3.1.25The StarwayWhat's left of the Starway Drive-In sign (later called the Starway Fun Park). Opened in 1946 with spots for 433 cars, the Starway Drive-In was one of the first of its kind in Kentucky. As the fate of Americana drive-ins took hold over the following decades, the theatre sold in 1991, and a small amusement park opened in its place in 1994. Today, it's no longer in use; only a few original buildings remain. I ran across it on the drive between LaGrange and Frankfort.

3.2.25Macro: Flower IIReally need to get better about coming up with creative names. Continuing the macro photo theme with my crazy diopter setup.

3.3.25Glass CaseSingle Batch made this sleek glass case with remote-controlled RGB LED lights housed under an acrylic base. They did the metalwork in-house and had the glass manufactured. I’ve never seen them do work like this before, and it was a treat to get to shoot it for them.99% of the work I did on this image was just making the walls look clean so as not to distract from the piece itself.

3.4.25Awaiting TenantsThis is one of the stills from a shoot I did in Covington on Madison Ave earlier today. Orleans renovated a building next to its office that houses several apartments of varying sizes. This one is a shotgun-style apartment with the living room in the front, bedroom and kitchen in the middle, and bathroom in the back. The bedroom features a lot of natural morning sunlight, warm wood floors, an ornate fireplace, and beautiful old tile.

3.5.25Macro: SnootMy view when she shares my pillow in the morning.

3.6.25Germania HallRebecca has a listing for a large building on Russell Street in Covington. She paid a local historian to dig up some facts about the place to tell its story and hopefully find a buyer who respects local history. Long story short, the report details its many uses, one of which was a nearly 20-year stint as Germania Hall.The Hall was a meeting place for German-Americans in the late-19th and early-20th century. Featuring a dance hall, saloon, and bowling alley, it was a place where immigrants could gather with their peers in this new country. Sadly, by the time America joined WWI, anti-German sentiment killed Germania Hall and the building underwent a shift to industrial use going forward. It wasn’t until 2015 that it was renovated into the office space it is today.Aside from the tin ceiling on the second and third floors of the main building, much of its original character has been painted over to accomodate modernity. However, I saw this little bit of faded paint on the wall for what appears to be “15¢ Beer” near the back of the second floor, harkening back to its days as a saloon.

3.7.25Return of BockfestMy favorite annual event in Cincinnati is Bockfest for several reasons. The lighthearted, offbeat parade that kicks it off is something I look forward to every year. From the fun float designs to the strategically placed dance troupes in the lineup keep the energy high, the march has more goats and unique spirit than any other in Cincinnati. I also like that the crowds aren’t as heavy as something like the Opening Day Parade.I used to photograph it extensively years ago, but I didn’t bother the last few years. New people are covering it now, and I don’t think the internet necessarily needs my input anymore. Regardless, I still snapped a few frames when I saw someone I knew. Bob (pictured) is in it every year with the cigar club.

3.8.25Metro’s Inelegant LogoPaul was in the middle of telling us how he thinks the Cincinnati Metro logo, which is essentially a sloppy blue asterisk, looks like a cat’s butthole. He provided a visual aid and kept switching back and forth between them to make his point.

3.9.25Guardians of TrafficAfter photographing a traveling exhibit for the Cincinnati Art Museum earlier this month, the artist liked what I did so much that she asked me to photograph a companion exhibit of her work at the Cleveland Museum of Art. I threw a change of clothes in a bag, loaded up my gear, and left Cincinnati around 1 PM.When I got to Cleveland, I still had enough light to go check out something I’ve always wanted to see with my own eyes: the Guardians of Traffic on the Hope Memorial Bridge. These massive Art Deco statues stand on either side of the bridge on both ends. I parked at the market and walked about a block where I was able to stand on the sidewalk and photograph the statues with the city behind them.I knew they’d be gorgeous, but they were even more impressive in person.

