I took a day trip into Cleveland to see new things and hopefully get some nice pictures in return. I'm happy to say that the pictures came out great! It was a really nice day, and these pictures do a great job reflecting this.
I started my day at home, taking pictures of Jake the dog and some flowers outside before heading downtown. My first stop was the Cleveland Art Museum, which was absolutely amazing (and free!). After this I headed deep into downtown where I roamed the streets on foot.
Location: Home; Living Room
About: What better way to start a new roll of film than with a picture of Jake, my beloved chihuahua. I love the color and lighting here, Jake also is funny with his gaze fixed away from the camera.
Location: Home; Living Room
About: Coming out of his cage, Jake has a series of stretches and yawns he does in routine. This was very difficult to capture since he's not very privy to being on camera, yet even still I caught him in the perfect moment with his eyes closed and tongue out.
Location: Home; Front Yard
About: I love the Rose of Sharon bush we have in front of our house, and this time of year is when it really flourishes. The pretty pink flowers fit well on top of the green leaves. A hint of brick in the background gives this picture a hint of homeyness.
Location: Home; Front Yard
About: The white of the flower is extremely bright in comparison with the dark dirt and gradient greens all around the subject. You almost have to give your eyes a second to adjust to see the details of the petals and the stigma.
Location: Home; Front Yard
About: I love the grainy quality of the picture, a unique quality I adore in film. The bright light coming in through the top balances really well with the dark color at the bottom. The flowers are in focus nicely with a good blurry background. I'm in love with this! Something about it is nostalgic and even a bit dreamy.
Location: Home
About: Right next to the entrance of our home, this kid has been holding this pot over his head for decades, and shows no signs of slowing down. I really like the different colors and textures to this image, the red-brick walls, green plants above and right, and of course the gray stone body of the boy. I look at this picture and think "summer!"
Location: Cleveland; University Circle
About: I took a day trip to Cleveland to explore places I've never been, the first stop was the Cleveland Museum of Art. After parking, the walk up to the building passes by this large theater, a very impressive building. Maybe one day I'll find a reason to visit inside.
Location: Cleveland; University Circle
About: The Art Museum is in an area called University Circle, which also has a lot of green space as you can see here. The weather outside was absolutely perfect this day; feeling the gentle mist from the Fountain was especially refreshing as the day reached its prime.
Location: Cleveland Museum of Art; Front Entrance
About: A front facing view of the Cleveland Art Museum. When I think of what an art museum looks like this is exactly what comes to mind. Heavy stone bricks and massive columns make up the entrance as the late-morning sun illuminates the building.
Location: Cleveland Museum of Art
About: Armor for Man and Horse with Völs-Colonna Arms, ~1575.
After walking into the museum and going right this suit of armor is on display in the center of the gallery. The tapestry on the cold brick walls along with the art and weaponry all around immerses you in a medieval castle. Even though it's just a display, I can almost image the suit of armor jumping off his horse as if worn by a living man.
Location: Cleveland Museum of Art
About: God the Father, ~1760, Johann Peter Schwanthaler.
Set up looking down on those passing by, a loving emotion radiates from this wooden carving. Loving, yet also sorrowful. I am reminded of the parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32.
Location: Cleveland Museum of Art
About: Crucified Christ, Late 1300s, Spain (Credited to).
With a spotlight set upon the Christ on the cross, you see in detail just how much Jesus suffered for us.
Location: Cleveland Museum of Art; The Atrium
About: Now this I really love. This space connects the art museum (right) with an additional extension of the building (left). Glass walls and ceilings enclose this area, creating something that feels as though you are both inside and outside at the same time. The daylight coming in really gave this space a positive vibe (which I dig). Here, you can see a replica Japanese temple covered behind tall bamboo trees.
Location: Cleveland Museum of Art
About: Bacchante, ~1863, Jean-Baptiste Clésinger.
Housed in a glass room. The gentle smile and relaxed pose gives a positive-friendly vibe to her.
Location: Cleveland Museum of Art
About: I found an upstairs area of the museum that no one else seemed to find. Looking down to the gallery below, you can see the marble statue of Terpsichore Lyran at the center of the entrance with the suit of armor further beyond her. This museum wasn't huge, but I found myself walking through it multiple times through uncovering things I didn't see my first time round.
Location: Cleveland Museum of Art; Outside
About: Bacchanale, 1917, Malvina Hoffman.
Set outside of the museum on the south-east corner of the building, it portrays a nude couple dancing with an apparent sense of joy.
Location: Cleveland Museum of Art
About: Terpsichore Lyran (Muse of Lyric Poetry), 1816, Antonio Canova.
After walking into the museum, this statue is the first piece of art greeting people as they come in.
Location: Cleveland Museum of Art; Front Entrance
About: As I walked back to my car I took this one last picture, focusing both the fountain and museum entrance into frame. I'm very thankful for how beautiful this day was, it really was the perfect summer day.
Location: Cleveland; Galleria at Erieview
About: After leaving the art museum I went into Downtown Cleveland to explore some places. This is the Galleria at Erieview, a nearly abandoned mall. There are only three businesses left here, one being a bookstore/coffee shop, one being a Romanian History Museum, and the last being the YMCA. Although very dated, I do like the look and vibe of this place, especially the glass ceiling bringing in all this natural light. It's a shame it's become so dead, I wish I could've seen it in its prime.
Location: Cleveland; Galleria at Erieview
About: This used to be the food court of Erieview. All tables and chairs have been taken out leaving it as an empty space. What's more is that a large black curtain sections off this area. Decorations are left hanging from the ceiling from who knows how long ago.
