The Industrial & Commercial History of Akron

Last evening I went on the latest Akron2Akron walking tour. This one started at the Mustill Store and we walked along the Towpath through Cascade Locks. I always find it interesting that one of my favorite, most peaceful parts of Akron used to be its most bustling and one of the biggest reasons Akron grew into the city it did. It could take around a day to get a canal boat through Locks 10-16 so the crews would get off the boats and spend their day(and money) in the city. The elevation gain also made it the perfect spot for a mill race and industry sprouted up to take advantage of the water power. There are so many great stories and so much history in the area it is definitely worth spending some time reading the interpretive signs and stopping in the Mustill Store which is now a museum.

Though I've hiked and biked the locks for years it was really cool to have a guide give some more perspective on this place.

Jane's Walk: Akron Waterways Renewed

This afternoon I went on a lunchtime walking tour led by Michelle from the Akron Engineering Department. As we walked along the Towpath through downtown we were updated on the CSO project - the goal is to reduce combined sewer overflows. Michelle also gave a great history of the area and how we got to where we are now - from the canal, to the trains and later cars and the sewer system itself. From covering the canal and burying the tributaries to urban renewal and combined sewers she stressed that each generation thought they were doing what was best for the city at the time.

I always learn something new on these walks but my favorite thing is meeting other people who care about our city - its past, present and future.

Scrap Tires

This was my third year shooting the scrap tire event at the HHWRC sponsored by ReWorks. It is one of my favorite jobs. I don't know what it is but there is always something so visually compelling to me about this event. It can't just be that I'm from Akron and have a soft spot for tires? No - every year I love these photos. They should be in a magazine spread. 

Anyways - it costs Summit County residents one buck a tire to drop them off here - which is a way better solution then throwing them in a ravine(which apparently is a very popular solution I've discovered over the years from my many off-trail hikes). 

Feel free to let me know if you find these photos as stimulating as I do.

Weekend on Wheels

I left the studio on my Trek around 5:30pm on Friday evening - there was a steady rain but I was determined to ride. I met a few friends at R. Shea Brewing for a drink before the grand opening of Blimp City Bike and Hike in their new location across the street. The opening was supposed to include the first Moon Ride of the season but the ride was canceled because of the wet conditions of the Towpath. The opening was still a good time with beer, food, music and five bikes raffled for free.

After the party I rode to Sara's house. I woke in the morning and rode to Highland Square for 'Block to the Lock'. That kicked off with a meeting led by Councilman Swirsky and then a group ride to Glendale Cemetery and then onto the seasonal opening of the Mustill Store. After lunch and music I rode out to Peninsula and had a beer at the Winking Lizard. I ended my day back at R. Shea meeting a friend for a drink.

A weekend not getting in a car is a great weekend.

That One Time Downtown

This month's installment of 'That One Time Downtown' was held at Baxter's Bar and emceed by David Giffels(regular emcee Heather Burns was out of town). Three very different but compelling speakers told stories. Jazz musician Theron Brown told a story of getting lost in Tokyo and tied it into his experience of living in his adopted home town of Akron. Karen Starr spoke about her times at the Carousel Dinner Theater on Waterloo. Chuck Ayers closed the night telling his experience on May 4th 1970 at Kent State while working for the Beacon Journal.

Tortola

I just got back from an extended weekend on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. I was there to shoot one of my closest friend's weddings - I'm still working through those photos and videos and will have that post soon. 

Tortola was absolutely amazing, if you look up "tropical island" it should just show you a photo of Tortola. I flew into St. Thomas and took a ferry over - which was part of the fun. Tortola is small and relatively undeveloped - and even though you need a passport they speak English and use the US dollar. We all stayed at the Long Bay Beach Club and it mostly felt like we had the place to ourselves. If you want lots of action this is not the place for you - this is a chill vacation spot. 

I did rent a bike in Road Town - the biggest city - and rode it back to the hotel and then back to Road Town the next day. It was a beautiful ride but it is not for amateurs - a couple of killer hills and very narrow roads(plus you have to get used to riding on the "wrong" side of the street).

Winter Saturday in Spring

Yesterday my friend, Fran, invited me to an open house at the future home of HiHo Brewing Co. The building is on Front Street in Cuyahoga Falls and is mostly just a shell right now - but they had the floor plans posted and it looks like it will be real cool spot. A variety of beers were available to sample and all were good - my favorite being the Session Red Rye IPA. They are projecting a fall opening(so probably spring as I joked).

When all the beer was polished off at HiHo we headed into to the Valley for a hike and some barn exploration at the Wetmore Trailhead. It was a beautiful winter hike - in April.

Color Implosion

When I put in an order for photography gear I usually tack on a few rolls of film - sometimes restocking Kodak Tri-X 400 and other times trying some interesting sounding films I've never used before. This time I tried out a film by Adox called "Color Implosion!" which is a C41 negative film that bills itself as having "imploding colors, bursting red, and toxic grains". About the only thing I would agree with them on is the "toxic grain" as this is a super grainy film - it almost looks like over exposed ISO 1600 film. I experimented with it in a few different situations - night with flash, bright daylight, magic hour, and set at ISO 100 and 400. 

This is a film I wouldn't ever buy again - in fact the only reason I can see to buy this film would be if you want to make sure people know you are shooting film - as there would be no other reason to go for such a grainy washed out look. I guess some might people like its "vintage/instagram-y" feel but I think this just looks like poorly exposed old film. There is just nothing that sets it apart enough to make it worthwhile. 

