Fifteen Minutes in Nashville

Each month I go downtown for the Nashville Photography Club meetings (link). I get there a little early and take some pictures before the meeting starts. The challenge is, what can you do in 15 to 30 minutes to capture the essence of  the city.  Actually I’m finding that you can quite a bit in 15 minutes.  Here are a few things I focus on when shooting in the city. (To see my Nashville Gallery click here)

I like to capture the overall wide angle view or skyline. What does the city look like from a distance? What are the landmark buildings that everyone recognizes and says, “That’s Nashville!”

What is the perspective of the buildings  when looking up from the side walk?  How do the new buildings compare to the old? Can I get the new and the old in the same picture to show the comparison?

Just like with beautiful overlooks and vistas in nature you can’t capture all the eye can  see (God made the best camera ever!) by just taking the broad wide angle shots,  so I try to focus on the details of the city by photographing the interesting little pieces and parts that  make up the city.

It makes the image more interesting if you have a building or skyline as the back ground.
(Be careful though not to make the picture too busy.)

Reflections are a big part of the downtown landscape of any city and are one of my favorite things to photograph. Next time you are in a city try to imagine what it would look like without any reflections.

Then see how these reflections are combining all the elements of the city into unique portraits framed by the windows and hung for your enjoyment all over the buildings and along the sidewalks.

I look for nature striving or thriving in downtown areas.  The juxtaposition of a vine or flower growing out of a crack  in a wall speaks volumes about the survival properties God built into these plants. Haven’t you ever wondered about those trees growing right up out of the sidewalk?

The downtown area is full of color, shapes and textures. If you can find all of those things in one place you have hit a gold mine. I try to stop often and just stand in one place and scan for a particular color, or look for interesting shapes in the buildings or especially in the  window reflections.

Signs of minor deterioration of the structures give character to the scene and your photographs (just like the wrinkles around my eyes make me look distinguished!)

I also like to take pictures from every conceivable angle. Yes, when you are laying on the ground or bent over shooting through your legs  people will look at you like you are crazy but don’t worry about that just get the picture. Remember you are invisible when you have your camera in front of your face.

Details, shapes, texture, background, does it tell a story? Are there distracting elements? Unique or Confusing?

Create some interest. Why are we locked out? Is there somebody there in the window looking back at me?

Look for repetition. Notice the repeating patterns of half circles and triangles.

Now you might be saying, “You’ve left a lot of things out! What about the people, the country music, the bottom half of the Ryman Auditorium, the River Front and other historic land marks that make up the essence of the city?”

“Hey, I just had 15 minutes!”

(To see my Nashville Gallery click here)

Ron Box