Race at the Raffle 2015

On Saturday night I attended CANAPI's signature fundraiser, Race at the Raffle, at the Tangier Event Center. I had never been to a "night at the races" style event - but what a fun time it turned out to be. Or "Losing money for a good cause," as I put it on Twitter. This event combined a reverse raffle, smaller regular raffles with the horse races and bidding on horses. There was always something going on. Even though it was exciting that my reverse raffle number made it quite far I really enjoyed betting on the video taped horse races the most - but I learned I should probably stay away from the real tracks.

Akron2Akron IV: Wallhaven

Jason Segendy led the latest in the Akron2Akron neighborhood walking tour series in his longtime hood of Wallhaven. I've lived the majority of my adult life in the Wallhaven so I was interested to see what I had left to learn. We started behind Westgate Plaza near the awesome used book store, 'The Bookseller'.

Self and Others

Last night I stopped by the Summit Artspace to check out the opening of "Self and Other: The Photographic Portrait". Thirteen photographers had photos showcasing their "interpretations of the contemporary portrait". I really liked most of the work - great light, compositions, and prints. Some photo shows have me shrugging my shoulders but I would highly recommend seeing this one.

Heavy Flow

Yesterday I walked on the Highbridge side of The Gorge and snapped a few pictures - the dam was so intense though that I decided I had to head back over there today with my tripod and shoot some photos from the other side. Nothing I haven't done before - but it was still worth it. Even in the drizzle there were a lot of people out snapping cell phone photos of the heavy flow from the snow melt. The noise was intense. The only thing better would be if the dam was removed and we could see that water crashing over the actual Cuyahoga Falls...

St. Patrick's Parade

Yesterday I marched in the St. Patrick's Parade in Downtown Akron to support Patrick Bravo, an elected school board member. Everyone waved, passed out stickers and candy, while I did my usual - documenting the event with my camera. The rain had stopped just in time - and didn't seem to affect the turn out.

Torchbearers 12th

On Thursday night I was at the Tangier in Akron for the 12th Anniversary party for the young professional, networking group Torchbearers. Torchbearers is much more than your typical business networking group though - they believe in actually doing something - and log thousands of hours of volunteer time in the community. It is an honor to be their official photographer.

Afternoon De-light

Yesterday I was working late on the studio renovations when I noticed the light streaming through the back door windows. I guess I had been kicking up some dust - so I picked up my camera.

iTowpath

Last night I went to the Akron Civic Theatre to hear some of the results from public engagement meetings for iTowpath - a project aimed at improving the Towpath through Akron. Chicago-based Alta Planning + Design was the main presenter. I found many of the idea to be solid, and they had broken them into three phases - from long term, more expensive plans to the immediate, quick and cheaper solutions. I like the idea of more coherent signage and branding(and better signage too). They presented an artists rendering of what the entrance to Downtown from the bridge over 59 could look like. I think this should be one of the first things worked on. When you come out of the beautiful Cascade Locks section of the Towpath you are dumped into Downtown in the most unceremonious way possible - I have no doubt that many people unfamiliar with Akron turn around here. Some other ideas are obvious but necessary - such as better/safer pedestrian crossings.

Akron2Akron 3: Historical Cultural Distric

On Saturday a bunch of us braved the blustery weather to take part in the third Akron2Akron walking tour - this one was in the section of Downtown they are calling the Historical Cultural District. Much of it consists of buildings Tony Troppe's company has saved and restored. The tour was led by Pete and Ellen Nischt who live downtown in the building that houses 3 Point. Compared to the other tours(North Hill, Fireston Park) I was wondering if I would find this one as interesting - I already spend time downtown eating, drinking, attending events, concerts and just doing my own photo walks. It turned out that we still went to places I didn't know about and I picked up a few good bits of trivia too.

50 Shades of Grey

Here are some more shots from the roll of Kentmere 400 I just developed. I remember going for this walk in Mount Peace Cemetery - I think I had some kind of plan to do a Halloween post with these images but I got too busy. I still think some of them are cool though, really good light. I enjoy walks in this cemetery, as the name suggests it is very peaceful.

Big Bend, Big Black and White

I developed this roll of Kentmere 400 today and after scanning it I was surprised to see I hadn't developed any film since October. I guess professional work is getting in the way of my hobby photography. I'm fine with that though...

It looks like I started this roll sometime in the middle autumn but these shots are from a hike I took last week at Big Bend. I decided I wanted to see what was on the rest of the roll and I wasn't even going to take my digital camera with me until this business was finished. Anyways - the Fall stuff later in the week - enjoy some monochrome snow.

