9.1.25Asset CreationThe aforementioned camera I took to KI yesterday. Took a photo of it for the blog post I’m writing.

9.2.25Return to Scott StreetNight shots for a listing I shot last month.

9.3.25Still LifeGood light in the room tonight.

9.4.25The Frame (Part 3)Back in July, I posted photos of a frame for a vanity I was building for Marlene. Long story short, I never got around to getting a finished photo after I posted about it (check July 7 and 13th in the archives for more). I went to Maine, work was crazy after getting back, and I didn’t have another job in the studio for a little bit. Today, though, I met up with her in the studio to run around and pick up some equipment, and I finally got a finished photo of the whole thing.It’s not a great photo, but I only had a minute to snap something on my phone. I’m really proud of the way it turned out, and she said it’s made a big difference for her hair and makeup crew.

9.5.25The Bridge8K spent a year renovating a couple of blighted buildings in Evanston along Montgomery Road. The top photo is a retail space I photographed in September of 2025. The bottom is what that same exact space looks like today from as close to the same perspective as I could get it.

9.6.25Hoary Edge (Thorybes Lyciades)While photographing Art on the Rise this afternoon, I spotted a brown and orange butterfly on a caution sign. I liked how the colors were so similar to one another. Later on, I spent an embarrassing amount of time online trying and failing to identify the insect, losing way too much time looking at butterflies before realizing this was, in fact, a hoary edge moth.

9.7.25False ShowerI’m making a fake shower for a photoshoot and using these stick-on tiles. Never done this before. Decided to do it outside where I have more room, and the white rubbery tiles reflected the blue sky quite nicely.

9.8.25The CycleAll I’m doing is working. If I’m not photographing something for someone, I’m building a set for someone else. If I’m not behind a camera, I’m editing what I did behind one earlier in the day. If I’m not editing, I’m answering emails and trying to get my calendar situated. If I’m not doing that, I’m fretting about my backlog of organizational tasks I haven’t done because I’m always so strapped for time.In the off chance I get a free evening, I’m either working on house stuff or trying to catch up on something else. When I do force myself to relax, I feel guilty for doing so.This cycle of productivity is tiring. I would love to be busy, but also not getting my ass kicked every week for it.

9.9.25Faking It After Making ItI was tasked with making a fake shower for a photoshoot. Really all we needed was an embedded shelf and two flat panels with tile. I don’t know how they’re going to be used or for what products, but I built them out of 3/4-inch thick MDF panels, stick-on tiles, and I made the shelf from scrap I had in the basement. I think they turned out well overall.I did a quick setup and shoot to get an idea of how it’ll look. I can’t wait to see how this turns out when the real shoot happens.

9.10.25Two CatsJust a couple of guys I saw on a walk with Myrtle after a busy day in the studio with Marlene.

9.11.25Passing ThroughWorking with Marlene this week and next week. It’s going to be a struggle to find stuff to photograph despite the fact that I’m literally in a studio all week.If you’re new here, I don’t have as much opportunity to find subjects to photograph when I’m helping in her studio. Photography of the studio is largely prohibited (understandably), and since I’m there for 10 hours a day, I have less chance to snap something interesting. The task falls to the evening when I’m off work for the day and have time to do my own thing.I snapped a photo of this corner while at a stop light. The colors on the building have long been attractive to me, and I finally caught in good light.

