Akron Coffee Roasters Birthday

Last night we went downtown to help Akron Coffee Roasters celebrate their one year anniversary. They put on a happy hour with coffee beer, coffee drinks and more. When I first tasted the coffee Albert roasted a few years ago I didn't know what to make of it - now I can't live without it. ACR has been such an awesome addition to the Downtown Akron neighborhood - I'm proud to call the owners and employees my friends.

Scales

Did you know that some tow motors(lift trucks) have scales built in? Neither did I - until I had the job of photographing them. I've shot at this location a number of times now - product photography, videos, portraits, how to images and more. Shots like the above one will be "cut out" and used in spec sheets, on the website, and for banners & manuals. I've made an episode of my show about the gear I bring with me for shoots like this - it is a lot of work - but I still enjoy it. It also takes bit of hustling - I'm trying to be in and out and get my job done as quick as possible so I'm interrupting the regular work of the company as little as possible.

Bluebell Remnants

Yesterday I went for a hike along Furnace Run in the Cuyahoga Valley to photograph the Virginia Bluebells. I've been shooting and blogging about the bluebells for a long time so I try to mix it up each year - using different cameras and film stocks, shooting at different times of day, and in different weather conditions. The differentiating factor this year is that I came far past their peak - no big field of blue shots. I pretty much had to track down the late bloomers. This challenge though, does set these images apart from the blue-out conditions of other seasons.

Anyways - it was good to get out for a hike with my camera. With all the cycling I've done the last few years nature photography has really taken a backseat.

Wadsworth Brewing Company

Erin and I went to downtown Wadsworth to check out the recently opened Wadsworth Brewing Company. It was a cozy and comfortable space in a historic building. Everything we drank was really solid and there was a wide range of beer styles available - there are snacks but it is not a restaurant. The husband and wife team that own the brewery were working and very friendly - we always enjoy being able to discuss the beer with the brewer.

Light Stands = Bike Stands

So I really, really like to ride bicycles - as any regular reader may have noticed. Over the last few years I've collected a few vintage road bikes - none have a ton of value - I like to find them cheap then fix them up into riding condition. I'm not a retro purist and I wouldn't say that I am "restoring" them either. 

Anyways - for a work stand I had been using some clamps and a two by four on my workbench - it gets the job done but it definitely isn't the best. Every Wednesday I go on a group ride with some friends and a few were mentioning that Aldi(of all places) was selling bike work stands for only 30 bucks. I started to think I should get one - then it occurred to me - I have every kind of stand, clamp and arm possible in this studio to hold up lighting gear, cameras, and backdrops. After trying a few different pieces and parts I came up with the above solution - why didn't I think of this before!?

Akron2Akron - Goosetown

This edition of the Akron2Akron walking tours focused on the area of the city that was once known as Goosetown. It had sandstone ledges(Wolf Ledge), a German immigrant population and a stream that early Akron breweries took advantage of. The creek can still be seen in the basement of the old Burkhardt Brewery(which now houses Thirsty Dog and Aqueduct) but the ledges have long since been filled in. The German legacy is mostly in the old churches in the area. Interstate 77 did the neighborhood no favors when it came through and cut the hood in half.

Again. as with all of these walking tours, I went to spots I never would have and picked up on so many little facts about Akron's history I never would have known.

Car Parts II

A couple of years ago I started shooting for a company in downtown Akron that makes car parts - specializing in transmission crossmembers. I set up and shot at least a 1000 photos in their warehouse for their website and catalogue. They have an employee who lives near my studio so now whenever they come out with a new part(s) he stops by and drops it off here for me to shoot and picks up whatever I shot the last time. It is a perfect relationship as it allows them to keep their website current and me to do my finest product photography while keeping their costs down.
I show a lot of my event work and hobby photography on the blog - so I wanted to share more of the other type of work I do as well.

Bikes and Brews - The Video

The motion version of yesterday's post!

