6.1.25Kentucky Native CaféI know I’m ten years late to the party, but I didn’t expect Kentucky Native Cafe to bring such a strong Portland/Seattle vibe to Lexington. Absolutely loved drinking a coffee here this morning. This place, and the attached florist and nursery, were so magical, it had me double-checking how long of a drive it is to Lexington and back. Definitely going to carve out time to come here multiple more times this summer (also, it’s dog-friendly!).

6.2.25FreemanShot a house on Freeman Ave that’s going to be listed shortly.

6.3.25Cozy KitchenThere’s a house in Ludlow that’s about to be listed. The owner renovated the interior and rented it out as an Airbnb for years before deciding to sell it. On the second floor at the end of the hallway, she put in a small kitchen that I absolutely adore. It’s not a full kitchen, but for coffee, refrigerated drinks and snacks, and anything you would store on a shelf, it’s perfect. It’s essentially what you’d find in an office (no stove or oven). This would be perfect for a work-from-home person whose computer was in the room beside it. You’d essentially have no need to go downstairs during your workday with this tiny, colorful kitchenette on the second floor. I could imagine wandering down the hall at 11 PM looking for a snack, sitting at the table, and reading something on my phone. Something about it just felt so cozy and inviting. I’m rarely impressed with listings these days, but this one did it for me.

6.4.25RookwoodRookwood tile fireplace in a house I photographed for a listing today.

6.5.25Crafted WorldPhotographed the member’s opening for the new Wharton Esherick exhibit at the Taft Museum tonight. Definitely worth checking out if you can. They knocked this one out of the park.

6.6.25Pride In My NeighborhoodMy therapist, back before she left the clinic, reminded me that there’s little I can do beyond voting/canvassing to sway the election. She always told me to “take care to clean my side of the street.” What she meant was that I only have control over my sphere of influence—all the elements of my life that I can change and improve directly. No, I can’t change the outcome of a bad election, but I can help my neighbor plant trees. I can’t suddenly change our government officials, but I can ensure I’m available to help a friend when they’re in need. I can keep my literal side of the street comfortable and inviting, but I can’t make half the country care about the lives of marginalized communities.I’ve struggled with the outcome and reality of the election since the night it was called. I’m full of anger and disbelief that the people around me would choose a regime built on hate, ignorance, fear, and violence. I’ve sunk back into a depression that I cannot shake, no matter how hard I try to distract myself.At this point, I’m just tired of constantly railing against it. I keep telling myself that I need to concentrate on “my side of the street” for the moment. Today, while on a walk, I saw this Pride flag, and it made me feel better for a moment. It was a reminder that, despite how it looks, the world still has normal, accepting, moral people in it who care about others. It’s not devoid of good people entirely; they’re just the minority.

6.7.25Boys NightWent out with the guys for High Lifes and wings. It felt good to push the anger I described in yesterday’s post to the back of my mind so I could spend some time laughing with good people. Because these outings are fewer and farther between than I wish they were, I find myself bummed at the end of the night when they inevitably have to end. I guess that’s a sign it’s good for the soul.

6.8.25Burger HieroglyphicsThe Subaru left this tire mark in the garage, and I think it looks like a three-patty burger.

6.9.258K ActionWent over to a couple of construction sites that 8K are currently working in to grab some in-process shots of the crew doing their thing. The images will be used for marketing purposes.

6.10.25Daniel Carter Beard HouseI had a photo job over on 3rd Street in Covington. The condo wasn’t anything to speak of, but its nearby neighbor sure is. This is where the founder of the Boy Scouts, Daniel Carter Beard, once lived. If you zoom in on the historic marker on the sidewalk, it gives you more history about who “Uncle Dan” was.

6.11.25The Newest ExhibitI spent a LOT of time in Shahzia’s exhibit when Collective Behavior was in the Western & Southern Gallery. Even though I’ve seen many exhibitions in that space over the years, that one is freshest in my mind. Working with her and the museum over the last few months will always hold a special place in my heart.When I saw how the staff totally transformed the space in a matter of 6 weeks into something wholly different and new for ‘Farm to Table: Food and Identity in the Age of Impressionism’ exhibit, I could scarcely believe Shahzia’s show was in the same room.I know they build walls and change the layout of this room over and over again. But seeing it so different was wild. The new show is great, obviously. Go see it for yourself.

