On January 1, 2019, I began consciously making at least one photo a day with intention. This is both a record of those photos and a personal visual journal. Images will be published here at any hour of the day, so come back often to see what’s new.
All archived photos are linked at the bottom of this page.
The annual burning of the papier-mâché snowman to ward off bad weather for next weekend’s Bockfest celebration took place at Northern Row this evening. The Sausage Queen delivered the fatal flame to the lighter-fluid-soaked effigy, nicknamed Frothy the Snowman. It went up in about 90 seconds as the crowd clapped and recorded on their phones.
Afterward, I enjoyed a hot poker in my beer as part of the celebration.
Photo of the Mercantile Library crew for the library.
John wanted shots of the bar his shop made for Wayfarer Tavern. They did a tremendous job. I’ve eaten at this place every week since they started serving pizza, and it’s the closest thing I have to a local that isn’t Unataza Coffee a few doors up the block.
If you haven’t had their pizza yet, plan a visit. You’ll be more than satisfied.
A couple of weeks ago, I photographed Shahzia Sikander’s new exhibit, Collective Behavior, at the Cincinnati Art Museum. She liked the images so much, she contacted me directly to do more photos for her, specifically of the painted windows she made in a separate gallery. I went to the museum today to capture those windows and a few other pieces for her.
I obviously have to make money to stay alive, but it doesn’t drive me creatively. It’s not a motivator beyond sustenance and wanting to live a comfortable life. Hearing that I did a good job from a living artist of her caliber, however, has the opposite effect. It’s more motivating than anything I can think of. I thrive on the quality of work and recognition for doing a good job.
Staying with the diopter theme of late, I aimed it centimeters away from the center of a flower. I’m less interested in what’s in focus than the pillowy softness of the image around it (and the chromatic aberration that comes with filtering light through so many glass elements).
I used the diopter set from the other day and photographed this LCD screen from as close as possible. As a kid, it always blew my mind that LCD crystals could cause visible shadows on the backdrop behind it. Polarized light will always be a little bit of a mind-blower.
A couple weeks ago, I did a shoot at Vintage on Race Street for GBBN. Those shots turned out nicely, but they wanted me to return to the space when it was open so I could capture how the bar looked during a live show.
Normally, architectural shoots are slow and methodical, with time to dial in settings and perfectly stage everything. This return visit was anything but normal.
I brought Ashley, Allie, and Travis with me to set them up at the corner of the bar. They’d get drinks, and I’d position a tripod across from them, looking at them and beyond toward the stage. However, when we arrived, it was immediately apparent that wouldn’t happen. The bar was crowded and full, with a waiting list of 115 people (roughly two hours). The person I was told to contact about setting this up never got back to me, either.
Long story short, I went back to the bar at 9 PM when the show was supposed to begin, explained to the hostess and bouncer why I was there, and did a few handheld shots over my head at a high ISO that I would later correct in post. It wasn’t what I planned, and I honestly felt bad about not being able to control the scene the way I wanted.
I did the best I could, considering the situation.
Cast photo after we finished creating all the marketing images for the Streaming Things podcast. I rented out a three-hour block at The Lodge in Dayton, KY, to allow enough time to set up and take proper photos. While we didn’t get to the complicated, colorful photos Steve and I planned a couple of days ago, we did a ton of white background stuff they’ll use. All in all, it was a successful shoot.
The Lodge was also a perfect space for something like this. At $30/hr, it’s affordable and convenient. I think I’ll utilize this space again in the future if I need somewhere to set up for something of this scope.
Back row: Hatter, Kit, Andy, Jimmy, Alex
Front row: Madison, Steve, Erica
Rob needed a professional headshot for his job. We made this image then went out to eat wings and drink beer.
Steve came over to help figure out a complicated lighting setup we plan to use for an upcoming shoot on Friday. We’re photographing him and his co-hosts of the Streaming Things podcast for their social media marketing. This particular shot required four lights: purple and orange on the white backdrop, a neutral white key light on the right side of his face, and a Speedlight outfitted with an orange gel to illuminate his left side.
It took about two hours to set up, dial in the way we wanted, and record all the necessary settings to duplicate it later in a different space. It’s times like this that having a dedicated studio would be nice.
MA Design worked to reimagine a former four-story office building in Mason into a rental community called the Altura Apartments. The massive facility offers your standard new-build apartments in several floorplans named after Italian cities, loads of communal space (including the lounge pictured above), and a vast array of outdoor amenities that we didn’t shoot because there’s snow on the ground and it’s February in Ohio.
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