It was early June when I opened Instagram to a message from my friend John Kraemer (@jkraemer22 on Instagram). “Something to think about…I have a High School Class Reunion in Cincinnati. I was wondering if you would be up to a downtown Cincinnati Photowalk Sunday, June 13.”
“Are you kidding me? Of course I’m in. Great idea!!”
I’ve never met John in person, but we talk and interact frequently on Instagram. I’ve always admired his photography and he has always seems like a great guy. It would be awesome to hang out with John and shoot some film. Especially now that I had been fully vaccinated for a while and the restrictions had started easing up.
Sunday came. I picked John up from his sister’s house and we headed to Cincinnati. We parked at a lot on the corner of Sycamore and E 7th St, just around the corner from the Bay Horse Café. I know the owners of the Bay Horse. I was hoping to treat John to a beer inside, but being Sunday, the Bay Horse was still operating on reduced hours and wouldn’t be open for business this day. Still, I knew he’d love the sign. It’s one of my favorites in Cincinnati.
For this photowalk, my weapon of choice was the Bronica ETRSi, a camera I don’t shoot nearly enough. I loaded it up with Lomography Metropolis, dialed in the ISO to 400, and put on the 50mm f/2.8 Zenzanon-PE lens. I don’t normally shoot wide, especially on medium format. I had also never shot Metropolis on 120 before. This would be a day for a lot of firsts.
We decided to visit the blocks surrounding where we were, then head to the Over The Rhine area to grab some lunch. Cincinnati is full of ghost signs. John knows his way around Cincinnati, but I somehow was still able to show him one he had never seen before, the sign for the old Provident Camera store at 720 Vine St. the store has been closed for years, but the ghost sign is still visible. Here’s a shot of John getting a photo of the sign.
A few block later, we came upon a cruise in. The organizer told us this was the first time for this event, but that they hoped to make it a regular thing. There weren’t many cars, but the ones that were there were pretty cool. The Metropolis did them justice.
It gets hot in Cincinnati in the summer. This day, it was pushing 90 degrees F. An ice cold beer sounded good and we were hungry. “Let’s find some food!”
After discovering some of my favorite dining spots were also not operating 7 days a week yet, we finally lucked out when we found ourselves at Taft’s Ale House. John’s sister was returning from a trip out of town and stopped in to see John and joined us for lunch. John would be heading to the airport for his flight home directly following our photowalk.
After a great lunch and a couple of cold beers, we headed back out. For a lazy Sunday, we ended up finding quite a bit happening. Below is a small group of demonstrators speaking up for the recent issues plaguing the Middle East.
Cincinnati has also seen it’s fair share of racial injustice. This city’s heart beats strong.
I said earlier that I don’t shoot the Bronica nearly enough, and it’s true. I don’t know why, but I seem to overlook it when choosing a camera to shoot. Besides, what’s not to like about it? I love the 645 format. It’s a very capable and comfortable camera to shoot, and the photos it produces always look amazing. And I’m loving the results from the 50m lens. It captured some great urban shots.
Yep, I definitely need to take this camera out more often.
How do I feel about the Lomography Metropolis? Well, to be honest, the jury is still out. I love the muted colors. I’ve shot it in both urban and rural environments, and I just love the colors. I found the shots from the beach especially pleasing on it. What I’m not a fan of is the amount of grain I’ve encountered. Don’t get me wrong…I love grain. But I find the grain in the Metropolis a bit much. Maybe I should try shooting it at an ISO of 200 and see how it does.
I had a great time hanging out with John and hope he gets to visit Cincinnati again soon. Or better yet, maybe I need to let him show me around Dallas. Be sure to visit John’s Instagram page. He has some great photography you’re sure to love.
I’ve very grateful for the friends I’ve met via social media. What can I say? This film photography community of ours is a great one.
Until next time, stay safe out there everyone!