10.1.21First Friday in the River TownTonight was First Friday in Bellevue. Obviously Halloween themed this month, loads of kids and parents were out and about gathering free candy from boutique owners and other small businesses. I went to the top of The Fairfield Venues for a moment to get a shot from up there during sunset, and though the streets don’t look crowded in the photo, they were bustling within the hour.

10.2.21Train Wreck of a Trip to MetamoraLast year, we went to Metamora during Canal Days & it was one of those magical autumn experiences that I looked forward to recreating this year. I placed it on my calendar weeks in advance to ensure we didn’t miss it. Between the trains, the canal, the easy-going people and cute little shops, and all-around pleasant vibe of the place, I’d hoped to have a similar experience this year with the photogenic scenery. That, sadly, wasn’t in the cards. Today we went and it was truly awful. It was uncomfortably crowded to the point where simply walking was stressful, especially since we had Myrtle in tow. The boats in the canal and scenic vignettes we enjoyed last year were replaced by tents of cheap sunglasses and trump shit in every direction. It felt like a crowded county fair in the middle of aggressive, conservative nowhere instead of the peaceful little canal town we enjoyed so much last year. It was a total letdown and we didn’t spend more than an hour before we decided it wasn’t worth staying and left. On the way out, I got to take this photo of a very slow-moving train, which was nice. If we ever go back to Metamora, it won’t be during this unfortunate festival.

10.3.21Night WalkPlainly and simply put: we took a walk around the neighborhood at night. Nothing else to it than that.

10.4.21New SpotsI didn’t drink coffee here today, but I plan to soon.

10.5.21SchmetterlingWe ate breakfast outside in this little garden cafe called The Birds Nest in Nashville, IN. Butterflies and bees hopped from flower to flower as we sipped coffee and Myrtle sat patiently for a bit of our leftovers.

10.6.21Bloomington’s Fountain SquareIn the afternoon, Bloomington became our unintended destination. We ate fries and enjoyed a flight of beer at The Tap before further exploring the area. Bloomington’s Fountain Square is pretty architecturally interesting with loads of 19th and early-20th Century buildings surrounding the Monroe County Courthouse. Ashley shopped at a place called Lola’s, and we went inside a sporting goods store that gave Myrtle the biggest piece of beef jerky she could handle.

10.7.21Columbus’ ChurchesEliel Saarinen’s First Christian Church in Columbus, IN is depicted in today’s photo. Before driving back home, we stopped in Columbus, IN—a city known for its wealth of unique Modernist architecture by several prominent architects throughout the last 100 years. I paid for a map of the area at the Visitor’s Center before heading out on foot to see several of the city’s iconic buildings. The doors on this church are so boldly different than any other I’ve seen, yet it’s of the WWII era. Saarinen’s unique design speaks to the timelessness of the structure, bolstering the reputation the city’s earned as a place of such profoundly interesting architecture. We only spent a few hours in Columbus before heading home, but it won’t be the last time I visit; I’d like to do a guided tour next time and get deeper perspective on each of these places.

10.9.21Wild Night at Riverside MarinaEven though I took this photo on the Friday the 8th, I am writing this caption on 10th for a good reason. Ashley and I went out with our neighbors and ended up drinking ourselves into oblivion like we haven’t done in years. I don’t remember waving goodbye to my own car still parked in the lot as we got a ride home, but I’m sure I did it. We had an incredible night…until we got home…

10.9.21OofFriday night’s wild ride abruptly turned vomitous® by the time we got home. While I managed to keep my booze down, Ashley was not so lucky. I’ll spare you the details because they’re pretty bad. I ended up walking back to the bar in the morning because I didn’t feel physically able to ride my bike, and I do not think I’ve struggled with a 3.5 mile walk more in my life. The heat and duration of the walk allowed my body to sweat out whatever remaining Patron and Blue Moon I had flowing through my system. When I finally pulled the car into the garage, I celebrated by promptly going back to bed, where Ashley had been between bouts of explosive runs to the bathroom. Together, we popped Advils and drank Pedialyte packets for the rest of the day. I managed to get over my hangover in the mid-afternoon, but Ashley was out for the count until the next day. I don’t think either of us will touch alcohol again for a week or two…