Bikes and Brews in PA

Erin and I decided to take Good Friday off and head on a short road trip. We stayed a little ways outside of Erie, PA at a camp ground/RV park and spent our first day on Presque Isle and then exploring the city. The next day the weather was iffy so we decided to travel around a bit - we visited a few towns and multiple breweries. I always enjoy trips on the back roads with no serious agenda.

Common Threads III

The third edition of Common Threads(a collaboration between Global Ties Akron and the Knight Foundation) was held at Jednota Lanes and focused on Akron artists. The four artists discussed what life was like as an artist in Akron. The dialogue with the audience had a focus on what could be done to help make life easier for artists and the importance of art in the community. At the end the panel broke up and bowling commenced!

ReWorks: Single Stream

Here are a few videos in a series that I made with Public Design for ReWorks. The process is the same as a I mentioned in the last post - the work I do is mostly the technical stuff.

Hip Hop 2 Health

I did the videography and editing on this video for Child Guidance & Family Solution. Being someone who has only ever used a digital workflow for video I always wonder about what a pain collaborations like must have been back in the day. I shoot and upload the raw footage for the marketing firm to view(in this case Public Design) and then also a rough cut. They come back with the edits they would like to see. When we get it right they send it to the client to see. I then make any additional edits. Finally they will send me the graphics and I drop them and the sound in and clean up the cuts and colors.
There is still a lot of work involved - but digital mixed with cloud storage is amazing.

Washed Out Film, Washed Up Camera

I loaded my late 90's Minolta Freedom Zoom camera with some Fuji Superia for St. Patrick's Day - I have a tradition of shooting old point & shoot cameras for the holiday. Most of the St. Pat's photos that came out ok will be on facebook - I finished the roll up in Ohio City and that is what I have here. I was pretty unimpressed with the results. I have done much better with my early 80s film cameras than this one. There was a lot of missed focus and the majority of the exposures were way blown out. I actually had to bring down all of the highlights in Photoshop to even make it worth posting a few of these.

So here are some snaps to check out - but this camera will be spending the rest of its life on the shelf.

Fitz Photo Show #12

I started with a pln - then went in a totally different direction. You never know what will happen on this highly entertaining photography show!

Akron Cruise

On late Friday afternoon I took off from the studio on my vintage Peugeot bicycle. I captured some of my ride with my GoPro Hero 5 Black and edited this video together showing some of my favorite parts.
Later in the night I ended up at The Hive Mind for a show - my previous blog has photos of the bands I saw.

Hive Mind

On Friday night I rode my bike out to the DIY venue, The Hive Mind, to see Gabe Schray, Stems, and Operator Music Band play.

Since I was out riding I only had my Canon 6D with the 16-35mm f/2.8 lens - no flash. The venue was very dark and there was no light on the bands besides the back lighting coming from the projection screen. It made trying to get some useful shots interesting. All of these were shot at ISO's between 6400 and 12,800. I think the photos came out unique with the challenge though. 

Akron2Akron: Downtown to Campus

The weather probably suppressed the turnout for the latest Akron2Akron walking tour - but by not donning a raincoat and bundling up you all missed out on another great tour.

"Emily Butler provided some insight into the workings of the STEM school. Nick Moskos gave us the inside scoop of the Freedom Trail. Willy Kollman uncovered some lesser known stories about history of The University of Akron. And Shammas Malik led us through the cold, asking questions about the relationship between UA and downtown Akron." - Akron2Akron FB page.

Common Threads #2

Last night the second in the series of Common Threads events took place at the Rialto Theatre in Kenmore. This one focused on foreign born students. It was interesting to hear the perspectives on Akron and its people(and the United States in general). At times it was fun and funny - but also inspiring - I think a few tears might have been shed in the audience.

Common Threads is a monthly collaboration between the Knight Foundation and Global Ties to bring people from culturally diverse backgrounds together in a common space to share their story and engage in community dialogue. Follow them on Facebook to find about upcoming events.