Happy Tuesday!

First full day of class yesterday.  Started at 7:30 a.m. at the Marathon Motor Works and Antique Archaeology.  Two very popular tourist attractions in Nashville.  We got an hour and a half of shooting time before they opened up to the public.

We were told that these were a “target rich environment” and they certainly were.

The image above is of Joe McNally doing an in prompt to session about photographing a subject out doors in harsh sunlight.  We were a little early to the site and it wasn’t open yet so just because he wants to help he did a full lighting session.

It was so cool standing with in five feet of him and to be able to see what he saw, ask him questions, and soak up all the knowledge my tiny brain could hold. 🙂

Yes I’ll admit I’m a fanboy.

Then we got a half hour in the Marathon Motor Works.  I had a problem with my tripod and spent a fair amount of my time working with it.  I got a little frustrated with it but got some images like the one above.

Two things I discovered yesterday.  I am not a very good photographer.  Walking around with Joe McNally and listening to him as he evaluates a scene and decides what he wants to photograph and how he wants to photograph it was very humbling but informative.

Additionally I thought I was a gear head.  Well there are 14 other gear heads here and I pale in comparison to some of them.  Many of them are Nikon shooters so we spend a lot of time talking gear and settings.  So much fun! 🙂

Then we went across the street to Antique Archaeology and spent an hour photographing some of the most interesting objects and memorabilia that I have ever encountered.  It was amazing.  All the time listening to Joe, Bill, and Jim giving advice on camera settings and composition.  It was also enjoyable visiting with Ricky Skaggs as well and learning how he approaches photography.

After our shooting session we went back to the classroom, downloaded our photos, did minimal processing, and then submitted our best three for a blind critique by the instructors.  That too was a humbling experience.  By the end of the critique I had a much clearer idea of what it takes to make a good photograph and how much work I have to do.

Then we had a couple of hours free time before we went downtown to photograph the neon lights and finally finished it off with a sunset photo shoot of the river and a paddle wheel boat cruising the river.  I haven’t processed those photos yet so I don’t know how they came out.

Early morning shoot today, leaving the hotel at 6:30 a.m. before breakfast.

That’s it for today.  Thank you for stopping by the blog.  Enjoy your day, stay cool, hydrated, and be careful