White Lighter

My friends Wes and Aaron asked me to come over to their practice space and shoot a couple of band photos for them. They practice in an old building that at one time was a Schrader Valve factory. There were so many cool parts of the building to shoot in but we were on limited time and choose the upper floor with the sunset and in front of the old China Gourmet signs that Aaron had salvaged. The photos came out really cool - but I still want to go back and photograph in the building again.

Garden Party

A few weeks ago the Akron Art Museum threw a party celebrating the opening of their "Bud and Susie Rogers Garden". The new space is wonderful. There is a spot for bands to play and activities to take place but it is also possible to wander around - there is a good "flow". I've enjoyed going downtown to outdoor events at the Museum for years - but after they build the new building and removed the old sculpture garden it wasn't the same. Now it is better than ever.

Middlebury Better Block

Akron had its second Better Block event last weekend - this one was in Middlebury. The Better Block concept is a way to show what an area of a city could possibly be like. Bike lanes, pop-up shops, parks, games, safe street crossings, plants and more. The goal is for real change to come to an area but at the least it is a great way to bring people together for a community festival. 

In my opinion demonstrating the changes that are possible is much more effective than meetings with Power Points.

Christmas in July

Akron Snow Angel's put on their 'Christmas in July' event on Sunday at Grace Park. 60 volunteers helped to feed and clothe approximately 220 adults and 40 children. Each adult received a reusable tote bag full of supplies. Then they were able to wander around to the sounds of a DJ and get free lunch from Retro Dog, ice cream, medical supplies, haircuts and massages. There were also games and other activities. The children received a backpack from special guest, Santa Claus, full of school supplies and more.

I'm always proud to be a part of Akron Snow Angel's events - whether it is volunteering or helping to document and promote with my camera.

Summer Hike

This morning I woke up early and decided to go for a sunrise hike in The Gorge. I snapped a few shallow depth-of-field photos of some summer wild flowers - also known by their scientific name "weeds".

Finger Lakes

I spent the Fourth of July weekend in the Finger Lakes region of New York. I was there to shoot a friend's wedding reception(I'll have a post on that soon) but also did a bit of exploring with my friend Brad(who drove us). I've camped throughout the Finger Lakes before but there was still plenty more to see and many sites worth visiting again. Also - new breweries must open weekly there. 

It was a perfect way to spend an extended weekend with great friends in an amazing place.

Victory Parade

It was history and we had to be there. 

I hate traffic and waiting in lines....so we rode our bikes. I met Ben at the Memorial Road Trailhead for the Towpath at 7:30 AM and off we went. We tore through the Valley and met our friends on their bikes a little before 9:30 by Rockside Road. We arrived in Cleveland and chained up our bikes around 10:30. The parades route was packed - over a dozen deep in places. We walked around a while before settling on a spot in front of the Q where a slight rise in the road allowed us to see a little bit. It didn't matter - the point was to be there and enjoy the camaraderie with 1.3 million Cavs fans. With the parade being so delayed and slow we decided to walk over and see where the Victory Rally was going to take place. We snapped a few photos and then headed back to our bikes where we planned to ride over to the West 25th area. There were thousands of people crossing the bridge back to the Westside so we went with Plan C - rode over to Tremont for beers and lunch and watched the events on TV. We took off with enough time to race back to Rockside and catch the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad's Bike Aboard car. A nice slow ride back to Akron with a couple of beers in the AC.

The trip was an adventure and totally worth it...and we didn't sit in any traffic.

Bike Party!

Akron Bike Party's Mike Finney Memorial ride was on Friday night. Mike was senselessly gunned down last year - he was an avid biker and Bike Party-er. So in his honor the theme was "dress like your bike". We had a great turn-out and a lot of fun - and also a moment of silence....

Mucky Duck Brewing Co.

I rode my bike out to Mucky Duck Brewing Co. in Portage Lakes last evening. The brewery has been open in this location for a few months - it was previously across the street in the basement of Nauti Vine Winery. I had three beers and they were all decent. I would say that they could have a little more body - the wit was tasty and refreshing but just a bit watery. Same with the bourbon barrel aged ale - the oak-aged flavor was there but the beer was just a little too light. I also had an IPA that was a decent classic pale with American hops. I overheard the bartender saying that they didn't have the Belgian triple because it didn't come out right - which is a good sign to me - a good brewer is willing to dump beer that isn't right - instead of serving it. I'd still be willing to go back and try more of their offerings - and I believe this is a spot that will improve over time.

