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5.1.22PerspectiveI was asked to photograph a wedding proposal in Twin Lakes Park, just north of Eden Park, this late-afternoon. The client was going to stop into the park with his girlfriend after a quick jaunt through Krohn Conservatory. Forgetting how well-attended and lively Twin Lakes Park gets during nice days, I rediscovered how barbecues, loud music, and a perpetual cloud of marijuana fills the park with a jubilance you don’t find in neighboring Eden Park while sitting on a bench waiting for them to arrive. While the vibe was one of easy-going good times, it didn’t fit the romantic setting he desired when he popped the question. When the client realized the mood of the park contrasted with his plan, he diverted us to Eden Park instead. I like this photo because the quiet serenity in frame belies the party happening all around me.

5.2.22Finished PieceI did minimal work on this piece in the shop. It’s a reclaimed bench top with a resin insert within which old tools were delicately placed and suspended. The clients, who have a home in Cincinnati, are bigger deals than the ones we usually get, so everything had to be just right for this one. It took over a month to set the tools, get the resin poured just right, and polish it to a near-flawless sheen. It will be delivered tomorrow. Hoping they choose me to photograph their home when the contractors finish up their work.

5.3.22Narrowing BoundariesIt stormed on and off all day. Both of my shoots were cancelled as a result. I don’t often get political with these daily uploads, but likely anyone reading this is probably also politically progressive, so strap in for a moment. There’s been some pretty horrific news coming out of Washington today about possibly overturning a 50-year-old Supreme Court decision, which will ultimately limit the freedoms of women to govern their own bodies if it comes to pass. It’s shameful, disgusting, and hypocritical of the crowd who protested and cried when it came to vaccine mandates to legalize this type of repression. It fills me with anger to see a handful people at the top of the government control such an intimate, personal choice billions of people in this country should be entitled to make for themselves. Conservatives and the dusty crypt keepers running this country drive me absolutely crazy.

5.4.22Modern Approach to Avian DiningI built a bird feeder last year for our yard that’s done well to keep our feathered friends’ appetites at bay (when we remember to fill it). However, time and harsh weather haven’t been kind to it, and since that original build, I’ve learned much about proper sanding techniques as well as how to better stain and seal wood for outdoor use. With the recent acquisition of the table saw, it felt necessary to try again. Taking inspiration from a contemporary design I found on Amazon, I put together this simple little feeder and hung it from the eaves over the back door. With the added protection from rain and two coats of polyurethane, I’m more confident that this one will last longer than last year’s. Then again, if I get to build a new bird feeder every year and play with new designs, I won’t be upset.

5.5.22CincoLeft a Cinco de Mayo party to shoot another one down the street. This was my favorite image from the evening.

5.6.22Heart BallWorked a dirty day in the wood shop then changed clothes and immediately went to the Duke Energy Convention Center to photograph the glitzy decor of the Heart Ball for a client. This is one of my favorite types of assignments because it’s so damn easy. Just get in, enjoy the decor without the pomp and circumstance (or really any lengthy human contact), and move along home before the whole thing starts. When you spend all day socializing as an introvert who struggles with basic interpersonal relationships as a result of a long pandemic, these types of assignments are perfect.

5.7.22White Balance: ImpossibleShot this house in Covington this morning. It was absolutely impossible to balance in post. I used flash to maintain true colors, and even still I managed not to properly balance the colors. This was as close as I could get; the blue outside light, the hot orange chandelier light, the multi-colored stained glass window, and the bold wallpaper made for an impossible task.

5.8.22Always WIth Her BallOne of Myrtle’s favorite things is chasing her ball in the back yard. I didn’t want a huge yard to mow when we were looking to buy a house, but I wanted enough grass so she could frolic and play with ease. Every time I push the mower around, she finds a way to place the ball in the path of the blades so I kick it out of the way.

5.9.22Bark in the ParkWe went to Bark in the Park with Justin and Annie tonight. The pups walked the field before the start of the game, past adoring fans (all 20 of them) and a consummate amount of press feverishly snapping photos from the press trench (is that what it’s called?). We had a great time overall.

5.10.22Testing Testing 123Had to do a big group photo on the Memorial Hall stage this afternoon. Making people wait while I fiddle with settings on my camera is a nightmare scenario, so I got there early, put boundary tape down on the floor, and did a few test photos to make sure I had everything situated before placing them on stage. Having no one to photograph, I stepped in front of the lens to see how the lighting would look when the flash fired.

