nashville building next to the brand new modern hotel. Union Station is a really cool place that was converted to a hotel a while ago and there is an actual room that has been documented to be haunted. At one point we went outside the door of that room. It's weird seeing the two hotels side by side.
Day 279
Day 279: I had a friend come into town from Texas and he needed to make a trip to Franklin so I drove him down and brought my camera since I hadn't been in Franklin in over a year. We were driving through the country and I saw all these round bundles scattered across a field. It's an image I always loved when driving around in the country. This particular field was covered in them. We got a quick bite to eat and had to keep to a specific time schedule but the shot was too good and I knew it would only take a few minutes. The clouds were aggressive and really added to the overall emotion of the shot so it was really perfect timing. I went and got a few different angles but landed on this one since you could really see the size of the enormous field and there were more round bundles visible from this angle.
Day 280
Day 280: As this project progresses, and as the conclusion is approaching, I have really tried challenging my creativity. I want to really think outside the box and capture images that will make you think. I have always loved photography like this because it is unique in it's own way. My friend Brad who was in town was with me and I said, "I have this idea so you're gonna be in this shot!" He quickly agreed. This is a normal size stool and Brad is about 6'3". We took a few test shots and then I looked to my left and saw the arrow in the parking lot so we shifted the angle of the shot. I put the stool right above the arrow and Brad went to the other end of the parking lot. I knew there would be a huge difference in the depth since he was so far away so I had to set the aperture as high as possible which would make the image very dark. So I had to set the ISO a lot higher than I would normally like because it would come out grainy. It was a learning process. I should have brought my tripod and set the shutter speed longer and the ISO lower. But the end result was exactly what I was shooting for and the creativity worked just as I had imagined. I just know I could have done just a bit better.
Day 281
Day 281: I was talking to Matt about going back up to Bardstown to ride horses and I was off all Friday so we decided to take a quick trip back. I had talked to Dustin about getting a horse on two feet and was pretty set on that being a shot. We talked a lot over the months and he said he had been working on a horse to try and get it. I had originally planned a different shot but it just wasn't coming together. Dustin said he was going to try and get the horse up and he was getting there so I transitioned my focus towards that. Just like last time (when Dustin was in the lake saying he was over it) he said the horse wasn't cooperating and that he was done. We sat for a second and the horse calmed down and he said he'd try again. It went back and forth and he said "That's it Mark. He's not going to do it." And I said (like I said last time) "One more time man." He hesitantly/annoyingly agreed to try one more time and we got this shot. It came out great and I was thoroughly impressed with the horse. "One more time" is the most common phrase to come out of a director's mouth. But it's true.
Day 282
Day 282: After the horses were put away we got cleaned up and went into town to get some food and a few beers then came back to Dustin's farm. We went on a ride in his 4-wheeler for a bit then came back and hung out on his upstairs patio and talked. Matt and I were working on a song we had started writing a while ago and really lost track of time. I went downstairs to go to the bathroom and we're on a farm so I obviously went outside. Boys will be boys. I looked up and the stars were everywhere. To the right was a large tractor with flood lights shining on it. I looked at the time and it was technically the next day so I went back inside to get my camera. The light on the tractor was heavy so I had to be very careful with the settings. I wanted to capture as much of the stars as possible. Which meant you see the stars and the tractor is too bright or the tractor is perfect but you can't see the stars. I was able to find a healthy medium between the two to capture as close to what I could without a tripod.
Day 283
Day 283: Today was a bit of a weird day. I wasn't feeling too good and feeling a little unmotivated. I met up with some friends a little later in the afternoon and we walked around a bit but I didn't see anything that really stood out. At this point it was pretty dark and the options were starting to run out. We were walking by a food truck and I saw the top of it and thought it looked interesting, especially if I zoomed in. This was the roof where the steam comes out. The neon lights were neat and I like how the metal is bent where the screws were which changed the reflection on the neon lights. Most of the times when this happens something will just come out of nowhere and I usually end up with something amazing. Today was not the case. It wasn't horrible. I didn't necessarily settle. I liked it, I just know this isn't going to be one of my best shots. Each one can't be better than the last, that's just not possible.
Day 284
Day 284: The days are definitely getting shorter. I had mentally prepared for this time of year. I was running a few errands after work and brought my camera with me. I was checking out a specific location and then decided it was starting to get too dark. I drove by Top Golf and noticed all the driving bays with the screens lit up against the sunset in the background and I thought that was a really cool image. I decided to get out and see what I could get and I really ended up liking it and it came out the way I thought. I love the curved bays and the wide shot with all the golf balls on the ground. I was thinking of going a little more wide but the bay would have not been the subject and the screens would have been too small. I did snap a shot where it was very wide but the golf balls weren't as noticeable, but that sky definitely was. This shot was more realistic to the natural eye, which is what I've been trying to accomplish throughout the duration of this project. It's a hard thing to accomplish, especially when the lighting is fading.
Day 285
Day 285: I had to drop off a friend at the airport and was driving around on the way back and thought that the lighting was just perfect on the Marathon building. The texture was great and there was nobody around. That's a pretty rare occasion for this area of town. It's typically packed full of tourist all throughout the day and they are always lined up outside waiting for rides or for the rest of their party to come outside, as there are multiple cool gift shops inside. So this image is rare in the fact that nobody was outside. The color was great, the brick is extremely old and the 1907 Marathon sign really fits the personality of this building. I love the windows and the brick pattern above it. Sometimes it's cool to fade the colors in post edits to give it an old time feeling. I tried to see how that would look but the color of the brick is just too good so I kept it to it's natural color.
Day 286
Day 286: Today was another day I drove in many random directions in search for my shot. I had driven past this warehouse building once before and somehow found myself back here. I didn't see anything I really liked so was hesitant to try again. There is this ledge that is very high up that I didn't notice before so I found a way to walk up to it and get in the center much closer to the ceiling. I'm glad I decided to stop and try because I absolutely love shots like this. They show so much depth and symmetry. If I was able to, I would have loved to get even higher above the lower beam. There was no way unless I climbed up it and would definitely fall. The colors were very dull and took away from the linear aspect of this shot so I decided to do this one in black and white. The focus was better when I did this. I think it would be need to get a drone and fly it through the center, that's where my head is going. This project has definitely opened up a lot of future potential locations for future projects.
Day 287
Day 287: I had to pick up my friend Cherith after work and we were going to take a ride around East Nashville to get a picture. We drove around for a bit and I came across this huge parking lot that I had been before but had forgotten about. I shot a show that was an outdoor show and noticed this sign emulating the Hollywood sign and I thought it was really cool with all of the rocks on a steep hill. There were a few distractions that took away from the shot such as cars and a randomly placed porter potty. I had to reposition my angle so I could capture all of the sign but also not get any of the unpleasant background noise. There was still good light out so I was able to keep the ISO lower for a sharper image. It's another example of how Nashville will use a piece of empty space and make something out of it. We always try to put everything to use in a unique way. It's funny how they referenced Hollywood with a more southern touch of the "Howdy" and yet a lot of Californians are starting to move to Nashville.
Day 288
Day 288: I was at Pepper's house a while ago and noticed her flowers in her back yard. I thought I'd try to use it one day if I was having trouble finding something. I went over there a little after work and went to her back yard. It was really just a flower pot and that's it. So no real desirable background. I decided to get a little lower and get a close shot so the purple flowers in the background would be full. I couldn't go too high because then it would be empty and I wanted to fill the whole frame. So I had to get a close shot at a downward angle. As I was shooting I went to get a few different angles so I would have a variation to choose from and this moth came and landed on the primary flower I was focusing on. I was able to get enough shots until he flew away. I didn't feel like I quite got it yet so I continued shooting. A few moments later he came right back to give me a second chance landing directly on the center of the flower.
Day 289
Day 289: I had a pretty busy Saturday. I wanted to get out early to get my shot of the day but Kentucky game was on so I was obligated to watch it since we were 6-0. I watched the game at home so it was a long afternoon as we lost. I met up with a few friends to go to dinner and I was pretty far behind with time so I brought my camera. We parked and as we were walking to the restaurant I saw this street so well lit with the lights shinning off the cars so I stopped to take a snap. I love alley/street shots like this. They are a little alike but always different at the same time. I've always been a huge fan of patio lights running across a street. This particular area is a new, and really nice, area in Nashville very close to me. I knew I'd get this shot eventually but the lighting felt right at this particular moment so I decided to go for it. The levels were correct and it came out fairly close to what I saw with my eyes so I was happy with the final result.
