5.1.23MilkshakesIt’s adorable the way she sits and waits for any interaction with the drive-thru attendant. Sometimes it works out in her favor. Other times she’s ignored. Tonight, she was offered a hot dog at Gold Star when we went to get milkshakes, but I told them she’d already had dinner. I’m a horrible wingman for this dog.

5.2.23Not a Real AdI can’t remember how it came up exactly, but I made a joke to Travis the other day about how Ponderosa should’ve sold rosé wine and branded it PonderRosé. It’s not a great joke, I know. Couldn’t get it out of my head (there’s not a lot of space in there), so in my off hours today, I decided to make a print ad for this fictional product. To start, I used Adobe Firefly’s generative AI to produce “a bottle of rosé with two glasses next to it on a beige back drop” and then took it into Photoshop from there. I looked at old print ads from the 1980s, watched a few Ponderosa commercials on YouTube, and determined I’d go with the Ponderosa tagline and logo from 1986. From there, I chose a proper font, mimicked text placement I saw on a few other ads from around that time, and copied a second tagline verbatim from a 1986 ad for Ponderosa to add to the bottom in a different font. After all that, I added some artificial grain, lowered contrast, played with the curve, and manually blurred the whole thing 10% to make it look aged. Now my stupid and pointless vision is reality.

5.3.23Good ShadowsMan, I love fire escape shadows.

5.4.23A Cat That Made Me GaspThis cat made me gasp. What an insanely beautiful creature. I also love how her (taking a guess she’s a girl) fluff ever so slightly hangs over the edge of the platform. Her little apricot nose on the bed of soft white fur makes for an adorable combination. I would’ve loved to have given her a little scratch on her striped head, but she was on someone’s porch.

5.5.23Kiran’s 7!My niece turned 7 yesterday. We went to HBH and sat outside in the beautiful weather to celebrate. Then we all went back to our house and she got a Slip ‘N Slide and some glitter markers for the occasion.

5.6.23California: Day 1For Justin’s bachelor party, Travis planned a trip for everyone to California—specifically San Francisco. Justin wasn’t due to fly in until late tomorrow, so Travis, Ronny, and I flew out by ourselves and started exploring the city. Staying in Cole Valley, we had our options of nearby neighborhoods to check out. Since there was a film store in the Castro District, we walked down and explored that area first. The vintage streetcars that run up and down Market Street obviously caught my eye. The whole neighborhood feels alive with loads of people walking around on the street, riding bikes and MUNI, and skateboarding. Oddly enough, there were cars on the street driving around without people in them.

5.7.23California: Day 2San Francisco is the prettiest city I’ve visited. I’m sure there are European cities I’ve not visited that would take the cake, but in terms of domestic travel, SF is the most beautiful. We hiked up to Twin Peaks for an aerial view of the city before walking down to Noe Valley and Mission for a burrito. We checked out Salesforce park and rode the gondola, wandered past the Ferry Building, saw these painted ladies from Alamo Square Park (there’s a dog in one of the top windows if you look closely), and had dinner/drinks in Haight-Ashbury afterward.

5.8.23California: Day 3With Justin finally in tow, we hit up numerous parts of the city. Since he hadn’t seen Castro yet, we did that first (pictured), then rode MUNI downtown to the Ferry Building. Side note: SF’s MUNI is the cleanest public transit I’ve ridden—maybe even cleaner than DCs. We rode a streetcar up to Fisherman’s Warf and snapped photos of Alcatraz, the seals, and everything in-between. While there, I got my In-N-Out fix, we walked up to Lombard Street, and back down before catching a ride to Haight-Ashbury.

5.9.23California: Day 4Big day today. We checked out Chinatown, which was incredible, before heading over to Little Italy for pizza. I snapped the bulk of my photos for the day in Chinatown because everything there was so gorgeous. I debated making one of those photos today’s image, but what we did later was too important to not feature: The Golden Gate Bridge. It’s uncommon for me to be truly gobsmacked by a man-made structure these days as I’ve seen many truly gorgeous and impressive structures, but GG got me. It’s unlike any bridge I’ve personally seen. No, it’s not the longest or tallest I’ve seen, but for some reason it feels like it’s the most striking I’ve personally seen. Maybe it’s because it’s been so thoroughly featured in pop culture? Regardless, viewing it from the Presidio and then again from Battery Spencer across the bay on the other side is a top-notch experience.

