As photographers, we have a saying, “you make your own luck.” We capture fleeting moments often in remote places. Often, we’re only in those places for a short time. We have to get lucky. But being prepared for those “lucky” moments is what it’s all about.

A few weeks ago, I met up with Charlie. He’s graduating high school in a few months. He played football, obviously. He also got good grades, and want to do engineering in school. Capturing “that” in a portrait is not an easy thing. We decided to focus on football. It’s a visual aspect of his life.

They used to say that Ansel Adams was not a landscape photographer, he was a weather photographer. He would wait for days to photograph something with the perfect clouds and light. I thought about that as I was photographing Charlie. The time of day was excellent and the sky was wonderful! So, I took advantage of my luck and shot some photos that included the sky. Let me know what you think!

In the middle of September on the campus of the University of Cincinnati, a man calling himself Brother Micah showed up near McMicken Hall near the until recently challenged Free Speech Zone.

In August, a district court judge ruled that public university’s could not “quarantine” free speech. So the free speech rights at UC are a bit of flux at the moment.

When I ran across this scene, the students were in an uproar. They were shouting Brother Micah down while he accused them of being sinners, and often, more specifically, whores or homosexuals. His warnings of hell seemed to fall on deaf ears.

Brother Micah’s wife, who called herself Sister Elizabeth, was also in attendance speaking with a smaller group of students at a more reasonable volume. I like this picture for a few reasons, one those being her sequined shirt pocket.

She gave me their first names and told me that they attend churches in Florida and Kentucky, but she wouldn’t tell me if they were connected to any specific organization or church.

By what was being said, I knew a lot about them without researching their church. Brother Micah was preaching what has been deemed the “hate gospel.”

The Westboro Baptist Church is probably the most notable promoters of this line of thought, but it’s not a new idea. Wars have been justified by this thought.

The idea is that God says in the Bible that certain thing are bad, so people need to hate those things. Even though New Testament verses exist in complete contradiction to this reason.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?” Matthew 5:43-47

In the research I did, I could find no other organizations promoting the hate gospel. But Brother Micah may well be considered an institution himself. He has been traveling to college campuses around the Midwest since 2004, and even has his own Wikipedia page.

An interesting point about fundamentalist Christianity is that it is mainly isolated to the United States. The hate gospel is obviously not a view held by all fundamentalists, but I think all those who believe in the hate gospel would classify themselves as fundamentalists.

If you’re interested in getting a scholarly viewpoint on Christianity itself, check out Bibledex on Youtube. The scholars’ discussion about fundamentalism are especially interesting since the channel is produced in Europe.

Back to UC. I found the student population especially interesting. Several students went head to head with the preacher. Every time he brought up sex or masturbation, the students cheered, and two students did a rap about God to demonstrate that Brother Micah was not representative of Christianity.

So today’s I’m launching my new site, complete with a fresh new blog. Some of your may remember this picture. It was originally posted on my old blog right after I started my job at CityBeat. This is the newest interpretation of the photo. I made it this spring.

I started blogging in March of 2008. I wanted to give people a look at my photography who weren’t typical news consumers. I then moved my blog to WordPress soon after starting it. I did this primarily to allowing commenting on my blog posts. I a lot of posts then broadcasted my opinions, and if those opinions couldn’t be challenged, then what was the point.

My life has also changed drastically since March of 2008. I leave a company, joined a different company and was subsequently laid off from that second company. And mixed in with it all, I started what I hope will be a large part of my career moving forward, education. My primary job now is being the editor of Phototuts+, an online education website owned by Envato, the smartest and most compassionate company I’ve ever had the pleasure of working for.

I’m also teaching IRL at the University of Cincinnati. My love and pursuit of photography and journalism itself has never waned. Yet, I think teaching the crafts has changed the way I look at them.

Enough with the sentimental self-indulgence. Here’s what you’ll find on my site now and in the future. First, you’ll see I have a dedicated portraits section of the site. I’ve been commissioned to do more and more portraits over the years, and I’m very happy to take on more work.

