I’ll keep the commentary short. The pictures speak for themselves. This past week was Marine Week in downtown Nashville. I heard the advertisements on the radio and thought it sounded interesting, but I did not make any plans. As luck would have it, I was in Nashville to drop off a framed photograph for the upcoming gallery show at Chromatics. I thought I would stick around town and catch some evening light on the skyline. Since the light was not optimum, I trekked through downtown while the sun moved closer to the horizon. After crossing the Woodland Street Bridge, I was bombarded by Marines. I realized that it was the first day of Marine Week. I was not really prepared to go into street photography mode as I was carrying my tripod, but I made it work.
This post has pictures over a 3 day period. I started on Wednesday evening the 7th. I took the family on Friday the 10th, and I returned on Sunday, September 11th. During this time, I also captured a couple of political celebrities, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry and Senator Bob Corker. There are quite a few pictures in this blog post, 78 to be exact. Given the occasion and the 15 year 9/11 anniversary, I figured it would have more impact if all images were kept together. I posted my favorite image from each day below. The remaining images can be seen in the lightbox at the end. You can click on a thumbnail image to view it larger and you can play the slideshow or scroll through the images once you are inside the lightbox. I hope you enjoy the images! OORAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TECH SPECS
Camera: Olympus E520 DSLR
Lenses: 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 / 30mm f1.4 / 70-300 f4-5.6
Flash: Olympus FL-50R Flash Gun
Software: Processed in Lightroom / Lens Correction with ShiftN
Day 1 – September 7th – Marine Week Nashville
Day 2 – September 10th – Marine Week Nashville
Day 3 – September 11th – Marine Week Nashville – Senator Bob Corker – 9/11 Memorial Service
When I was standing around the groups of Marines along with the Nashville Police Department, I felt safe, but I also felt like a target. We see the senseless attacks on our law enforcement and military hit the front page news too often. Thankfully, the festivities were unmarred by such evil. However, I did capture one protester on the first day. He’s easy to spot in my photos. He was escorted out of the area without incident. My wife captured a man walking by the Marines during a morning flag raising taunting them as he walked by. I actually saw this same man at the 9/11 Ceremony at the War Memorial Auditorium. I kept a close eye on him. He was obviously seeking out the event for some reason other than paying respect. I heard him mumble some words at the Marines as he walked through the crowds. Thankfully, he did not cause a big ruckus. As I mentioned, my wife grabbed a picture of this man. I will be posting some outtakes from this week directly on Facebook which will have a picture of this person.
Regardless of your politics, these brave men and women deserve our respect. As the General recounted the events of 9/11 during the ceremony, I could not help but feel the sorrow and rage I felt when this happened 15 years ago. It was an emotional moment for most people in attendance. Each day of Marine Week including the 9/11 ceremony, there was a wreath laying for a fallen Marine from the Nashville area. It was sad to watch the fathers and mothers lay the wreaths for their fallen sons and daughters. I would like to take this moment to say thank you to all the brave men and women serving this great Nation of ours, and I would like to say thank you to those individuals and their families who have made the ultimate sacrifice. I will never forget!
This event was well planned. Thank you USMC for a FANTASTIC job! Kudos to Nashville for allowing this event to happen in Music City! Are you in the military? Do you have family members in the military? I would love to hear about your service or the service of a family member. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.
Remaining Images in Lightbox Below!
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[…] that day in tribute to the 911 victims. You can see a picture of the senator giving his speech here. The War Memorial Auditorium has become one of my favorite places to visit in Nashville. I love the […]