In an entry I made to Instagram ten years ago today, I wrote a borderline melodramatic paragraph about turning thirty.

“10,905 days. 1564 weeks. 30 years,” it began. Marking the granular details of the passage of time felt appropriate, and honestly, I still don’t think it’s a bad idea ten years later.

The image I chose for the post showed the corner of a building that I liked at the time. To the left of it were overlaid newspaper clippings from the Enquirer’s archive, and for some reason I worked my then-logo into the window of the building. Selfies weren’t my thing, and I still didn’t understand how to properly make a portrait; the architecture/history angle fit me better back then.

Later in the post, I wrote something that turned out to be truer than I ever could’ve imagined. “I think the next decade will be my most interesting, creative, progressive adventure yet.”

Over the last 10 years, I married my soul mate, made some of the best friends I’ve ever had, bought a house, fell head over heels for the best dog to ever exist, explored places I’d never been to before, laughed harder than I have in my entire life, made huge leaps in my career, seen people and businesses I’ve loved come and go, created art I’m extremely proud of, built an online platform that has helped me improve my craft and distribute it far and wide, worked with loads of people both locally and around the world, learned new skills, exercised my right to protest, became an uncle, and made memories, both good and bad, that define who I’ve become over the last decade.

There’s no conceivable way I could ever find the time to accurately paint a picture of everything and everyone who’s affected my life over the last 10 years. But this moment only comes once in a lifetime, and I want to acknowledge that this has been the best decade I’ve ever had.

Farewell, Thirties.

14,610 days, 2087 weeks, 40 years.

2016

Several highlights: moving from 4th Street to Central Parkway, urban exploration, going to the top of the Roebling Bridge, fighting to save the Dennison Hotel, meeting new people, putting together my art show, leaving my desk job to work for Cincinnati Refined, going to Washington DC, seeing the streetcar’s debut, and experiencing a tone shift from my old life to something new, exciting, and stable.

2017

Several highlights: meeting Myrtle, going to Blink, finding Stikmen, enjoying Red River Gorge in autumn, settling into our new home on Central Parkway, working hard at producing for Cincinnati Refined, photographing Fiona the Hippo and having it syndicated to 80+ stations around the nation, seeing a solar eclipse with my dad at the top of the Carew Tower, meeting Anthony Daniels in the basement of Union Terminal, and documenting the Terrace Plaza Hotel.

2018

Several highlights: photographing Cincinnati Subway, proposing to Ashley, documenting a terrible flood, enjoying a trip to Lake Cumberland, being promoted to the role of Managing Editor of Cincinnati Refined, working my ass off to make the site my own and usher in its final era before transition in 2021, moving back to Broadway, creating a 12 Gb panoramic photo that would be used in a museum display, taking long walks around downtown with a puppy, and making my last trip into the Terrace Plaza.

2019

Several highlights: getting married, starting the Daily Photo Project, moving down the hall due to our apartment flooding, basking in the peak Bay Horse Cafe days, taking a train to Chicago, exploring Portland and Seattle, climbing Mt. Rainier, going to Pittsburgh, photographing parades, recreating a historic photo on film 100 years to the day from the same perspective, and witnessing thousands try to cross the Roebling Bridge on foot during the second Blink festival.

2020

Several highlights: living slower, buying a house, maintaining traffic to a website despite the world being shut down, working for the Cincinnati Art Museum for the first time, cutting my own hair, going to parks, photographing every CPS graduation, being outside more often, a road trip to Florida, camping in our living room, and protesting in the streets.

2021

Several highlights: traveling to Asheville, Red River Gorge, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Valley of Fire, Detroit, Denver, Cleveland, Louisville, and Columbus. Getting laid off and heading straight into freelance photography, getting into Star Trek, experimenting with home improvement and carpentry, working for architects, getting involved in my neighborhood, exploring an abandoned train tunnel in the woods, seeing my work on a billboard, eating ice cream from Ameristop, hanging with donkeys in Arizona, and beginning to learn product photography.

2022

Several highlights: navigating my first full year working for myself, buying a Subaru, finding our forever coffee shop, shooting loads of events for the Art Museum, seeing a show with Mike and Steve at Bogarts, learning woodworking at Single Batch Designs, making my own flight boards and selling them at a farmer’s market, seeing the Episode I vending machine in Pittsburgh, helping my in-laws clean up their house after a devastating storm, becoming an uncle, shooting shows at Memorial Hall, creating decor photograph for a gold club, coffee hangs with the boys, another Blink festival, a road trip to Philly and Washington DC, and work for an architect in Michigan.

2023

Several highlights: Seeing a movie set on 8th Street, photographing Steve’s hit podcast, getting to know my baby niece, going to NYC and San Francisco, having fun on rooftops, spending time on the porch, photographing loads of houses and Airbnbs for listings, documenting an abandoned Carnegie Library in Middletown, exploring small Kentucky cities with a cold that wouldn’t quit, driving around Gary (Indiana), stopping at an insanely good root beer stand in Lafayette, and shooting events for arts organizations around town.

2024

Several highlights: going to tiki parties at Allie and Travis’, enjoying the best Blink festival since the first one, having fun with point and shoot film cameras, repainting the house, experiencing a solar eclipse in the path of totality, doing more portrait and product work, beginning to work as an assistant in Marlene’s studio, going to Palm Springs for Justin’s birthday, documenting a Shepard Fairey installation, camping at Vince’s farm, making a stop to see a tree that’s growing out of a clock tower in Indiana, doing shots of Underberg at Tuba, flying to Boston and road tripping to Maine, long summer days with friends, witnessing Steve’s live show for the first time, seeing Asheville months before it got rocked by a hurricane, and taking Myrtle with us everywhere we go.

2025

Several highlights: grinding harder at my job than I ever have before, working as much as possible in studio with Marlene, learning new skills, making connections with new clients and being recommended to others, finally figuring out a proper headshot, going to lunch in Denver on a whim with friends, returning to Kings Island for the first time in 20 years, buying a small truck that I love, working with world-renowned artists, shooting more events in one year than I ever have before, working with as many museums as possible on imagery, road tripping around the east coast with Ashley and Myrtle, seeing a terrifying old prison, eating a record amount of hot dogs, shooting next to thousand-degree industrial furnaces, going to Chicago, employing Ronny to help me photograph events, and working for the symphony.

Thank you for reading.