3.10.25The Horrors of OSRAfter completing my job in Cleveland and checking out a few other things while there, I decided to stop and tour the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield on the way home. This place has long fascinated me from an architectural and human rights perspective. It’s simultaneously an engineering marvel in the middle of Ohio that’s never been reproduced anywhere else in the world and a horror show with an awful past.I got there an hour before closing time, so I paid the fee to do a self-guided tour and speed run as much of it as possible before the cell doors locked me in for the evening (figuratively, of course). As expected, there are a lot of Shawshank Redemption references throughout the building; that’s a great movie, but I found the Hollywood connection to be the least interesting part of the building, if I’m honest.The scale and design of the former prison intrigued me the most. This place was constructed over several decades and served as a prison from the 1880s to 1990. The east wing features an atrium with six tiers of prison cells—a feature unique to OSR and not replicated anywhere else in the world. Tight, dark corridors and suspended metal staircases snake all over the cell blocks, triggering my fear of heights several times as I wandered. Every corner of this place, despite its architectural beauty, felt desolate and heavy. That’s not a nod to the paranormal; I just couldn’t shake imagining how many people suffered so close together for all those years in the darkened cells I was too superstitious to enter myself.For a large chunk of the tour, I was completely alone with this place and my racing thoughts.Though the prison is well-built and still structurally sound today, there’s no shortage of broken concrete and crumbling brick no matter which way you look. The peeling lead paint on every surface sags and flakes off from years of neglect. The metal bars designed to keep people sequestered in their cells and on the different tiers are rusted and worn from over a hundred years of physical trauma. The cells are barely maintained and tattered beyond livability—a painful reminder of why the prison was permanently closed in 1990. At one point, a guard walked by and told me about the prison's unsolvable roach problem toward the end of its lifespan, too.“It’s a little worse now, but not by much,” he said, looking hauntingly into darkened cell #40 in the east wing.It’s so many things all at once: a massive memento of a violent, crowded hellhole riddled with a century of death and human suffering, a preservation success story despite its dark past, a piece of Hollywood history, and a photogenic goldmine among many other things.Go see it if you can.

3.11.25Canceled PlansAs I drove up the steep, winding driveway of the Cincinnati Art Museum, I panicked upon realizing I’d forgotten to load the CF-Express card into my Z9. I could technically try shooting this event entirely on my Zf, but that camera only had one small card loaded into it at the moment, and I feel so much more comfortable with my workhorse for situations like this. Frustrated, I mentally kicked myself for being so forgetful. It was unprofessional and stupid of me to neglect something so routine.My panic quietly turned to confusion as I crested the hill, though. Where was the familiar cadre of valets waiting in the traffic loop ahead? Why were there no cars in the lot? Was the event I was scheduled to photograph canceled, or am I ridiculously early?Checked my phone, and nothing seemed amiss. The arrival time and date were right, but the scene from the parking lot suggested otherwise.Puzzled, I unloaded my camera gear and walked up to the closed front doors. Checked my phone again to see if I’d missed some communication. Nothing.After a while, I got ahold of someone inside, and they had, in fact, canceled the event for that evening without telling me. My memory card mishap was no longer an issue, and I realized my forgetful ass would get away unscathed.Annoyed that I wasn’t getting paid that evening but relieved I’d saved face, I returned home, changed into comfier clothes, and took Myrtle on a beautiful walk by the river.

3.12.25Double ExposuresNever paid much attention to the ‘Multiple Exposure’ mode on the Zf. Today, though, I played around with it, and I think it might be a nice tool to catalyze creativity when inspiration fails.You shoot two NEFs, and it automatically generates a JPEG. You can access all three files in your editing software later. Depending on the setting, the system will prioritize light and dark pixels, creating these odd mashups that feel different than traditional double exposures.The DARK setting is the one I think I like the most (bottom two images), but the ADD setting (top left) turned out the best.

3.13.25Prospect Hill’s Incredible ViewShot a house on Milton Street with a really nice view today.

3.14.25RetrofitPhotographed a renovated corner building on a prominent corner in Northside. The developer is one I’ve worked with in the past. It’s always interesting seeing how they take a historic structure and make it modern. One of the more unique units in the building is this first floor corner apartment that exists in what I assume would’ve been street-level retail or restaurant at one time.With the windows at the top of the wall, the dwelling maintains privacy while allowing ample natural light to fill the space.

3.15.25Windy DayThe air was warm, and a stormfront threatened to blow into the area later in the evening. We took advantage of the spring-like conditions by going out for coffee and later to Alms Park for a walk. I snapped this photo because the drama of the sky and the swaying pine tree caught my eye. The dynamic range was too much for my camera, but it’s fine.

3.16.25David Bow-WowieMyrt sauntered into my office and stood in the rays of colorful light produced by the sticker on my window. The little line of red light across her eye reminds me of the cover of that one David Bowie album (you know, the one).

3.17.25UnwantedDon’t know why this chandelier was in the woods by the train tracks.

3.18.254 of 3 on Short PershingNot only have I photographed every house on Short Pershing in Covington, but I’ve now photographed one of those houses twice. I knew I’d likely reshoot a house at some point, but I didn’t expect it to be on the best-hidden street in NKY.