5.11.22TigerfestBellevue Plaza is currently filled with carnival rides, games, and food kiosks at the moment. I like seeing that big empty parking lot filled with fun for a few days. Relieves the dullness of that corner of the neighborhood regardless of how you feel about pop-up carnivals. As the sun was setting, a brilliant red and purple sky glowed in the distance, painting a perfect back drop for the showcase of blinking lights and backlit signs. It’s impossible to deny the charm of a hot evening at a carnival. I was getting flashes of childhood emotion left and right.

5.12.22Little DetailsThis morning’s job took me to an Airbnb in Oakley. While the house was nice enough, I didn’t get to do many detail shots that I really enjoyed. This is the only one that I really like enough to consider adding to my daily photo archive.

5.13.22The TreefolkThe Cincinnati Art Museum hired me to shoot a gala to kick off Art in Bloom this evening. The usual CAM crowd was there—people I’ve photographed many times before, all dressed in new outfits. I have proof of that detail, after all. These tree people, standing probably 9 feet tall on stilts, blew me away. Every time they lumbered toward me down one of CAM’s cavernous hallways, I couldn’t help but marvel at the illusion they’d put together.

5.14.22Party on the StepsAn outdoor event at the Art Climb brought a steady amount of people out of the museum to enjoy a DJ, some food trucks, and a good climb down the Cincinnati Art Museum’s front stoop. Little ones made their own potted flower arrangements to the left while adults paid Esoteric Brewing to pour them a cold one six feet to the right. There wasn’t a lot in the way of candids to get, so I gathered courage to ask people for posed portraits to satisfy my photo contract with the museum.

5.15.22MannyWe’re watching Manny for the weekend so our neighbors can return to their home in Kansas for one of their graduations from med school. He found the snoot hole I cut in the fence for Myrtle, who still doesn’t seemingly care that much about its existence.

5.16.22Art Museum: Round 4Lest you believe I work part time at the Art Museum, this shoot wasn’t for CAM but rather for GBBN. They had a hand in designing this exhibit and wanted to document it for their portfolio. To showcase the size and scale of the space, we placed models on different planes and in various states of activity: sitting, standing, and motion. I used to dread using models for shoots because I’m as good a director as Worf is as Chief of Security on the Enterprise-D, but I’ve come around on it over the last couple of years. It was my fourth day in a row at CAM.

5.17.22Unataza ReopensMy favorite coffee shop, Unataza Coffee, moved across the street to a bigger, better space that was formerly occupied by Purple Poulet. Ale, the owner, and Katie, one of the baristas, were there and welcomed us when we went in for a latte. I’m really impressed with the new shop’s communal possibilities as it can now seat so many more people than the previous location. Also, this is a small thing but it faces south, allowing direct morning sunlight to fill the front of the shop which always makes a coffee shop feel special to me.

5.18.22Z9Buying a new camera is always a special, exciting thing. Not long ago, I picked up a Nikon Zfc as my second shooter and everyday carry due to its small size and reliability. Normally, that would be it for me for a year or two, but the opportunity to buy a Nikon Z9 presented itself and I jumped on it. I’d been hitting the upper limit of what my Z6 could do for me over the last couple years, feeling the edges of its capabilities most doing event photography. Seeing as how that’s become a larger part of my work life and since I am doing freelance as my career now, my small business needed the next logical step before it could produce better work. The Z9 is weirdly hard to buy at the moment; Nikon isn’t cranking them out like they have other camera bodies in the past. My (dare I say) friend, Peter, at Procam let me join a wait list, which paid off today. Having messed around in settings for a few hours and dabbled with the dynamics of the perpendicular grip, I can honestly say this is by far the beefiest camera I’ve ever used let alone owned. Also, I’m good on buying new bodies for a long, long time now. Its maiden voyage will be in a house in Covington tomorrow for a listing. I think we’re going to make good stuff together.

5.19.22Spring StormThe plan was to get night shots of a house I photographed earlier today, but that didn’t happen because a massive storm blew into town. Storms, when not tornadoes, are one of the most exciting, enjoyable natural phenomenons. I have a vivid memory of being young and sitting on the porch with my dad while watching what I thought back then was the biggest storm I’d ever seen, but without any fear. I was filled with nothing but wonder and the nervous excitement of climbing a hill on a rollercoaster. That positive childhood memory influenced my affection for most storms from that point on. Now that I have a home with a covered porch, I relive that excitement whenever the skies open up. Tonight’s tempest was the definition of the word; high winds, torrential downpours, and nary a darkened corner of the sky for more than a few seconds at a time. It was raucous, it was dramatic, and it was everything I like about non-threatening storms. Seeing an opportunity to test out the Z9, I freehanded it, firing in bursts to get a glowing frame with the treeline and streetlight within it. Of course, as soon as I stopped firing to check my levels, a perfect bolt appeared right where I was previously shooting, and I cursed myself for not being clairvoyant enough to capture it. I tried in vain for about 15 more minutes to see if it would return.

