Riding and Photographing Downtown

I've been documenting the progress downtown as Main Street opens and I have ridden my bike there a few times this week. Erin and Greg met me yesterday and after getting some shots we headed over to 83 Brewery to have a beer. I had also stopped at Dirty River Bicycle works to check on their progress in the new building which will be open on election day!

Wooly Pig Farm Brewing

Erin and I decided to take a day trip to the Amish Country area. We started off at one of our favorite breweries JAFB Wooster. After that we tried to go to a number of places - farms, markets, stores, but the crowds of people not wearing masks kept us away so we drove over to Wooly Pig Farm Brewing. Wooly Pig has great outdoor spaces and they had a fire going. You weren't even able to go into the building and they had a really great outdoor system going for ordering beers. We also got some awesome BBQ from the food truck.

Golden Gorge

I took a quick evening break to walk across the High Level Bridge and down into the Gorge to snap a few Fall photos. I'm definitely starting to get the hang of how to set-up my Canon EOS R5 for photos like this. I'm still being stunned by the incredible detail and dynamic range from this camera. I can't wait to get my adapter and try some of my prime f/1.4 lenses on it!

Bath Nature Preserve in Autumn

Last evening Erin and I decided to go for a golden hour hike at Bath Nature Preserve. We were hoping to see the trees changing color in the Tamarack Bog but really there were only a couple of the trees visible ...and they were just starting to change(they are the only conifer that changes color). Regardless it was still an absolutely beautiful Fall hike and my first time using my new Canon EOS R5 for this kind of photography. There has been a learning curve getting the camera to operate the way I want for different situations - but the image quality is amazing.

2020 in B&W

Last Spring I was on a huge film kick,. At first I was shooting a lot of color but then I switched to black and white during the 'stay at home order' because I develop that myself. When I injured my back in early June that put an end to all my planned analog photography projects. So this roll starts with some late-spring snow and finishes just a few weeks ago. It is Kodak Tri-X 400 shot in my Minolta X-700 and developed in HC-110(b). I actually live-streamed myself developing it - you can see that HERE.

Springfield Bog

Everytime I take some nature/hiking photos I say that I don't take a lot of nature/hiking photos anymore. I guess I kinda feel like I'm treading the same ground when I do - I covered the hiking in Northeast Ohio pretty well over the last decade. It was part of the reason I got back into black & white film photography - to shoot the same things with a different vibe. Anyways - when I do go hiking and there is good light I'm still gonna snap a few. I always enjoy the Springfield Bog since its prairie is so different than most of the other metro parks that are more of a hike through the woods....

Main Street

The other day I had some photos to take downtown documenting certain construction and I decided to get some of Main Street and The Bowery project too. The construction worker pictured in a few of these photos told me with plenty of attitude, "Do me a favor and try not to get me in any of your photos." I ignored him at first and kept doing what I was doing. In general when someone asks me not to take their photo I honor that. In this case I wasn't really photographing this guy or what he was doing but documenting the progress - or lack thereof - on Main Street. Also - you have no legal right not to be photographed in public - the courts have ruled on your lack of privacy in public places multiple times. Anyways - let's not forget this guy is working on the public dime and Kenmore Construction has been horrible missing deadline after deadline and refusing to comment to the press. Anywho, after snapping a few more shots I replied, "Do me a favor and finish the effing street."

Hazy Sunrise

Driving home from an early morning shoot today I decided I had to pull over after to crossing the High Level Bridge to get this shot. Its beautiful and tragic at the sametime - the sunrise is that pretty because of the smoke from the Western wildfires in the upper atmosphere. Usually the sun would be to bright to capture the misty morning from this side of the bridge.

Bikepacking to Garrettsville

A few of us decided to do a quick overnight bikepacking trip to Ben's parent's farm. We stopped for coffee in Kent, a trailside beer break and then went and set up camp. After getting settled in we went out in Garrettsville for a late lunch and supplies. After a beautiful first day we woke up and made our coffee - just as we finished a massive storm front rolled in and never left. We hunkered down in our tents for a couple hours before deciding we just needed to make a run for it. I made a video of how I packed my bike and another showing both days. I only have still photos of the first day as my dslr had to be wrapped up to keep it dry.