Anyway, check it out - I still came away with a few photos I liked enough to share.

The Show

So what is this? Its my new teaching tool - for teaching myself. Much like the original intention of this blog, "to shoot, edit and post a photo everyday" the goal of the show will be to record a new one every week. This first episode is a simple "week in review" with some b-roll footage over top. I learned so much about photography by my constant posting and searching for things to post that I hope to do the same for my videography. 

A few years back I made a series on YouTube called BrewView that was all craft beer reviews - doing that show gave me the knowledge to be able to offer video services when clients started asking. Now I want to step it up even more. I've become fairly proficient in Premier Pro but know I have plenty more to learn - I'd also like to figure out Adobe After Effects to add some animations and special effects. 

I'll try to make the videos more engaging as I go on - for now I just had to get myself behind(and in front) of the camera...

Collide at The Cricket

On Friday night Collide, the new arts group in Cuyahoga Falls, put on an event in collaboration with ArtsNow that included spoken word, poetry, music, live art and photography/art displays at the Cashmere Cricket. Food was provided by Flury's Cafe and great beer was for sale at the bar. Ace Epps was the MC and also read poetry with the backing of a trio from Falls Music School. The atmosphere in the room was amazing. The poets had people in stitches one moment and near tears the next.

Friends on Film

Over the weekend I developed a roll of Kodak Tri-X in Kodak HC-110 dilution b that I shot in my Nikon L35AF - an early 80's point and shoot camera. I started the roll during a 'First Friday' visit to Canton last Fall and finished it on St. Patrick's Day. I have a tradition of shooting one of my simple film cameras on St. Pat's that started with the idea of not carrying an expensive digital camera around a bunch of day drinking.
Anyway - nothing too serious here - just some fun photos of my friends.

House Show

My friend Aaron put on a house show in Highland Square last night. He is renovating the house to rent out so it was a perfect venue. The show benefited a project Aaron is undertaking; he is converting a building into a venue/artspace/store etc., called the Armory (not far from Hoban High School.) More on that in future posts.

'Thorla,'  Bradley Thorla's solo project kicked of the show with a mellowish/moody jam.
Next up was the duo 'Girl Band' who played great covers of The Beatles, Sam Cooke, Smokey Robinson, and lots of other good stuff - these ladies can sing. Closing the show was the first appearance by 'White Lighter,' who picked up the pace with some rock and roll.

Riding with Sara

Last evening Sara and I went for a bike ride from her place in West Hill out to a dinner place on Manchester Road. We were surprised to learn that the Towpath is going to remain open behind Canal Park through the area by 69 Taps. The sewer project was supposed to force a detour onto Main Street. Main Street is still going to get a protected bike lane courtesy of the Knight Foundation - so I guess it is a best of both worlds situation. Above is a video I filmed hand held with my Canon Rebel on the way back of Sara going through the part of the path that was supposed to be closed.

Selfie Tutorial

Here is a little video I made showing how I shoot a selfie in my studio.

Akron Snow Angels

This winter I have gone a few missions with the Akron Snow Angels. The Snow Angels are a group started by a Erin Victor(above center) that "...helps the less fortunate by providing them with warm clothing, toiletries & most importantly great conversation, friendship, compassion & respect." One of the things I like about volunteering with the group is that it is hands on and filling immediate needs without question. We meet people where they are and supply them with what they need - no intermediaries, no prerequisites. On a few of the coldest missions I started questioning to myself being out there - and then you remember many of the people we are helping just spent the whole night in this weather...and when I head back to my warm apartment many are heading to a tent... These are some photos I snapped for the organizations use with my Canon Rebel T5.

The Beyonders Video

On Friday I was at Thursdays to see Eye, The Beyonders and G.S Schray. I attempted to make a decent video of a Beyonders song. I planned to shoot with two cameras. So I set up my Canon 6D on monopod and used a few songs to get the settings correct. I then had Sara hold the camera while I walked around and took some b-roll with my Canon Rebel. I loaded the footage into Adobe Premiere Pro which can align the two different cameras by their audio in one click. I'm happy with the editing for my first two camera shoot - but I plan to do this again under more favorable conditions(the lighting is tough at Thurdays).

Of course I still snapped a few photos - those follow.

VAP Mardi Gras

Last night I photographed Victim's Assistance Mardi Gras at Tangier for the second year. It is a fun event that raises money for a great organization. I set up a "photo both" type space to catch attendees on their way into the event and during the silent auction and mingling portion. I had a few assistants who kept everything in order so prints could be mailed to the guests. When everyone moved to the big room for dinner, dancing, games, and the oral auction I captured some candids.

Thursday's Lounge

Last Fall Mario Nemer hired me to take some photos of his legendary Akron club, Thursday's Lounge. I showed up around 11 to a competently empty bar - but by 12:30 I could barely move. I spent plenty of time here in my twenties and the party always started late - but I had never seen it packed like this. The crowd on a Thursday night is different than it used to be - now it skews heavily toward younger, college kids. It felt a little awkward at first to be shooting people out dancing and drinking - I didn't want to seem like a creep - but the good thing about shooting in a bar is that they have alcohol and soon I was immersed in the scene and shooting away...