5.10.23California: Day 5We took BART over to Oakland to check a little bit of that city out. The morning was overcast and Oakland isn’t the beauty queen SF is, so I didn’t take many photos for the first half of the day. Eventually, as we sat at a lightly Star Trek-themed brewery and waited for Rob to join our party, the sun came out and we made our way into downtown where I saw this marvelous old theater. We went back to SF, had dinner at House of Prime Rib, drank a few beers at a couple of bars, then went back to the Airbnb to prep for our departure on the PCH the following day.

5.11.23California: Day 6We awoke early and Travis picked up the rental car for our trip south to Los Angeles. Breakfast was at the Pacifica Taco Bell Cantina (highly recommended). We stopped along the route to admire the view a few times before eventually stopping in Santa Cruz for a little amusement park fun for an hour. The century-old boardwalk right on the coast was filled with rollercoasters and other rides, as well as a full arcade and carnival game kiosks. The Great Dipper, the coaster on the boardwalk, was a surprisingly fun ride. We briefly stopped in Monterey after that, then traveled further south on the PCH to Bixby Creek Bridge in Big Sur. Mountains on the beach—what more can I say? It was incredible. We spent a good deal of time there snapping photos and soaking up the view. We had drinks at Nepenthe, back-tracked to Monterey for dinner, then took the 101 down to Morro Bay (part of the PCH was closed due to landslides) where our next Airbnb waited for us.

5.12.23California: Day 7After coffee in Morro Bay and breakfast at The Madonna Inn, we traveled onward along the PCH and stopped in Solvang, a Danish architecture-filled city. Apparently near the beginning of the 20th century, a group of Danish-Americans sought to recreate the small town in their image and started adding the distinct Danish architecture right after WWII. The result is a tourist attraction today. Very few of its residents are actually Danish, however. After we left Solvang, we headed straight for Los Angeles hoping to catch a glimpse of the sunset in a prominent place before it disappeared for the day. We managed to find a place in Santa Monica with a relatively decent view, had dinner at Dear John’s in Culver City, and drinks at Tiki-Ti in Los Feliz. Sadly, I couldn’t spend more time in LA due to my 6 AM flight the next day, and since it was 1 AM by the time we were leaving the tiki bar, I decided to go straight to the airport. My California trip was coming to a close.

5.13.23California: Day 8After the guys dropped me off at LAX at 1:30 AM, I quickly realized that TSA wasn’t open and I couldn’t get to my gate to post up and sleep a few hours before my flight. What few seats LAX had before each terminal were taken by sleeping passengers draped in hoodies and blankets, some snoring. I tried finding a place on the hard floor to post up, but I couldn’t sleep. Instead, I wandered around the airport, taking photos of the drop off areas and the Theme Building at the front (pictured). Around 4 AM, TSA opened and I groggily went through. I began to feel the effects of having been up for over 20 hours at that point. A man loudly snorting snot back up into his nose every 3 seconds kept me from hanging out at my gate, so I continued to wander around until boarding. I flew into Charlotte, got some food, and rode another plane to CVG. Myrtle was enthusiastic about seeing me after a week apart, and Ashley was happy to see me, too. I managed to stay up until 10 PM that evening, inching my consecutive waking hours up over the 40 hour mark. I don’t think I’ve ever stayed up for so long at one time in my life.

5.14.23Back to LifeAfter sleeping in to take a bit of the edge off the previous day’s record-breaking wakefest, I got to work on some house projects that needed doing before hosting a Mother’s Day gathering. After everyone left, I began the dreaded process of sectioning off the back yard so we can plant grass seed in the spots where it never properly grew. Though half the yard is off limits for Myrtle at the moment, I’m hoping the new grass will pop up quickly and we can use 100% of it again. You can’t really see the spots from this image, but they’re there. Now to keep the birds and squirrels off the seed before it can take root!

5.15.23Much-Needed PlaytimeLove playing with this little monster. We bought her a new frisbee then took her to two parks to play with it this evening. I missed her while I was on my trip.

5.16.23Iridescent ShapesOne of those aftermarket window clings during a sunset.