Brick and Barrel

On Saturday I had to drive up to Dodd Camera in Cleveland to pick up a piece of photo gear. After driving all the way up there I didn't feel like coming right back home so I stopped at the new brewery "Brick and Barrel". They are located in an old building on Columbus Road in the Flats. They only had three beers on tap at the moment - talking to the bartender(the father of the owner/brewer) turned up that they kept selling out before they could fill the taps - good problem to have. Hopefully things keep going this well for them and they can get another fermenter installed to keep up with demand. It was a cool little spot, cozy feel, the brewery operation exposed in the back. The beers they did have on draft were solid offerings - they clearly know how to make beer. There is no food but there are three nearby restaurants that deliver. They also plan to make wine in the near future.

Half Cleveland

Last night 'Half Cleveland' played at The Civic Theatre - or "The Club @ The Civic". Which meant that chairs were set up on the stage of the beautiful theatre. It was Clone Records night and vintage vinyl and new releases were available for sale. The Bizarros opened the show and played the Akron punk rock they have been known for since the late 70s(photos of them will be added tomorrow). Half Cleveland for those "not in the know" consist of Harvey Gold and Chris Butler originally of legendary Akron band Tin Huey. Chris Butler(also the man behind 'The Waitresses') has recently released a great solo record and they played some of those songs along with Tin Huey classics, new Half Cleveland songs and some great covers(including The Move's 'I Can Hear The Grass Grow'). But I'd be lying if I didn't admit my favorite part of the night was the encore featuring a cover of The Clash's 'Safe European Home'. I could hardly hold still enough to control my camera.
As far as I'm concerned I would have been happy if they didn't put out any seats(standing room only!) but maybe the crowd(that mostly had a few decades on me) would disagree. Either way it was an awesome show.

Thirsty Dog "Tasting"

My Dad purchased a "Beer Tasting, Tour, and Dinner" at the Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. while at a fundraiser for Greenleaf. What a great time it turned out to be - although not exactly what I expected. In my mind I was thinking of a beer dinner much like a wine pairing dinner. Instead it was more of an open bar party with a table of food. We could sample whatever we wanted or get a full pint/snifter. I tried a few Thirsty Dog beers I had never had before. After a few hours brewery employee, Joe, did his best to take us on a guided tour.

Akron2Akron: North Hill

Yesterday I participated in the second Akron2Akron neighborhood walking tour - this time we were in North Hill. The tour started at Urban Vision, which is in a beautiful old church, and learned a little bit about their mission. We toured the facilities and stopped in the room housing Neighbors Apparel - who employ and train refugees living in North Hill in making apparel. The group was large and the stops small - so we split into three groups before we hit the streets. My group first walked to Morris's International Market - a store specializing in African groceries. We sampled drinks and snacks and learned about the unique items they sell.

Time Capsules Opening

Sometimes I like to browse through antique malls and without much intention of purchasing - its almost like a historic art gallery or museum - I just appreciate the beauty of the objects. Last night at the opening of "Time Capsules" at the Summit Artspace it was a similar vibe. But the things from those antique malls had been deconstructed and then put back together to create something totally new and unique. The works, called assemblages, were made by three Northeast Ohio artists - Bret Hines, Terry Klausman, and Gwen Waight. Being an opening there was quite a crowd and I didn't really get to check out some of the pieces as much as I would have liked(or get many photos). I think I'll have to make a point to return and see the show again before it closes.

Snow & Shadows

I haven't got out on many snow-covered-hikes in the Cuyahoga Valley this winter - I've mostly been shooting indoors for work. Seeing my friends' instagram feeds full of beautiful wooded scenes has had me pining for the trees(get it?). So I made a point to head to my favorite spot last night - the Langes Run Trail from the Wetmore Trailhead. After a few weeks of some bad news it was nice to forget about everything for a few hours and meditate with my camera in beautiful, winter light...

Craft Beer Bar

Laura and I decided to try the Craft Beer Bar in Cuyahoga Falls on Thursday evening - it had been on our radar since opening last Summer. At first the place itself seems perfect - edison lighting, the pallet wood back bar, tap handles for sink faucets, beer kegs for pillars - all perfectly trendy, maybe to perfectly trendy. Its like their horrible name in a way - I'd say the vibe is almost as if Target opened a brewpub. No big deal though - we were there for good beer and good food. With thirty taps and plenty of local options the beer was great - almost all draught - which is what we like. I started with a Belgian Pale Ale and Laura had one of Great Lakes new beers - a High Striker - a Belgian single. We polished off those and then ordered dinner...