4.30.25I Also Don’t Know This Flower, But It’s Also PrettyContinuing the theme from yesterday’s post.

4.1.25Post Your DeskThis 27 “Apple Studio Display is my last substantial purchase for my photo business (for the foreseeable future). I think I finally have the perfect setup for my needs.The M1 iMac I bought years ago is a fantastic computer that experiences no slowdown save for when I’m trying to batch update images after an event or when I’m trying to make a complicated video in Resolve. Since I’ve been doing more events over the last few years, processing speed has become more of a necessity for getting things done efficiently. While the M1 iMac could undoubtedly do it, my M3 MacBook Pro does it faster. The MacBook was originally primarily intended for on-location tethering, but with its 36 GB of unified memory compared to the iMac’s 16 GB, I found it was the preferred computer for what I needed—it just didn’t have the size screen I preferred.Linking the Studio Display to the M3 is the fast-processing, preferred editing combo I was looking for. As a bonus, all my work is centralized on the M3 so I never have to switch files between two computers again.The M3 sits under the shelf and connects to the display using a Thunderbolt cable. Since it receives power through the same cable, I don’t have to have the power adapter plugged in.Desk components:-Studio Display-M3 MacBook Pro-TourBox Elite controller-Full Apple keyboard-Magic Mouse 2-Personal fan-Two mood lights-Philips Hue Signe gradient floor lamp

4.2.25New OfficesCincinnati Development Fund’s offices are moving to the third floor of 1818 Race Street by Findlay Market. Before they move in, though, 8K Construction wanted some photos of the space.

4.3.25Cycle ThruThe Cincinnati Art Museum opened its newest exhibit, Cycle Thru, to the press today. They had me come in to take photos of the space for use in marketing. The show has several displays with bikes from different eras, such as the one pictured. Yes, that’s the Pee-Wee Herman bike.It felt nice to be there with the other press people. Reminded me of what I used to do when I worked for the website.

4.4.25Perfect VibeWe went out to a couple of bars tonight, one of which was Jerry’s. I’ll never tire of how good it feels inside this place.

4.5.25SerpentinePhotographed CAM Kids Day for the museum this afternoon. Several reptiles and snakes were brought for viewing as part of the programming. I prefer not to post children to this site without permission from their parents, so this is probably the only image I can show from the day.

4.6.25Self PortraitA different kind of front-facing camera photo.

4.7.25The ADA Orchard HouseFor nine years, I’ve worked with Rebecca on her listing photos. She’s given me the chance to shoot quite a few lovely places over that time, but there’s something about this one that really grabbed me. I’ll get to why in a second.Orchard was built in 1890, and after 125 years, it got a makeover thanks to the Center for Great Neighborhoods. Its identical twins next door were also renovated, preserving this bit of Covington’s built history. Heather (Covington Uncovered) did a great write up about 315 and the other identical shotgun houses over on her account.One of the reasons this one speaks to me is its ADA accessibility. If you look closely, you’ll see it at the sinks specifically. There’s an easy grade on the exterior that leads up to the door to the kitchen/living room, and aside from the basement, it doesn’t feature any stairs. You don’t often see renovations that have wheelchairs in mind.

4.8.25Zf UpdateThis firmware 2.0 for the Nikon Zf is nuts. In addition to the JPEG recipes, which I've never used until today, you can set up your camera to automatically upload to Lightroom or Dropbox or other cloud file storage automatically. I shot this photo and it was in Lightroom on my phone in less than a minute.You could spend the day out and about with a color recipe locked and loaded, shoot all day, and review what you did in Lightroom that night without physically connecting your camera to anything. That’s pretty awesome.I think I might start shooting in JPEG with a recipe selected just to switch things up for a bit. I’ve rarely shot anything but RAW because I like the flexibility of the edit afterward, but the appeal of making the creative decision in the moment, while scary, is liberating in a way.

4.9.25I Would Drive ThisMarlene has family in Japan. She brought me back this tiny little car during a recent trip there. She likes to guess what her friends would drive and gets them a car that fits their personality.She gave it to me and asked, “Is this a car you’d drive? I feel like this suits you.”“Yes, definitely,” I replied. I have no clue if this is a real car, but it’s my style.

4.10.25Sunbleached GritI’ve been sick enough over the last two days that it’s caused me to go to bed early, but I’m not sick enough to stop going into the studio for work. It’s the unpleasant in between of wanting to lie still and recover from the pain and chills while being just barely well enough to respect that money doesn’t make itself. With the impending price hike of everything thanks to the president’s tariff debacle, I need every dime I can get.Yesterday was a struggle. Thanks to copious amounts of extra-strength Advil, I managed through a very long day and went to bed almost immediately when I got home. Slept for 12 hours to try to feel somewhat normal for today.Thankfully, that was a good tactic as I am slightly better today. Since it’s a studio day, though, I didn’t shoot much except for this gas station while I was at the pump. I liked the textures and faded colors.