Second, you’ll see a wedding section on my site. I’m by no means a specialist in this area, but for those couples who enjoy my rather different style, I’m more than willing to take on the task of documenting their day.

You’ll also see that there is a food section. Over the last few years, I’ve shot a lot of food, and I think I’ve developed that set of skills along with a style that is appealing. If you’re in the market to have some dishes shot, let me know. Otherwise, enjoy the food porn.

You’ll see more photo sections added to the site in the future. I’m hoping to launch a dance photography section before the end of the year. I also would like to have a music section up by that time, too. A product photography section is also in the works.

And finally, anyone who knows my work, knows that I love film. There is currently a video right here in the blog along side this post. It’s an overview of the Pentax Spotmatic film camera that was released in the ’60s. For you camera nuts out there, I’ll be posting these overviews every few weeks. I have a huge camera collection, so it will be awhile before I run out of material.

Please let me know what you think of the new site and it’s features!

“As a journalist and Hip Hop supporter, I always wanted to include more female perspectives in my writing, but finding a good mix of voices was always challenging. I discovered I only knew of a handful of women in the scene.

But during the last few years, as I’ve been getting out and networking with women at shows, I’ve discovered why Cincinnati’s Hip Hop community as a whole continues to be isolated. It’s a complicated mix of sub-communities that only intersects because of certain key people, and, not surprisingly, the connectors are women.” -Mildred C. Fallen from the CityBeat article, “Where My Ladies At,” publish in 2012.

I had the opportunity to meet and photograph most of the women featured in this story. This is the portrait series that resulted. The story I linked to above is one of my favorite music stories from CityBeat.

Abiyah Rawers

Apryl Reign

DJ Jentel

Jai All Day

Mercedes Brown

Sun Smith

Miranda Millard

This story was originally published in CityBeat, you can visit their site to read the story, too.

Keeping your money right is harder now than it’s been for over half a century. In these tough economic times, people are always on the look out for new, innovative ways to make a living. But there are some among us who have decided to stop looking on Craigslist and instead find careers in the past.

Either by choice or by chance, these Cincinnatians are leading successful careers in jobs that even our Depression-era grandparents would have thought were old-timey. In the age of the digital revolution and constant market flux, it’s reassuring to know that some jobs endure and remain fun, fulfilling and creative.

These are also the faces of those who took a different route, carving out their own niche in the world. In these professions, the downsizing took place years and, in some cases, centuries ago.

Gus Miller operates Batsakes Hat Shop downtown. He creates his own fedoras and is a master at relining and blocking vintage hats. Batsakes has been in business for 103 years. Batsakes is located at 1 W. Sixth Street in Downtown. The fedora was invented in the late 19th century and was mainly worn by women at first; men started wearing them in the early 1900s.

Kimberly Ashcraft teaches Latin at Summit Country Day School. Under her watch, Summit has won the Ohio Junior Classical League Convention’s “Overall Sweepstakes” trophy the past four years, ending the quarter-century reign of Stow-Munroe. Learn about Ashcraft’s curriculum at www.summitcds.org. Latin has been spoken, and presumably taught, for more than 2,700 years.

Ray Boh owns Royal Typewriter on Reading Road. The bulk of his business comes from printer and copier maintenance, but he repairs a steady stream of typewriters for collectors and decorators. Royal Typerwriter is located at 3042 Reading Road in Avondale. Functional typewriters were invented around 1830 to speed up business communications.

Scott Gregory creates custom horseshoes and offers other farrier services. He keeps his customer base engaged by using modern social media and web marketing techniques. Gregory is based out of Milford. Learn more about his craft and his services at farrierservices.net. The early history of the horseshoe is foggy at best, but horses have been shoed for at least 1,500 years.