Day 290
Day 290: I had to run by a friends house to pick something up and I was driving around right after to get my shot. I wasn't far from their house and I drove by a really worn down playground in the projects. I decided to get out and see if I could capture something unique. I took a few shots of different things and climbed up to where the monkey bars were. I liked this angle because you could see the housing in the background and the detail was so great on the monkey bars. The paint was different shades and a lot of it was worn off. I also liked the depth perception of this shot. I decided to focus more on the middle bars verses the very front. I felt your eye is just more naturally drawn to the middle of this particular shot. I've been trying to think about the shot when it's done verses how I see it in the moment. I think that will really have an effect on how it will turn out. I always shoot to edit, but haven't really taken that concept to photography.
Day 291
Day 291: I was thinking really hard on what to capture today. It was really hard inspirational wise. I didn't have a clue of what to get. I had to work late so the daylight had escaped me. I had a few friend reach out to watch the Titans game but I was already way too focused on today's shot since time was gone. I had the game on in the background while I was thinking. I looked over to this statue I got in China a few years ago and felt an instant burst of creativity. We were all effected by the pandemic of the corona virus last year that allegedly started in China. Whether it was an accident or a conspiracy theory of a self made virus in the lab, it was here. We made everything so enormously political with the masks and the vaccine so I decided to show how it makes us look in society. If you wear a mask and get the vaccine you are contributing to the corrupt government. If you are against masks and refuse the vaccine you are selfish and "don't believe science." What I learn is everyone has their opinion, and quite honestly both seem valid. But we are so quick to hate and "cut each others heads off" if we disagree. This past year has been an absolute embarrassment on BOTH sides. We have lost the ability to respect someone else's side and realize that not all think alike and our "leaders" should be ashamed.
Day 292
Day 292: I got off work and went straight to work. I was trying to find a shot that I hadn't done before. I was driving in town and from the corner of my eye saw this machine that looked like a go-cart that went over an enormous jump and caught air. I turned around to go back. I had to cross the threshold of this fence at a construction site. There were poles in the way so I couldn't really capture it any other way. It was being held by a fork lift but I decided to get a closer shot so when you first look at it the machine looks airborne. I angled the shot so it would be a bit of a side profile but a little lower so you could see the height and that it was noticeably off the ground. It reminded me a bit of a Dukes of Hazard shot. This was a part of Nashville that has a lot of development happening around it. After I got this shot I explored a little and found some interesting spots that would be great for filming locations. I'll definitely have to revisit this site for future projects in the near future.
Day 293
Day 293: I got off work and felt really good today. I left my house early and had plenty of time to get something. Or so I thought. I left the house a little frustrated from the work day. I had a few ideas of what direction to go and I started going and then changed my mind. Then would start in that direction again, and then change my mind again. I went downtown, I went to midtown, I went to the fair grounds. I circled Nashville at least two times. And this was all around 4:30 so the rush hour traffic was horrible. I was getting frustrated and it was taking forever to get somewhere. I went by the parthenon to try and capture the sunset so I made my way back there, again. When I got there the lighting wasn't as good as I saw when I thought to go back. So I was very frustrated at this point. I decided to drive back to my house. I thought of a particular shot and then missed the turn, so I had to go completely around the block again. I said to myself, "This is the worst day of this project!" The frustration was real. I pulled up to the spot and looked at the angle, not expecting to get anything significant, and then I turned around and saw this light tower with the sunset and clouds everywhere and captured this shot. It was a great reminder that no matter how much things don't seem like they're going your way something can pop out of nowhere and work out. It was a good ending of a frustrating day.
Day 294
Day 294: It was another day of driving around aimlessly. I had a friend recommend a spot near Germantown that was an old abandoned warehouse. I hadn't heard of it so he gave me the address and I used that as my starting point. I arrived but it was all under construction and they were remodeling it and turning everything else into another enormous condo/apartment complex. There was absolutely nothing I could capture that I thought was of value other then for the sake of being done and getting on with my day. I just couldn't quite bring myself since nothing inspired me. I started driving around and slow down, make a few stops, and nothing was coming quickly. I found myself driving by a cemetery and I drove around it. There was no way to get in since all the gates were locked. I went towards the front and noticed the fence was just wide enough to be able to squeeze my lens through to get a clear shot. I thought this would be great with Halloween approaching. I wanted the front grave focused with more of a depth perception in the back.
Day 295
Day 295: New Nashville is destroying Historic Nashville. This is Hermitage Cafe, a small local diner that has been operating for almost 32 years. They have survived two tornados, a flood, being shut down from the pandemic, and yet survived. And what was the ultimate cause of their shutting down? They, unknowingly, were not allowed the opportunity to renew their lease. What is going to take it's place? Most likely another multimillion dollar apartment complex that will run about $2500 a month for a 700 square foot one bedroom. The greed that this city is allowing is destroying it to the point where we will no longer recognize the things that made Nashville Nashville. Eventually it will all be lost and we will be an enormous city that has lost its original charm and the term "Music City" will be about as relevant as the station "MTV." The locals will soon be transplants from California and New York bringing a different vibe and mentality that is not of this city. I felt it was necessary and important to capture this piece of history.
Day 296
Day 296: I got out of the house early to take advantage of the shorter amount of day light. I made my way through Marathon and had a few ideas but the tourists were all out making it hard to capture something without a lot of background noise. I decided to keep that for a day where it will be a little less crowded and headed down Charlotte Ave. There is this small bar off Charlotte that has an enormous guitar in front of it. I always noticed it and thought it was really cool, but the parking lot was always full making it impossible to get the shot. As I drove past it today I noticed that there wasn't anyone in the parking lot so I decided to turn around and take advantage of that moment. I got out and took a few shots. It was pretty simple and quick. I got a few different angles so I would have a few options. The one I originally was going to use was from right below but the composition felt a little off so I went with this shot as it was a more visually pleasant shot.
Day 297
Day 297: I had met up with a few friends in Midtown and brought my camera. I was sitting down at our table looking around and noticed all the Halloween decorations hanging around. I noticed this skeleton and thought it would be a good shot since it had some natural light hitting it. I didn't just look around and say "Eh, this is good enough and I'll be done..." I liked the texture of the cloth against the texture of the bark on the tree and I saw the little rubber duck in the chain and thought they all went well together. I also liked the way the skeleton had his arms wide open. I had him centered in the shot to make a bit more significance to the skeleton being the center of attention. I took a few other shots just in case but in the back of my mind I knew this was it.
Day 298
Day 298: I was out on my balcony having some coffee and I saw all these birds lined up along the power line above me. Every time I see something like this I rush to get my camera and when I come back the moments gone. Obviously I came back and they were still here, but I knew they wouldn't be for long. They would leave as soon as they were ready. I had to act quick. I got my camera and quickly put the settings where I thought they should be set at. When I looked up they were patiently waiting. All of a sudden there was a loud noise and they all flew off in a panic. I was sitting waiting for this moment because I wanted to have them all scattered all over the frame. But you only get on chance to capture it. I blasted my camera capturing multiple shots. I knew I wanted some of the power lines to show where they started. I was passionate about this shot because I felt like everything was right. The power lines that I wanted on the very bottom, the subtle clouds in the background, the deep blue color of the sky, and the birds flapping their wings in every direction. It's a complicated simple shot.
Day 299
Day 299: Today was a fun day. I got done with work, went to pick up my friend Cherith and we went to get some pumpkins and made a stop by Krogers to get some ingredients to make soup. I have my monthly "family dinner" where we have a theme and people eat and enjoy good company. This was a little different as it was a pumpkin carving contest with a free bottle of wine for the winner. I love hosting events like this and bringing people together, it makes my very happy. Everyone came over, the soup was ready so we ate and then got right to carving the pumpkins. It was a lot of fun and as we finished we were amazed at each other's work. We voted and Cherith had won. Originally I was going to have the winner's pumpkin as the photo of the day but we put them all down the stairs of my front patio with the candles lit and I had to just include everyone. It was too good not to have them all together. Just so everyone is clear, mine is the one with all the teeth which was the obvious choice of winning, but you know... congrats Cherith? I was amazed with all of them though. It was a fun day.
Day 300
Day 300: I set out for my daily adventure right after work. I had no idea where to go so I just went. If I felt something telling me to turn, I'd turn. I ended up circling the block of Midtown driving down a few different roads, which I have found there isn't much there in the residential areas, but I made my why to Music Row and I drove by one of the studios and saw this skeleton as I flew by so I decided to make a loop and go back. I thought it would be fun to capture since Halloween was fastly approaching. I actually took multiple shots of this. I changed lenses a few times. I was debating how wide to get the shot and how much of the skeleton to include. I knew I wanted the "Music Row" sign and all of the magazine he was holding, but I was debating how far over to go and if I should include the left foot. I felt the Music Row sign would not be as noticeable if I zoomed out any further, so this was the right decision. Any wider and the street would have been too visible with cars and people walking.