6.12.25Random BeautyA view of the railing spindles on the staircase that goes upstairs, turned on its side. The terra cotta wall behind them coupled with the yellow light from the sun streaming in through the stained glass window struck me as so beautiful.

6.13.25So CloseYou have to put the lettuce IN the crisper.

6.14.25Little EsI was showing my niece, Esmeray, herself on my Apple Watch while I tethered it to my phone. We were taking photos until she laughed and said, “Okay, that’s enough,” and ran off to pop a balloon.

6.15.25EAT PIZZAI feel like the universe is trying to tell me something important here.

6.16.25Shaun’s HouseShaun lives in the house parallel to our backyard. I went out on the balcony to get a photo of the sky, and decided to make a quick portrait of the house itself. I’m loving how lush and green everything is right now.

6.17.25Can of WormsWhen we had the alley door replaced earlier this year, they removed a chunk of the door frame where the old lock used to be. I finally repaired it with a filler piece, but it had to be painted to match everything.Long story short, when I started scraping the flaking away paint around the area so it would be smooth for the new coat, the rest of the paint started effortlessly peeling away. Removing one piece ended up lifting its neighbor, so on and so forth. Now I’m in a situation where I am stripping the entire door frame down to its raw wood finish.While this is obviously a nice way to extract more character from the originality of the house, it’s also a task I didn’t foresee doing, and I cannot help but think I’ve opened a can of worms for myself rather than fixed a problem.

6.18.25Familiar WorkWent back to CAM to slowly photograph the Farm to Table exhibit for their marketing team. I’m sure I’ve said it before on here, but I love working in this museum. Everyone is so nice, the spaces are always perfect, and I get to admire the work of artists while I create something new myself.

6.19.25Surprise Dog WashMyrtle was having a grand old time playing in the back yard with her toys and the hose when all of a sudden Ashley and her mom decided to give her a bath. As Myrtle is definitively anti-bath, I’m sure she didn’t appreciate the rollercoaster of emotions going from one activity to the next.

6.20.25Where the Tracks EndWhile up in West Chester, I drove down a nondescript street lined with office parks. At one point, I rolled over some train tracks and instinctively looked either way. That’s when I noticed they ended in brush on one side.I know nothing about the history of these tracks, and I haven’t had time to dig into it yet, but it’s wild to see them suddenly disappear into foliage without warning. They’ve obviously been abandoned, but I wonder for how long.

6.21.25InaugurationAshley’s aunt and uncle were going to pay a hundred dollars to have their old mattress and box springs taken away to the dump. Seeing an opportunity to put the truck to the test, I suggested I come over and take care of it for them so they didn’t have to spend the money.Aside from getting mulch earlier in the summer, this is the first time I’ve used the truck for a distinctly ‘truck’ task. And I have to say it feels amazing.The dump was disgusting, but knowing we saved three figures to do it ourselves was worth it. I hope I get to use the truck again for something else like this soon.

6.22.25A Scruffy StrayJust a scruffy stray cat I found hiding under a car. He/she didn’t want to be pet, but didn’t move when I got down to grab a photo—so long as I kept my distance.

6.23.2521 Years21 years to date of the anniversary of a bad day. Four of my friends in high school took a road trip to Maine and two of them never made it. A third ended up in critical condition but survived. The fourth walked away because he was the only one wearing his seat belt when the crash occurred. I am sure I’ve spoken about it in the past on here, but it’s a tough date and a hard memory to revisit every year.I used to exchange texts with a few people every year on the anniversary just to let them know I’m thinking about them. I don’t remember when we stopped doing that. I don’t plan to talk about it at all today with anyone, honestly, and I’m fine with processing it alone. The core group grew up and apart, and I don’t know where their families are any longer. At this point, I’m not sure revisiting our relationships makes sense due to how much time has passed without contact.I’m not the type to post about it to social media, so I’ll commemorate it here in this personal space. Craig and Tyler, I haven’t stopped thinking about you since the accident. I have no idea if we would still be friends 21 years after high school, but I wish your lives weren’t taken from you so soon. I missed you then, and I still miss you now.It’s a travesty that we couldn’t see your lives play out alongside the rest of us. Eighteen is too young to die.

