Cincinnati, Ohio -

I tried two new techniques on my trip to Cincinnati, Ohio, this past week.

The first came from William Eggleston. His photographs have been described in many many ways, but one of my favorites is “fearless naturalism.” This is the “belief that by looking patiently at what others ignore or look away from, interesting things can be seen.”

The second technique came from the Photowalk Podcast, whose challenge of the week was to find an interesting composition, treat it like a stage, and wait for actors to walk through. Sometimes the actors never came. But the stage was beautiful in its own way.

My favorite photo from this trip is “Gerald.” I have had, as long as I can remember, a paralyzing fear of approaching strangers to ask to take their picture.

It’s unsettling to me because I am completely comfortable approaching and talking to strangers. I just have an unusual amount of fear in asking to take their photograph.

I have avoided dealing with this fear for many years by taking only pictures of nature, or things. People, I surmised, were outside my artistic reach.

When I began, recently, taking photos again, I tried taking pictures of people surreptitiously. I believe that by doing so, it gives the viewer a chance to see, experience and interpret the scene in their own way.

But to be good at this type of photography, I have to know how to quickly compose and expose images with people as the subjects.

I decided, in Cincinnati, to approach just one person and ask to take a photo.

Gerald was the one person.

Gerald is a coffee shop owner – the G2 Coffee Bistro & Lounge at 151 West 4th Street in Cincinnati, Ohio.

As I looked at all the jazz-related decor in his shop, he came over to talk to me. Told me about his experience as a promoter of the OHare Jazz Festival in Chicago, Illinois (click this link to see the 2022 lineup at the festival.)

As he spoke, I noticed, behind him, the iconic image of Muhammad Ali standing over Sonny Liston.

I sensed a connection between the two men’s life experiences, and asked to take the photograph.

And I continue to take photos on planes – I’m just so excited to be back in the world, traveling again, after 2 years in lock-down.

So far this year, I have travelled to Phoenix, Washington DC, Denver, Oakland, Minneapolis and Cincinnati.

I haven’t been able to take photographs in each place, and still have photos to post from others, but I’m just excited to be back out in the world again.

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