Day 301
Day 301: It's Thursday and my friend Matt and I have this tradition where we go and watch Thursday Night Football and have a few beers. We recently decided to start rotating places and going to each other's houses every other week to change up the scenery. This week we decided to go to Matt's house. He has a really nice huge TV in his family room with a very comfortable couch. But of course we decided to watch it downstairs in the basement on a much smaller TV with two chairs. It just felt right and more alive for some reason. We've always had fun playing music and foosball in the basement so it felt more natural of an environment. I hadn't taken a picture and was back to my "go with the glow" perspective so I brought my camera. I was looking for something and noticed a random lamp on a high ledge on top of a black tarp with a bunch of other lamps around. I personally liked it and thought it was original and it was very in the moment when I thought of it so, for me, it was very relevant. The lighting was good and it was what I was drawn towards so it felt good.
Day 302
Day 302: It was another typical Friday. I did my regular work day and took a shower and headed out to see what I could find. I didn't know where I was heading as usual. I was driving through an area I don't go to often. I knew there was a place right after a bridge and I decided last second to turn and see what was there since I had never stopped before. I wasn't really impressed with what I saw so I didn't even get out of my Jeep. I went through the parking lot and was exiting until I saw this painting of an English telephone booth that looked like it was very weathered and possibly even after a fire at some point. Suddenly I felt compelled to get out and see what I could come up with. There was a really cool mural that continued on the other side but I felt as if it was a little too much and taking away from the telephone booth, so I decided to keep it with a side profile angle. I wanted to get a little closer, have some of the sidewalk and street, and get a little lower of a view so the sidewalk wasn't as prominent.
Day 303
Day 303: I was helping Bart move a huge tub that he bought for his house and brought my camera so I could try to see what I could find along the way. It was an old vintage tub that I was thinking of take a picture of but it was broken down in pieces with the legs taken off. We unloaded it when we got to his house and I noticed that his neighbor had a group of pumpkins in their front lawn. His neighborhood really gets into Halloween where every other house is fully decorated. I liked the dirty wet texture they had and the white picket fence to the right. I zoomed in enough so it would fill the frame and I wanted to have a good amount of the grass to make the shot more full. I'll be honest, this was one of the shots that I was feeling very sick and it was cold and wet outside and I was fairly unmotivated. I tried to make it as unique as possible but today was not the day of creativity for me as my mind was not there. I guess after 303 days it was bound to happen sooner or later.
Day 304
Day 304: I still had an enormous pumpkin left over from my pumpkin carving party and with it being Halloween today I decided to do a quick carving. I had always wanted to do something funny with a pumpkin like this so I went to work and thought it was so funny I decided to include it in this project. It was a quick carve and I used some of the innards left over from the last carvings. I had a bunch of empty beer cans and beer bottles so I laid them all around the front steps of my patio. I took a few shots but the composition didn't quite seem right so I repositioned the bottles and cans. I had to work quick because the sun was behind me and this is the time of year when it starts setting quickly. Eventually it would be behind me and my shadow would have been in the way. After a few more shots I made sure it was what I wanted and then I was done. I decided to keep it there for a few days until it was trash day just to show off all my hard work. It was definitely a fun photo to create and I'm glad I was able to finally do something I've wanted to do for a while.
Day 305
Day 305: I was driving around after work and made my way to Midtown and stopped at a few places. I went to get a shot and I didn't really feel like it was the one. I saw a stop sign and thought to get that, and liked it, but it still didn't seem right. I was driving, thinking about heading home, but came across this stop sign on Music Row and thought it was a perfect composition than what I had seen before. I got out to get this shot on Music Square, where all the major and independent record labels are located. It's a very historic part of Nashville. I knew I wanted to incorporate it somehow in this project, I just didn't know how until now. It looks like just a stop sign but the significance of this location has a deep meaning to the city and it's success for music. When I was taking the photo I was thinking of the rules of thirds and felt like the stop sign being on the left because of the way it leaned was better.
Day 306
Day 306: I had way too much vacation left to use so I thought I'd burn a few days and drive down to Huntington with Bart to help him with some renovations on the house he bought last year. We were driving towards his house and were talking about the photo of the day and he said that there are large cotton fields so we could try to get that. We drove through this small town on the way to his house and on the side was an enormous field covered in cotton. I stopped to get out and was thinking about how to capture the shot. I first had my zoom lens where it was a lot more close and had so much more detail on the specific cotton I was focused on and then switched to a much wider lens so I could capture the overwhelming amount of the field. I chose this shot because the blue sky went perfectly with the cotton and seeing the enormous field. It was a tough decision where I kept going back and forth for quite some time. This shot just had so much more energy and depth. Definitely unique to what I have captured so far.
Day 307
Day 307: I woke up to finish up the work we started the day before. We were on a bit of a schedule since I had to get back to Nashville and there was still plenty of work to get done. We worked very diligently nonstop until we were done. We started cleaning up and getting ready to leave. I had gotten a picture for the day but I felt like I was forcing myself to get it over with so I wasn't convinced I was done. As Bart was packing things up to leave I noticed this box of old dusty empty bottles. This house is incredibly old and these were left in the attic. We were talking about it and thought it could have been from the prohibition era since it was in nowhere Tennessee. I decided to get these bottles. I was originally thinking to display them somehow but I really liked how they were left alone for who knows how many decades. I think the untouched composition was naturally beautiful and didn't need to be changed.
Day 308
Day 308: I was back in Nashville and any time you're off of work for a few days you have a very busy day coming back. The amount of emails is real. It was getting dark quick and I saw the sun glowing so I thought I would go to Love Circle since I had time to get there before the "golden hour" passed. Love Circle is a spot on the hills of Nashville that has such a great view of the city. When the sun sets the entire city glows, especially this time of year. I got there a little early so I took a little "me time" to be quiet and enjoy the view until the lighting was right. It was a nice moment to take a break and enjoy the view before working. I knew it was pointless to set my camera because in 20 minutes you'd have to start all over. The time was coming so I got my camera out to get the settings where I wanted and this girl was up there taking photos as well so we talked cameras for quite a while. I was originally going to go a bit wider on this shot but I thought the city being closer was more what I was going for with the details and the composition with the sky. The sun was hitting so hard against the new glass building that it made it hard to really get the levels I wanted for the correct exposure. Also looking through the lens was like looking at the sun so I had to be careful. I had gotten my shot and was leaving and the girl said "I'm going to steal your spot!" I had positioned myself right where you could get most of the city and none of the surrounding trees. I felt bad I was "hogging" the good spot so we laughed for a bit.
Day 309
Day 309: I thought I'd start my adventure near Marathon Music Works on this cold Friday afternoon. I had been to this location so many times for numerous events, photo shoots, music videos, shows, etc. There used to be a house here but they left the chimney there for some reason. It is now a parking lot that is typically full of cars. When I drove by it this was the one time it wasn't full. It's such a unique, out of place, image. I really like it. I felt like I would take advantage of the uncommon vacancy since this was the first time I drove by and found it like this. I love this shot and the gravel covering the ground. This area is a very old historic part of Nashville that use to be very industrial and when they converted it to the shopping and music venue that it is now they did a really great job conserving it's original charm.
Day 310
Day 310: My friend Ray made his monthly trip to Nashville. I knew this was a shot I wanted to capture. We got up early, had breakfast, got a few things done, and headed out to get this shot. This is Natchez Trace bridge located near Franklin so it's about 30 minutes out of Nashville. It is such a beautiful bridge with unique architecture and enormous. I went to see what the best angle would be. When we first approached we came from the other side and stopped to get the shot but I thought there was a better location so we drove to the other side and there was this empty field with this view. Perfect. There were a few trees covering a good part of the bridge from far away. I got pretty close to it with the wide lens and was able to capture a good majority of the bridge. I liked this angle to show the height and length. It was a perfect day and the leaves on the trees were changing so the color was there for us today. The bridge is a little dirty with the nature aging the bridge a bit but I really liked the non clean look. It turned out just how I hoped.
Day 311
Day 311: Ray had left in the mid afternoon so I was getting some things done around the house and cleaning. The day had gotten away from me and today the time changed, so there is an hour less of sunlight. A day that I had been dreading to come. I was finally done with what I needed to except getting my photo for the day. I looked down the street and the sun was glowing against the power lines and I thought it was really cool. It was reflecting off like the reflection of the sun against the ocean. The colors were great. I thought to get the exposure down a little more than normal. I didn't want the background to be too visible since I wanted the focus on all the power lines and I really wanted them to come out more aggressively. It was pretty strong almost to the point where it was blinding with the naked eye. I really liked how busy the background is with the telephone poles and trees everywhere. It was a sudden burst of inspiration I decided to capture.