9.12.25Oktoberfest CovingtonWe ate at the revolving restaurant in Covington tonight. The food was actually better than I thought it would be. I don’t believe I’ve been in well over 10 years, and hadn’t been since childhood before that.The gimmick of a rotating restaurant wasn’t lost on me. I find that kind of thing delightful and memorable, especially on a night like tonight when the weather was beautiful and we spun around during sunset.Afterward, we wandered down to Covington’s Oktoberfest to check things out. I hadn’t been to Covington’s celebration in a long time, and I was surprised by how enjoyable the whole setup was. Streets were closed, loads of tents with various food, drink, and wares were sprinkled about the park and neighboring streets, booths with games sat illuminated at the edge of the woods (pictured), a band played on a stage, and shops along the celebration opened their doors for the evening.Honestly, though, I think the most memorable thing to me was all the people posted up on their porches. There are many private residences that abut the festival with large porches ready to host parties, and nary a homeowner or renter in the area failed to do so. With dogs on their laps and cans of beer in hand, they appeared to soak up the vibe of Oktoberfest from the comfort of cushioned couches and sturdy railings as visitors like us looked upon their fortune with envy.

9.13.25Renewing My PassportI need to get my actual passport renewed. Until that happens, I’m working on this one.

9.14.25Pumpkin PatchingAshley wanted to do her annual porch pumpkin run. We’ve gone to Neltner and other farms in the past, but this year we got them from C.P. Reeves in Ludlow since we discovered that place earlier in the spring. They were shockingly cheap compared to pumpkins we’ve purchased in the past; I’m not sure why they were priced so low considering literally everything else in this country is more expensive now.

9.15.25Cincinnati PreservationA group photo of the Cincinnati Preservation staff at the John Hauck Mansion on Dayton Street in the West End.

9.16.25Break a Leg!Permission was granted to take this BTS photo. The shelf backdrop I made for this week’s product shoot was erected on set, and I had a moment of pride seeing the work I did under studio lights.UPDATE: The shelf shot ultimately got cut from the final roster of finished images. Hopefully it gets used in another shoot at a later time.

9.17.25Rediscovered TreasuresAfter a long 10-hour day in the studio, I went straight up to the Art Museum to photograph the soft opening of Rediscovered Treasures prior to its public debut. As part of the opening, performers danced in flowing garments to an intimate crowd in the P&G Gallery.

9.18.25Wake UpEvery day I wake up, read the news, have a light panic attack about the direction our country is going, then try through gritted teeth and shot nerves to get on with my day. There’s really no other option. Either stay ill-informed and ignore this slide into fascism, or stay informed and feel ill. If you’re not upset and worried, you’re not paying enough attention.I’ve been desperately trying to keep my shit together. But when I walk down the street and see an American flag proudly hung from a pole after a day of reading about everything, I can’t imagine being anything but contemptuous at this point. Being proud of this awful moment in time is repulsive. Showing support for it by flying a flag is sickening. I’ve never been less proud to live in the United States as I am now, and the bar was already subterranean.Maybe we will one day look back on all this as just another chapter before forward progress again. Maybe this will all come to a head and we can come down from this ever-escalating high of violence and ignorance. People shooting each other, masked agents kidnapping people off the streets, sending weapons to further genocide overseas, and now talk of silencing those critical of the government should be sending shivers down everyone’s spine. Oh, I forgot, no one actually cares about any of that. Maybe we should talk about how the economy sucks, tourism has tanked, and everything costs more than it should despite false promises that it will all get cheaper.Wake the fuck up, America.

9.19.25Absolutely BeatAshley’s been gone all week, I’ve been working 10-hour days at the studio, and now I have retouch work to do all weekend. No Oktoberfest Zinzinnati for me this year, sadly.Took a photo of this door on the back of the Mohawk building after taking out the trash. Going to go home and try to relax a bit.

9.20.25Absolutely BoredI feel so bad for Myrtle. We’ve been on a walk, we’ve played ball a bit, and I’ve taken her to the coffee shop, but she’s so bored. She’s been by herself most of the week due to me having to work all day, and since Ashley’s been gone, she hasn’t received the same level of attention she’s used to.Since I’m at my desk today doing retouch work for Marlene, she’s once again bored. I have to get all this work done, but I feel guilty constantly about not entertaining her the way I wish I could.