5.17.23Travel ReadyUp until now, I’ve used a backpack to carry my gear to and from shoots. While it’s worked out well for me, it became a bit of an issue when I got my Z9. In short: the Z9 is large enough that putting it in the bag is a hassle. Justin picked up a Pelican case for his gear for our California trip and I liked how he was able to consolidate his gear into one hard shell to keep it safe and organized during transport. So instead of dealing with the hassle of the bag for my shoots, I’ve converted to storing my most commonly used camera gear in a hard case, though mine’s a $100 knock-off from Harbor Freight instead of a proper Pelican brand. The pull-apart foam was relatively easy to adjust for each piece, though I wish I’d had some practice before I started getting into it. There are a few things I would’ve done differently in retrospect when setting up this case, but it’s good for now. I can always order new foam if I need to redo the configuration. It’s small enough that it’ll fit in an overhead on a plane but big enough that I fit everything plus a 24-200 telephoto under Godox flash on the left. If only I could’ve gotten my tripod in it…

5.18.23Another OneTom Covert does incredible renovations. Every time he texts me with a new house he’s ready to have photographed for a listing, I make sure I’m available because they’re always so, so good. He likes to purchase dilapidated houses no one wants and spends time remaking them into glorious dream homes. I photographed his first project on Philadelphia years ago for the publication, and since then I’ve had the privilege of working with him on all his other projects when they’re ready. This one, located on 8th Street just off Mainstrasse, is his newest flip. This bathroom was probably my favorite part of the redesign. He’s a preservationist at heart and spends time making sure the hardware and other elements of the build are custom and usually historic. In this particular house, he was able to salvage the majority of the original wood floors. For the planks he had to replace, he salvaged old wood from other historic properties he’s worked on and integrated them into this property’s renovation to match the era and aesthetic. I really appreciate that level of care and attention to detail from someone flipping homes, especially on this level. This property was in bad shape (it’s right next to his last project—see daily photo entry from 4.6.21) when I saw it last. Now, it’s ready to hit the market for hundreds of thousands.

5.19.23Deprivation Streak ContinuesThis isn’t an interesting fact, but it’s the only thing I feel like mentioning at the moment. It’s been 23 years since the last time I put on swim shorts and got into a pool. Even then, I was forced to get in if I wanted to pass physical education. Maybe it was the awkwardness of stripping down during a pivotal teenage year in front of the opposite sex. Or maybe it was enduring aggressive towel whippings in the locker room from peers I didn’t want to be around in the first place. Probably a bit of both, if I’m honest. Regardless, it put me off being in bodies of water and I haven’t had a desire to do it again since. Next time I’m in a bad mood and need to divulge another strong opinion, I’ll commit my hot take about the beach and boat culture to this archive to further solidify my reputation as a land-loving curmudgeon.

5.20.23Oops!It was one of those days where the daily photo project got away from me and the only image I have to show for it is this one: a throwaway snap of a tree I was trying to identify using Apple’s onboard plant identification tool in Photos. (It’s a Japanese tree lilac, apparently.)

5.21.23Class of 2023From 11 AM until 8 PM, I photographed graduation parties. Needless to say, I feel like a hollow skeleton typing this entry; reviewing over 3,100 images will be tomorrow’s task. The two people who hired me to photograph their events are very kind and I like working with them, though I wish I had a day between the parties. It’s a lot to manage memory card and battery-wise, as well as physically. When the day was done and I’d packed my gear into the car, I lowered the windows and cranked some ska like I was a teen again as I hit the freeway. Working around newly graduated high schoolers made me feel youthful by association, I suppose. As I reflected back on the day’s work, I realized the people I was tasked with photographing were likely born in 2005—the year after I donned a mortar board and accepted my own high school diploma. It’s surreal to think I’ve aged this much in what seems like such a short time. It will never get easier.

5.22.23Always Go InsideNeeded to mail something after attending a meeting with a client in the West End, so I dropped by the Dalton Street Post Office. I never use these post office mailboxes in the parking lot because going inside the building is quick, easy, and far more beautiful than this drive-up shelter. While inside, I thought I’d throw together a little highlight reel of the building’s attractive Art Deco features and post it to the Internet, which people seemed to like. I hope it inspires at least one person to ditch the parking lot for a trip inside.

