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Black Lives Matter – Cincinnati Street Mural

BACKGROUND: During the third week of June, 17 Cincinnati-based Black artists and 60+ assistants and volunteers of all ages and races worked together over several days to plan and create a Black Lives Matter mural on Plum Street directly in front of City Hall. A poem written by Alandes Powell, who spearheaded the effort, was a source of inspiration behind each letter’s design. All of the artists were assigned one letter (including the exclamation point) and tasked with painting their own vision. Cincinnati City Council approved an ordinance permitting the mural, and it was funded by the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio, ArtsWave, ArtWorks, and private donors, and will be in place on Plum Street for the next five years. The mural was unveiled on June 19th – Juneteenth.

Sources – highlighted in bold

I don’t have a drone, which is really necessary to show the mural in all it’s glory (either that or a Batman-like viewpoint from atop City Hall). So I did my best to capture the theme of each letter using my Nikon D750.

The Cincinnati Black Lives Matter mural is a beautiful work of art by a collective of talented artists. It’s humbling, challenging, educational, and inspirational and I encourage everyone to go and spend some time studying each letter. Let this motivate you to learn, listen, and take action.

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Parker & Grandma Mini-Session at Eden Park

Here are some of my favorites from a recent mini-portrait session at Eden Park! I’ve had the honor of photographing Ashley & Kevin’s wedding; newborn photos of their daughter, Parker; 1-year photos of Parker; and now a Parker & Grandma session! Parker is friendly, goofy, curious, and adorable! I’m so glad to be able to capture moments like these!

(click the thumbnails to enlarge and swipe through!)

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Quarantine Chronicles 2020 – A Photo a Day in May

For the month of May, while following the stay-at-home order in Ohio and feeling very un-inspired, I challenged myself to make one photo a day with a camera. I'd already been taking daily walks and making photos on my phone, but I wanted to be more purposeful. So I actually made multiple photos each day, but specifically focused on one simple moment and chose only one photo to post on Instagram with the #aphotoaday hashtag. There's nothing ground-breaking in this collection, but the challenge forced me to slow down even more and truly appreciate the day-to-day moments. At first it was a burden, as I was still heavy with lack of inspiration and general anxiety about the world. But each day I began to look forward to really making time for a photo. Some days were definitely rushed. Some days, my ideas and the outcome were pretty disappointing. I wish I had made more self-portraits and experimented more. But here it is, in all its imperfect glory, a time capsule of 31 personal moments, my 31 days of Quarantine Chronicles. Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order, captured on either my Nikon D750 or my Fujifilm X100s. (click the thumbnails to enlarge — there are a couple that are pretty dark!)

thanks for looking!

2017 Women's March - Cincinnati

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On the eve of the 2018 Womens March, so much has happened over the past year, and so much remains the same. I regretfully posted only 5 of my photos a year ago from the Womens March in Cincinnati... so of course in the wee hours of the night I felt compelled to dig back in to the archives for more images. And I found a good selection of worthy photos that are still relevant. Stay tuned for a blog post from this year's event. #peace

Eden Park Engagement Session with Tess & Mo

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Tess and Mo had their engagement session in Eden Park (my favorite Cincinnati park!) on a not-too-humid August evening. They got to know each other through a running club in Rochester, NY, and soon realized their friendship was more than that; the spark between them was mutual. When we met Tess at Coffee Emporium (Mo was busy in Rochester finishing up his residency), we bonded over running stories and a shared appreciation for coffee! Kyle and I are looking forward to capturing their upcoming January wedding - we're hoping for some picturesque snow!

Ashley + Kevin: Eden Park Wedding!

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Ashley & Kevin had an intimate June evening wedding at the Eden Park gazebo in front of their closest friends and family. Luckily, the infamous Cincinnati humidity gave us a break and the weather was perfect. Beforehand, the guys chilled out at Ashley & Kevin's house and we managed to get some cute portraits of Kevin with their dogs! The ladies got dressed in a luxurious room at Hotel Covington that had a view of both the Queen City Building and the Ascent at Roebling Bridge. The flower girl was a little photographer – she had a blast capturing moments with a Fujifilm Instax camera! After the ceremony, we wandered up to the overlook for more portraits - had to seize that golden hour light! 