10.10.21New Way to PlayWeeks ago, I hastily gathered all the Lego I still had from my childhood at my parents’ house and brought it to my own home. While I loved the idea of building old sets I’d purchased in the 90s, I struggled with what I’d do with the sets once they were built. I don’t have the old desire to play with them, and I don’t have a desire to necessarily build them all to display them. So after some thought, I realized I could “play” with them by practicing studio photography and Photoshop—something constructive in addition to fun. I found a database of set directions online and put together a set I got for Christmas in 1997. It’s a tall castle with a dungeon in the tower. Shining a book light through the windows and using photo stacking, I created a scene inside the dungeon then added effects in post to give it the ambiance I wanted.

10.11.21Julie, Your Ride’s HereI wonder what the backstory is to this.

10.12.21The Treasure Hunter’s EndAfter building a large white backdrop studio table out of scrap wood last weekend, I’ve been looking forward taking product photos of various things to sharpen my skills with Photoshop. I researched another Lego set that I had as a kid, built it, modified it, then came up with a little story scene. The set, called Pirate’s Ambush, is from 1997, and depicts a two-tower arrangement with a dropping net in the middle on the original box. The pirates sit atop the structure, and the Spaniard (?) sits in the boat, ready to be ambushed. The scene I came up with is similar, though there’s additional danger in the water and the perspective is more dramatic. I lit the scene with a Lumecube on one side, arranged some warm lighting from the other side, and photo stacked 35 images. In Photoshop, I overlaid the background with an image I made years ago of the sun over the ocean and added clouds from another image from that same area. I then cleaned up several imperfections in the bricks, touched up the edges, added gleaming light to multiple surfaces, and added a static animation effect to the gator.

10.13.21Little OliveWe had dinner at the Germans’ house tonight. Their little dog, Olive, is a chihuahua mixed with a pug. She’s super sweet.

10.14.21Mobile StudioMoved the studio setup from the finished side of the basement to the unfinished side, right next to my workshop. I figured it would be easier and out of the way there. I had to move a few things around to get the bikes that were in this corner out of the way, but I’m glad I finally have a little corner within which I can do my thing. I think I will end up needing to cut a bigger piece of plywood for the base at some point.

10.15.21Faux CommercialTo bolster my portfolio with new product work, I decided to start using the studio on objects I have lying around the house. Apple has some of the best product shots, but it’s clear they use digital rendering instead of actual photography to make them. However, I wanted to create something Apple-like, so I got my iPad out, suspended the Pencil at an angle using fishing line, and photo stacked it all in post to create this.

10.16.21 Darkened Memorial HallEver wonder what Memorial Hall looks like with most of its lights off? Here you go. Using the iPhone’s low light mode, I was still able to get a pretty bright image, but in reality, the scene was quite dark. Save for the light coming in from the other hall and the windows, everything was turned off for the performance just beyond the curtains. I thought it looked pretty neat.

10.17.21Rocking Chair PortraitWe were sitting in the bedroom for a moment and I liked the light coming in through the window. You can see Myrtle in the foreground waiting for our next move.

10.18.21Flower BouquetAshley’s Lego bouquet with a little bee I improvised.

10.19.21Alternate Ways to CommunicateWhen your spouse is on a work call and they can’t look at their phone, you get creative.

10.20.2113th StreetA view looking west on 13th Street. From a job I did today.

10.21.21Street ArtA section of 15th Street between Goose Alley and Race Street is closed to cars. It’s painted with a series of bright, colorful shapes and has tables outside of B&A Kitchen. While no one else was enjoying the space when I took this photo, I certainly was. I was there to shoot two AirBnbs and wanted to get a few shots of the surrounding area because, in my opinion, it added to the value of staying in that location.

10.22.21A Soggy, Beautiful NightAshley and I tried several times to hang out with friends tonight, but everyone was busy. So instead, we sat in the car and had burgers from Bebo on Court Street. Wanting to hang with Myrtle, she came along for the ride and licked at the air as we scarfed down our food. I didn’t expect a whole lot from the restaurant, but it was decent. The value vs. the quality and quantity of food we got was good. Though it was misting outside at the time, we parked and took a nice walk through Over-the-Rhine, eventually settling in for a beer at The Porch in Washington Park. As we went to leave, I thought this scene was particularly beautiful.