3.19.25Above the Bar-b-qPhotographed a renovated apartment in the West End. The sign for Mom Bell’s Kitchen Bar-b-q still hangs on the side of the building. I wonder how long it’s been gone. A quick search doesn’t reveal much, sadly. A local historian wrote a little piece about it on his website but didn’t uncover anything about Mom Bell.One thing I do know is a sign was once painted above its picture windows advertising a menu item called Tim Austin Champ’s Steak Burger. You can see it on Google Streetview if you look closely. Austin was a boxer from Cincinnati who won several championships throughout the 90s before retiring in the 2000s. I don’t follow boxing, but he seems to have been a pretty big deal.I doubt I'll ever know the story behind this place without speaking to neighbors or anyone old enough to remember the West End in the 90s. Hopefully I meet someone one day who does.

3.20.25CaesuraA collage of three painted windows at the Cincinnati Art Museum by Shahzia Sikander.

3.21.25StowawayWhile sitting on the couch watching TV, we heard something rustling in the plant on the fireplace mantle. Having had a bad experience with a mouse in the house the day before, we assumed another one had gotten in. With Ashley halfway up the stairs in fear, I crept over to the plant, looked inside, and was relieved to see a Lazarus lizard instead.I gently picked up the pot, took it to the porch, and waved the reptile away.

3.22.25The GirlsTravis has a show at a bar in Ross, OH this evening. Ashley, Allie, Caitlyn, Rob and I all drove out to watch his band play. I didn’t take my camera this time, and I only took one photo (this one) all evening.

3.23.25(Eyeballs Emoji)She wanted my avocado toast.

3.24.25Small But MightyShot a house in Wallace Woods this morning that is small on the inside but has a huge backyard. The owner spent years converting the steep-sloping yard into a Japanese garden with cascading wooden walkways, a greenhouse, a fountain, and native Japanese plants and flowers. While it’s unfortunately not the right time of year to showcase how beautiful the garden will be in two months, I got a sense of how peaceful it will be for the future owner should they maintain it the same way.It would be a dream to step into something so well-built. I hope whoever buys it understands what they have.

3.25.25CANstructionMA Design and HGC teamed up to create a CANstruction sculpture at the PNC Center this morning. They hired me to produce a time-lapse video and document the 5-hour build. Their sculpture ended up being Hot Wheels-themed, with two cars and a big flame on top. After deCANstruction, all cans will be donated to the Freestore Food Bank.

3.26.25A Good Bread ShopI’m happy this bread shop went in on the Avenue last year. If you ever need good, fresh bread, you know where to get it.

3.27.25Another Opening DayThe Reds Opening Day Parade, March 27, 2025. I marched with 8K Construction and documented the crew as well as the fans along the route. Sadly, the Reds turned over a one-run lead in the 8th inning later that day and lost to the San Francisco Giants. But at least the parade was perfect.

3.28.25Quiet ContemplationPhotographed Art After Dark this evening. I focused on getting images the museum could use all year (not in traveling exhibits) of people enjoying the museum.

3.28.25Stalking His PreyThis is Jonas’ very serious kebab-wanting face.

3.30.25Command CenterIt’s that time of year again: spring storms that double as tornado factories. Since last year, I’ve made a few improvements to the basement, though. I put a digital antenna on the TV to see local weather broadcasts from a safer position, and I moved my iMac downstairs to keep an eye on the porch and yard through the security cameras. All this would be useless if the power went out, but it’s pretty good otherwise.Ashley joked that I looked like a security guard in a command center watching the cameras with my can of chips.

3.31.25The Greatest Computing DeviceI read an article today about how the iPad’s future may be in jeopardy thanks to rumors of an upcoming folding iPhone. It’s also rumored that this phone will expand to the size of an iPad Mini. While this new device that sounds bulkier in pocket might excite some, I can’t see moving from my 3rd Gen 12.9-inch iPad Pro for a smaller screen at this time.I’ve probably written about this on here before, but this iPad may be the best Apple product I’ve ever purchased. It’s certainly the only computing device I’ve used for seven years without feeling the need to replace it, and to say I’ve gotten my money’s worth is an understatement. To combat iPadOS updates that tend to slow down older models, I’ve stripped it of all apps save for a few (Safari, Mail, Messages, Procreate, etc). While it’s not a substitute for a real laptop, and though the battery level is roughly 82% of its original capacity, the pencil feature is the main reason I keep it in my daily rotation; I simply can’t draw on my iMac or MacBook like I can on this little iPad.So cheers to you, little iPad, for perfectly filling a niche no other device can. You’ve found your true calling among my digital tools, and until you become too slow to draw or fully bite the dust, you’ll continue to avoid the upgrade cycle.