A Violin Maker’s Workshop owner Jerrold Witkowski has taught music in Chicago and Honduras. He then attended the Chicago School of Violin Making and now has two shops in the Cincinnati area, one in Cheviot and one in Mason. You can see example of his work and get details about his services at www.aviolinmakersworkshop.com. The modern violin was invented in the mid-1500s, but bowed stringed instruments date back much farther.

Tim Verdin is the sixth generation owner of The Verdin Company, which produces bells, clocks and carillons. The company has been casting bronze bells since 1842. Read about some of the projects they’ve completed at www.verdin.com. Bellfounding in Europe might have began as early as the 4th century A.D.

The rates at autism diagnoses in the United States have risen dramatically in the last 10 years. With the help of JournalNews reporter Linda Ebbing, I followed three children from Filmore Elementary over the course of a week.

Through visiting with them at school and at home, I hoped to show what educators and parents do to help childrem with autism grow and develop, and also to show what early intervention and inclusion programs do to improve the welfare of these three children.

Noelle Bates

Gabriel Cochran

Timmy Fannin

Utawna Leap often recites the words of Mahatma Ghandi. “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Her daughter, Lianna Bryant, has cerebral palsy. By becoming active in the Butler County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, visiting college classes with Lianna, joining the Family Advisory Council at Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and helping to improve special education in Butler County, Utawna is out to make some big changes.

Lianna Bryant, like most five-year-old children, has been the center of her mother’s life for five years. Lianna was born with quadriplegic mixed-type cerebral palsy caused by a brain injury at delivery. “She’s why my life has changed, and for the better, in every way,” her mother, Utawna Leap of Middletown, said. Utawna has gone from being married to being single, from being independent to living with her parents, and from studying Botany and selling real estate to being an intense activist for children with disabilities in Butler County.

When they are not in therapy, speaking to college students or attending meetings, Utawna and Lianna spend their time on the open land at Utawna’s parents home. “Right now, it is my job to take care of my daughter in every way, shape, and form; that is why I have become involved with everything I can possibly find.”

Lianna’s arms and legs are almost constantly flexed resulting in limited movement, but her upper body, including her neck, are weak and flimsy making it hard for her to sit up straight and support her head. She also has little control over the muscles in her mouth making it hard to chew, swallow and speak. She receives therapy several days a week. “She started physical therapy at Abilities First at eight months… it is like my second home.”

Lianna requires assistance with bathing, using the bathroom and dressing. Utawna uses these situations to further Lianna’s communication skills by asking her if she needs to use the restroom, if it is time for a bath, what she wants to wear, and even how many ponytails she would like.

Lianna’s muscles must be loosened up often. Massaging and exercising them can increase the range of motion. Lianna and Utawna have become close with the therapists. “They are my family,” Utawna said. “They are therapists for me, too.”

Walter Leap, Lianna’s grandfather, and her grandmother Faye Leap took Utawna in after she separated from her husband. “If it had not of been for my parents’ constant support since the day she was born, I think I would be in a padded room,” Utawna said. “We each have individual roles to where I actually get to go to the bathroom by myself, I never had that luxury before.”

Medical equipment is a huge expensive for Utawna. “Anything labeled therapy, the price goes sky high, and insurance does not always want to pay for it.” Utawna said. “You have to learn to fight the system, and fight for everything that you can get.” Lianna’s powered-wheelchair cost $42,000.

Lianna cannot speak, but communicates with her eyes. She can tell time, so when her therapy sessions are ending, she will look back and forth between her mother and the clock. “She lets me know when it is time to leave,” Utawna said. Lianna also has special eye motions. If something is big, she looks up as far as she can. If Utawna is being funny, she will show her “crazy eyes” by crossing them.

Many people diagnosed with cerebral palsy can lead fully functional lives. The brain damage is isolated, so often the intelligence of person is not affected. “We believe (her therapists and I, not just her mommy being positive) that she will talk and have functional speech.” Utawna said. “She’s a bright little kid just stuck in a body that doesn’t want to work just right.”

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