4.11.25Faux Lomo 100The idea of film recipes for Fuji cameras once made me roll my eyes. I didn’t get it; why be fake when you could just shoot actual film? You could just as easily and authentically pick up a used camera and a roll of film and do what you want without having to fake it. Shoot digital when you want a digital look and film when you want a film look (if you have both).To some degree, I still hold this opinion, but with less passion now. After playing with the novelty of the Zf’s film recipes, I get why people use them. They’re just fun.In some ways, snapping the image with custom color science applied in the moment and living with the results is more film-like than shooting RAW and tweaking it later. I won’t say it’s a 1:1 comparison, but there’s a commonality if you boil it down to basics. Maybe this is as close as digital gets to the experience before branching out into its own thing?The thought of shooting something professionally with a film simulation doesn’t appeal to me. Still, for personal photography, it might be fun to choose a simulation for the day and run with it to try something different. I once said the B&W mode on the Zf might be a gimmick I grew out of, but I still use it from time to time. This may be the same situation.

4.12.25Dive BarFound myself listening to a band play at The Fill Inn tonight with Travis. I wanted to test out how quickly I could snap a photo and have it show up in Lightroom using the Nikon cloud connection using my phone’s hot spot. (30 seconds)

4.13.25The Coming of SpringThus begins our annual weekly trek to Baeten’s for new plantings. It’s too early to plant annuals, but we picked up some fresh pine straw for the beds. It felt great to get outside and work in the yard.

4.14.25Tucked Away on GarrardRebecca had a neat house for me to photograph today. It backs up to the Licking River, but high enough that it won’t flood during the high conditions we recently witnessed. It’s front yard is massive, sloping downward toward the tree-lined street below. A long driveway snakes up the side and ends in a large parking pad behind it. One of the owners is apparently an arborist, so the landscaping is native, healthy, and intentional. Even though I didn’t get to photograph it at full bloom, I can tell this yard will be stunning in early summer.

4.15.25SurrealNo idea when I'll be able to share this project, but I'm currently photographing brand product packaging with photos on it that I took, and I had to document the occasion because this is very surreal.

4.16.25Wine BikeTonight’s event at CAM celebrated the opening of Cycle Thru! and Tintoretto’s Genesis—two exhibitions that the public is free to enjoy. During the event, this entertainer rode a modified bicycle with wine glasses suspended from a circular holder. The bottles were kept in holders on the front, and a crate suspended off the back behind the seat held additional glasses.

4.17.25Morning WalkI’ve probably posted this scene before. Hopefully not, though. I love how this small house along Route 8 is situated mere feet away from this Family Dollar and next to another commercial building. It initially reads as spite house, but if you think about the nature of development, it’s way more likely that the commercial buildings were constructed in place of where homes similar to this one were once standing.And I should mention that I am still playing with the Nikon Zf JPEG recipes. This one is on “Kodak Gold 200.” I like how it gives the light a little extra warmth and alters the blue values accordingly.

4.18.25Grill OutI spent the entire day outside. The grass is cut and trimmed. The flower beds have been cleared of dead leaves from the previous fall season. New pine straw has been laid. Mulched the back beds and relaid all the edge bricks. Deep-cleaned the grill. Ashley put together the flower pots for the front and back. I tossed more ball with Myrtle than I ever have in one day.My arms and hands are sore from digging around in the Earth, and it feels amazing. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I genuinely think humans need this connection to the planet to feel right. You don’t need to farm acres of land to get it; you just need a little time to feel that soil under your nails while the sun warms your back every once in a while.The day ended with a boatload of hot dogs on that freshly cleaned grill.

4.19.25Faux Lomo 100While visiting a few breweries downtown, I tested the Lomo recipe. Besides Portra 400, I’ve shot more Lomo than any other film stock by several hundred images. That said, I don’t know what Lomo looks like with an overcast sky, so I don’t know if this is accurate. All my shots on actual film were taken in sunny or nighttime conditions.

4.20.25Spring in NKYI think this faux Lomo recipe makes spring really pop.

4.21.25Doughnut Skip Out On West NewportIt was a slow Monday afternoon, so I slapped a 40mm on my Zf, hopped on my bike, and took an aimless ride around town. Northern Kentucky has a load of interesting architecture throughout its river cities, but I concentrated on West Newport for most of this particular ride.From the old school corner markets and bars to the finely maintained historic structures, there’s no shortage of texture, color, and visually interesting vignettes in that part of the city. Every time I walk or ride through it, I swear I find something new and beautiful I’ve never seen before or appreciate something I’ve seen but largely overlooked. On one block you’ll see a row of charming, colorful 19th century one-stories and on another block you’ll see an eye-level billboard for McDonald’s in someone’s side yard. The way the sprawling streets end with the Cincinnati skyline makes it unique, too. Every block is brimful of character, grit, and weird beauty the other river cities around it can’t replicate.

