6.1.26The Mercantile ImmersiveArtWorks, now called 1001 Colors, had their annual Art Dinner this evening where they formally unveiled their new brand name and direction going forward. The event was held in the new Mercantile Immersive space—a room I haven’t been in for many years. The space was most notably the original home of the Contemporary Art Center and the location of the infamous Mapplethorpe controversy of the 1980s before it moved to its current home at 6th and Walnut in the early 2000s. I hadn’t been there since Jay and Lauren got married years ago.The new space boasts an array of programmable, floor-to-ceiling LED panels that cover the majority of the walls. I don’t know any of the details about how they’re programmed, but the client who paid for the room can use them to showcase custom works and video feeds. While I was there, they had a variety of ArtWorks/1001 Colors pictures and videos as well as animated artwork by Saya Woolfalk (pictured).As you might suspect, while it looks incredible in person, it’s a challenge to photograph. Getting photos of backlit people without flooding the entire room with flash is not for everyone. The ceiling is black, too, so bouncing light is almost impossible. That said, I managed to do a decent job, and the next time I have a shoot in this space, I’ll be sure to add a little exposure compensation to help with everything.

6.2.26ColleenA portrait of 1001 Colors CEO Colleen Houston, photographed for 1001 Colors.

6.3.26Montgomery MonumentMA Design designed this roundabout monument for the City of Montgomery recently and they hired me to photograph it during various times of day, including Golden Hour. I did not replace the sky in this image; it was just that brilliant when I went up there.I did flip the image horizontally so ‘Montgomery’ wasn’t backward. This location is a challenge due to ongoing construction on one side, a lack of side walks, and constant traffic swirling through the area. I need to return to get drone shots of it soon.

6.4.26Pride Block PartyMusic Hall hosted the outdoor Pride Block Party at the Andrew J. Brady Music Center this evening featuring the CSO playing orchestral versions of popular songs alongside drag performances. The lawn was packed to the brim with concert-goers of every age group on blankets and towels. It was a lot of fun to shoot thanks to the scores of smiling faces and colorful attire in every direction you looked.It was also the perfect evening weather-wise. Not so hot that it was overly uncomfortable, clear skies, and a brilliant sunset behind the stage. Thankful to have been able to experience and work this one.

6.5.26Comedy Bing BongYears ago, when I still had a desk job, I would listen to Comedy Bang Bang every week. It was my favorite show at the time and exposed me to many of the comedians I still love to this day. The silliness of the improv, outrageous premises, and off-the-wall performances were hilarious enough that I quickly devoured every remaining episode of Comedy Death Ray and all the CBB back episodes I could get into my ears, specifically the summer of 2012. I remember making sure I could watch the live streams on (I think?) Thursday nights, and even though I wasn’t in love with the TV show, I still paid for IFC whenever a new season debuted.I listened on my rides on the bus to Downtown from Mt. Washington, and in Atrium on the weekends when I was doing overtime for work in the summer months. When ‘U Talkin’ U2 to Me?’ debuted that one summer, I remember walking around Lytle Park trying hard to stifle laughter so the people around me didn’t think I was insane.I stopped listening around 2018. I think Reggie had moved on by that point, and I just remember it wasn’t hitting the same as it had been for me. With it being 3 hours long every episode, I wanted to listen to other things. I found new comedy shows and other podcasts to devour like I did CBB for so long.CBB never had a Cincinnati stop on their many tours until this year. I foolishly talked Ashley into going with us, and…it wasn’t great. I think Scott and PFT have been genuinely hilarious on past shows, and they were the strongest part of this show, but overall this wasn’t a good one. The guests did their best, and I forced myself to laugh a few times out of respect, but nothing really hit for me. Ashley was completely lost the entire time, which was my worry since 90% of CBB is references to other things and inside jokes she hasn’t seen or knows anything about, and I felt guilty for subjecting her to it about halfway through.I’ll always respect and love CBB for the laughs it gave me years ago, and I might dip back into the podcast at some point, but I don’t think I need to see them live again.

6.6.26Day TripDay trip to Lexington to drink coffee in curated wilderness, explore an arboretum, behold a gigantic Dixie cup, then a stop in Georgetown for some architectural flavor, and the backroads home where we discovered a charming pizza place full of a bunch of junk. Myrtle had so much fun.

6.7.26Judy’s LawnSince Judy died at the end of April, her yard has been left largely untouched. Her nephew, who lives out of town, is handling the fate of the house and will return later this month, but for now, we’re keeping an eye on it for him. We noticed the backyard was getting a little overgrown, so we asked him if we could take the mower over and cut/weed it.I really miss her and I still can’t believe she’s gone for good.

6.8.26Skull StudyDrew a skull in class tonight. It’s harder than you think to get the proportions just right on something like this. I think because we all have one of these, we instinctively know if it’s off even by a little.

6.9.26Banter+BrewsA frame from an event I shot this morning at The Marketer for MA Design.

6.10.26Return to the MonumentI had to go back to the monument to get night shots. When I was there the first time, the lights weren’t turned on, so I left. As I passed it on my way out, they flickered on. It was annoying and I resolved to just come back another evening as I was tired of being there for an hour already.The hardest part about a shot like this is getting the right light trails: too much and it’s obnoxious, too little and it’s a wasted opportunity to show motion.

6.11.26Life Imitates ArtQuietly documented thoughtful visitors to Taft Museum’s newest exhibit, The Scandinavian Home. I liked how this woman’s hat had a similar shape to the cloud in the painting.

6.12.26Porch NightsChelsea and Vince came over this evening. We ate at Tuba then hung out on the porch with a few beers and watched the Reds Friday night fireworks show.