9.21.25Gear FoamAfter adding the 70-200 Nikkor to my kit, I needed to reconfigure my work case. The new lens was too big to stand vertically and required an updated layout. The new lens, with its fixed f/2.8 aperture, replaces the older 24-200 I used to carry with me. For event work, a faster lens was essential.The case now holds the following:Nikon Z9, Nikon Zf with either 28mm or 40mm lens attached, speedlight, one spare battery for each camera and speed light, 70-200mm, 24-70mm, 14-30mm, 2Tb SSD, USB-C cable, optical trigger, and metal case with business and SD cards.

9.22.25By the BookFor the first time in weeks, we’re getting a lot of rain. My plants are loving it, but the downpour has me in my head. I’m not ready for overcast skies to be my daily reality again this winter. I don’t even like summer all that much, really, but this sneak peek at grey grossness has me prematurely missing sunshine.I went up to Dayton, OH to photograph some apartments for Rookwood. There really wasn’t anything out of the ordinary about them; pretty run-of-the-mill job, if I’m honest. Nothing to write home about. Felt kind of nice to have an easier day after the last two weeks of non-stop work. This is pretty much the only semi-interesting shot from the whole day.

9.23.25Late-Season BaseballWe got coneys and went down to the river to eat them. While we sat on the bench, the Reds lost to the Pirates 4-2. Maybe one year soon we’ll make it to the World Series again. Not holding my breath, though.

9.24.25Inspi-rock-tionAll of them were some form of “you’re doing great, keep it up” that you’ve heard a billion times when it comes to these types of public art initiatives, but one of the rocks simply said ‘punk rock’ and had a drawing of a little face on it.

9.25.25Boldly GourdingJust a nice pumpkin setup.

9.26.25NIF-DI didn’t know about this dance crew until tonight when I photographed them at Art After Dark, but NIF-D performed twice in an hour in the Great Hall to a very large crowd. Managing to stay low and in front of everyone watching, I got a lot of good shots that I’m honestly very proud of considering how challenging the lighting was coupled with how quickly everyone was moving. This was my favorite frame of the evening because it accurately captured the joy of many of the performers simultaneously as the routine circles around the woman in the middle.

9.27.25IFCAPhotographed the International Freedom Conductors Awards tonight. The NURFC hired me to cover the red carpet, VIP hour, and full on-stage program. Tamron Hall hosted the evening, and many musical artists such as Canadian-born singer Deborah Cox (pictured) performed in between awards. I had the privilege of sharing photo duties with another local photographer, too, which helped relieve some of the pressure to get everything totally on my own. It’s really difficult to photograph a stage show like this without disturbing anyone when it’s a place the size of the Aronoff, Music Hall, or a venue of equal proportions. I normally sneak into extreme stage left or right, get my shot, then quickly and quietly duck back out into the hall and run around to the other side, as well as find areas on upper floors to get fresh perspectives, without disturbing anyone’s viewing experience. Having someone else there and coordinating with them allowed me more time to get to the spots I needed without running myself ragged.The show went long, but staying until the end was so worth it. Everyone got up out of their seat and danced to the final act, giving me a load of opportunities for energetic, passion-fueled photos.

9.28.25Impromptu Eli’sWhile listening to an episode of Caleb Hearon’s ‘So True’ (hilarious show), he started talking about BBQ, and I couldn’t get it out of my head. Had to go to Eli’s to scratch the itch—and scratch it did. Have you been to Eli’s lately? If not, go remind yourself why it’s the best BBQ in town.

9.29.25Myrtle MondaysAshley works almost exclusively from the porch during this time of year. Since we barely use it in the winter, we savor every moment we can when it’s still seasonable. Myrtle’s grown accustomed to napping on the porch couch all day while Ashley works, but occasionally she’ll hop up in the chair and watch the street, searching for passersby with their own dogs.

9.30.25Accidental VermeerSnapped a photo of this cat in a window while on my way into Unataza, and I cannot help but feel the color palate, softness, hard lighting, and weathered texture has big Dutch-masters-during-the-Renaissance vibes to it.