Day 312
Day 312: I got off work and decided to reluctantly head downtown. Traffic is always heavy and a bit frustrating. But most people are leaving downtown so it's not quite as bad going into downtown. I drove through a few different locations just looking and I saw this building. It looks like it was cropped or photoshopped but this is how the building is angled. I noticed the building to the left was the same so I changed lenses to get a wider shot so I could have both of them in the same frame. I felt like this really showed more exaggeration of the buildings being cut off. Originally I went to the center of the building so you could see both sides, but I felt like this was a much more unique angle, almost making you uncomfortable to look at because it seems almost incomplete. The colors on the buildings were great and the way the lines are positioned is what really makes this photo. It's not just taking a picture of a building, it's how can you make this simple building look very different. You just have to look at it with a creative mind.
Day 313
Day 313: I had plans to go downtown to watch the season opener of Kentucky basketball. It was a late game and I hadn't gotten my shot yet so I texted my friend, Jay, to see if he wanted to go down to Printers Alley to have a beer before the game and so I could get a shot. Printers Alley is a very unique spot in downtown that is full of bright lights and signs. It's definitely a touristy spot but has a mixture of locals as well. I took a few shots to see what would be best and to have a few options. I was originally going to go straight on in the center of the alley. But I got a closer shot of the neon signs from a slight angle and I liked how prominent they were closer up and at an angle. This is a really cool alley where you can get almost anything for a good picture. There is so much to capture. It's a really cool area where I've actually shot a music video a while back.
Day 314
Day 314: I have a weekly tradition with my good friend Chuck, where we watch a movie, hang out for a bit and have a few drinks. We rotate each week. One week it's at my house and the next week it's at his house. Today it was at Chuck's house. I left my house a bit after work to get a photo on the way. It already starts getting dark at 4 so I knew I had to be quick. I got on the highway heading his way and there was a traffic jam per usual. By the time I got a few miles from my exit the night had came and I was out of light time. I decided just to go on to his house and it was midnight dark at 5:30pm. He was still getting work done so I just walked around his house looking at different things to possibly capture. I took a lot of random shots that I actually liked, but he had his cactus inside and the leaves were really coming out strong and the color was so green I decided to go with this one. I kept going back and forth but I took more shots of the cactus than any other subject so I felt like I was more mentally trying to capture this one. I wanted to go a little tighter with this shot to show the detail of the spikes and the leaves and liked how there was another part of the cactus in the background showing more depth.
Day 315
Day 315: Today is Veterans Day so I wanted to incorporate that some how in today's shot. I was thinking of how I could do it and when I got off work I went down to the veterans memorial park downtown. I saw this statue and thought it was perfect. It's always to remember different points in our history so we can reflect on the sacrifices and what could have been if the outcomes were different. This was a great shot to remember and photography wise was easily composed with the trees equally in the background and the symmetry of the statues with the map of North and South Korea in the middle. I dulled the colors down a bit since it was a little strong with the green and I wanted it to have a subtle antique look. I had the settings right so this shot took very little post editing adjustments. I was happy with that since it was darker than what the image shows. I wanted to make sure it didn't get grainy with the higher exposure so the settings were correct.
Day 316
Day 316: Well, if this isn't the best photo so far of this project I don't know what is! I was off work today since I had some time to burn for my vacation so I thought, what better day to take of than your birthday!? I had a good idea of what I wanted to try and capture. I got up at my almost regular time to take advantage of a full relaxing day. I had a specific spot I wanted to get for this photo so I headed that way but when I got there it wasn't really coming out like I had panned. There is this new building that is almost done near Midtown and it is one of those modern architecture with mirror glass all over it. But when I got there the lighting just wasn't coming out like I had originally imagined and the reflection wasn't coming out. I walked around the entire building and it just wasn't coming out like I had hoped. So I left not wanting to waste any more time. I had some interesting shots that could be possible. I got home and walked out to my balcony and thought, if I get this lighting right it could look good. I opened the door and had the lights on and the blinds closed and it came out just like I had hoped. I wanted to take a reflection shot like this because it was fun and interesting with the different layers of glass. I did a mirror shot as well but this one was way too much better with everything going on in the back ground.
Day 317
Day 317: I had a late start to the day. It was, quite honestly, a lazy day. That doesn't happen too often but when it does I try to give myself a little grace and embrace it. I had some friends watching football in East Nashville so I decided to join them later on in the afternoon. I definitely hadn't taken my photo yet, but it was on my mind with me on the couch. I got ready and headed that way. We went to Rosemary, which has a really cool atmosphere and a little different than other places I typically go to. We were all sitting at the table and my friend AB and Becca said "I see you got your camera bag so I'm assuming you don't have your shot for the day. You should get the UFO behind you!" I turned around and saw it and thought it was definitely unique and kind of funny with the cat in the pilot seat. It was really dark so I had to have the ISO set higher than I normally like. I took a few snaps and felt a bit relieved since I was happy with it, this wasn't something just to get the day over with. I really liked it and when I got home to edit I felt like the settings were correct and well done.
Day 318
Day 318: Every year for my birthday Bart takes me to a Titans game. He's done that every year since I've met him. Titans games are typically at noon, so there is definitely little time for anything. I have a Titans flag that I put out on Sundays for the games to show my support. The sun was out and it was feeling amazing outside. It was very windy so the flag was going everywhere. I thought it would be cool to try to capture the flag for game day. I went outside with my coffee and took a few snaps as the wind would blow it. I had to wait a few times because it had to be just right, I didn't want to have any part of the logo uncentered. But if it was too wide there would be too much of the background noise which I didn't want either. I thought it was kind of cool how the color of the sky matched the light blue color as well.
Day 319
Day 319: I have way too many vacation days to burn for the last month and a half of this year, so I decided to make a trip to Bardstown to do some film testing on a project I may be filming next year. I got on the road and made my way to Kentucky with multiple things on my mind regarding this project and the next. The great thing about my mind and how it works is also the most miserable. It never stops so I feel like I never get a mental break. I was thinking the whole way there what I would shoot for my shot, and then I was going back and forth on how to film this intro for tomorrow. It was a lot going on in my head, so much to the point that before I new it I had arrived. I took the 4 wheeler and went by the lake, where I have taken a few shots before, and waited for the sun to set. There is a moment of time where you get a very brief moment of perfection, and then it's gone. I saw all the colors coming and I wanted to get a wider shot this time so I was working on positioning myself in the best part of the lake with respect to the sun to get most of the reflection. I was sitting with Dustin getting my shot and when I knew I got it I put my camera down and opened a beer and said, "Ok, now it's my time to just enjoy this." We finished watching the sun set while we talked and then we were done.
Day 320
Day 320: Today was the first day of screen testing for a potential project for 2022. I can't get into too much detail of what we are filming since we are in the very beginning stages of getting organized. There is one scene where Dustin is walking down his barn with all the horse stalls leading to the entrance. We did multiple angles and there was a point where we shot a side profile and I liked how it was against the bars with his cowboy hat. I asked him to look forward as we were filming and I switch to camera mode to capture a quick still. I only took one shot since we were working against time and had a lot to do. When I got home I really liked it and decided to make it today's photo and thought it would be a good memory of how this project started on the first day of testing.
Day 321
Day 321: It was Wednesday and I had been off work for 5 days. That always means when I log on I know it's going to be a long few days as I typically come in to 400 unanswered emails. I knew I'd be working late and the sun sets so early now so I didn't really know how it was going to go. Right after work I had to go get groceries and I drove by the AirBnB's on the way. I saw all these scooters in the drive way. I thought, "If they are still there when I get back I'll walk over to get a shot." I thought it was cool how they were all lined up in front of the garage. But this also demonstrates my enormous frustration with my neighborhood. We have 8 AirBnB houses on one side and another 8 AirBnBs on the other side, with about 8 more being built a few houses down. Nashville has quickly become the party city to go to and it's frustrating. It was fine when they stayed on Broadway and we didn't have to see them. But now they are coming into our restaurants and our neighborhoods and are always loud, disrespectful, and drunk. It's not what we signed up for and you'll see these scooters littered all over Nashville. Change is needed.
Day 322
Day 322: I had another long work day, wasn't feeling too well, and very unmotivated. The day was over with the sun completely set, at 5:00pm. I was still in my PJ's unwilling to go out in the cold wondering what I would shoot today. I had these small pumpkins left over and I thought it would be fun to capture some of the details on them. I got my black background out and started playing along with the settings. I wanted a more fully focused shot so the aperture was set higher so everything would be sharp. Even though this was a home shot and I was unmotivated, I took my time. I went back and forth about four times in disapproval. I wanted both of the stems to be in focus and the lines going down the pumpkins to be sharp as well. After a multiple attempts to get exactly what I wanted I was done with the day and happy with the results.
