12.1.19Squaring Up the SquirrelWe went to the Cincinnati Nature Center, and while I continuously failed to capture the birds I wanted, this squirrel posed long enough to offer his/her portrait.

12.2.19Might Want To Get That Looked AtI was sitting in my chair when I heard someone wreck their bumper on a sign on the street below. I threw open the window and looked down to see the damaged car before it left the area. It was raining at the time.

12.3.19Wispy TrailUsing a Speedlight and a very fast shutter speed, I blew out a candle and photographed the smoke trail. In total, I think I made around 50 attempts before settling on this one.

12.4.19Our Evening HauntI met up with Wally and Ronny at the Bay Horse Cafe for $4 schooners of Hudy Delight. The Bay Horse is our go-to bar.

12.5.19An Emerald Newport ChevyWhile walking down Monmouth Street, I came across a green truck parked with a brick under its tire. The light was nice and the color popped, so I took a photo.

12.6.19I Wish This Thing Actually WorkedUsing two tripods, I photographed the viewfinder of an old Duaflex that had framed a Christmas scene in my home. I wish I could get it working again.

12.7.19Dogs Weren't Allowed Up HereWhile at Braxton Brewery with Travis and Aaron, we looked out onto the street below from the rooftop deck. This was part of the scenery.

12.8.19Rail Dog at QCRWe went to Queen City Radio and enjoyed walking Myrtle with all the other dogs to the Woodward Theatre. The pups were decked out in festive apparel.

12.9.19Christmas FlowersUsing blue construction paper, I set up a bulb of amaryllis and tried to capture the contrast between the two colors.

12.10.19The MadisonI had a shoot at Handzy in Covington, and after that was finished, I wandered up Madison to document the Madison Theatre. The street was unnervingly surprisingly desolate that day.

12.11.19A Portrait of Ray BallI met with Ray at Awakenings in Hyde Park to interview her about her career and success as a self-made entrepreneur. She kindly posed for a portrait at the end of the interview. She’s a kind person with an immense amount of drive to succeed, and I admire her greatly.

12.12.19Winter CorridorWhile using the Skywalk over Walnut Street to get to the Mercantile Library, I stopped to capture the street below.

12.13.19One in an 11 Hour ProjectLuminaut hired me to photograph the 3rd floor of a nursing home they renovated. This is a vignette from that shoot. While I only spent 2.5 hours on-site, I spent the rest of the day editing and tweaking them, ending on the 11th hour from first shutter click to final “all done” completion email. The fact that I turned the entire job around on the same day was a point of pride.

12.14.19LunaWe were at my parents’ house and my sister’s dog, Luna, was all dressed up for Christmas. I made her portrait in front of the Christmas tree.

12.15.19Morning WalkWe were walking to Urbana Cafe and cut through JACK Casino’s front “yard.” While Myrtle was doing her business in the grass, I noticed these two approaching from across the lawn. I had the Nikon 1 J5 with the 110mm lens around my neck, so I zoomed in to flatten the distance and capture the ornate buildings many feet behind them as well.

12.16.19With a Fresh Pack of SX-70My father’s old Polaroid Land Camera. From what I’ve read, it looks to have come out in 1978. It uses sonar to adjust focus and instantly spits out a photo after it’s taken. He gave it to me after I discovered it in a cabinet in his office. Unfortunately, I haven’t had much success using it as it’s very difficult to get a decent photo with it.

12.17.19The Court/Broadway FlatironI had a meeting at Coffee Emporium at 2 PM, so I left my apartment and headed north. The flatiron by my home is a regular sight on the route, so I stopped to capture it. A man is seen exiting the building at the exact moment I hit the shutter I didn’t see him in the moment, so his presence was a pleasant surprise when I got the photo into Lightroom.

12.18.19Central Parkway at DuskWhile waiting to enter 1010 On The Rhine to attend their resident holiday party (we aren’t residents, we’re just friendly with the Rookwood Properties staff), I stopped on the 9th floor and captured the sunset in all its warm, purple and orange beauty. It was that perfect time of day when everyone is moving and the city feels alive.

12.19.19Brilliant Morning SunlightAs I left my apartment building this morning to drop off Myrtle at daycare down the street, I marveled at the sunlight down Eggleston Avenue. Upon returning, I raced upstairs and grabbed my Z6 with the Tamron 150-600 and went out to the corner of Eggleston and Reedy. While I received some looks (it’s not easy being inconspicuous with a lens that size), I posted up for about 10 minutes and captured what I could. A man crossed the street at one point, offering the perfect opportunity and composition, but I missed focus because my hands were so cold. It was 18ºF.