10.23.21Petri’sThe girls and I went to Nomad for coffee and breakfast this morning. Afterward, we did a little quick shopping on the Avenue and found ourselves inside a floral shop called Petri’s. I’d never been inside before today. We purchased a few small things including a plant Ashley wanted and some potting soil. They let Myrtle come inside the shop instead of making us wait outside while Ashley did her shopping. She always likes sniffing around and checking things out. A business that allows me to bring my pup inside always increases its return-ability.

10.24.21Dealer of DestructionChris asked me the other day, “when will I see you again?” We resolved to spend some time together today, in Dayton. Ashley and I went up at noon and met him at a delicious restaurant in the Oregon District called Lily’s. After eating, the rain drove us indoors to the free Wright-Patterson Air Force Museum. Inside, we looked at everything from the Wright Brothers’ first airplane to more modern ones, like the stealth B-2 bomber. The WWII section was the most familiar of the war planes to me, but that’s not saying a lot; I do not know my model designations well. I knew a few of them, like the plane that dropped Fat Man on Nagasaki, but I got a pretty fresh education overall. The space section had some really neat stuff, and we got to tour several presidential planes, including the one LBJ was on when he took the oath of office after JFK’s assassination.

10.25.21Soundcore Q30As someone who uses earplugs to sleep and earbuds for work, I have grown weary of shoving objects into my ears to aid in my daily routine. And as someone who isn’t an audiophile and cannot tell a high-end set of speakers from a consumer brand when they aren’t placed side by side, I don’t require the biggest and best equipment to listen to podcasts. Therefore, I bought myself a set of over-the-ear headphones that are under $100. Some research online suggested the Soundcore Q30 headphones were among the finest pair for the right price. Naturally, I wanted to photograph them on my white background soon after opening the box and digitally manipulated the image in Photoshop later.

10.26.21Toothpaste TrialFeeling the stress of uncertainty with several jobs and waiting on information about the logistics of each one, I decided to do some work around the house to keep myself occupied. After completing my tasks, I wanted to practice some additional product photography. I’ve already done several electronics, so I set my sights on something more mundane. I photographed the tube and toothbrush simultaneously, then added toothpaste in post. The background was also edited from the default white. There was no point to any of this besides just trying out new things and adding work to a growing portfolio.

10.27.21Old Work AnewHad a long shoot at JRG Lofts today. Worked from 10:30 AM to 5 PM. As I was knocking out their shot list, I wandered into their mailroom to see a picture I knew would be hanging on the wall. In July 2016, I took a photo of the Roebling Bridge during Golden Hour. I recently sold the image to a designer who had it printed and framed for placement in the JRG Lofts mailroom. It was nice to see something I made five years ago take on a new life in a new place.

10.28.21Forgetting to Do the HomeworkI spent the entire day editing photos from yesterday’s job. I still have days of work ahead of me, honestly. It’s a huge project that will require an unusually high amount of touching up. As such, I didn’t even think about Photo of the Day until about 11:45 PM. Like a bad student, I quickly took a photo of the closest thing to me when I realized I hadn’t completed the day’s assignment.

10.29.31Chateau SpookySaw this house on Dunlap Street and thought it was excellent. Best Halloween decor in Over-the-Rhine.

10.30.21Manny’s Crazy EyesForgive the quality of this photo; it is a still from a video of Manny, the neighbor’s dog, playing with Myrtle in our front yard. Still plugging away with editing the JRG Lofts project, I’ve had little time to do anything else for any length of time, so I’ve been unable to get a very good image in the past few days. I loved Manny’s crazy eyes in this, though.

10.31.21Sarah’s Halloween WeddingAlong with mom, dad, my grandmother, and Ashley, I rode to Hocking Hills to a cabin on the precipice of a ravine for Sarah’s wedding to Kyle. It was very relaxed and we ate some great lasagne.