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9.1.24Balcony HangsI went to Caitlyn and Brendan’s house this evening to watch the WEBN fireworks show. They have a killer view overlooking essentially all of downtown from CUF. The small gathering allowed everyone to pile onto the third-floor balcony with the best view of the show when it finally kicked off.I wasn’t going to take photos of the show because I’ve done it in years past. How many shots of fireworks does one need anyway? Unsurprisingly, I still did. It was a new (to me) view of it, and I hadn’t shot the show in years. It felt right.Wedging the Zf against the railing, I let the interval timer run 1-second exposures throughout so I could enjoy the show without fiddling too much with the camera.Though I was able to make a nice final image of the show with the view, my favorite of the evening was this one: a shot of my friends together.

9.2.24CincinninetiesLast night, Myrtle spent less-than-desirable time alone while I was at the fireworks watch party in CUF, so to make up for it, we got coffee (for me) and a biscuit (for her) and went to Friendship Park for a nice long walk. As we crossed Sawyer Point, I saw the Cincinnatus statue dressed up for the previous evening's festivities. Wearing a flannel tied around his waist, a sleeveless WEBN top, sunglasses, and holding a 2D cutout of a boombox, the familiar statue looked distinctly 'Nineties’ to mirror the show's theme.I wasn’t the only one in the park to stop to take in the sight, either. A Lycra-clad, sweaty man propped his bike up against the granite dais and raised a generic Android phone toward the scene to take a photo. A woman slowed her run and double-tapped her earbuds to pause her workout and admire the statue. After everyone decided they needed to get their cardio back up and moved along, I slithered into position for a photo.

9.3.24SunriseA view of the sunrise from my office window.

9.4.24Appreciating LinesDo you ever see this kind of thing? How lines intersect and stay consistent across a notable distance?Do you ever notice the shapes of a place and appreciate how its proportions and features line up perfectly? Do you ever unfocus your eyes by slightly squinting and crossing them so you can better see patterns and lines in physical settings?I really appreciate the consistency of these seven homes. Almost certainly built around the same time, their details differ slightly, but they look to be of the same style overall. It’s so satisfying when you see lovely, independent architecture in abundance. Not brownstones. Not duplexes or apartment buildings. Not row houses. Those all come with a level of consistency baked into their design. These single family houses didn’t need to conform geometry, but they did and it’s special.

9.5.24Moment of ZenI’m working in the studio for Marlene all week. When working for her, I don’t photograph much during the day unless I leave the studio to run an errand. Those days end up looking uninteresting in retrospect.But this is interesting to me. I like how the sun comes in the front window during the summer. When that tree fell this past January, it unlocked a bunch of light on the front of the house.

9.6.24Non-AlcoholicsAfter a successful yet tiring week, we met Chelsea and Vince at their place for some Indian food and drinks—only these drinks weren’t alcoholic.Chelsea’s on some meds at the moment and isn’t mixing it with alcohol. Ashley and I are doing our best to curb our intake as part of a greater effort to lose weight and feel better. Thankfully, they had some NA beers and NA canned cocktails that were surprisingly good.

9.7.24MothsWe went to Baeten’s this morning to check out their autumnal offerings. The summer pots on the porch have grown crispy and wilted as they tend to do at the end of the season. It was time to freshen things up with new varieties.It wasn’t a photo-heavy day for me. We didn’t go out, we ate dinner at home, and I sat on the couch all night. While necessary for mental and physical health, these types of days aren’t always photogenic. Thankfully, I got this photo of moths sitting atop this yellow flower at the nursery.

9.8.24Butt's GoneThe butt of the Mt. Washington building I’ve been photographing for Jake is gone. They cleaned it out and appear to be rethinking this space. I haven’t spoken to Jake about what this place will be after it’s renovated, and I love the mystery of it. I think I’ll see how long I can go without knowing anything about it.

9.9.24Celebratory BreadstickAshley got some excellent career news this week, so we went to Nicola’s to celebrate. She’s moving on to work for Sunshine Bouquet with her former boss from Kroger. She’s getting better pay and benefits as a result of the move. Hooray!

9.10.24Andrew's HouseAndrew Hungerford was the Director of the Know Theater for as long as I can remember. Recently, he relinquished his position there to move back to Los Angeles full-time. He and Elizabeth, his spouse, own a home in Santa Monica and have been living between worlds for years. They’re selling their OTR house that’s subdivided into four apartments and asked me to photograph it for the listing.While I was there, Andrew and I discussed Star Trek, cinema, and a variety of topics. It was great catching up with him, and his house is a beaut. I particularly liked this window on the second floor. I shot it with a very shallow depth of field because I wanted to linger on the tidy handsomeness of the poplar frame.