Day 323
Day 323: Well, this was all around one of the most frustrating days I've had this year. I had a long conversation with my AE this morning and admitted to him that I had woken up on the wrong side of the bed. The work day just got more frustrating as it ended. I got off work right away and went to get my shot as I had plans to watch the Kentucky game at 6. I was out of gas so I had to stop by the gas station. The traffic on Jefferson was not moving at all. I took a detour to go to a gas station with less traffic. On my way there I noticed a cool shot as the sun was setting so I knew I had to hurry. I got to the gas station. There was a line in each pump. The person in front of me was doing nothing. She was inside, came to the pump, and hod bought a bunch of lottery tickets. Then she started pumping the gas. Finally she was done and I knew I only had about 10 minutes before it was too late. The pump wouldn't work, so I had to go to the window. I got back and started pumping the gas and someone approached me to help give them a jump. I wanted to say no so bad since I was already SO frustrated. But I had been abandoned in this parking lot before and just couldn't say no. After the jump, the moment of light had passed. I went to a nearby park and saw the moon large and well lit. I thought I'd try to get a shot of it and was very happy with what the day left me. It was still frustrated but the world doesn't revolve around me.
Day 324
Day 324: I had a late night hanging out with friends last night so I woke up very tired and just wanting to watch football on the couch. I wasn't even thinking much about today's shot. I wasted the day around giving myself my first official "lazy day" and I didn't mind. I didn't work out, I didn't catch up on work for my business. Just watched TV on the couch. It was around 4pm and I knew I had to get a shot. As hard as it was to get off the couch I forced myself and started my adventure. I had no idea what I was going to capture but from a distance I saw the sun setting on this glass building under construction downtown. I knew time was limited so I made my way towards it, luckily found a place to park and walked right across the street in the front. This particular building was cool because there are different angles on one side showing different views of the sky. I really like the cranes on the side and the color of the blue sky against the reflection of the sunset. I was more than happy with this shot and it was perfect timing and very well composed. It's a shot that I didn't expect to get and found inspiration out of nowhere.
Day 325
Day 325: I was feeling much better than the day before. I woke early and got a lot done, finished some work that I needed to finish. I had plans to meet up with some friends to watch the Titans play so after I got everything done I made my way over to where everyone was. The only thing I hadn't done was get my photo of the day, so naturally I brought my camera. I stopped by the store on the way and there was a man who asked if I had an umbrella. I thought I did somewhere in my Jeep. I told him I'd check and sure enough I did. I thought to myself it would be a good time to get a shot because there was a wooden fence with leaves coming through the other side and thought it would be cool. He quickly agreed and posed with his new (old) umbrella. I want to be clear, this was not a good deed. I had this umbrella in my Jeep for at least a half decade, so I was not going to miss it. He was extremely appreciative and then went on his way. I like the shot because it was an interaction that I was able to save where I could have otherwise forgotten.
Day 326
Day 326: My friend Cherith needed to go downtown to get something from a store in the afternoon so I told her I'd go with her to go to the store, get a photo for the day, and get a few drinks. I usually stay away from downtown but during the week days it's about a forth as crowded than during the weekend. We went to Robert's which is a very local bar downtown. It's right in the middle of Broadway. Behind the back entrance is the Ryman. This is an exclusive entrance. Not everyone can enter this way. You have to be part of the staff or part of the show, you can't buy tickets to get here, so no amount of money will get you in. It leads you to the stage/green rooms. I was lucky to have entered through this entrance for doing photography for a lot of different bands. For me, it's more of the convenience than the special privilege of walking through this door. When I do come through this way it's because I'm doing photography for a band and I'll have a huge camera bag that has to go through multiple layers of security and they always say I can't bring it, even though I have permission, so this is why they have this entrance. Also, if you ever go to the Ryman, the lines to get through security take forever. It's a special place for me and an honor because shooting shows at this venue are very hard to get they don't let just anyone here. When I ventured out of the back alley of Robert's I saw this staircase and new I had to shoot it.
Day 327
Day 327: I had plans to meet up with a small group later in the afternoon so I went on my photo adventure right after work. I went near Marathon and was walking around. I remembered a door with a tire on from doing a photoshoot years ago. I thought I'd see if it was something I'd reconsider for this project. The way the brick was uneven shows the aged building and years of wear and tear. The tire is a very old part from the car manufacture which is on almost every door in Marathon. I like the old look and the history behind this shot. The lamp fixture is broken but I believe the original one from decades ago. This is the exact door where I did a previous photo shoot so this particular shot has a certain sentimental value to me. During this project I've revisited many different places in Nashville that had such good memories. It's really nice to remember and bring them back to live.
Day 328
Day 328: I was going to go home right after I got off work for Thanksgiving since my whole family was already in Louisville. I told everyone if I got off work early then I'd come on home (sometimes they do an early dismissal). I didn't get an early dismissal. In fact I ended up working even later. I didn't get done with work until a bit after 5pm. I didn't want to drive home on the biggest travel day of the year so I stayed in and ventured around town to get my photo of the day. I drove down Charlotte and went to this old warehouse that used to be abandoned and they recently renovated it and transformed it to a shopping center. I was driving through the back area to loop around to the front to get a shot of the main entrance, but when I went through the side I noticed this simple patio lighting and lamps along the side of the building. I got out to try to snap a few shots and was really liking the depth of the side along with the poles. Now is the time of year where it starts getting dark around 3:30-4 so I have strategically decided to get some low light shots during this time since sunlight is very limited.
Day 329
Day 329: I finally made it back to Louisville. We had our annual Thanksgiving lunch with friends and had a nice afternoon all catching up and laughing. We took our family photo that we take every year on the stairs and then a little later we have our Kimura Thanksgiving dinner which is sushi. My parents had a friend over who made a cheese board and I really liked the flower looking arrangement she put in the center. I hadn't gotten my photo yes so I thought I'd try to get something. This was a little tricky because I wanted to get all the different textures of the crackers and them being different shades of darkness I had to find the right setting to keep everything consistent. I had to also get the right angle to get everything and I wanted just the table in the background. The view from side was good but too much going on in the background, so I quickly changed my mindset. This was an example of the environment quickly changing as people were picking at the cheese and crackers the moment it got brought out.
Day 330
Day 330: I was still in Louisville visiting family and walking around my parent's house looking for interesting things I could capture. My mom has a kimono hanging in their bedroom and I always loved the way it looks and how it's displayed. This is the kimono my dad wore when they got married. It's very old and very unique. I've always loved this kimono. I really love the texture of the wall it's displayed on. It's a simple photo but one that is very important to me. I kept the colors natural and tried to keep it as simple as possible. There's not much that is needed to enhance this shot. I need to ask my dad more about the history of this kimono. Everything in Japan has a meaning so I'm very interested to know what everything represents.
Day 331
Day 331: I had to leave Louisville and head to Bardstown KY on my way home to Nashville. I had to stop by Dustin's farm to do some camera testing for a potential project for next year. We were getting some things done in the barn to get the horses prepared for our ride. We were all running around trying to get everything ready and we had done as much as we could and Dustin was doing something else. As I waited in the barn I thought it would be a cool idea to get Diablo's "glass eye" for one of my photos. I had already taken my photo of the day, but I am always open to changing it if I think something better comes along. He has was light blue eye and one brown eye so it's a very unique quality. I took quite a bit of shots since he was moving around a lot anxious for the ride to come. I took a few more until I thought I had one and then about that time Dustin came out and we went riding. When I settled down for the day I went back and saw this shot and was glad I decided to change today's shot.
Day 332
Day 332: I woke up early and started to make my way back to Nashville. I always have a lookout for what to get when I'm driving somewhere other than Nashville. I like to take advantage of the different scenery. When I was leaving Bardstown I saw this enormous water tower that had "Bourbon Capital of the World". And I thought it would be cool to capture that as this would be my last trip to Bardstown for the year. I won't be making my way back up until the spring. This wasn't just a point and shoot picture though. I had to go into this field off the main road and it was surrounded by trees so I had to position myself where the trees would be minimulized, but I also wanted the lettering to be centered.I was able to position the photo where it worked. As I was taking this photo I started wondering "What if it was actually filled with bourbon instead of water?"
Day 333
Day 333: I knew today was going to be a very long day. It was the first day back at work in four days so I knew the emails were going to be plentiful. I knew the moment I was ready to call it quits for the day it would be way past dark. So instead of rushing through work I took my time knowing I'd have to get some dark photography. I went through a sort of industrial area where a lot of construction looked to be in near completion or in progress. There was an empty parking lot that was paid parking. A security guard said I would have to pay, but he didn't know how since there wasn't a machine. I told him I was walking around for 10 minutes to get a photo then coming back so he agreed to keep a lookout for me. I walked across the street and I saw this staircase lit up. It was so perfect the way the lighting was arranged. I took a few steps back so I could get the entire staircase in the shot and I played with the settings to make it look like how I saw with my natural eyes. It came out great and was a technical shot that I'm getting better at.
