Welcome to Nashville. Man, how I wish I knew what people were dreaming as they first step foot onto Broadway in downtown Nashville with their guitar in hand.
"When I first came to Nashville, people hardly gave country music any respect. We lived in old cars and dirty hotels, and we ate when we could." -Loretta Lynn
Details: Shot with my Canon Mark III, ISO 3200, 50mm, f1/2, 1/200sec, no flash and no prep - simple street photography like all of my shots.
"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."
- Albert Einstein
A photo I took of Hippie Tom at Hippie Hill in Tennessee playing a real, but very small, Hohner Harmonica. I shot this after he told me that homeless in Middle Tennessee are invited to Hippie Hill for a free Thanksgiving meal.
"Anybody can be unhappy. We can all be hurt. You don't have to be poor to need something or somebody. Rednecks, hippies, misfits - we're all the same. Gay or straight? So what? It doesn't matter to me. We have to be concerned about other people, regardless." - Willie Nelson
“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” ― Charles Dickens
In this shot, volunteers are cutting the hair of the homeless. This man lives in a tent located in a small wooded area near South Church Street in Murfreesboro, TN. To do this, we simply set up a tent at the site of a food drive on Wednesday night. The group that helped with this project was "Last Call for Grace" and the "Beehive Hair Salon" in Murfreesboro.
I met this homeless man in Atlanta, GA on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Despite a spell of bad luck and a short stay behind bars, he was upbeat about his future and the fact that his case was acquitted.
“When ill luck begins, it does not come in sprinkles, but in showers.” ― Mark Twain
“Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I've done it thousands of times.” ― Mark Twain
This photo was captured in the area of Huntsville, AL.
“If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough.” ― Mario Andretti
In 1909, the Shelby Street Bridge (originally the Sparkman Street Bridge) was constructed in downtown Nashville, TN over the Cumberland River. Back then, Nashville had only 110,000 residents. The bridge is 1,768 feet long and not only covers the river, but also goes over railroad tracks alongside the river.
With a population today of over 600-thousand residents, the bridge is for pedestrians only. The bridge was closed to vehicle traffic in about 1998 and later re-opened as the pedestrian only bridge in 2003.
The bridge lasted longer than most bridges of its time because it was much stronger. It was actually designed to allow for street cars to pass over it on a rail system. However, the street car system in Nashville never utilized the bridge. Despite the overall strength of the support system in the bridge, the concrete used in the structure was anything but strong. It had to be replaced in the 1940's. The limestone quarry where the rock came from for the bridge was eventually deemed unfit for use. The quarry near Newsom Station, TN later closed down.
The laid back life in the Dominican Republic. Photo taken in LaRepresa with an older Canon T2i and a kit lens. Sometimes, you shoot with what is available.
“To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter... to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring — these are some of the rewards of the simple life.” ― John Burroughs, Leaf and Tendril
The infamous Tennessee State Prison is located near downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The massive structure first opened in 1898. As you walk around the now silent grounds, you will see towering rock walls that were stacked by hand. On top of the wall that surrounds the prison are three wires that were once fueled by a small electrical substation to make them deadly to the touch. In fact, only one prisoner survived a climb over the live wires after he wrapped them in sheets. That prisoner did not walk away, but instead was transported to medical with serious burns all over his body.
The prison had a death row area that included solitary cells for troubled inmates on the row. Death row also had an electric chair for the final days of some inmates in Tennessee.
The prison, which closed in 1992, is now overseen by the Tennessee Film, Entertainment and Music Commission. However, the grounds are still cared for by the Tennessee Department of Corrections. In other words, you may still see inmates walking the grounds.
Today, the deserted prison remains under the watchful eye of a 24-hour guard and staff. The interior of the structure is off limits to the public due to the large amount of asbestos inside.
I recently went on a mission trip with New Vision Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, TN. We journeyed to the Dominican Republic and visited the small village of La Represa. The team I was on had a goal of teaching children how to play soccer (baseball is the main sport played in the DR). Needless to say, the children picked up on the sport extremely fast. They loved it.
Quick Facts:
The children in the Dominican have some amazing athletic abilities. While there, I witnessed a 19-year old make a 20-foot jump from the side of a dam into 1-foot of water. As Gaba landed he made the perfect roll as if her were a stunt man practicing a movie shot. One teen can even throw a fast ball at 87 mph, according to some.
In this photo, you can see that fishing the old way with a net and a motor-less boat is still popular. The Dominican's are master fishermen.
During my recent visit to La Represa, Dominican Republic it became quite clear... children can instantly relate to one another in a way that adults can never mimic. Children pick up on body movements, smiles, laughter very quickly. It is awesome to watch the Dominican children play with the American children from our church.
I wish I could put into words the kindness and the welcoming of total strangers in the village of La Represa, Dominican Republic. As you walk the streets local residents will actually invite you into their homes and offer you their only chair.
The residents I met would ask for unselfish prayers and hand you fresh fruits they picked. One woman simply asked that I pray for the animals in her community and for them not to be abused or hurt. Another asked that we pray for her 100-year old mother.
This photo was captured in a small village just outside La Represa, Dominican Republic. The majority of those living in this area get from point A to point B on small scooters or motorcycles.
Alcohol was extremely prevalent and the rules of the road were totally open to interpretation. You may see four people on a 100cc motorcycle or three people on a small scooter. The legal drinking age is 18, but that is seldom enforced.
Despite the poverty in this third world country, everyone we came in contact with was filled with joy and hospitality.
Clean, sober and polite. I would be happy if someone described me like that. This gentleman told me that he is homeless, but on the right track. During the summer months he lives on the street or with friends. When he earns enough money selling a local homeless newspaper, he treats himself to a hotel room. When November rolls around, he stays at the Room in the Inn of Nashville.
He was a very nice man to speak with as I cruised an old school 1985 Skyway freestyle bike through the downtown streets of Nashville shooting street photography. In fact, you can see the bike through his glass lenses. For this shot I used my small Fuji X100s. It is an excellent camera for bike rides.
I asked, "What do you do for a living?" He smiled as he sat back in his lawn chair... "I sell trees." I ran into this man at the Nashville Farmers Market. I thought to myself... When I get to be your age, I want your hair. "You look like a retired country singer," I told him. "Thanks," he stated.
“I’ve dreamed a lot. I’m tired now from dreaming but not tired of dreaming. No one tires of dreaming, because to dream is to forget, and forgetting does not weigh on us, it is a dreamless sleep throughout which we remain awake. In dreams I have achieved everything.” ― Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet
Perfection... I heard the sound of the shutter as everyone looked towards two men ages 38 and 40 on BMX bikes from the 1985 era, reliving their childhood. The men on the bikes were in their own dreamland. One bike was a Haro Freestyle "Bob Haro" edition and the second was a Skyway Street Beat.
The onlookers laughed, but the men knew they had conquered the day! How do I know this? I was one of the men on the BMX bikes in downtown Nashville, TN.