Thoughts on a Photo Walk in Nashville

It is something of a relief to just chat this week about my experience with photo walks in Nashville.

First of all, I suppose the silver lining of the pandemic is that it forced me into photo walks in my own city. Honestly, it was out of desperation in September of 2020 that I first went downtown to Broadway. I had considered trips to Cheekwood, our beautiful garden in the city, or Centennial Park, a splendid public space, but there was just not likely to be the density of people to give me any chance of success in taking street photography.

Now, Broadway definitely has its downsides. It is truly a spot that draws tourists. It is kind of like living in NYC and choosing to take pictures of everyday life, but only in Times Square. The difference between Nashville and NYC is that in NYC other choices are apparent and easy to make.

So, Broadway it was. Because I had spent so little time downtown before the pandemic, it was pretty hard to measure how the pandemic had changed things. There sure seemed to be a lot of people there, even in some of the worst months of the pandemic, but it turns out everything is relative. Now, I can tell you, there are a lot of people downtown, sometimes shoulder to shoulder.

After almost two years of walking the approximately three blocks of the entertainment district, there are not many surprises left. Sometimes I wonder if I have exhausted the opportunities. More and more, I come home with less and less. Then, something a little magical engages me, like a recent late afternoon on a Friday when I could feel a palpable energy.

It started at Rippy’s which is where I turn onto Broadway when I visit on week days. There was a bit of a crowd on the sidewalk watching and listening to a boy from the audience who was a guest singing with the band. Everyone, inside and outside, was enjoying his performance, but maybe even more enjoying the band for giving him the opportunity. I think all of us, and we are a diverse lot on Broadway, like to encounter people doing good.

In a separate section of Rippy’s, the lead female singer was like a girl gone wild. I do not usually go into the honky tonks, so when musicians perform for people on the outside, I appreciate it. That usually only occurs at the Lucky Bastard Saloon. Window singing was something new at Rippy’s. It also played into my interest in taking photos looking at or through windows.

Two early successes! This was shaping up to be a good day. A bit further down Broadway I ran into my friend, Pop. Pop is one of the regulars. Now, you might say homelessness runs in my family. My grandfather died as a homeless man on the streets of Houston in 1933. He is not the only close family member who has experienced homelessness. In getting to know Pop, and others, I have come to a new understanding of the tragedy of homelessness. About two weeks ago, the police shut down Pop’s “neighborhood” where he sleeps. He was not there. I guess the good news is that the police got word to him so he could retrieve his meager worldly possessions. I talked with him the evening it was shut down. I asked him where he would go for the night. He had no idea, but told me not to worry. Pop is a fragile, gentle, elderly human being. How can there be no solution in our society for taking care of him? The next time I went, Pop was not out on Broadway. He is always there. Of course, I was worried. It was good to see him on this night. He still has not finalized plans about where to camp. You have to find the right place and the right neighbors. These encampments can be fairly volatile.

I have recently joined two groups on Facebook, including the “B-Sides of Architecture.” I love B sides of anything. It is so nice, so easy, so comforting to look for architectural shots. I don’t care if they are any good. It is amusing to try to not have people in them. I came back with a nice array of “Nashville ugly” taken that afternoon..

This window in the picture above, with the notices posted on it, was one of my favorite places to look into the honky tonk that has now been closed. I should have known the establishment was soon to be shut down. The band would be playing to an almost non-existent crowd. Now, most of the building is a makeshift gift shop. I am guessing there will be more changes in the future. There is money on be made on Broadway and the rest of the entrepreneurial world, even out of a Tennessee, is catching on.

The remainder of my time on Broadway was productive that afternoon. As I have mentioned, these days I go into the city and sometimes come out with not a single picture that pleases me. On this afternoon, I was pleased. Perhaps the palpable energy I felt was really internal to me. I think it was the photography gods telling me not to give up.

Now for a little color theory.

Simultaneous Contrast

In the squares below, the interior circle is the same hue and tone. They look different from each other because of the tone that surrounds them.