Day 334
Day 334: I had already taken my photo of the day and went to a friend's house for dinner. I thought the day was done and I went home to edit the shot. I realized that today was Joe B Hall's birthday and I definitely wanted to include this shot and thought it would never be more relevant than today. Joe B Hall means a lot to Kentucky Basketball. Many years ago I had a friend who was a relative of his sign a basketball for me. It is my most prized possession of basketball memorabilia. I got my light box out and adjusted the settings. It was a little tricky because the light wasn't reflecting on the bottom of the ball, so I got my phone out and turned on the light and angled it at the bottom towards the Kentucky logo. With that it was a fully well lit shot. The settings were difficult because the light was so strong at the top and it was really fading out the signature, which was the main point of this shot. It had to be positioned right and the settings had to be perfect otherwise it just wouldn't come out right. I had the ball propped up on it's stand but had the settings of the light to the point where you couldn't see it and it looked like it was floating. I was very happy with this end product.
Day 335
Day 335: We are nearing the end of this project as we hit the last month of the year. December. A month full of fun and decorations. I always put my Christmas tree up when I get home for Thanksgiving. I don't have a lot of ornaments, in fact it looks pretty bare. Every ornament I have is actually from someone who gave me one over the past 4-5 years. It's getting there and would be nice if more people would contribute, but this is where I'm currently at. I was thinking about a photo to take and I really like close ups of small objects so you can see the details. My mom gave me this squire ornament a long time ago and I thought it would be fun to capture. Every year I think of the people who bought me specific ornaments and it makes me think of that person at that specific time. Wes gave me a round ornament with carving when he went to Costa Rica, Cherith gave me an ornament of London when we went in 2018, and the list goes on.
Day 336
Day 336: I had to stop by the mall in Green Hills to pick up something and I was wondering what to take on the way. This is definitely the hardest time of year. It starts getting dark at 4:30, the sun has set by 5:15pm. So after a work day that is my window to get my shot that consists of daylight. And beyond that, this is the worst time for traffic in Nashville. It takes forever to get anywhere. I was walking out of the mall and I notices this small alley way that leads you to the movie theater. I've always loved the patio lights hanging about and this is a movie theater that I have always gone to and really love. I wanted to have the "Box Office" sign meet where the patio lights were and I liked how it was empty as on the weekends there are long lines. I've taken pictures of this location with my phone before but never posted it. I remember thinking "simple, peaceful". By now you know simple is better to me.
Day 337
Day 337: I had to run a few errands after work and stop by to get some gas as I had been driving everywhere lately looking for a shot. I was at the gas station of Broadway/West End and I saw the entrance to the Analog. This is a new music venue in Nashville that has a very relaxing chill vibe. It has couches laid all around the stage and a high table seating area off to the side. I shot at this venue many times for my last project "52 Weeks of Music City". Every time I would walk through this gate and up the stairs I thought that the gate door was really unique and as I walk would think, "This is going to be a good night". I forgot about this entrance until I was at the gas station right next to it. There is a sign above it which was really cool. I was going back and forth on using the wider shot to include it, but the main focus on this shot was the gate and it took away from the detail when it was that wide of a shot. It was a hard mental compromise that has happened often throughout this project.
Day 338
Day 338: A while ago I took a shot of my friend Ray at Top Golf. I saw the underpass of Jefferson Bridge and the arches and thought that would be a great picture visually. Time had passed and I had forgotten about it. I was driving around to get my shot and was in the area and thought about it so I decided to head under the bridge. It was just as I imagined, but not. There is a homeless camp under the bridge and the city recently said "This is a problem and we need to 'clean up' the area." I have been around this area for half a decade and never saw it to be a problem. It was very frustrating hearing that. I was under the bridge and people were walking around but I waited until nobody was in my shot. I think it's incredibly insensitive to "expose" someone for this project and that wasn't the objective. I waited for about 45 minutes to make sure nobody was in the frame. There's so much to talk about this photo I don't even know where to begin. Yes, it's a problem. Not that they are here and they are not a nuisance or an inconvenience. The problem is our mindset to "clean up" the area. This community is not dirt to be swept off the road. They are people. They are alive. They are breathing. They are our neighbors.
Day 339
Day 339: I was resting up today getting some house cleaning done and by the time I had gotten everything done I wanted to it was, of course, dark again. I met up with some friends for a few drinks and brought my camera. After a few hours I was giving them a ride home and they were helping me look for a shot. I was in the parking lot and saw the side of a restaurant in German Town. I liked the Beer Hall sign and the smaller lights shining on the side of the building. I really liked the way the brick was against the light and the reflection off the vents. It was a low light shot with bright lights shining down, so it was a bit challenging to get it exactly how I wanted. When I adjusted the settings to get the white part the way I wanted the red brick was way too dark and vise versa. I was very happy the way it turned out and the coloring was shot well. It was how I saw it at that moment so I'm definitely getting better at shooting how I see things in low light.
Day 340
Day 340: It was a cold Monday night. A very cold Monday night. I was going to dinner at a friends house and had to pick up my friend Steph on the way. We were driving around trying to find something but the light had gotten away from us. We headed downtown to see what there was since it's typically well lit. We drove past the Frist Museum and it was so perfectly lit with the night sky on the back. It really went well together. I got out and it was windy making it all the worse. I walked out to the center entrance with my wide lens. I really love this building because of the architecture and the white marble. There isn't a thing I would change on this building. It's located right on Broadway before you hit the main strip. I have shot a few shows in this building and the inside is just as breathtaking. If you're in town visiting and love art, this would be the place to go.
Day 341
Day 341: I was working today and had an afternoon coffee on my balcony. I was thinking about where to go for my shot and then I saw this overwhelming ominous cloud taking over the sky of Nashville. It was like the storm was coming. The depth of the lower clouds against the overcast clouds is what really stood out to me. The edges of these clouds were in so much detail. I didn't know if I wanted to use this or not. It was, quite honestly, an easy shot which didn't take work. But it's not the time or the difficulty. It's not the lack of thought or any deep meaning. It's something I saw that I thought was very interesting and it made me stop to think. So this was it. I loved it. That's all I care about. I didn't include any of the downtown area because it would have been too wide of a shot and I had to be careful not to get any power lines since I just wanted the clouds. It was fun to edit. I kept the colors as natural as possible, but decided added a slight touch of color and definition to add to the dramatic clouds taking over.
Day 342
Day 342: I had to burn a few vacation days so I met up with a friend downtown to plan a shot for tomorrow. We had to go to a location to set up the shot and plan it out for a surprise shot so it had to be perfect. After we walked around downtown and had a few beers. I was looking around to see what I could get for my shot and as we were walking by the opera house I saw this golden statue. It was nearing night time so the lighting was still alright. I wanted to really bring out the detail of the statue. I had driven past this multiple times and really liked it but there isn't really a place where you can get out really quickly and get the shot since there is no parking. I felt like this was the perfect opportunity. I took a few pictures along the way but kept landing on this shot because the exposure was so perfect. All the settings were correct and the detail was perfect and I liked the composition. It was another example of shooting as I see it with my eyes.
Day 343
Day 343: This was the location where I went to yesterday to plan a proposal with my work friend JayR. We went to Demo's which is where he had his first date many years ago. It has since been shut down, most likely due to the pandemic as we've seen a lot of businesses and restaurants close down from the lack of tourism. I asked him yesterday if he wanted to try a different location but this one had a sentimental value so we kept it in the front entrance. We planned on getting there around 11am, so I had to get there about 30 minutes early. I was very lucky to find a parking meter right across the street which was where I was taking the shot. I got out, adjusted my camera settings, and sat back in my car since it was about 40 degrees outside. I waited until JayR texted me that he was walking to the location and when he was near I got out and waited. This is one of the times where you blast and keep clicking because there is only one chance to capture this moment.
Day 344
Day 344: I woke up early to get the photos edited for JayR so he could post them in a reasonable amount of time. I decided to take advantage of the light and adventured around town. I had to get my tags renewed so I thought I'd get that knocked out early. I was driving from the emissions testing off 8th Ave and was heading downtown to the clerks office. When I drove past I thought it would be fun to get the Basement sign. This is a very unique music venue, one that definitely makes Nashville special and has been around a long time. It's one of my favorite music venues and if something ever happened to it I would be heart broken. I wanted to capture this sign because I know there's only a matter of time before Nashville lets some millionaire developer from New York come in and buy it, tear it down, and build a fancy condo. I've shot many shows at this venue, and shot a few music videos, so it's a very special place for me.