Cincinnati, OH

On Sunday and Monday I traveled to Cincinnati to document a Torchbearers' trip. Cincy is the only city of any size in Ohio that I had never been to and it had never really been on my list of priorities. I think my view may have been colored from hearing friends who were going to college there in the late 90's being told not to step off of campus. Whether that was ever true or not it certainly isn't today. I was super impressed by the city and by the people working to make it even better(I will post more about those "people" and the TB activities later - this is my "pretty pictures post").

The Cicadas

There hasn't really been any sign of the cicadas where I live so I set out to do my once every 17 year photo shoot tonight at Hampton Hills. I rode my bike down to the Valley and then hiked the Adam Run Trail. I remembered last time 'round these guys were swarming the place. They didn't disappoint. There were tons - and the noise was intense. So I got my cicada fix today - see you in 17 years little guys!

Inside|Out Instameet

Last night the Akron Art Museum led a walking tour of one of their neighborhood Inside|Out exhibits - this one in Wallhaven. Inside|Out exhibits take full scale, high quality replicas of pieces in the Museum and bring them to various neighborhoods around the city. This tour was also a "Instameet" held simultaneously with the Detroit Institute of Arts, Pérez Art Museum Miami, and Philadelphia Museum of Art - who all have Inside|Out displays in their respective cities. Instagrammers were encouraged to photograph the walks and works and there is a week long contest for the best photo.

We had a fun group of people on a beautiful evening and wrapped up the tour with some drinks, snacks, and conversation at Larry's.

HHWRC Opening

ReWork's opened up their Household Hazardous Waste Recycling Center for the season on Thursday - and I was there to cover it. The center is open every Thursday from 2-7 for Summit County residents. The center is for all your chemicals that should not be thrown away - just leave the latex paint at home - let it dry and throw it away. ...but for everything else be environmentally responsible and bring them here!

Alley Garden

I always like to photograph my garden as a way to measure the progress and keep track of what I've done from year to year. This is the second year that I have planted the alley behind my studio and I have doubled the size. I put most of the plants in the ground in mid-May(I usual like to gamble a bit) and survived both "frosts". I also have a container garden with more herbs and veggies - I'm sure I'll post some photos of that soon.

ReWorks: Food Scrap Compost

I've said it before - I like photographing just about anything - but last week I had a job that was about perfect. ReWorks had a competition for community gardens to win a truckload of high-quality, food scrap compost. My job was to photograph the five winners getting their deliveries. With the beautiful weather we had I was able to ride my bike to the sites, talk to fellow gardeners and make the photos. I went to Bath, Kenmore, Highland Square, and South Akron. I can't wait to go back later this Summer and see these gardens in full bloom.
Also - never underestimate the power of some fill-flash on a bright sunny day.

Akrun & Crawl: After Dark

Last weekend I shot the 10th annual Akrun and Crawl sponsored by TorchBearers - this year they changed it up a bit - they started the race at 9PM and it was a glow run. There were LED markers, flashing balloons, and glow sticks on everyone and everywhere. Taking photos had some unique challenges and I tried various techniques and flash combinations - but with my Canon 6D I still favored shooting natural light(street light when possible) with high ISO and the large f/1.4 aperture of my Sigma 35mm. I had my mono-pod with me and I used it with the self-timer to get some "from above" shots - such as the shot above. I also used it to stabilize the camera for some video clips(below). The 5K race was followed by a pub crawl at the Liberty Commons bars.

Akron Bike Party - Ride in Purple

The theme of May's Bike Party was "Ride in Purple" and a good bit of Prince was played. We rode through a lot of streets in North Hill that I had never been on before - it was a great route - we even stopped by the Mayor's house for a chat.

I shot a video of us riding across the Y-Bridge with my Rebel T5 attached to my handle bars. I then did the best I could to capture a few photos in the low light with the Rebel. I should always bring my Canon 6D with me - the difference in image quality is incredible.

Food Truck Frenzy

Every Friday this summer(through August 28) from 11am-1:30pm trucks will be serving lunch at Child Guidance & Family Solutions on East Market Street. A portion of the food truck sales are donated to CG&FS. I like to make it out and peruse the selections when it fits with my schedule. Last Friday they held a kick-off event in the evening. Live music, a bunch of trucks and great weather drew quite the crowd - I rode my bike out and enjoyed some pulled pork sitting in the grass.

So head out this summer - enjoy great food, support small/local businesses, and a great organization!