The Parthenon, Nashville

This is the Parthenon in Nashville, TN which is a full-size replica of the original Parthenon in Athens, Greece.  The first time I saw this, I couldn’t really believe it.  It’s just not what you expect to find in a town like Nashville, I guess.  But it is a beautiful structure and it sits in a beautiful park, so who’s complaining?

I caught it on a stormy day with all those awesome, dramatic clouds behind it.  Many people dislike when it rains or storms because it can mess up your photo hunt.  That’s true, but I always find that the benefit is that you get interesting skies, and that’s normally worth it!

Last light in Nashville

Are you a sunset or sunrise type of person?  I tend to prefer shooting at sunrise, but lately have been getting more sunsets - which is fine with me, especially when they look like this!

This was an incredible sunset that I shot in Nashville, TN.  My plan that day was to shoot sunset from the nearby Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge (which is the bridge you see off to the left) but at the last moment I opted to walk down along the shoreline and see if I could find a nice spot to capture both the sunset and some nice reflections of the skyline in the Cumberland River.  I found a great spot.  :-)

Painting the Nashville skyline

Here’s another shot from the incredible sunset I witnessed recently up in Nashville, TN.  Talk about a colorful sunset - it was just amazing.  I love shooting at sunset, and when you get rewarded with stuff like this, it’s just that much more special.

What’s your favorite time to shoot?  Sunrise?  Sunset?  Something else?

By the way, I shot this one with my favorite lens, the Nikon 14-24 wide angle lens.  Shooting landscapes and cityscapes (or skylines) like this one with a wide angle lens can really make a huge impact.  You can just get so much in the frame!

That lens is an incredible piece of glass, and I just posted a review of it.  You can find that review here: http://www.nomadicpursuits.com/nikon-14-24-review/ 

Sunset at Vanderbilt University stadium

I like to plan things when it comes to shooting.  Planning is good.  Being organized is good.  Having goals is good.  But I also am keen on leaving myself some wiggle room in my plans, in case unexpected things happen.  Wiggle room is also good, because that is like free time…you just shoot, plan or no plan.  If something interesting is in front of you, well…you shoot it.  No plan needed for that.  One such example was on this particular evening in Nashville.

I had been in other parts of this lovely town (shooting, of course) and for some reason was drawn to zip over to the Vanderbilt University campus as sunset was nearing.  I parked near the football stadium and started walking that way.  I have been previously kicked out of the University of Texas at Austin football stadium (although I got my shots first, HAHA), and actually did not expect to even get in here.  But I figured it was worth a shot (no pun intended).

Well, I have a will and I found a way.  Unlocked doors are like an invitation really…I mean if they didn’t want anyone in there, well the doors would be locked.  So I slipped in and shot all around the field while this incredible sky and sunset came together.  It was pretty spectacular.  Glad for wiggle room!

Waiting for sunrise in Nashville

(And waiting...and waiting...)

There’s something to be said for getting up early to shoot – apart from “what the hell time is it?”.  I love shooting sunrise, even when the sun doesn’t actually rise, such as in this photo.  I got up early in Nashville and wanted to grab some shots from up on this bridge overlooking downtown.  I have shot from here at sunset many times, but sunrise had eluded me.  So my plan was to have some incredible light, but plans don’t always work out.  Instead, I enjoyed a peaceful, beautiful blue hour up here by myself, high above Nashville, firing brackets into a gentle morning wind.  I’ll take that, too.  :-)

And by the way, shooting from this spot is #1 on my "Top Photo Spots in Nashville", which you can find by clicking here.  Thanks for looking!