5.20.22Break Time!Whenever I feel tired and worn out, I take a break from the internet and it sorts me out without fail. Something about being totally in the moment alone with your thoughts and actions while disconnected from the global discourse is restorative, and frankly novel, in prescribed doses. I’ve been working a lot recently, and it’s time I log off for a little break from the web—including posting the daily photo project. I’m still going to do the daily photo, but I’m going to hold onto them until I’m finished with this break and post them all at once. If you’re reading this in the archive, you won’t notice, but if there’s anyone out there who reads this daily, you’ll be seeing the above image for a little bit. I promise not to do more than 10 days. Going to spend a little time reading, seeing people, and recharging. Au revoir!

5.21.22A Day in PGHWe’re going on a road trip. First stop: Pittsburgh! We went to PGH a couple years ago before the pandemic and found it to be particularly enjoyable. I wanted to stop by the Episode I vending machine up in Mount Washington while visiting, so we took the incline up the hill and my wife questioned her marriage vows when she saw the reason I dragged her to this place. I have a funny-ish story about the vending machine, but I’m going to blog about it when I get the chance. We finished the night with a walk around Point State Park and a random nap in the grass simply because we were tired.

5.22.22Adieu to the StripWe only planned to be in Pittsburgh for a day before venturing on to Philadelphia. Before leaving the city completely, we had breakfast at a diner on the The Strip before wandering around for a little bit. Unfortunately, our early-riser nature meant almost nothing was open, save for a few shops. I sent my father, a diehard Bengals fan, this photo and asked him if he needed anything from the store while I was out. He asked for a Terrible Towel for post-bathroom cleanup. Classic dad.

5.23.22Full Day in PhillyWe’ve never been to Philly before. After two different friends from Cincinnati relocated there over the years, we decided now’s the time to make the trip. While we arrived yesterday, today was our first full day in the city. After riding the metro and walking over 30K steps through Old City, Center City, and South Philly, we managed to get a glimpse of the skyline from the South Street Bridge before heading back for dinner. Though the weather was perfect and made traipsing around Philly a relative breeze, we still welcomed our showers and beds by the night’s end. We’re staying with our friends, Jay and Lauren, in their home near the Tacker-Morris station in South Philly.

5.24.22Markets, Metro Rides, and MoreThe day started with a trip to see City Hall and nearby Love Park. From there, we walked over to Reading Terminal Market and ate a bunch of stuff, including a roast pork. I think the cheesesteak we ate at Jim’s in South Philly yesterday was better than Philadelphia’s porcine sandwich underdog, but I still enjoyed it regardless. We then met up with our friend, Tiffany, in Rittenhouse Square and she took us over to West Philly via the South Street Bridge. We saw her alma mater, rode the metro all the way to the western boundary of the city, then walked to her apartment to see where she lived. Her neighborhood has a different vibe than South Philly, but that’s not a critique. The city is full of character depending on which neighborhood you’re in. We also managed to find time to sit in the grass in a park, though we didn’t sleep in it like we did in Pittsburgh.

5.25.22Eastern State PenitentiaryWe did a LOT today, but I’ll stick to talking about the best thing for this post. Everyone takes this photo inside Eastern State because it gives the viewer a proper sense of scale, a look at the current state of the building, and conveys the inherent eeriness of a long-shuttered hell hole where inmates suffered for over 150 years. I think this is the most memorable museum I’ve ever been to (yes, recognizing the recency bias, but the statement holds). We put on headphones and tuned our on-demand radios to the narration—something I’ve never done in a museum or other attraction before. That method of personal storytelling is super effective at completely immersing the visitor in the history of the space. We spent a couple hours scouring the halls of this dreadful-yet-alluring artifact of American history; I shot many photos throughout the place because it was so hauntingly photogenic. It’s easily the best attraction we’ve seen so far in Philadelphia. I find it hard to believe anything will beat it on this trip.

