Akrun & Crawl

I shot the Akrun & Crawl hosted by Torchbearers on Saturday evening. For the second year they held it at night as a 'glow run' with glow sticks, lights and DJs on the course. I didn't stick around for too much of the "crawl" part of the event as I was running in the Cleveland Half--Marathon the next day.

Common Threads: North Hill

This episode of the monthly Common Threads took place at the North Hill Library and focused on the diverse people of the North Hill neighborhood. The intimate group led to an interesting and free-flowing conversation. After the conversation we wandered over to the Exchange House for a reception with food from the Western Fruit Basket. We were also treated to a short play that was coordinated with the Gum Dip Theatre.

Night at the Races

Last Saturday night my family attended a fundraiser for WABL(West Akron Baseball League). It was a 'Night at the Races' event where you can bet on pre-recorded horse races. There was also a silent auction, 50/50 raffle, other games, wine pull, Swenson's Food Truck, drinks and more. It was a fun time and you don't feel bad about gambling ....for a good cause.

Brewed

Last Sunday morning Akron Coffee Roasters and HiHo Brewing put on a joint tasting. We started with some tastes of coffee and then moved on to beers infused with that coffee. Albert explained the coffee's origin, processing and brewing method and then Jon discusses the special beers he had brewed for the event. There were also local pastries - sweet with the coffee and savory with the beer.

More Shiny Things

I recently started photographing for a new company in town that makes extrusion machines and their parts. Being that I shoot for another company in the business I wanted to do something to set the two apart. Usually I shoot product photography with a long lens and even use Photoshop to keep things square. In this case I decided to use my 35mm lens, use high-key lighting and more dramatic angles for effect.

Jane's Walk Weekend

Last weekend I attended and photographed three of the Akron Jane's Walks. Jane's Walks take place all over the world and describe themselves as, "...a movement of free, citizen-led walking tours inspired by Jane Jacobs. The walks get people to tell stories about their communities, explore their cities, and connect with neighbors.". The three I attended were: Main Street Revitalization(about the Tiger Grant to update Main), Ohio & Erie Canal(about the Cascade Locks and Mustill Store area), and My City Was Gone(about the Rock and Roll History of Akron). Akron2Akron Neighborhood Walking Tours collaborated on many of the walks. I would have liked to attend even more but my schedule didn't allow for it.

PechaKucha

PechaKucha is a quarterly speaker series where each speaker gets 20 slides and 20 seconds to talk about each. It's a cool format and I've thoroughly enjoyed everyone of them - this was episode VII. The location is always different and Greystone Hall had the perfect atmosphere. I wasn't working - I just snapped a few photos from my balcony seat. If you haven't attended one yet I strongly recommend that you do - and they sell out - so follow them on Facebook so you can grab a ticket when they announce the next one.

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.