A Photo Walk - Nashville 11/01
This creature of habit, me, boldly changed her photowalk day in Nashville from Saturday to Sunday this week. That magnitude of that change was compounded by the end of Daylight Savings Time. It came at a little bit of personal expense. I had to have some pep talks with myself that I need to go at different times and here was a golden opportunity.
As I suspected, Sunday on Broadway was a lot quieter than Saturdays. There were no lines to get into the honky tonks. Some were so empty that even I might have felt comfortable going in and having a drink or a meal. But I did not. I have a really high bar to be comfortable these days.
Here was the enormous good luck for the day: It was T Rex Stampede Day, a five year old tradition of a dinosaur parade that could go on even in the era of Covid. It may be the only celebration in Nashville that has not been cancelled since March.
I got to Broadway at the very end of the parade. I wish that had been different, but I still felt the delight of a child when I spotted the line of dinosaurs walking. I have this celebration marked on my calendar so that I won’t miss any of it next year.
The shooting challenge was the challenge of a low, but bright sun. In order to take photos head on, I had to shoot into the sun. When the dinosaurs congregated at the end, I wanted pictures without the long cast of the sun.
After the parade disbanded, I started my stroll down Broadway. I do not generally take pictures of certain downtown regulars. There are a fair number of homeless people, some of whom are profoundly mentally ill. There are also several freelance musicians, including a family where even young children are doing their part. These two fellows are always playing in the same spot. The addition of the dinosaur made me decide to take the picture. I tipped them, which I always do when I stop to listen to a musician. I made the decision that maybe I can do that a little bit more.
The other curiosity for the day was the trucks decked out to campaign for Trump. I have to give the owners credit. They were certainly passionate about their candidate and they do know how to make a truck festive. Bless their hearts. I am so interested in some of the vehicles on the road, but I sure have not figured out how to make a compelling photo of them. I finally decided that perhaps I could get a reflection of one passing. That absolutely did not happen, but while I waited I had a chance to watch one of the greeters for The Stage Door do his magic.
I am very interested in taking street portraits of the greeters. It is their job to get people in the door. This guy was subtle, but I am telling you, his success rate was at least 50%. I did not get the picture I wanted that would clearly show the magic. It is so hard to get a clean shot where people are not jumbled up or walking into the picture. That is okay, I will come back for a try another day. He will be there. He always is.