5.23.23Grand BallroomAshley’s in Miami for work and my knee is experiencing another wave of pain from the injury I sustained last month. It wasn’t an ideal day to leave the dog home alone for long hours while hobbling around inside the massive Spooky Nook events center in Hamilton, but duty called. They needed shots of their ballrooms, conference spaces, and some other stuff. I do not think I will ever be finished photographing this space for them.

5.24.23200 W PikeHub+Weber Architects are moving out of their home at 200 W Pike Street in Covington. I’d been in their office many times over the last several years for both work and pleasure (Cody works there), but this time I wasn’t photographing something for them; I was photographing the office for the owner of the building so he can list it. Rebecca, the realtor, tapped me on the shoulder last week and scheduled a post-workday shoot of the space and the other offices located inside the building. It’s hard to believe I will likely never have another night to enjoy a beer under the abandoned train platform behind the building, but all good things come to an end. I hope whoever buys the property takes care of it.

5.25.23Art By FriendsSteven and Tiffany made some really cool linocut pieces and sent them to me!

5.26.23Listing Photo InsuranceAwhile back I learned an invaluable lesson when it comes to listing photography: dramatic night shots are always a good idea. Not every place looks great at night, and it may not always be worth it, but when a place has the right lighting, you gotta go back for it. 200 W Pike is one of those places.

5.27.23Trying New ThingsWe rode our bikes down to Manhattan Harbor Marina and drank beer/ate fried food next to the river. While I don’t think it’s going to be my local weekly haunt, it was nice to switch things up and hang out in a place we’re not used to frequenting. We watched dozens of boats dock at and depart from the pier near our table while a cover band played hits from the last 40 years through speakers deafeningly loud enough to almost completely drown out table conversation. When the dock began rhythmically undulating beneath us and the string lights over our heads jostled about due to number of people dancing, we figured our time at the marina had come to an end.

5.28.23The BalconyIt’s a great night for a little TV on the balcony (while a concerned dog keeps an eye on things).

5.29.23Summer’s HereIt’s Memorial Day. I went to two parties: one in the morning where I took this picture of John’s dog, Gus, enjoying the splash pad, and another in the evening where half of us wore black shirts for some reason (unplanned) and I used wide angle mode on my iPhone to take a bad photo of the group. Ashley and I rode bikes, drank beer, and enjoyed the first day of summer with friends. What I really want to talk about here, though, is that Squarespace now offers generative text by filling out a brief prompt about your subject. For kicks, I had it create text about this image using details I fed it. What it wrote was grammatically correct and read perfectly fine, but it wasn’t the tone I wanted at all. In fact, it was so sugary sweet and patriotic, it made me a little sick. After the initial revulsion had passed, I found comfort knowing the machine cannot reach into my head. Yet.

5.30.23Never Stay In the HotelFlew to Denver early this morning for a shoot. Luminaut sent me out two years ago in July to shoot some stuff they designed, and I returned today to capture the work that’s been done since. The shoot went surprisingly quickly and I found myself with the entire afternoon and evening to wander Denver with no agenda. The increased altitude coupled with having not gotten much rest the night before and stormy-looking skies had me dragging my feet on urban exploration. Staying in Highlands was the right call—it’s a cool neighborhood that’s walkable and has great views of the city, and I didn’t want to waste it napping at the hotel. Long story short, I managed a hybrid schedule of resting in the hotel room and going out to snap some photos and explore the area on and off through the day. In the evening, I took a walk over to LoDo from Highlands via a really neat pedestrian bridge and checked out the beautiful Commons Park, wandered over the Millennium Bridge, and eventually ended up at Union Station to watch the trains. Had I let fatigue win, I wouldn’t have experienced any of that and I would’ve missed out on the best photo opportunities I’d gotten that day. As I followed the setting sun back to the hotel with a rapidly dying camera battery, I thanked my gut for urging me out of the hotel. There’ll be time to sleep later.

5.31.23Weirdest Date Ever?As I was coming back from my work trip to Denver today, Ashley was leaving for Dallas for her work trip. Oddly enough, we were in CVG at the same time going opposite ways. I suggested we meet and eat a Bloomin Onion at the airport Outback Steakhouse as a joke. It was the “petals” version, meaning it wasn’t presented in the typical outward bloom configuration, but it tasted the same. This is probably our weirdest date in the eight years we’ve been together.