Day 345
Day 345: I was definitely getting to a late start to the day today. I was finishing up some photos and then watched the Kentucky game. I hadn't thought much of what to capture. I was thinking of doing something unique and interesting. I thought I could do something with my shoes and take the shot upside down to make them look like balloons. It's a simple shot, but I'm a perfectionist so it took multiple tries. I would get a good shot but didn't like the angle of the shoes, and then I would get a good angle but didn't like the way the strings looked. It was hard to get the strings to stand right since they kept falling down towards my hands. The most difficult part was trying to take the picture while holding the shoes. I wish I had someone there to hold them because it would have been a lot easier not having to angle my arm and would have saved a lot of time. It was a fun shot, not the quickest, but creative which is what I'm trying to bring out a little more. After many more takes I went to edit it ending this shot happy after all the frustrations.
Day 346
Day 346: I went to the Titans game today so there was little time before to do anything. I went to a show really late the night before and was out late and had little sleep. We went to tailgate at 10:30am and then were meeting up with some friends after the game. So I didn't have any way to bring my camera. I was going to have to figure out a shot when I got home. I have this very specific angle of my ceiling in my bedroom that looks cool almost to the point where you don't know exactly what it is. I really like the way the shadows are and the different shapes and colors. I think it plays tricks with your eyes a bit. It's something that I had in my back pocket specifically for days like today. I love this shot but I definitely needed it for a time where I had no time.
Day 347
Day 347: I had to give a friend a ride to his car today so after I got off work I made my way to Bart's house and brought my camera. There was an accident so there was stopped traffic on every road/highway on the way to his house. By the time I had gotten there it was already dark. I picked up Bart and we went on our way. We were avoiding the traffic taking back routes and I came up to a house in his neighborhood that was fully decorated for Christmas. I had tried looking around to get a decorated house but there wasn't anything too over the top like I wanted until I saw this house. Christmas lights are hard to get right because it has to be dark but the settings can't be adjusted aggressively because the lights are bright. I wanted to bring the details but some of the lights were brighter than the others. I had the wide lens but everything was too small so I went with the zoom to get the most detail I could. The main focus I wanted to get was the Santa on the top of the house, so the wide angle lens wouldn't work. I was worried at first about getting a decent shot but I was very happy to come across this house, because it was exactly what I was looking for.
Day 348
Day 348: I know this time of year are the shortest days so I really try to have an idea in my head of where to go. Unfortunately most of the time I don't know where to go. I drove to Centennial Park and walked around to see what I could get. As I was walking I saw the sun going down by the minute. As I walked closer to the Parthenon I saw the colors in the sky getting bright red from the reflection off the cloud. I wanted to get a lower exposed shot so I could really bring out the detail and color of the clouds, but also liked how the buildings and trees were blacked out. The detail in the trees was really great and what I wanted. I also liked the lights on the building. I walked around the park a little bit more as the sun set and captured a few other shots but in my head I knew I was going to keep coming back to this one.
Day 349
Day 349: I started my journey by the Farmer's Market but a lot of it was closed off since there was construction in preparation for New Years. Again, as the sun was really starting to set, I was looking around to see what inspired me. I was walking along the side of the road and saw these large marble pillared. These are to commemorate the soldiers of World War II. I wanted to get in the very center to show the perspective of the pillared's point at the top, and because I like symmetry. The sunset was perfect timing as you could really see how the sun goes from yellow/red on the horizon to light blue and to dark blue. There is a whole street of these pillared but I picked this one because it was directly between two trees and the reflection off both sides was more dominant than the others.
Day 350
Day 350: I got joked on about this one. I was busy all day getting things done with work and at home and preparing for an upcoming trip and by the time I was able to think about my photo it was already late, way past dark, and I was still working. I ate a quick dinner and a friend was coming over to hang out. When she got here we were brainstorming on what to get. I was taking a few shots around my house and went to my kitchen faucet and tried a few angles. Believe it or not, this was actually not just a point and shoot and done. I took many different angles from different sides and wanted the background to complement the faucet. I was trying to make everything come out as sharp as possible with the faucet so the detail would really show. There were multiple attempts from each side but this one actually really pleased me with how detailed it was. There was zero thought in the subject, however, the composition and exposure took time to really bring out the best possible final product. I made something as convenient and simple and tried to make it as perfect as it could be.
Day 351
Day 351: Every year Bart and I go to a Titans away game. We started off for the game in London, then went to Denver, then Houston, and this year we decided to visit Pittsburgh. We got in fairly early and dropped our bags off and decided to walk around and get some food at the highly recommended Primati Bros restaurant. We were just down the street from the market and as we walked closer there was a courtyard type area with an enormous Christmas tree in the center of an ice skating rink. And surrounded by that was group of buildings that were in the shape of castles and covered in glass. I thought the color of the glass was really cool. Some parts were blue and some was black but the way the reflection was is what really stood out. I love all the lines on the buildings and how they are angled up towards the center. I used a very wide lens for this shot so I could get as much of the buildings as possible, but I had to get close up to the tree so that wouldn't be too small.
Day 352
Day 352: After the first day in Pittsburgh I really started falling in love with the city. Everyone is very nice and it's a beautiful city with all the bridges along the river. This bridge is right on the street where we were staying. We picked this place because you cross this bridge to get to the Steelers stadium. So it's an easy walk and very accessible to downtown. We had adventured around the city today and were going to go to the top of Mount Washington, but it was raining and foggy so we thought we'd save it for another day. I brought my camera with me all day so I was prepared to capture something at any moment. I knew I wanted to capture one of the bridges since that's one of the things Pittsburgh is known for. Later in the night we were walking and I had taken a few pictures but the bridge was very well lit and I thought I'd try to snap it really quick. It was cold and rainy, so that really added to the picture with the roads being wet. I had to get near the intersection to avoid getting stop lights and power lines so I waited till there was no traffic to get in the middle of the street. I got a few shots that I really liked but felt the urge to take a few more. Right when I took this one a car was coming and the second I saw the picture I knew this was the one. I captured it at the perfect distance.
Day 353
Day 353: Well we went to the game and, and of course, we lost. We had a blast, the Steelers fans were surprisingly very friendly to us and were very hospitable. After the game we decided to go back to the hotel to warm up and then we were going to head over to ride the incline up to Mount Washington to get my photo of the day and to get something to eat. We went to this restaurant that had a small dining area and had a walk out patio overlooking the city. It was the perfect view and exactly what I was hoping for. You never really know what to expect until you're there, but I had a good feeling it was going to be a good shot. We had a chance to go during the day but I was really wanting to get a night shot to practice night photography more but also to see the city lit up and the lights reflecting off the water. After I spent some time getting the shot I made my way back inside to the warmth and we ate dinner and talked to all the Steelers fans who surrounded us in the room. An older gentleman was talking to us and bought a few rounds of beers. We left a bit later to go back to our hotel to prepare for our 5:30am flight back to Nashville.
Day 354
Day 354: I don't know what time it is. At this point I am on autopilot and beyond exhausted. The hotel we stayed at was very nice. On the side of the building facing the river there was a really unique courtyard with all the windows facing each other. It seemed to be a very old building with a lot of history. We were waiting on our Uber to the airport and I thought it would be good to capture this side of the building. I really loved the architecture of the arch and color of the building. The lighting was great and I had enough time to make sure I got it right with the settings and the exact composition I wanted. I didn't want to go much higher because I wanted to have as much of the windows as possible, but wanted to include the full arch at the top. Shortly after I was done our ride arrived and that concluded our trip to Pittsburgh.
Day 355
Day 355: What day is it?!? Tuesday! I was off work all week so it's time to get caught up on all my business work. I made my way a little earlier so I could take advantage of the daylight. I drove around the east side and wasn't really finding anything. I drove under the highway back towards downtown and I noticed all the columns spread everywhere. I thought it looked cool and the way the sun was hitting it made for a good picture. The hardest thing about this shot was the composition. I wanted to position them so you could see a lot of them, but wanted to be zoomed in enough where you see the majority of the columns, not the highway, and I wanted a little depth. I shot from a few different angles so the depth would be more noticeable.
Day 356
Day 356: I went to Chuck's house to watch a move since we were both off the next day. I brought my camera over to see what I could capture. He has a lot of cool stuff laying around. I was walking around looking for things to get while we were talking. I was in his family room and his front door was fully red with three small windows and I like the way they were angled. I zoomed in enough to make sure I got just the door and windows. I didn't want any of the frame or walls. I felt like a closer shot was better. And right beyond the window you can see my reflection vaguely. There was a lot there and I took a few different types of shots, but this one was the simplest one that I liked. I felt like the red door also match the Christmas holiday.
