I feel like I say this every month: I've been busy and a it's a struggle to work on QC/D stories and content. Sometimes I barely even have time to sling the camera off of my back while on the bike when I see something cool. The phone makes it easier to snap something quick, but the quality isn't the same. Obligations make it hard to find time to shoot and then write longer stories rather than just these monthly posts and the few posts I got off
in May. Nevertheless, here I am working quickly to get something out and done before I get on a plane to go to the other side of the country and relax for a bit. So in the meantime, until I can find more time, here's my favorite photographs made in the month of May 2018 with a few anecdotes. This post is very soccer heavy, but there's been a lot of soccer news in case you didn't notice.
Photographs made with a Canon 7DMKII and iPhone X.
Same view above and below.
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| - Dinner at Please. |
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| - Performers from Cirque Du Soleil's "Corteo" on the Cincinnati Streetcar. |
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| - My neighborhood as seen from Pleasant Ridge/Kennedy Heights. |
In one of my favorite QC/D stories of all time, I explored "
Toynbee Tiles," asphalt street art with a mysterious and never truly determined backstory. All of Cincinnati's "Toynbee" variety have disappeared, but we still have a few "House of Hades" tiles around. The one seen in the above photograph was marked to be partially destroyed by roadwork. I'm still waiting to see how the road maintenance plays out and how much remains.
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| - Skyline of Downtown Cincinnati as seen from Pleasant Ridge/Kennedy Heights. |
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| - The historic Gwynne Building seen peeking above some older Downtown Cincinnati buildings. |
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| - FC Cincinnati supporters at Gettler Stadium, the venue used for our first round in the US Open Cup. A small venue, it wasn't used without controversy for some, but it was a blast to be in. One of the best nights I've ever had as a supporter. |
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| - Celebrating a US Open Cup win at Mecklenberg Gardens with an impromptu trombone performance. |
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| - Smoke flows over "The Bailey" at Nippert Stadium. |
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| - My megaphone. |
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| - Downtown Cincinnati as seen while the weather cleared. |
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| - Cincinnati Fire Department responding to another kitchen fire at Bocca. The restaurant was open for dinner that night and all seems to be well. |
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| - Discarded greenery. |
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| - Redtree Art Gallery and coffee shop in Oakley. |
So, yeah, the end of this month had some big news regarding FC Cincinnati. In 2012, I wrote an article pondering whether or not
Major League Soccer could, should, or even would come to the City of Cincinnati. I came to the consensus back then that it was incredibly unlikely. Yet, on May 29th, I stood in Rhinegeist and watched as it happened. I have a lot of thoughts on it. The event was the intersection of many things in my life and it was even emotional. Regardless on how you feel about soccer or even MLS, May 29th was a huge day for this city as we returned to having three major league sports franchises. It says a lot about how far this city has come and the passion of its people. There's still work to be done all over and a lot to process, but for now: I can't understate how incredible it felt to ride a train through the city to cheer on this soccer team once again as it continues to rise. I love Cincinnati.
QC/D Updates This Past Month:
Kings Island | On top of all the emotions and experiences tied to this month's soccer news, I went back to Kings Island for the first time in awhile. It was the first time I had been in the six years since I stopped working there, the first time I'd been there in 14 years since I was last a "guest." An interesting experience in a place where I've made countless photographs before. But more on this whole thing later.
3 Points Urban Brewery | I'm normally skeptical when I get invited to the grand opening of something. I've also been skeptical of the amount of breweries popping up in the past few years. 3 Points blew me away, though, and frankly, the place is great.
