My wife and I met Fred and Lori while walking around Cincinnati on Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day earlier this year. I was admiring the restored neon sign and framing a shot in my Minolta X-370 when I heard a voice say “You like that sign?”.When I replied “yes”, the man said “Want to see the inside?”.
As it would turn out, that voice belonged to Fred, the owner of the Bay Horse. Fred had noticed that I was not using a new-fangled digital camera and admired my fondness for the analog cameras. He said that he used to shoot a Minolta just like it “back in the day“.Even though the establishment didn’t open for hours, Fred and his partner, Lori, unlocked the doors and gave us a tour of the saloon. Fred and Lori entertained us with stories about the history of the Bay Horse, including the restoration and the desire to make it “like it originally was at the turn of the century”, but not before posing for this photo.
Once the film was developed, I shared these photos with them and have remained in touch. I contacted them when planning a film photography photowalk in Cincinnati on September 15, and Lori graciously offered to open the doors so our group of film photographers can photograph this beautiful piece of Cincinnati history. If you’re ever in the area, I suggest you pop in and get to know the Bay Horse. You won’t regret it.
You meet the nicest people shooting film. If I had not been shooting a classic film camera, it’s possible we never would have met these wonderful people or have gotten to explore this fantastic part of Cincinnati history.