Street Photography in Nashville

Honky Tonk Highway runs along Lower Broadway between First and Fifth Avenues, lined with bars like Robert's Western World and Tootsie's Orchid Lounge. Many have no cover, so you can drift in and out. Diane Wehr treats it as her home street and works the reflections in bar windows. The crowd is the subject: brides to be in matching outfits and bands visible through open doors. I'd come at dusk, when the neon comes on but faces still hold some light. The sidewalks are tight, so find one clear figure against the signs. Late nights get rowdy.

Printers Alley sits between Third and Fourth Avenues North and Church Street. It was once home to the printing trade, and Jim Nix describes it as small and a little hidden, with plenty of character. Today it is lined with bars and clubs under hanging signs. It works best after dark, when the signs light the brick and doormen stand under them. Stand at one end and shoot down the alley so the signs stack up. A fast lens helps here. It is a party street, so stay friendly with doormen and don't linger in doorways.

This old truss bridge, once called the Shelby Street Bridge, now carries only people over the Cumberland River. Jim Nix calls it the best view of the skyline. For street work, the walkers are the subject, from runners to bachelorette groups posing for photos. I'd go at sunset and use the steel trusses to frame one figure against the skyline. Blue hour gives you lit towers behind silhouettes. It is exposed and hot in summer, so the evening is better than midday.

The Ryman is the old concert hall known as the Mother Church of Country Music, a short walk up from Broadway. Before evening shows the sidewalk fills with fans in their best boots, and tour groups come through during the day. Arrive an hour before doors open and work the queue. The red brick and arched windows make a warm background in late light. Fans are in a good mood and usually happy to be photographed, so ask for portraits. Check the show calendar before you go.

Bicentennial Mall is a long state park lawn below the State Capitol, and Jim Nix points to its view of the Capitol. Next door, the Nashville Farmers' Market has an indoor market house open daily from 8 am, with restaurants and shops, plus outdoor sheds of farm vendors. The market is the street photography: vendors with produce and families eating together. I'd come on a Saturday morning, when the sheds are busiest. Shoot the stalls from the aisle with a wide lens, then ask vendors for portraits.

Five Points is the hub of East Nashville, where several streets meet among dive bars and vintage shops. Camels and Chocolate, a local mural guide, names Five Points among the best areas for street art in the city. This is where locals go out, not tourists. I'd come late afternoon into evening, when the patios fill. Use a mural as a stage and wait for someone to walk past it. It is laid back, so a quick hello works better than stealth.

Nolensville Pike runs south from the fairgrounds and is one of Nashville's main immigrant corridors. Chef Maneet Chauhan, writing for The Bitter Southerner, describes taco trucks, hot pot spots, bakeries and markets where you can find ingredients from almost anywhere, with K&S World Market as its anchor store. Plaza Mariachi is a Latin food and music hall on the road. It is a long road built for cars, so drive between clusters and then walk. Many people here are refugees or recent immigrants, so photograph shops and food freely, but ask before any portrait.

12 South is a short walkable strip of boutiques and murals, including one of the 'I Believe in Nashville' walls. Camels and Chocolate suggests parking on a side street and walking from Sevier Park. The murals draw a steady line of people posing, which is the easy picture: the posing crowd, seen from a few steps back. Weekend mornings are busy. Frame the poser and the friend with the phone together. The light is harsh at midday, so come early or late. Watch the residential parking signs, since tickets are common.