It's definitely a scene or a landscape isn't it? Traditionally we know the term scenic as a landscape or a location that is pleasing to the eye, nice to look at, evokes some sort of emotion from a physical site. It's trash, right? But you can't stop looking at it, can you? The actual date escapes me, but one day a few years ago, I was driving on I-65 in Nashville and in the corner of my eye, I saw this huge heap of wreckage. As evidenced by the cars and trucks in the image one can see it's gargantuan-ness 😁 I had to safely pull over and snap a few images. Careful, you can get caught up staring at the shot to see how many items you can spot. Enjoy!

I moved to Nashville in the Fall of 1997, a fresh, but seasoned art school graduate, ready to take on Music City. Everyone I met said, "Oh ya gotta go to the Loveless!" I spent the fall, winter of that year and most of the following year freelancing and looking for a steady job. Summer came and I finally got around to trying out the Loveless. As many know, there is a substantial wait time to be seated for a meal (of course it is always worth the wait). As my name was called to be seated I got phone call that I excused myself to take. It was the call I had been waiting for 2 weeks to get. On the other end was the editor of the Nashville Business Journal, informing me that I had been hired as their very first full time photojournalist!

​So, as it turned out, my first time eating at the Loveless was a celebratory lunch. My fellow table-mates cheered when I shared the news. They disrupted the dinning room, everyone looked over and of course I had to inform the entire restaurant that I had recently moved to Nashville and I got a job. All the diners and staff cheered, and I got a free cobbler that day.

I made this photo of the iconic sign before the renovation of the entire property. A complete re-do of the restaurant and grounds, adding retail space and event venues. The place is beautiful and inviting and remains one of my favorite Nashville landmarks. I often reminisce about the friendly, dingy, old meat and three, biscuit capital of the world where I got some of the best news of my career. I haven't been there in a few years, due to becoming a vegetarian and the global pandemic and all, but I am looking forward to stopping in to enjoy the atmosphere and a big vegetable plate soon. Here's a good tip from a local to avoid long wait times. Call in a to go order, pick it up and eat it outside at one of the many picnic tables! Cheers! Go to the Loveless Cafe on Highway 100, just before the entrance to the Natchez Trace Parkway.

I am pretty sure the year was 1996. I was a student at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh when I was assigned a task by my Photojournalism professor Barry Lavery to do a photo essay. It had to be specific and it had to have a unique story that showed the beginning or an end. I had always been interested in dance (photographically speaking), but I didn't know anyone in  Pittsburgh. Someone in the admissions dept. had a relative who had a teenager who was a really good ballet dancer. That was when I met 15 year old Brooke Moore. I spent a total of 3 days with Brooke and her family and friends, photographing and talking about her last few months in Pittsburgh. I found out she wasn't just good at Ballet, She was awesome and had been accepted to the San Francisco Ballet Theatre School. Below is an image from a portrait session we had at the studio in Pittsburgh where she trained. This is one of the photos I took early on where I discovered a passion and affinity for what is referred to in the newspaper business primarily as the Environmental Portrait.

An alternative portrait can be simple or complex. Sometimes all you need is a cool hat and interesting background to make an evocative image.

A backroad somewhere in Williamson County Tennessee.

We all have been in one at least once. Many of us go in one everyday. Aside from searching for your lost vehicle, have you really looked around to see to the beauty your average, everyday parking structure creates? I guess we can thank the architects for creating the plans to construct these things that hold our wheeled contraptions. Concrete, steel and paint are the main ingredients in what makes up these ginormous works of (I think) art. Next time you're in a parking building, take another look and try to notice the beautiful light and lines and geometry all around you.

Have you forgotten what's coming up? Everyone running toward the weekend with a heavy gate 😂 I hope you all had a productive week!

Nearly a decade ago, my friend Candice Byrd got engaged to Freeman Wizer. Candice is an awesome singer and she modeled for me for several years, you will see images of her peppered throughout my site and social media. She is also a very successful Real Estate professional and Freeman is music industry executive. We shot these on a chilly afternoon tin the Edge Hill Neighborhood of Nashville. It was a fun shoot. I especially liked Freeman's impromptu dip captured in the second photograph! They are great people still living in Nashville and still going strong. 

The Ryman Auditorium, 5th Ave., North, Nashville, TN. I took this photograph before it was in the shadow of the 5th and Broadway project, that takes up an entire city block in downtown (a pretty cool place in its own right). I think, the nearly 130 year old building is one of the most beautiful structures I have ever seen. Some would call it an architectural marvel. I know it to be one of the top 25 places in the world to see live music. This is a special place for all Nashvillians and music fans worldwide, it's referred to as "The Mother Church of Country Music because The Grand Ole Opry show originated there. My first concert seated in the iconic pews was Jonny Lang more than 20 years ago. It's still today one of the best shows I've seen. And living in Nashville and attending a multitude of music festivals and dozens upon dozens of live music venues here, that is saying something! So, go to the Ryman, and go back often.