Great Night, Great Light

As the sun starts to set earlier in the waning days of summer it also makes for an extended chance to capture that fantastic late day light. This was one of our typical ride out to Magic City Brewing for a beer.

Erie Canalway Trail - Buffalo to Rochester

For Erin's bday weekend we decided to head out of town and ride somewhere new. We drove to Buffalo on Friday afternoon and spent the night in an AirBnB. The next morning we grabbed some coffee downtown then headed out along the Riverwalk Trail(in crazy wind!) meeting up with the Erie Canalway Trail. We rode the trail all the way to Rochester with some craft beer stops along the way - over 100 miles. We had Erin's bday dinner than were fast asleep in out AirBnB. The next morning we explored Rochester a bit before working our way back to Buffalo - 108 mile day! We explored Buffalo a bit the next morning before taking a scenic route on our drive back to Akron. I definitely want to return to ride more of this trail that goes all the way to Albany.

Its Gonna Rain

On Friday I drove up to Cleveland's Kink Gallery to see my friend Micah's opening. A few of my friends rode the whole way and I wanted to do the same but I had a shoot back in Akron after. So I brought my bike and met them for dinner before the show. Micah's work is really cool and I helped him out with a couple of the video projects for it. Check out more info on the Kink Contemporary page.

Asterisk Coffee Bar

It has been a bummer not be be able to celebrate and enjoy the events that Askersik Coffee Bar/Akron Coffee Roasters usually would have - birthdays, tastings, shop rides etc - but I have still benn helping them promote what they do have going on with photography. Asterisk now has an open patio and has still made special cocktails and drinks for certain occasions. They share these on their social media pages - but I wanted to share a few of my favorites on the blog.

Summer Rides

Evening rides in perfect light are just about everything. We rode out to Magic City for some drinks and dinner then headed across the street to watch the sunset at the lake. Perfect summer evening.

Lakefront Nature Preserve

On Thursday I had a shoot up near Cleveland and decided to take a walk at the Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve after. It is an interesting place - in the 60's two old freighters were sunk to protect a park beach and then the US Army Corps of Engineers started dumping the sediment dredged for the Cuyahoga River shipping channel here. After it was filled in and they stopped using it for this purpose nature took hold and now the spot is known for a variety of bird species and butterflies. It opened to the public in 2012. I was there at about noon so the light wasn't great for a lot of photographs but I still managed a few that I liked. I shot all of these with my Canon 5DIV and Sigma 105mm f/1.4

Cleveland Birthday Ride

Friday was my birthday and Erin and I continued our tradition of having lunch in Cleveland at the French Cafe Le Petit Triangle. Since the weather was perfect we also brought our bicycles and rode around to a few other of our favorite spots. I snapped some photos with my Canon 5DIV and also made another video. Check it all out below.

Skate or Die

Some of my friends have been creating a DIY skate spot and on Thursday evening I decided to ride my bike over and check it out. I brought my Canon 5DIV with my Sigma 105mm f/1.4 and my ultra wide 16-35mm. I got a bunch of really great photos and it was good to see some people in an outdoor setting - it had been a while. Don't ask me where it is - if ya know ya know.

Ohio to Erie and More 2020

For the second year in a row a few of us decided to tackle the Ohio to Erie Trail. This year we added an extra day and switched up our route a bit adding a camping spot and trip down the Little Miami Scenic Trail. It was a nice change as it cut out a fairly tedious part of the trail and replaced it with a more scenic route and some cool towns. I had to debate what photo gear I wanted to bring since space and weight on a bike-packing trip are a big deal. I ended up going with my GoPro Hero 8 Black and my Canon 6D with a 40mm pancake lens. I tried to leave the dSLR at home but in the end I knew I would want at least a few high-quality photos and the low light capability that the GoPro lacks. Photo-wise I shot them both about equally as grabbing the GoPro while riding is so much easier.