About Nashville's Downtown

Well, I have taken a nice long break from blogging. Those of you who blog know that some time off every once in a while can do wonders for rejuvenated energy towards writing.

New in my world, I am engaged. (!) Which is another motivation to get back to blogging - I need to pay for this wedding thing!

As many of you probably know by now, there has been a slight turn around in the real estate market. For the first time in several years, the numbers have been going up. As in more home sales. I am not seeing that the Sellers are getting top dollar again for their homes, but at least the inventory is starting to move a bit faster.

That being said, I am looking forward to getting back into the habit of bringing you the latest news on Nashville real estate, and I will be happy to answer any questions you might have. Email to: emily.lowe@comcast.net

In fact, if you would like to, send me a question about the Nashville real estate market by email and I will answer it on this blog - of course, the question has to be an appropriate one and I will let you be anonymous (first name or no name only).

Thanks - it's good to be back!

Friday's Fotos...

I'm not sure if the title of this post should be something more like; "Ask and ye shall receive", "sometimes you just get lucky"; "I get by with some help from some friends"; or a combination of all these. Wednesday, while at RE-BarCamp at the Icon in downtown Nashville, I got the opportunity of a life time.

Nashville is an upscale, interesting, musically talented, historic, and IMHO a photogenic town. But then, I may just be a tad biased. Mesmerized by view of downtown from the 9th floor of the Icon, it dawned on me that there are very few public vantage points surrounding the downtown area in which shutterbugs, like me, can really get a really a great, unobstructed view of the downtown skyline. The folks living in one of Nashville's premier high-rise condo's are really lucky Wow! Talk about a view! I wanted a picture!

Nashville is a community of friendly, helping folks. Reminiscent of the spirit that embodied the town during the May floods of last year, the folks I encountered were willing to roll up their sleeves, pitch-in, and help out a total stranger. That's what I really like about Nashvilllians - Their spirit...

My special thanks go out to:

Kevin Pellatiro - Encore Realty

Jen Duncan - Marketing Director Icon

Kim Bransfield of urban abode

And especially the owner of the unit, who so graciously opened their home to a total stranger, allowing him to have one of his dreams come true...

Thankful Thursdays...

Looking back, there are many things I am thankful for. Yesterday, was no exception. RE-Barcamp, was held at the Icon which is nestled in the Gulch, in downtown Nashville, TN. Not only was I thankful to be able to attend and learn from experts, but I was thankful to be be able to connect with some of my ActiveRain friends from afar. To me, it is always great to be able to put a voice and a live face to the name and the avatar I see roll down the blogroll. It was great to talk to and see two of my ActiveRain buddies, Cindy from Indy and Cindy Edwards from the Tri-Cities area in NE Tennessee.

Sadly, my brain is not functioning too clearly this morning. Must be either a bad case of information overload, or I'm still reminiscing on the great fellowship. It has to be the latter.

Natch, "Have Camera Will Travel" was there and I was able to cop a few shots of the moments...

Connie Harvey and Cindy from Indy



Cindy Edwards and Michael Thornton



Connie, Cindy, Cindy and Me

Warm Up Your Listing Photos ~ Use Ambient Lighting...
To use a grossly overworked adage, "You don't have a second chance to make a good first impression." applies to everything in life. Even the pictures you upload to your local MLS. Maybe, it's me or maybe it's because I have the "eye" and knowledge, but IMHO, "Some agents otta stick to what they do best and leave the photog work to someone else."

When possible, I strive to use the warm, inviting glow of ambient lighting and avoid flash. Flash washes out the soft inviting colors we see with our naked eyes and creates a stark, cold, atmosphere often with unrealistic shadows and flash streaks reflecting off metal or highly polished objects.

The folks listing with you are relying on you to put their property in the best possible light. Here are a few tips I have learned through my 46 years behind the lens.

Most dSLR's have Manual modes. Learn to use them. If you still insist on using the automatic mode, turn the flash off and let the camera "do it's thing".

Use a tripod and set your aperture to the widest (lowest f-stop). Most low light setting will be "time exposures" and you cannot hold the camera still that long.

If you are shooting in Manual mode, bracket your shots. Under expose and over expose by a third of a stop.

Take several angles of the same area. Digital film is cheap. It cost nothing more than a little extra time. Generally, one shot will stand head and shoulders above the rest.

Post production is a must. JPG format is flat and washed out by nature. Subtile adjustments to warm the tone, increase sharpness and tweak contrast can create that inviting glow that gets the showing. Tone map by using HDR if possible. Don't overdo it! Women can pick up on these delicate nuances, most men can't.

I hope these tips have been helpful. If you have any questions, contact me via ActiveRain. I will answer. There will be no charge and dumb looks are still free…

(not so) Speechless Sundae...

Night photography is challenging for everyone, especially a novice. To me, there is something about the glow of the neon, man made lighting, and eerie shadows that beckons me to give it yet another whirl. I have taken many shots of downtown Nashville, TN. The vast majority have wound up in the virtual river that runs through my desk top. Early yesterday morning, I decided to give it another go before the fam wiped the sleep from their eyes. If y'all are interested, I will write a post about how to take better night shots. Let me know...

Y'all have a peaceful, relaxing Sunday...

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