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Cincinnati Centenarian: Artist Anne Wainscott

Living life to the fullest is a mantra that many ascribe to, with varying degrees of conviction. Wrapped in faux fur and sporting on-trend aviators, a charm bracelet full of mementos lovingly curated by her close friend Michelle, and a smile framed by vibrant red lipstick, Anne Wainscott is someone who epitomizes this. At 100 years young, she has lived a storied life. Born to immigrants, a seamstress mother and a father who was a tailor, she grew up in Cincinnati and early on had a strong interest in fashion. She dreamed of moving to New York to pursue this, but remained in Cincinnati. She funneled this passion into a long career of making illustrations for the Cincinnati department store Shillito's. Elegant women with striking eyes were her trademark, and they almost always bloomed from her imagination. She rarely used models. Being witness to the latest women's trends, she infused this into her innate sense of style and altered or created many of her own clothes. At a time when photographs had not yet replaced paintings and illustrations in advertising, Anne's artistic visions undoubtedly drew customers to Shillito's, who hoped to be as chic as the women in the newspaper ads. 

I spent an afternoon with Anne and Michelle in the Riverside Historic District of Covington, KY. I observed this tiny, lovely woman gazing across the Ohio River at the Queen City, where she made a career for herself while married to a fellow artist and raised a family (two sons who also happen to be artists). Her home is decorated with many of her original paintings, drawings, and other artwork. She painted her entire Frigidaire pink. Fresh flowers adorn every table.

Over the course of a century, Anne has seen an unbelievable amount of change. She and her husband contributed their artistic skills to WWII pamphlets distributed to African-American soldiers. She remarked that her husband made the bold decision to depict the soldiers and their families true to life, not Caucasian, as was the standard. She knows in her heart that relatives who did not make it to America perished in the Holocaust. 

Born in the U.S. before women could vote, she cast her vote for a woman presidential candidate for the first time this past fall. I met Anne and Michelle at the Women's March in January. Exuding 100 years of wisdom (but looking much younger than her age), Anne captivated me, and that's what inspired me to capture her in these portraits, which of course do not do justice for her beauty and her strong yet gentle spirit. 

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Cincinnati Women's March

A sampling of my best images from this historic day, January 21, 2017, when millions of people of all genders and ages, races and religions came together in unity to peacefully protest the new administration at the Women's March in Washington, D.C. and in cities around the globe. At the Cincinnati sister march, I even met a radiant 100-year-old woman exercising her right to protest; she was born before women had the right to cast a ballot. The march grew into a worldwide stand against inequality in all its forms. Here's hoping for a brighter future where we are all equal. 

A few things I've been working on...

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Here's a little peek at what I've been working on, photographically speaking, in the last couple of months: a lakefront wedding in Michigan; a 10-year wedding anniversary shoot (in which the bride wore her wedding dress and the couple's two kids tagged along); a one-year-old's portrait session; and a Cincinnati wedding of one of my childhood best friends.

Cincinnati Comic Expo - 2015

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More photos I never posted from last year's event, since the 2016 Cincinnati Comic Expo is coming up this weekend!

Cincinnati Pride Parade!

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People of all walks of life came to the Cincinnati Pride Parade to show their support for the LGBTQ community in Cincinnati (and worldwide). I tried to capture the energy of the parade participants and crowd, while also enjoying the event (as in, taking in the experience and purposefully putting my camera down here and there). Every year, I've been either out of town or busy during the Cincinnati Pride parade weekend and this year I was finally was able to attend. It was especially moving to see participants carrying signs honoring each individual who perished in the horrific Orlando nightclub shooting. It was a very thoughtful way to honor these victims. 

Stay tuned...

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I recently drove across the great Midwest and onward into the Wild West with my sidekick/husband to the tiny town of Tucumcari, New Mexico. Here we experienced a fun four-day festival, Rockabilly on the Route.  And, we traveled alongside (and sometimes ON) old Route 66! (We saw parts of Route 66 last year as well, on the way to and from the Grand Canyon). Needless to say, we LOVE road trips and all things Americana. I'll be posting photos soon on this blog and over on our new joint venture, Pop Rocket Creations.

In the meantime, here's a sneak peek.

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Look for the rainbow after the storm.

I'm so, so sorry, Orlando. It's been a horrible week for Americans, and for humanity in general.

But we are better than this. 

Walk with pride. Jump over puddles. Look for the rainbow after the storm.

Good will always prevail!
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A rainbow-painted crosswalk is pictured in the Grove neighborhood of St. Louis, MO, on May 30, 2016. / © Melissa Doss Sliney 

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Family photos in Ault Park!

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The funny faces of Ellie!

Just some of Ellie's hilarious facial expressions during her one-year portrait session!