5.1.25Castle SkatelandA photoshoot that took me out to Loveland routed me past a place I haven’t seen or thought of in ages. I don’t remember how many times went here, but I have a vivid memory of playing pogs on the floor with people I can’t remember.I would actually love to check this place out again. Maybe I’ll get a pair of rollerblades for old time’s sake.

5.2.25La-Ru LanesWe went to La-Ru Lanes with Chelsea and Vince and bowled a couple of games. The place was pretty dead. Hopefully we went on an irregularly slow night.

5.3.25J+JTravis and Allie are out of the country for a bit, so I’m going to pop over to their place and check in on Jack and Jonas while they’re away. Jonas (pictured) is very friendly and always wants attention, whereas Jack is a little more discerning with his time. I have no doubt Jack will be my bud in a few days.

5.4.25Star Wars PartyEric’s 40th birthday coincided with May 4th—otherwise known as Star Wars Day. Sarah put on a big party for him at the CAC, the theme of which was Star Wars. These were hired actors for the event, so I don’t know their real names, but I thought this candid moment was cute.

5.5.25Working From Not-HomeVisiting the cats while having the busiest month of the year isn’t a challenge when I can work away from home. Travis has the same Apple Studio Display I do, making it easy for me to bring my laptop over to his house and plug in with minimal recalibration. All I have to do is bring my Tourbox with me, and it’s almost exactly like my setup at home.Jonas is finding ways to stay within my line of sight while I’m there.

5.6.25Peeking StandpipeSeen while on my way out of shooting an event at the Art Museum tonight.

5.7.25Sleeping Like a PersonMyrtle sleeping with her head on my pillow like a person.

5.8.25Perry ContractingI did a brand/lifestyle shoot for Perry Contracting today. I made portraits of all the staff members, candids of them working in the office, action shots in the workshop behind the front offices, decor that represents their aesthetic (pictured), and more. Thanks to everyone involved, it was a creatively satisfying, easy shoot, and I couldn’t be happier with the images we produced.I can’t wait to see their new website with all the image assets in place.

5.9.25The Court Street BridgeThey’re replacing the Court Street bridge that crosses Gilbert with a newer one soon. Construction fences are already up, and pedestrians can no longer walk along the deck of the green-clad, vaguely Art Deco-styled part with CINCINNATI emblazoned on the side of the bridge. Mt. Adams is still accessible by way of crossing the street and walking up this crumbling staircase.I documented as much of it as I could. I’m a bit sad it’s going away. It’s not historic, but I always liked its unique design. It stood out when considering other pedestrian bridges in the city.

5.10.25Art on the RiseA frame from today’s Art on the Rise event at the museum.

5.11.25Cat SittingJonas perched on the living room chair. Probably waiting for me to get up and give him a treat.

5.12.25Return to Joseph HouseVehr reached out recently and asked if I would provide a bid to do lifestyle images for Joseph House—a home for veterans who need a place to stay while getting back on their feet. I photographed Joseph House last year for MA Design, and Joseph House liked what I did enough to reach out again for this project. I won the bid, we planned the shots we needed for the website, and today we finished day 1 of the multi-day shoot.One of the day’s activities included this sweet therapy doodle. I got a lot of good stuff during this session.

5.13.25AliciaA portrait of Joseph House Executive Director Alicia Patterson. I’ve really enjoyed working with her and the rest of the staff over the last two days.

5.14.25HoopJust some nice light on a basketball hoop.

5.15.25Preservation AwardsAfter a long hiatus, I finally got to work with Cincinnati Preservation again. They held their annual Preservation Awards ceremony in Columbia-Tusculum this evening and asked me to photograph the event.The location, inside the Carnegie Library, was perfect for the evening’s festivities. I’d forgotten how many preservationists I know in the city, too, so seeing them all show up and mingle in one place was delightful. In fact, I felt very energized at this shoot because it was the perfect combination of good location, subject matter, and people. I kind of felt like I was at my best, and that felt great during a rather busy, stressful month.

5.16.25Red Door ProjectShot Red Door for ArtWorks this evening. I haven’t been this busy with work since July 2018, when I took over as Managing Editor of the website. I’m short on words and free time, and the backlog of work to get back to clients keeps growing, but I have to grind right now.