6.24.25CuriosityWhile standing on the stoop talking to Vince at his house, this beautiful white stray cat emerged from the greenery and sat staring at Myrtle. I crouched down and tried to coax him out, but he didn’t budge. He was keeping eyes on the dog and not paying much attention to the rest of us.After about three minutes, he retreated back into the greenery and we lost sight of him.

6.25.25The Hottest Job I’ve Ever HadXtek, located in Sharonville, makes huge metal parts for huge machines. The factory, originally built in the 50s, is a photographer’s dream. When they said they wanted me to come in and shoot their space and processes for artwork to hang on the wall, I could barely contain my excitement.Unfortunately, we chose to do this during the hottest heat wave we’ve had in ages. When the high is 95ºF and the feels-like temp is over 100ºF, being outdoors is a challenge. When you’re in a factory under those conditions and it doesn’t have air conditioning, the outdoors suddenly feels like the better option. And when you’re standing feet away from a 1700ºF furnace with its lid off and a glowing hot mass of metal is being extracted from it, you become acutely aware that the air around you is probably hotter than anything you’ve ever experienced.I got my shots, but not before losing every ounce of water I had left in my body. When I got home, I immediately showered and threw my clothes in the washer. It was a privilege to get to photograph this place, and I had a blast doing it, but if ever I need to go another round with it, I hope we do it in January.

6.26.25Unapologetically BeautifulShahzia is back in town to help oversee the start of a mural she designed that will be painted on the back of a church on 9th Street. ArtWorks is undertaking the task of getting it done, so she met with the project manager and the rest of the apprentices early this morning.Due to the heatwave, they start at 8 AM and work until noon. The church hasn’t seen an active congregation in years, so they’ve staged their paints and equipment on the second floor while they climb scaffolding on the exterior to do their work.The light in this place is staggering. When it streams through the stained glass, it looks incredible. The hazy effect you see in this image is practical. Since the humidity is so intense, the change from air conditioned truck to hot outdoor air fogged up my lens such that I couldn’t use it immediately. I had to wait for the majority of it to dissipate before snapping a clear shot. I liked this frame because it’s almost completely gone save for the haziness on the left side of the lens.

6.27.25Hilarity in the GalleriesFor Art After Dark this month, the museum invited six drag queens to lead tours through the galleries. The queens would vamp and make jokes about themselves and the works, keeping the tours light and fun. Several of them were genuinely cracking me up while I was photographing them doing their thing. At one point, the queen was saying something about how the world has had it with mansplaining, and she looked at me and goes, “isn’t that right, Mr. Photographer?” Without missing a beat (I’m very proud of this), I went, “Well, actually…” and raised a finger before pausing and smiling. The whole room erupted into laughter. Felt really good in the moment.

6.28.25Doodle WhispererWe went over to Steve and Erica’s house tonight, and their doodle, Maggie, immediately cuddled up to Ashley. Maggie is normally obsessed with me when I go over, but when Ashley’s around, I’m chopped liver.Reminds me of being home with Myrtle!

6.29.25Covington TransitThey leveled the IRS building, opening up a very clear line of sight to the buildings beyond.

6.30.25Working at the CMCIt’s been three years since I last worked for the Cincinnati Museum Center. Today, however, I got to do so again. My task was to photograph people enjoying the museum throughout the building, capturing happy faces, and experiencing a sense of wonder.I felt a little uneasy at first photographing people. I wasn’t hiding the fact that I was doing it, but I also wasn’t aiming to grab their attention, either. On the back of everyone’s ticket, there’s language that says the CMC is allowed to photograph people without needing a release.For the first half hour, I struggled to get anything good with any confidence. Eventually, I found my stride, got about 40 workable shots, and called it a day.