More Than Country Music -- Huntsville, AL Photographer in Nashville, TN

When most people think of Nashville, Tennessee, they think "country music capital".  And it is that.  But it's much more.  Besides being the town I call home (yes it's a "town" and yes, despite my living in Huntsville, Alabama, Nashville will always be "home" to me -- thank goodness it's only two hours away!), Nashville is the place you want to go for not just music (and oh my goodness, great music is literally on every street corner -- really), it's also where you've got to get to if you want good food, great family entertainment, a fabulous weekend nightlife, and friendly faces.  Heck, it was even dubbed 'Most American city" by AOL!  So if you've never been, you have got to go.  Get thyself there, pronto. Not convinced?  Maybe some visual aids will help.

First, let's talk shopping.  Nashville has all of the basics -- malls and shopping centers, and so on -- but it's also got a kickin' thrifting and vintage vibe going on.  Fantastic finds are ripe for the buying, everything from kitschy decor and vinyl records to funky clothes and furnishings -- even old cameras (which, of course, makes my heart swoon).  My most recent favorite place to prowl around is Pre to Post Modern at 2110 8th Avenue South.  I bought a cool green skirt there a few months ago and it's now a wardrobe staple.  When you go, plan on at least an hour to poke around.  It's a treasure trove of goodness!

Shopping is going to take it out of you, so you'll need a place for some yummy nosh.  Here are three of my personal favorites:

• Fido, in Hillsboro Village, has great coffee, great food, and unbelievable desserts -- all made fresh daily with local, organic ingredients.
• The Pharmacy, at 731 McFerrin Avenue, is well known for their creative and extra-drippy burgers (slathered with assorted cheeses and bacon and ham and sometimes fried eggs -- yes, fried eggs).
• And The Grilled Cheeserie food truck, found wherever it happens to be (check their website or mobile tracker to locate 'em on a daily basis), serves slap-yore-granny grilled cheese sandwiches;  seriously, you won't believe how incredible grilled cheese can be -- but be prepared for a long line because all of Nashville knows the best place to get a sandwich and no one minds the wait.  They're that good.

A good runner up on places to eat would have to be the Elliston Place Soda Shop, right there on Elliston Place.  Their food is good -- staples like burgers and fries, meat 'n threes, and Ruben sandwiches -- but they absolutely rock the the concept of a soda shop: egg creams, milkshakes, floats, malts, and traditional dreamsicles, they've got it all.  And the atmosphere can't be beat.

Lastly, entertainment.  Nashville has it all, from geek con-fests and music, to hockey and football, to free plays and museums.  They've got a dozen different things to choose from on any given weekend throughout the year.  Some of our favorites include the Nashville Shakespeare Festival every August and September, right there in Centennial Park;  Nashville Dancing, at Riverfront Park, with live music galore;  and the Tomato Arts Festival every August, in the Five Points district (or what I like to call "little Portland").  All of these events are fun for the whole family, so don't miss 'em!

Wee L'il Girl -- Huntsville AL Newborn Infant Photographer

My friend Jenni is a photographer -- and she's a dear friend, spending countless hours laughing with me, and teaching me stuff, and talking me down from many a ledge, fully accepting me for who I am (warts and all), and allowing herself to be equally known by me.  She's truly one of the kindest, most relaxed, most self-assured, most capable women I've ever known, a wonderful person to spend an afternoon with.  And she's a fabulous mother, a strong wife, and beautifully rounded Christ-follower.  So when given the opportunity to give back to her in some small way, I jumped at the chance.  I was privileged to photograph Jenni and her husband and their new daughter, mere hours after the little one's arrival.  And oh what a precious pink bundle of curled toes, tiny fingers, and sweet rosebud mouth she is!  The McCartys truly make beautiful children.  

The ABC's of Smoky Mountain Camping -- Huntsville, AL Photographer

"Going to the mountains is going home." -- John Muir

*  *  *

It's no secret how much I adore the The Great Smoky Mountains.  From the peanut butter fudge and bluegrass banjos, to the fried pickles and rambling nature trails, there is something in them there hills that sings to the innermost core of my Tennessee-born, nature-loving soul -- and the more I visit (which is at least once a year, twice if I'm lucky), the more deeply I realize how Appalachia is my heart's home.  My spirit finds the truest, most authentic rest when my body is nestled amid wildflowers and the clean white "smoke" rising from shaded valleys and clear rivers.

My most recent trip to the Smokies was a five-day camping trip back in April.  I returned home feeling keenly refreshed, fully ready to take on life's little dramas and challenges (along with five days worth of sweat- and campfire-scented dirty laundry) -- but that good feeling has worn off somewhat.  Another excursion to the mountains is in order!  But since Real Life beckons for now, a visual trip down memory lane will have to suffice.

I present a light-hearted look at my beloved Smokies -- in alphabetical order . . .

Check it out: a complete meal for five including shrimp, zucchini and squash on skewers, and baked potatoes (below on the hot coals)!

Seriously, just don't.  It's not good for the wildlife and it's not good for you.  No one wants to be fined and/or arrested -- or be responsible for the endangerment of animals or plants.

Anyone and everyone can become a member of Friends of the Smokies.  I'm a member, she's a member -- wouldn't you like to be a member too!?!

The Smoky Mountains are world renowned for their abundance of wildflowers.  From late April through early September, you can see flowers everywhere.  They blanket the whole park with smatterings of lovely color, and it's truly delightful to seek and find these beauties along paths and in unexpected places.

My husband and I have found a great little locally owned place to dine, just outside the park, in Townsend, TN called Riverstone Family Restaurant.  It's where I first tasted (and fell in love with) fried pickles, but they've also got killer fried catfish and some of the best fried green tomatoes and homemade pies ever.