6.13.26Rosie’s HaulA woman reached out to Ashley about taking plants from her yard so we can populate the hill at the end of our street in Judy’s memory. Her name is Rosie and she lives in the “Newport Island”—the area of Newport that’s sandwiched between off ramps along Route 8. She’s lived there for 49 years and has an adorable little house with an equally adorable yard filled with plants and flowers.She can’t keep up with the maintenance of her yard any longer and thought we would benefit from taking some of them. We went over, she identified which ones we could dig up, and we loaded the truck up with everything. It was hot and dirty work, but the haul was undeniable. She’s singlehandedly provided so many wonderful plants for free so that we may make the garden Judy would’ve loved.

6.14.261/4th CompleteSee that area with the mulch? That’s what we have so far on the hill. It’s weeded, it’s planted with flowers and perennials, and it’s the first of four stages. The angle is deceptive in that it’s steep and not as flat as it looks.We have a few trees we’ve planted outside of the mulched area, and those grasses in the middle are intentional. In reality, more of the hill is planted than just the mulched bit, but that’s the area that feels most “complete” so far.

6.15.26Small Man, Big ChairI think one of the things I like about this still life class is I realized I don’t have to draw the complete scene if I don’t want to.In this instance, I didn’t feel like dealing with the chair, so I simply didn’t draw it. The figure was the most interesting piece of the composition. It seemed like the most fun part to draw. I guess choosing your crop, much like in photography, should’ve been obvious from the beginning, but it only occurred to me this week.

6.16.26A New-to-Me Newell PostI photographed a turn-of-the-century home in Westwood that’s been in the same family since the 1940s today, and it had this absolutely stunning functional Newell post lamp on its grand staircase. I’ve seen plenty of these before in other historic properties, but I’ve never seen one with so much of (what I assume is) its original paint. Absolutely gorgeous piece of artistry you won’t find in an average new build.

6.17.26Summer ShitThe older I get, the more enjoyable this activity becomes.

6.18.26Rump & Roll & RestI was waiting for Rump & Roll to open for breakfast and Myrtle was resting her snoot on the window.

6.19.26West End RideI was feeling restless and bad. Whenever I feel this way and the weather cooperates, I usually hop on my bike and exercise it out of my system.After work was through and Myrtle had played enough ball, I decided to take a long, aimless ride with my Contax RX loaded with a fresh roll of Kodak Ultramax. I found myself over in the West End snapping the street in perfect evening light for about two hours. I think I managed to get some really great stuff, but that’s to be determined after the roll is developed.I ran into Mandy at the Elm Street dog parked and stopped to talk to her for a bit. Then I went and had a few coney’s at the new Skyline on Fountain Square. I really like the walk-up window they have on 6th Street.

6.20.26Old But GoldThis Music Hall sign on 4th Street is from ages ago, but I like that it’s still 1) being used, and 2) accurate despite its age. Bring back this aesthetic to all modern signage, please.

6.21.26Fishin’Went fishing with my dad for Father’s Day and we didn’t catch a damned thing. Personally, I haven’t fished in probably 30 years, so I have an excuse. We learned a few lessons so next time we will be better prepared.

6.22.26Endless StorageMy neighbor, Brad, needed to get a recliner from his mother’s storage unit in Fort Wright. As the resident guy-with-a-truck now, I am obliged to assist with moving and retrieval for friends. Together, we went to the storage building, parked inside (honestly, it was a nice setup), and wandered down rows of hallways lined with orange metal doors until we got to her unit.It makes sense that places like this would have motion-activated lighting. No sense in wasting energy on full sectors of the building if no one’s in them. Still, it’s a little spooky when you look down a long hallway and haven’t yet triggered the sensor.

6.23.26On HighDrone photo of an apartment complex at the top of the hill on the west side of Cincinnati. If you get high enough, you can see the Ohio River.

6.24.26Pool Shootin’I am in the midst of photographing a boatload of apartment stuff for Rookwood Properties, and part of the process involves making images of all pools. Each one is different in some way: the shape, the size, the quality of the lounge chairs, the amenities surrounding them, etc. This one at The Enclave in Sharonville is the finest pool of those I’ve seen so far. I like the shape of it as well as the poured concrete patio around it with a variety of nice furniture beyond the loungers.

6.25.26Unexpected MessageWhile flying the drone for a job in the West End today, I caught this message atop the CityLink Center.

6.26.26Almost a Goosebumps CoverAll this needs is a purple monster hand rounding the edge of the door before it’s spiritually a Tim Jacobus Goosebumps cover.

6.27.26Craft HourI made some wooden coasters out of scrap wood, painted them in layers of waterproof paint, and we got out the acrylics to paint designs on them for fun.

6.28.26Burger FarmWent to Burger Farm and couldn’t pass up this photo op by the old truck. Also, I brought my Contax RX and shot a couple of frames of butterflies on flowers while there. Very excited to see if those turned out well once I finish the roll.

6.29.26Staying SafeMy quest to photograph pools for Rookwood continued today. However, this one was different.When I got there, the manager informed me that they had just sprayed for hornets by the entry gate to the pool area and it wasn’t a good idea to attempt to enter during their furious state. I agreed, but needed to get this job done so I could move on with my day. Luckily, I had an unmanned flying vehicle equipped with a camera that could safely do the work for me.I launched from a nearby sidewalk and dropped it into the space. It allowed me to capture what I needed from afar without risking getting stung. This photo, while it looks like I took it normally from the ground, is just a drone shot from about four feet off the ground.Tech can, on occasion, delight me in brand new ways. This was one of those instances.

6.30.29SwelteringIs this the hottest day of the year? I don’t know, but it sure felt like it. Photographed two apartment complexes up in Dayton, OH today for Rookwood, and I could barely stand to be outside for more than five minutes at a time. I kept having to retreat to my truck to take an AC break while doing the exteriors.