4.22.25Different ErasWhile waiting for Ashley to come out of the salon, I saw this classic car driving west on Route 8 and quickly snapped a photo without spending much time lining it up. It was later on that I noticed the driver of the classic car looked to be an older guy, and the driver of the newer car going the opposite direction looked to be a younger guy.There’s probably something to be said about the parallel between the age of our vehicles and ourselves, but I’ll let you come up with it.

4.23.25Queue ‘Family Matters’ ThemeA bridge over train tracks connects Patterson Street from 11th to 13th Street. If you get out and walk on it, you get this unique view of downtown with West Newport in the foreground, completely obscuring the massive river between them. While I’ve taken similar shots from 15th, I’ve never done this particular vantage point before.It reminds me of the first shot of the ‘Family Matters’ intro where the camera slowly elevates to show the Winslow house in relation to Chicago.

5.24.25Art In Bloom: Day 1For the first time in a long time, the Cincinnati Art Museum put on Art In Bloom two years in a row instead of doing it every other year. I was hired to photograph every event during the four-day affair, beginning today.Art In Bloom pairs custom floral arrangements designed by floral artists in the community with existing works in the museum’s collection. This year, the works were assigned to the artists instead of letting them choose their inspiration piece. My tasks today involved photographing every arrangement next to their piece, as well as a soiree at the end of the evening.It’s really hard to choose which pairing I like best, so I’ve chosen to post one that stood out to me. M. Melissa Flohre put together this beautiful arrangement that perfectly mirrors the color palette and shape of the piece they were assigned.

4.25.25Art In Bloom: Day 2On day 2 of Art In Bloom, I photographed a luncheon and a sugar flower-making workshop throughout the day before ending with covering Art After Dark.In the Fountain Room, a floral bar filled with free stems of a variety of flowers were made available to eager attendees. The line stretched from the floral bar into the hallway with the Miro mural and into the Great Hall. To say it was a popular feature of AAD that evening is an understatement.I was at the museum from 9:45 AM until 7 PM. Afterward, I went to Music Hall to photograph the symphony before finally making it home around 12 hours after starting my day. It was a long one, but I got it done.

4.26.25Art In Bloom: Day 3So much happened at AIB that I couldn’t easily decide on the photo of the day. This neutral entry will have to do.The main tasks were informational lectures, a tea party, and documenting museum-goers enjoying the pairings. I managed to get out of there before dinner, resulting in a full night of playing catch up on three days’ worth of images.I’m exhausted in the best way.

4.27.25Art In Bloom: Day 4Today might’ve been the craziest day of photographing this event. Shahzia was back in town to film a documentary about her work and current exhibits at both CAM and CMA. She wanted BTS shots of the production, but I also had to photograph two drag shows for the museum simultaneously. To achieve this, I kept running the stairs between Shahzia’s exhibit on the second floor and the lowest level where the drag shows were held.It was wild to switch between a quiet, contemplative exhibit with just a few people and a loud, raucous, high-energy room full of fans and performers. While a load of work, I think it was the most fun I’ve had all weekend.While I’ve photographed drag performances in the past, I relearned something today that I think is worth mentioning. If you’re a photographer and you are given the opportunity to photograph one of these shows, always make sure to photograph the audience. I know the inclination is to focus on the performers, and it’s great to get shots of them doing their thing, but I promise you’ll make some of your best material if you aim for the reactions of the people in attendance. I was smiling ear to ear while reviewing images from both shows simply because the energy and glee in every frame was contagious.To say I’m tired is an understatement, but I cannot think of four days within the last six months when I was as creatively satisfied as I am right now.

4.28.25C.P. Reeves MarketWhile in the backyard of a house I was photographing in Ludlow, I noticed this little market. After finishing the job and packing up my equipment, I walked over to check it out.It ended up being a family-owned market with ice cream, Amish-made treats, and a floral nursery. I sped home, got Ashley, and showed her what I’d found. As expected, she loved everything about it. She ended up purchasing a load of plants and flowers for our garden and we checked out the dog-friendly market.The special thing about this place, though, is she’s actually distantly related to C.P. Reeves. Since they share a last name, she called her grandfather, and he confirmed that C.P. Reeves was his father’s cousin.Our new plan is to get eggs from this market every week because they’re the same price as the dozen you’d get from Kroger.

4.29.25I Don’t Know This Flower, But It’s PrettyAshley’s in charge of choosing the flowers for the yard. Over the last five years, we’ve invested a load of time and money into filling the front and back yards with as much color and variety as possible.I don’t know what this flower is called, but it’s beautiful. Since she’s the one with the vision for how it’s all supposed to look, it’s always a surprise to me. I never know what’s going to bloom and when.