9.11.24Rural OhioCityBlock, the Brooklyn-based clinic that opened a location in Cincinnati that I shot back in early July, is opening another location in Columbus. They asked me to photograph it before their ribbon-cutting on the 12th. I went up around 2 PM, did my thing, and began driving back after failing to find a hot dog stand that was open and worth going to for dinner.On the drive home, the sun was setting. I know I shouldn’t photograph anything while I drive, and I normally don’t, but I couldn’t help myself this one time. I took a quick iPhone picture out of the moon roof. It was just too pretty to pass up.Also, I think this is the first time I’ve ever traveled on 9/11.

9.12.24Weird Day at WorkI’ll explain everything, but first, I want to enjoy the absurdity of this image that I made today……Okay, explanation: I’ve been helping a local judge with images for a book she’s writing about the history of the Hamilton County Courthouse for so long that I think it pre-dates this daily photo project. Over the years, I’ve photographed almost the entire building and made images of archival texts, images, and artifacts. I’ve seen some fantastically interesting stuff during that time. It’s been a fulfilling project for someone like me who genuinely enjoys local history.Anyway, she called me up yet again and asked if I’d photograph old photos someone made of the courthouse during its construction. “Also, I need photos of a few other items,” she said. I didn’t ask her for specifics at that point, but I never in a million years would’ve thought she meant blow-up dolls and a dildo. When I arrived, she presented me with the materials she wanted to be documented, including the promised ‘other items.’It genuinely caught me off guard. For lack of knowing what else to do, I laughed and asked her why I needed to document these things for this book. She said she needed images of sex toys to illustrate a story about a famous court case that dealt with obscenity and the sale of adult content decades ago when that sort of thing was scandalous enough to be illegal. It made a lot more sense at that point. Then I laughed again, realizing that she had accidentally put her Amazon ‘For You’ algorithm into an excited state of confusion.She left me in the room with the archival photos, rechargeable lithium ion battery phallus, and deflated blow-up dolls (whose names were ‘Ginger’ and ‘Destiny,’ according to their cards). As I organized the materials, I set up the backdrop and snapped the above image to ensure I had a record of this very weird day at work.

9.13.24Moon TreeWhenever I have business in another city, I try to find something of note to experience while there—a restaurant, an oddity, or anything notable that makes the trip special. It’s important to make the most of travel, even if it’s just an hour away or for something routine.Before heading to Indianapolis early this morning, I scoured the internet for something I could see while there. I’ve been to Indy many times, but I wanted to see something new. After a couple of minutes of research, I realized the thing I needed to see was standing proudly in plain sight. I wasn’t prepared for how special it’d be seeing it up close, however.This is an extraterrestrial being on the lawn of the Indiana Statehouse. It’s one of many Moon Trees planted around the US—trees grown from seeds that went to space, orbited the moon, and were returned to Earth and planted so scientists could study their growth. In 1971, this sycamore tree accompanied the Apollo 14 crew and journeyed further from Earth than nearly every human who has ever lived.Scientists have found no discernible difference between the seeds taken to space and terrestrial seeds. But I love that they thought there could be something special about them besides their trip around Earth’s largest satellite. There’s still so much we don’t know about space, and 50 years ago, we knew even less. No one can blame them for thinking there might be something physically transformative about the journey.Standing under the shade of a tree that began its peaceful life in maybe the most romantic, hostile, outrageous way possible was an indescribable sensation.

9.14.24Art Off the WallsChoosing a single image from today was almost impossible. I shot Art Off the Walls for ArtWorks at the Newport Car Barn in West Newport. The fundraising event featured silent and live auctions, food, drinks, a performance by Pones, and a dance floor that ended up being the most fun part of the evening to photograph (as usual).I made portraits in front of murals for Colleen, Jill, Jens, and Kay. I concentrated on getting candids of attendees smiling, laughing, hugging, and having a great time. I sweated through my shirt, capturing as much of the dancefloor as possible in difficult lighting conditions. I did my best not to spend all my time talking with good people I wanted to catch up with while on the job. I ran video the whole event while photographing it to create a Reel for them later. It was a crazy night, to say the least.I settled on this image because it combines so many of the elements I enjoyed from the evening: Pam Kravetz in her custom disco ball outfit, dancers in various levels of costume, the DJ in the background crushing it, the guy in the red shirt and tie who dominated the dancefloor with moves that would make David Byrne blush, and the multicolored lights filling the hazy the room with ambiance.I left shattered from fatigue yet full of creative satisfaction.

9.15.24Waiting For CoffeeTitle says it all.