H is for hot showers (or lack thereof).  Sorry, no photo for this one.  You'll just have to trust me on this: if you plan to camp inside the park take some dry shampoo and baby wipes.  And stay behind the camera, not in front of it.

I swear, the store in Cades Cove campground has The Best Ice Cream.  I don't know how they do it, because it just looks like soft serve.  But it isn't.  It's a piled-high vision of creamy wonder, sweet and rich with light icy texture, and boy does it taste guuud!

Is there anything better than simply lounging around in your camper amid the silence of a Great Smokies campground?  I think not.

Cades Cove is filled with all sorts of natural wonders -- but also man-made treasures from an era gone by.  It's a wonderfully rich place, suffused with peace and the sense of wonder that surely surrounded the everyday lives of those who once called home this beautiful valley.

There's a little bit of magic in the act of picking a quiet spot (or even a spot filled with the sound of a giggling stream) in the Smoky Mountains.  Just to sit.  Stay awhile.  Breathe deeply.

I learned something new this last time we visited the Smokies:  there's a wild leek that grows in the hills and dales called a "ramp".  We saw a roadside seller with some of these grassy-looking vegetables, and I bought some to take home.  Lemme tell ya, they made a delightful dinner sautéed in butter with some potatoes.  Yum.

From the leaves bursting from branches to the moss clinging to every damp surface, there is abundant life everywhere in the Smokies.  Is it any wonder I love the place so much: it proudly displays en  masse my favorite color -- green!

There are literally thousands of miles of walking and hiking trails in the park.  We've wandered many a path, even hitting up from time to time parts of our beloved Appalachian Trail.  And other than seriously sore muscles, there's nothing to regret about getting out and enjoying nature as God intended.

If you want to see more of the Smokies, then head on over to their official website.  Better yet, plan a trip!

The Roberts Family -- Huntsville AL Family Photography

Lauren contacted me after seeing a mention of Lauren Bee Photography in the Huntsville Times.  She liked my work, and I liked the prospect of working with another Lauren!  We set to meet at sunrise on the first day of August at Monte Sano State Park -- where Lauren and her husband said their I-Dos just two years prior -- and pure magic resulted.  Early morning light mingled with an obviously loving couple and their adorably chunky, peach-fuzz headed baby boy.  It was a perfect morning.  Perfectly perfect in every way.  

Risky Behavior in Huntsville, AL -- Portrait Photography

It's confession time.  Hi, my name is Lauren, and until this past February, I've been (more often than not) stuck on Auto. [shiver]

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I want follow up with another admission, more crucial than the last.  I've been pushing myself, with the intensity of a crazy person (probably because I am a crazy person), to rectify that most major of photographic errors: I've been learning Manual Mode.  And yes, I personally view it as a huge (huge) mistake to go any further in my photography using anything less than Manual mode.  Why?

Well, for starters it feels like a total cop-out.  It's the lazy, 'fraidy cat in me that's been avoiding a few minor leaps in the brain power department -- it's felt risky, too many "what ifs", mostly having to do with displeasing clients.  It's been soooo easy to arrive on-session with camera set to Auto and just snap away to my heart's content.  This results in good photos.  Good enough to accept payment from smiling folks.  I shoot, I capture, everyone goes home happy.

Except I've not been happy.  Because complacency and fear are poor replacements for gritty diligence and courage.  At some point along the way, I realized I could give so much more to my clients, that I can boost the happiness measure up a few notches  -- and who am I to allow fear to rob us all of visual joy?

Secondly (and this one is closely related):  I wasn't fully and artistically satisfied.  Yeah, I shot some beautiful images.  But deep down I knew I could take awesome photos.  I knew the ability was out there to do incredible things in camera -- and like anyone else, I so love to do incredible things!

So I took the leap.  I've used Auto from time to time, when I sense there is a shot I'm about to miss and I just don't have the time to fiddle with camera settings.  But I'm proud to say, more often that not, practice atop heaps of practice, I'm in Manual mode -- and friends, that is making all the difference.

Now, one very interesting side effect of all this Manual Mode Mayhem is the sheer madness that begins to take over.  After a while, immersing yourself as you are into the inner workings of your gear, you begin to think like the rogue artist you are.  You begin to push.  You begin to do crazy things.  You begin to stretch out of places you were once quite comfortable in.  You wake up, come alive, and begin to pick away at previously well-guarded walls.  You begin to wonder "what might happen if . . ."

And that's when magic happens.

A few weeks ago I picked up my Nikon, the cold, dark weight of it in my hands, glancing down at the  50 mm Prime lens I had attached, and a spark of an idea flashed in my brain:  what would happen if I detached this here lens from the body of the beast and pressed the shutter button?  I quickly discarded the idea as unsafe, foolish, and reckless.  I'd spent thousands of dollars on my equipment, no way was I about to endanger it.

Then a couple days later I just happened upon an online mention of something called free-lensing.  Apparently that idea I'd had -- to set free the lens from the camera body -- it's a Thing.  I was so proud of myself for thinking of something on my own -- and that it was already being done (with safety measures put in place), so there was no need to fear the process.  I was so excited, in fact, that I went right out with my new 35mm Prime lens and tried it myself.  The photos in this blog post are from that exploratory session, and I have to say --

I'm in love!  It's like nothing I've ever done before.  The images are full of life and energy and light.  Oh swoon!  Oh joy!  I can't wait to get back out and do some more -- I think I'll even try a few shots of my next client, toss them in as extras, just to see how they like 'em.

So you see, risky behavior pays off sometimes.  It's worth it to step outside of a well-worn comfort zone and unleash the inner Creative -- she shines best out in the open.