5.17.25The Smallest (New) TruckAshley and I were a one-car couple for 9 years. It never made sense for us to get a second car. As Ashley works from home, her need for a vehicle has been traditionally very low. That changed recently, and we now need a second set of wheels to alleviate the stress of both needing it during the day. It made the most sense to get a second vehicle that could solve tasks we couldn’t with the one we already have; something that we could use to take our bikes to the trail, haul more than a couple of bags of mulch at a time, and move something that would otherwise be too large for the car. A small truck was the most logical option.I hate large vehicles, and every new truck is huge—or so I thought. After researching my options (including ruling out buying a 20-year-old Ford Ranger), the Hyundai Santa Cruz and the Ford Maverick seemed to be the two highest-rated options for small trucks on the market. I looked at both and decided the Hyundai packed more into the vehicle for the same price as the Ford. It drives like a car but with the hauling capacity of a truck.It looks large in the image, but it’s not. The bed is the right size with the extender cage, and the tonneau cover locks, allowing me to store my gear in the bed without it getting wet or stolen. I’m going to learn how to park it in my driveway better so it doesn’t block the sidewalk, but that will take time and practice. Honestly, I’m not a car guy, but I love this thing.

5.18.25KamrassfestShot a retirement party for Rabbi Kamrass at Music Hall this evening.

5.19.25Moment of ZenHad a moment to sit on the porch and drink a beer. This is the only image I made all day. Not great, but I’ve been so busy with work lately, I don’t have the motivation to shoot for myself as much as I’d like.

5.20.25GOOD MORNING, DADShe’s crazy.

5.21.25Children’s Hospital LovelandGBBN renovated an old CVS into a Children’s Hospital branch in Loveland.

5.22.25Green Township Police DepartmentPepper Construction built a new police station in Green Township.

5.23.25Golden Hour WalkA quick photo while walking through Over-the-Rhine from Mellotone.

5.24.25Myrtle RideNow that we have the truck, we’re able to throw the bikes into the back and drive to a trail. Ashley doesn’t like to ride on the street (understandable), so this gave us a chance to also try out Myrtle’s wagon again in a controlled environment.She didn’t like it for the first bit of the ride, but eventually she got used to it and accepted the fact that she wasn’t going to be in control of her path. Once she relaxed a bit, she seemed fine. It was the first time we’ve all gone on a ride together in a long, long time.

5.25.25Fun With SaltsHosted a backyard grill-out this evening, and toward the end of the night, we threw some color-changing salts onto the fire to change its color. The camera didn’t capture it perfectly, but you get an idea of how blue and green sections of the flames became after administering the salts.I promise I will get through this creative slump soon. I am mildly burned out and picking up a camera for anything feels like work at the moment.

5.26.25Community GardenOver the Memorial Day weekend, I took some time off work and concentrated on riding my bike, cooking out with friends, and cleaning up a weed-ridden hill at the end of my street all while managing to get mildly sunburned in the process.The hill pictured above was full of weeds. When I say full, I mean it; the whole thing was a mess of tangled undesirable plants, loads of ivy, and a repository for broken pots and discarded rocks. To say it was a mess is an understatement.Over the last two days, Ashley, myself, Judy, and Shaun all volunteered to pull up all the weeds and plant new stuff on the hill to try to make it look more presentable. I used the broken pieces of pottery and rocks to create a barrier between the rest of the weeds and the area we cleared. Lowes had a 5 for $10 deal, so I used my new truck to go get two loads to dump on the hill. By the end of day, we stood at the end of the street, looked down at our work, itched our sunburns, and felt satisfied we made a little corner of Bellevue more beautiful.It’s not perfect, but it’s 100% better than it was. We plan to plant more stuff in the mulched areas as we get them so it will eventually be full of ferns, flowers, and other non-weeds for pollinators and people alike to enjoy.

5.27.25YWCAGBBN renovated an old building in Avondale, built an addition in the middle of it, and now it’s a place where women seeking shelter can go should they need it. This is a frame from a piece of art that hangs in the lobby.

5.28.25Tiny GuardJust a tiny dog in a window. (Sorry for the short captions, but my mind doesn’t have much else to say at the moment.)

5.29.25Self PortraitThe room was well-lit and I was alone, so I stood in front of the lens. This was on the 3rd floor of the building at 4th and Scott in Covington.

5.30.25Art After DarkShot Art After Dark again tonight. Great time, as usual!

5.31.25At the GorgeWe took a trip down to Red River Gorge for some hiking with the dog. We’re staying in a water-tight dome covered with plastic and fabric on the edge of a cliff. The view overlooks a valley below, and the dome has a full bathroom, kitchenette, queen sized bed, fireplace, outdoor deck, and fire pit.I’m not sure I would be comfortable in this during the winter, but during this seasonable time of year, it’s perfect.