9.16.24Never Quite Getting ItArtWorks helped bring world-renowned contemporary artist Shepard Fairey to Cincinnati. He and his team are putting up a three-story mural on the side of MadTree Alcove at 15th and Vine. The whole process will take less than two days. After that, they will wheat paste around town before heading to Dayton, Columbus, and Cleveland to do the same thing.I’ve been a casual fan of Shepard’s work for as long as I remember being interested in design. From OBEY to HOPE, he’s always been in the background of very specific circles I’ve enjoyed. His bold, colorful style is instantly recognizable regardless if you know his name.I went over around 1:45 PM to get a few shots for ArtWorks. The shoot was tricky because he was on a scissor lift between two other people and bags full of discarded stencils and spray paint cans slung from either end. Getting a clear photo was difficult, and the composition wasn’t great when I did.I tried until 7:30 PM to get a good photo. I managed a few, and I think they’re fine, but I was hoping for something staged for ArtWorks’ purposes. I didn’t dare speak to him as he was busy doing the mural, and I didn’t want to get too close to the lift for fear of losing privileges on the ground. He seemed cool to me, and his taste in music was rad, but I didn’t know how far I could go before I’d get told to scram. So, I played it safe and stood at a distance most of the day. He’s the middle person toward the right side of the lift in the photo.They’d completed about 75% of the mural before I left for the day. Apparently, they’ll finish the rest tomorrow morning. He’s planning a talk at the CAC that I may attend. It’s really something to have a working artist of his caliber just doing his thing in a place I intimately know.

9.17.24Got ItYesterday, I spoke about how I spent hours at 15th and Vine photographing Shepard Fairey and crew painting a mural on the side of Alcove. Despite being around for hours, I hadn’t gotten a solid portrait of him because he was busy on the scissor lift spray painting. The last thing I wanted to do was approach and bother him, so I hung back the entire day.Today, though, I had a brief opportunity to photograph him on the street. I returned to the site around 10 AM to grab more images for ArtWorks, and around 11:30, they all got off the lift and walked a few blocks to the Art Academy where he had an appointment to speak with the students and faculty.During that walk, I went about a half block ahead and photographed him and his crew making their way down Vine with Jill. When they arrived at the AAC, I saw a wall of his posters along the route, recognized the opportunity, and squared up for a shot. At first, I was bummed I didn’t get him in profile, but the more I sit with it, the more I think this is a better photo overall. It’s genuine and imperfect. You can see the idea, but it’s sloppy. It’s a portrait of an artist briefly taking in his work in the medium for which it was designed. And while he’s not anonymous like other street artists, I think it’s appropriate that his identity is a mystery in this photo when considering what he does.There were other photos of him working and a few presenting at the AAC, but this is my favorite of the day.

9.18.24Bi-Color PlantJust playing around with speedlights, gels, and a white backdrop.

9.19.24The Lighting Was GoodNothing special. The lighting was just good.

9.20.24Jerry'sJustin’s a bachelor this weekend, so he came down and we went to Jerry’s Jug House for a few rounds of drinks. As he was bringing back a couple of rum-based “Cherry Cokes,” I snapped a blurry image that accidentally had every vibe of a drunken, hilarious night out.

9.21.24Oktoberfest '24I’ll be honest, I haven’t been to Oktoberfest in years because it’s sucked. Shuffling around sticky asphalt, bumping shoulders with every Cincinnatian possible, baking in the sun on some combination of 2nd, 3rd, or 5th Street—it’s not a recipe for a good time as far as I’m concerned. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had a good time in years past, but there was a lot of overlooking the cons to enjoy the pros. It was once a tradition that, while uncomfortable and expensive, I dealt with to be part of the community, but at some point, I gave up caring about it.At best, it was a weekend where the bars I liked had lighter crowds.Caitlyn got a job with the Chamber this year, and she promised us Oktoberfest would be different primarily because of its move to Sawyer Point and Yeatman’s Cove. She was right.We went down and met up with friends. It was a perfect setting for a festival as large as Oktoberfest Zinzinnati. It’s staggering to me that it wasn’t down here every year. The entire operation snaked along the Serpentine Wall, under the Purple People Bridge, and through the forested paths and alcoves of Bicentennial Park. Enormous tents took up space on the lawns but never felt too domineering. The natural shade from the many trees blocked the direct sun, allowing people to sit in the grass and on various bits of park infrastructure unrelated to the festival. They set up stages in areas not in the middle of the critical mass of people. The food vendors were tucked into shaded areas, as were the beer trailers, and the lines to eat and drink were rarely long enough that you felt discouraged from joining a queue.It was spread out enough that people could enjoy themselves while also not leaving wide gaps in programming, all within a beautiful, shaded, visually varied venue. It’s never felt more organic and interesting, seasoned and special. If Oktoberfest is held at the park yearly, I am excited to return.

9.22.24HBD, Unataza!Our favorite little coffee shop, Unataza, turns five this weekend. When we walked in, owner Alejandra offered us celebratory cake. Cheers to another five years!