Day 357
Day 357: After we watched a movie we had a bonfire in Chuck's back yard. We were having a few beers and talking and then Chuck threw on these wooden pallets and that's when the fire really started going. It was pretty late at this point. I looked at the time as the fire was blazing and noticed that it was 12:30am. So technically it was the next day so I went inside to get my camera. Way earlier in the year I took a photo from the bonfire but it was further away capturing the entire flame. This time I wanted to zoom in close and really get the detail and texture of the fire. The flames move very quick so you have to have a fast shutter speed. Almost as fast as it can go. The fire is bright so that wasn't too much of a problem. I took a few attempts and liked what I saw. I still looked for something the next day, but this was my favorite so I went with it. I drowned out the color a bit since it was a little extreme and I wanted more of the different shades verses the bright colors.
Day 358
Day 358: Well it was the night before Christmas and all across Nashville was silent. Silent for Nashville that is. This is Union Station. It is a hotel on Broadway that has a lot of history to the city. There is even a haunted room in this hotel. I don't know the full story, but I've heard it is actually haunted. In the lobby there is a huge ceiling that has stain glass at the top. It is a really relaxing and beautiful room. I go there sometimes to get a glass of wine and to talk quietly with friends. Even though this is a hotel, it's not loud at all. It's one of those pictures that I knew I wanted to get at some point of this project. But I remembered them having an enormous Christmas tree in the lobby, so I thought this would be the most appropriate time to capture the ceiling as well. The architecture of this building is absolutely incredible. Earlier I took a photo from the outside a little further away (Day 278) and it's interesting how you see the old architecture being surrounded by modern architecture. But I would say this room is perfect just the way it is. Classy, beautiful, elegant.
Day 359
Day 359: Merry Christmas! I was in Nashville for the holidays and it was very quiet out. I typically try to avoid downtown but this is a time of year where there are very few people and no traffic. So the perfect time to go take pictures. I decided to go down to the courthouse where they have an enormous Christmas tree. It was kind of a small tradition where a few friends who were in town would go see the tree and then walk around downtown. This particular year everyone was scattered around and staying inside so I went by myself. I really wanted to capture a full frame of the tree with the courthouse overwhelming the background. I decided to step a lot further back using my zoom lens since my wide angle was capturing too much. It's another night shot so I had to make the settings perfect where the building could be seen but also all of the lights on the tree would show.
Day 360
Day 360: Today was my friend's birthday and Anna Bliss had a small group of friends go out to celebrate. We were by Opry Mills for most of the afternoon to watch a band play. I got some shots of the band. I've done so much live music photography I knew I had something good to use. After the show was over we went back to AB's parking garage to drop off everyone's car and then they were going downtown to continue celebrating. That's when I called it a night, but AB was walking around in the parking garage and I absolutely loved the lighting so I quickly got my camera out and started snapping. She was wearing a sparkly jumpsuit for her birthday so the outfit was photo ready. I wasn't expecting to use the shots for today's photo, but it just looked so good and was so natural and that's really the point of this project. You can't always plan the shot and sometimes you just gotta get the camera out when you see something else and go with that.
Day 361
Day 361: Today was my first day back at work after being off for 10 days. The emails were real. I spent the majority of the day going through all the requests. It's always a little hectic when coming back to work from being off that long. You almost need another vacation after you get caught up. I didn't even attempt to log off at the original time, I had to stay on for a few more hours. I had a few friends who were out and about so I brought my camera and met up with them. It was well past dark at this moment so I didn't even try to get something before the sun set. I ended up meeting everyone at Hopsmith in Midtown. We were sitting on the patio and I saw this bell and thought that would be interesting. I wanted to really focus on the detail of the bell to show the contrast of the color of the bell against the shiny metal in the background. There is a story behind this bell. When you order a shot, they give it to you in a frozen shot glass and then you throw it at the bell. That's why the background is so dented, because people rarely hit the actual bell. I don't drink liquor so I never get to try and hit the bell. Apparently it's very frowned upon when you try to hit the bell with a beer bottle.
Day 362
Day 362: When I made my way out to get a photo there was a little day light left. I was heading to a friends house to help with moving some furniture around and thought I'd try to get a shot on the way if I saw something. I was driving by Centennial Park and had a few ideas of things to shoot. I had wanted to get a shot of this bell tower but never saw a really good angle to capture it until I was walking in the park a few months back. The sky was a very dark blue color and the tower was fully lit so I felt like the two extremes really complimented each other. I got a pretty tight shot zooming in almost to 200mm. I was thinking about the rules of thirds while shooting this. I was also thinking a lot about the composition. It seems like a simple shot where there isn't a lot of thought that went into the composition, but I was thinking how much to zoom in. How much of the trees do I get. I wanted some of the buildings at the bottom but I wanted the main focus to be on the huge tower, and having the smaller buildings subtly at the bottom helped that.
Day 363
Day 363: This was a hard shot. I thought it would be interesting to show the different generations of cameras. I found this vintage Kodak camera at a store and it was exactly like the one I've been looking for. I love the old look. The Nikon in the middle was a camera that an old Japanese friend of my parents gave me. He bought it 36 years ago and said it was about $3500 back then. The camera on the right is my camera that I've used from the beginning of my journey in this field of art. It was about the same price as the Nikon I was given, so it's interesting how the price stays consistent as technology increases. This shot was particularly difficult because I didn't have a lot of space in my light box, so they had to be very close to each other. The lighting has to be just right, if it's too harsh it drowns everything out. I wanted to use the white backdrop because that's more of a product facing color. I had to make sure it was bright enough to drown out as much of the background, but not so bright where the shadow would be more aggressive. It ended up turning out exactly how I had hoped, so it was a very well done shot.
Day 364
Day 364: I'm approaching the last few days of this project and I'm finding myself wishing I had a little more time. Creative ideas come up and I feel like I need a few more weeks. But this was one of those shots that I had it in my head that I wanted to get. I went downtown to my friend Mario's tailgate for the Music City Bowl and it's right next to the river. So this was the perfect time for me to get this shot, and I love night shots for cities and I definitely wanted to get the Nashville skyline from this perspective. All the lights that reflect off the river looked beautiful. I took a few shots earlier on but wanted to get more when it was getting darker. I took some shots and then an enormous boat came through and the water was full of ripples, so I decided to take a break and come back a little later when the river had settled. When I came back there was a little light on the horizon, which was perfect for color, and the city was fully lit up. I wanted this image to come out sharp with as little grain, so the ISO couldn't be too high. I dropped the shutter speed as fast as I could and then adjusted the aperture accordingly. It was a great shot of a great city.
Day 365
Day 365: The end is here. Everyone was asking me how I was going to end this project. I thought about it a lot and I wanted this shot to have meaning. I decided to end it where it began. When I first announced this project I took this shot in my office and I thought it would be interesting to have the same shot, but with a white shirt instead of a black shirt. And to celebrate I had a glass of wine to enjoy while getting the shot how I wanted. I often go back and look at the shots I've taken over the year and I always evaluate them and judge them. What would I have changed? What would I have done differently? Am I too hard on myself? Nah. I demand perfection from myself (or as close to perfection as I can get). Some of them were alright. Most of them were alright. But out of 365 shots, there are going to be some that are just "eh". Nashville has a lot of creative people and from all the conversations I've had, most of them say you can't force anything. Creativity and inspiration can't be forced. What I have learned from this project is that is not necessarily true. Some of my best shots from this project have come from me forcing myself to be creative and to work very hard to make something out of nothing with a limited amount of time. I think some of my most important shots have come from this project. Even when I wasn't inspired I would force myself to be as creative as possible. Times like that I would really focus on composition and the fundamentals. I remember dreading going out in the cold or taking the time to get a shot when all I wanted to do was meet up with friends and enjoy a beer on a patio on a hot summer day. But when I forced myself to do that I forced myself to always be thinking of it and the ideas would come. I just had to search for it. Creativity and inspiration will always come more when you search for it. Especially when your search is consistently every day. It is hard work. And when you have a project like this which is that timely demanding it seems impossible. But I focused on the main point of this project. It was to become better and to broaden my horizons. I wanted to really expand my portfolio and knowledge. But most of all, I wanted to do this for me. I didn't care about how "successful" a shot was. I wanted to do this for me. I wanted to become a better photographer for me. I didn't feel the need to prove anything to anyone and I didn't feel the need to look at how many "likes" a particular shot received. It was about me and what I felt for that day. I knew the next photo wasn't always going to be the best. But focusing on trying to make each day as best as it could was my only concern. It's been a journey. It's been fun. It's been miserable. It's been frustrating. It's been unlike anything I've ever experienced. I've learned and I've grown and because of that, there's nothing I'd change.
bottom of page