12.20.19Teddy Bear Plant DetailThe afternoon sun was hitting the Teddy Bear Plant on our windowsill in a good way as I sat in a chair across from it. I got a tripod out and set up the Nikon 1 J5 to get a close-up before the light disappeared. It’s called a Teddy Bear plant because it feels furry to the touch.

12.21.19Bad HaircutAshley and I went to see her grandparents in Florence, KY today, and in an effort to avoid subjecting myself to another moment of Fox News at an unreasonable volume, I took Myrtle on a long walk around the neighborhood. We found this tree along the way.

12.22.19Building PendletonOn our way back from Urbana Cafe, we stopped to observe crews working on the new development at 12th and Sycamore. Many excavators were onsite unearthing old bricks and rubble from the land beneath them. It was the most active construction site I think I’ve personally ever seen.

12.23.19A Desolate, Sun-Kissed Park‘Twas the Monday before Christmas and all through city,not a worker was present—abysmal was density.Downtown was quiet, almost deafeningly so,everyone is off, but to work I must go…

12.24.19‘Twas the Evening Before ChristmasWe weren’t allowed to take Myrtle to Ashley’s family Christmas celebration, so we went on a nice long walk to exercise her before leaving her alone for the night. Our walk led us to the western side of Downtown where most of the natural sunlight hangs out in that 4 to 5 PM hour. I used my little Nikon 1 J5 to zoom in on the Waldo and Covenant First Presbyterian because together they looked nice.

12.25.19“The Light Looks Good On These Cookies”I didn’t try today. I took my film camera, I took the Nikon 1 J5, and I didn’t use either one when I was at my parents’ for Christmas. Today was all about relaxation (aside from, you know, having to log onto work, of course). While standing in their dining room between breakfast and dinner, the light streamed across the table and illuminated this plate of cookies. Dad made fun of me for unwrapping them briefly to get a quick photo. Like I said, I didn’t try today.

12.26.19If You Blur Your Eyes, It Resembles an AquariumIt was 11:30 PM. My flash wasn’t working properly. I was on a time crunch. I looked up and noticed the Christmas lights looked pleasant on the plants and nickel finish of the floor lamp. The combination of the blue glow outside, the upward trajectory of the lights in bokeh, and the long, slender plant reminded me of a fish tank bubbling.

12.27.19A Good SnootJust playing with my wide angle lens with the dog.

12.28.19Building Bigger Every YearThis morning was foggy and unseasonably warm. I took Myrtle outside and we ended up walking the streets to admire the city shrouded in fog. The air was as still as Downtown was quiet. It felt like we were stealing a look at our neighborhood before it was ready to get out of bed. The new development at 7th and Main enveloped the few remaining buildings on the east side of the street from this angle, much like the fog that surrounded all of it.

12.29.19 There’s No Place Like Home StreetIt was a miserable day, weather-wise. While driving around running an errand, I asked Ashley to head up to Home Street in Newport. I’d seen the view from a backyard on 15th Street months before, but since that’s private property, I wanted to find a public place to get that great Newport/Cincinnati view. While it wasn’t pretty, it was still a good view.

12.30.19Work In ProgressI photograph the same three buildings every month for someone while they’re being renovated. The idea is to show the progress of the renovation as it happens. This one in Over-the-Rhine was empty when I entered it this afternoon; work crews were apparently off today. It was a little spooky being in there alone, especially since I’m used to being there with at least one worker and our region was experiencing heavy winds today. I didn’t spend an extra second than I had to inside the property.

12.31.19The Final Piece of the PuzzleWhen People’s Liberty finished its five-year campaign, Eric Avner reached out to ask if he could purchase this photo of the Roebling Bridge during BLINK for use in making custom puzzles as gifts for foundation partners. I gave him the photo, and weeks later he texted to ask if I was around. We met up and he gifted me one of the puzzles as thanks for letting him use the image. His thoughtfulness turned into two evenings of solo puzzle-building, and this morning I placed the final piece under studio lights. Because this is the first fully completed year of the Daily Photo Project, I thought it was an appropriate way to symbolically mark the occasion.