9.23.24Coke OreosThere’s this strange collab happening between Coca Cola and Oreo at the moment. Not only do we have an Oreo-flavored Coke, we also have Coke-flavored Oreos.Mark Borison, Jungle Jim’s wonderful social media and content guy, made a video about them recently, and it’s been on my brain ever since. Seeing no way to rid myself of nagging curiosity, I had to get a bottle and pack to see what was up.The verdict: both are a nice little departure from classic flavors, but they will never replace them.The drink (Zero version) is subtle enough that if you’re not paying attention, you may not immediately taste the difference. It’s without a doubt present with every sip, but if you weren’t expecting it, you might not notice for a second. The Oreos, however, hit you square in the nose as soon as you peel back the packaging. They’re undoubtedly Coke versions of the familiar sweet. I especially liked the custom designs on the red halves of the cookies.

9.24.24Steps HomeI use this set of public steps near my house all the time. They help me get from the end of my street to the street below and significantly reduce the time it takes to commute on foot if I need to go anywhere west. After a night out with friends, they dropped me off at the base of the steps, and I walked up to my house as usual.Sometimes I think about the relationship I have with these steps and how they’re important to others, too. I regularly see both kids and adults using them. Hell, even the deer trot up the steps from time to time. My mailman, who has lived in the area his whole life, talked about how he and his friends would run up and down the steps when they were kids, just as I see kids today using them. Painter Harland Hubbard apparently grew up a few doors away from my own back in the early 1900s, and I wonder if these steps were around for when he was still here.The railroad has been here for as long as Sanborn Maps have been around, so it’s possible the stairs have, too. It’s kind of amazing to think of how a simple piece of public infrastructure like a set of stairs can be so important to the daily lives of the people around them, and how they can be tied to fond memories for those who’ve long since moved away.If they were located in Cincinnati, they’d probably have their own Instagram account or something.

9.25.24Moonlit EveningA scene from this evening’s musical performance before the opening of the new Ansel Adams exhibit at the Art Museum. They hoisted a giant, illuminated moon from the ceiling in the Great Hall.

9.26.24Non-TraditionalMike and I got up early and drove up to Chicago to see the White Sox play their final home game of the season. Neither of us is a White Sox fan, and I’d never been to Guaranteed Rate Field on the south side of Chicago, but we went mainly to see history made…only it didn’t end up that way.The White Sox were on the verge of losing more games in a single season than any other team in the history of Major League Baseball. To say their season had been a disaster is putting it lightly. Very few baseball teams have seen as poor a showing as this 2024 team in Chicago. If they’d lost to the Angels for their final home game, they’d officially set the record, and we wanted to be there for it. No, it’s not a glamorous record to hold, but it’s still significant, and we thought it would be fun to do on a random Thursday.Fortunately for the White Sox, they crushed the Angels after a staggeringly good showing in the 5th inning and managed not to set the record on their home turf. We were a little bummed we didn’t see history made today, but we also had a great time quietly rooting for them to win. Either way, we saw a historically awful team play bizarrely adequately for their final home game of the season.We ate Chicago dogs and pizza, wandered around the ballpark for a bit (pictured is the excellent view of the skyline from an upper level), found some seats on the 1st baseline that weren’t the $7 seats we purchased, and saw a bunch of White Sox fans genuinely cheer for their awful team. We hit up Portillo’s on the way out of Chicago and headed back to Cincinnati before the sunset.It was a good day that I think we’ll both remember for a long time.

9.27.24IndecisionI photographed Art After Dark again for the museum. There was a massive party in the Great Hall where rotating DJs on a second story balcony kept the music pumping and everyone dancing. The scene you see above is barely the start of it all; by the time I was contracturally finished at 9 PM, the entire room was shoulder to shoulder with more people coming in to join. I’ve rarely seen a showing at that magnitude.To choose a favorite frame from the evening is an impossible task. If I choose Image A, I’ll look at Images B, C, and D and think those are equally as representative of the evening, albeit in different ways. The indecision is paralyzing. So I chose the very first one on the card from the evening.I’m also choosing it for another reason. I was recently convinced by watching a few different photographers on YouTube that high ISO isn’t the enemy and should be utilized more often. I’d gotten used to using ISO 12800 as my maximum for awhile, but sometimes I needed more. I decided to amp it up to 20000 and see if Denoise could handle it. Short answer: it can so long as I keep the slider no more than 40 during enhance. This photo is an example of how previously unthinkable grain can be mitigated with Denoise in order to get a sharp shot in low light, and I’m thrilled that I have a little more latitude now to get a faster shutter in lower light.

9.28.24Wine NightWe went to Chelsea and Vince’s for a wine tasting and got silly by the end of the night.

9.29.24Esmeray's 2nd BirthdayLittle Esmeray turned two today. We went to celebrate her birthday with everyone up at my sister’s house. After she opened her gift (The Rainbow Fish book), she brought it over to the ottoman and put it down in front of her. She was being so cute. I managed to snap a photo before she moved onto the next thing.

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