5.26.22Philly > Annapolis > DCBidding our Philly friends goodbye early in the day, we set out toward DC to meet up with other friends who live there. On the way, we detoured to Annapolis and did a trolley tour of the city to get a sense of what it’s all about (mainly a naval academy, but also some George Washington-era stuff). The weather wasn’t ideal, but it didn’t rain, so it could’ve been worse. I ate a really good crab cake at a restaurant a block away from the harbor, and the town has a very wealthy coastal feel to it (or at least the parts we visited). We only spent about three hours in Annapolis before moving onto DC. It’s a fine place to visit once, but I don’t think I need to see Annapolis again in this lifetime.

5.27.22Surprise VillainWe arrived in DC late yesterday. Today we shook our fists at the grey, dull skies that threatened rain and tried to find interesting indoor things to do. Though I’m not religious, I enjoy seeing inside houses of worship, mainly as an appreciator of elaborately designed spaces that can’t reasonably be recreated today due to the cost of labor and materials. The National Cathedral ticked all the boxes. We wandered around taking photos and admiring all the fine details both inside and out. If you look closely through all of the religious iconography and standard flourishes common in Catholic architecture, you’ll see surprisingly fun stuff scattered throughout. I found a little vignette of a cat eyeballing mice, both carved in stone, in a dimly lit corner of the cathedral. Some column toppers outside had interesting faces and characters doing different things, like a squirrel fighting off birds for a nut. Also, on the exterior, several grotesques were added high above the ground—including DARTH VADER’S HEAD. Google it and read about why he’s up there. Seeing a pop-culture icon jutting off a cathedral of this size and importance blew my mind.

5.28.22Very AmericanWe walked down to the National Mall from our friends’ apartment to see the Capitol. We’d not been since 2016, but the last time we were there, it was covered in scaffolding. I got my photo of it unobstructed from the other side, but I prefer this photo because it speaks to what it’s actually like being there. If you’re not bombarded by tie dye USA shirts or weed print bucket hats, you get the American food and pop vendor. When in Rome! The man in the trailer sold me a 16-oz Diet Coke for $3. No, I didn’t try the food, but if I were hungry enough, I would’ve definitely gotten a hot dog. We did a bunch of other good stuff today, including seeing a botanical garden, the Library of Congress, a cat on a leash, and the DC Metro (not in that order).

5.29.22The Long Drive HomeAfter traveling many miles and spending over a week seeing cities while visiting friends, it was time for us to return home. This trip was incredible; we got to see old friends, a brand new city, and revisit favorites we’ve been to before. Not only that, but staying offline and in the moment was restorative in way’s I’d forgotten. I feel like a new man coming back to Cincinnati. This was the only photo I took all day because I drove straight home from DC. It’s of the coffee shop we visited before heading out on the road, and I only took it because I like reviewing everything on Google no matter how small a part it played on my day.

5.30.22Playing Catch-UpWe slept in this morning. Apparently traveling takes it outta you. Still, we saw the start to our day around 9 AM, which included a trip to the hardware store for a few things. While we were on our trip, our yard got a little out of control, so we spent the day cleaning it up and adding some new landscaping, including this bed of boxwoods and other plants to delineate where our front yard is in relation to our neighbors’. We don’t know who’s moving in next, and a fence seems aggressive, so this felt like an aesthetically pleasing and tasteful way to say, “I take care of this part and you do that bit.” The heat and physical labor was uncomfortable yet satisfying. We drank a lot of beer and cocktails on the trip and it felt good to just sweat everything out while replacing it with water. By the end of the day, we had a freshly cared for yard, a sunburn, and some light soreness in our muscles to go along with our pride for what we’ve built. It’s good to be back home.

5.31.22I’m Off BeefI photographed a former slaughterhouse in the West End this afternoon. The client is going to gut it and make it into something new—probably a warehouse space with accompanying second floor offices. According to him, they’d already gotten in and removed some of the gnarlier stuff before it was my time to come in, but it was a difficult shoot nonetheless. I am omnivorous, but after seeing the kill room with left over infrastructure, I think I’m going to stop eating beef entirely. It was hard to think about before I saw everything, but this shoot may have done me in permanently. In two hours, a lifetime of willful ignorance was almost entirely undone. It’s not that there were bodies left or anything in that room, but the outlines of cleanup and processing were still visible, and I found myself thinking hard about what these creatures’ last moments were like in that horrible room. To date, I do not think I’ve ever photographed a place that’s seen more intentional death than that one. I’m not willing to say I will be 100% able to resist eating a burger in the future, but I will 100% struggle with it knowing that a place like this is where cows meet their fate. Anyway, I didn’t want to spring a gruesome photo on you, but I didn’t want to archive something devoid of the reality of that place, either. This feels like the proper balance between the two.

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