Location: Cleveland; Galleria at Erieview
About: Another shot of the galleria opposite of the end I took the first picture. I like this angle better being there's more colors (the red, yellow, and deep blues). Even though not a single person is in sight anywhere, it doesn't feel eerie, but warm and welcoming (right? or is this just how I feel?)
Location: Cleveland; Galleria at Erieview
About: From the ceiling hangs this sparkling decoration at the front entrance of Erieview. It's very pretty, made especially so by the abundant light flowing in.
Location: Cleveland; Eastman Garden
About: Set between both public library buildings, I came here to enjoy lunch before pressing on. The flowing fountain adds a calming sound to the surrounding atmosphere that contrasts the busy city noise. This crow was one of many birds to come by to wash itself and sip on some water.
Location: Cleveland Public Library
About: When I got this image back I was really surprised to see it turn out this way. From how it looks here it seems very dark, almost like I'm in the library after hours at night. Regardless, I still love how it came out. This is an excellent example on how a picture can change reality depending on how the camera is used.
Location: Cleveland; The Arcade
About: The Arcade is this very fancy interior of a building that was originally built as an indoor shopping hall. Although it still is today, the Arcade is now mostly used as a venue for large gatherings, weddings, and events.
Location: Cleveland; The Arcade
About: Another view of the Arcade from the other end. This is such a pretty building to walk through; seeing a picture doesn't do the real thing justice. At the bottom-center you can see this girl dressed in a very pretty dress. It seemed like they were doing a wedding photo shoot when I walked through; the color scheme they had going on fit very well on this bright, summer day.
Location: Cleveland; The Arcade
About: A shot of the empty retail spaces on the floors above. They had the stairs leading up blocked off as to prevent access, which makes sense as there was nothing up there, but I would have loved to walk around on these upper levels. There really isn't much to do in the Arcade unless you are wanting to use this space for an event.
Location: Cleveland; E 4th St
About: I stumbled down this road while I was heading towards Tower City. Along either side is restaurant after restaurant for any kind of craving you might have. I think this shot came out very nice! I would love to see this space at night with the hanging lights on and all the restaurants filled to the brim.
Location: Cleveland; Tower City
About: I love Tower City, it's probably the most nostalgic place on earth to me. Here, you can see the arched ceiling of the front entrance, decorated with rows of gold flowers. There's so much character in a place like this.
Location: Cleveland
About: Yup, pretty cool building right here.
This set continues my day in Cleveland, which concluded in Crocker Park. Everything else was taken at Cedar Point with a couple of friends. These are the first pictures I took with my new 60-210mm lens, and Cedar Point was the perfect place to try it out.
While I was sitting in the stands, watching people go by on the Top Thrill 2, this guy with a camera came up to me to show off some amazing pictures he took of the coaster. It's funny because I was all the way up in these bleachers that face the coaster and he walked to the very top, showed me these pictures, then walked away. Since taking up this hobby I feel like I'm noticing more people around me who are actual photographers, and this guy obviously noticed me!
Location: Cleveland; Outside Tower City
About: I love Tower City, it's such a cool building, inside and out. I'd love to explore the top of it and see the view of the surrounding Cleveland area.
Location: Cleveland; Mall B
About: Taken in the grassy area, Mall B, and looking out to the (from right to left) the old public library building, the new library building, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. The yellow building on the far left is the Drury Plaza Hotel. The trees in view give a slight sense of nature that's often absent in city environments.
Location: Cleveland; Voinovich Bicentennial Park
About: One of the six Cleveland Script Signs, and my personal favorite of all of them. Located on the North Coast Harbor, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is seen in the background. This is one of my favorite areas of the city as there's some cool stuff here, but it's also a nice place to sit out and look at the lake.
Location: Cleveland; Voinovich Bicentennial Park
About: A really big boat that was converted into a museum. I explored it once with my family as a kid, but haven't been in there since. I would've gone today but I had other places on my agenda list so not enough time to fully soak it in.
Location: Cleveland; Voinovich Bicentennial Park
About: Another view of the William G. Mather with Cleveland buildings in the background. The big white one just across the water is the Science Center.
Location: Cleveland; Voinovich Bicentennial Park
About: I don't fancy boats very much, but I do fancy this shot. Would this be the hull, or the bow? Regardless, I like the look of this shot, as it really shows the size of the ship; also the bridge (wheelhouse) looks cool.
Location: Cleveland; Voinovich Bicentennial Park
About: The grassy square of the park rises up which gives a good advantage point of the surrounding area. Here, you can see people taking pictures of the Cleveland sign with the city in the background. I wish the sun came out a bit more as I feel the image is a bit dull with the cloudy sky.
Location: Crocker Park
About: I finished my day in Cleveland by heading to Crocker Park. It's a nice shift from the busy city feel, and it felt especially homey today with people gathered to watch a local artist perform. There's a lot of color in this image which is something I really love.
Location: Cedar Point; Steel Vengeance
About: The first ride we went on at Cedar Point was Steel Vengeance. This shot looks at the train as it comes down the initial hill, taken from right below the ride. The cool thing about the line for this ride is it goes through the coaster, so you feel the track bending and shaking the wooden structure as the coaster flies by. Cool stuff.
Location: Cedar Point
About: Part of Cedar Point is waiting in line for a while for your turn. This was taken in one of those moments, and is actually the first image I've taken with the zoom lens as a test!
Location: Cedar Point
About: The wildlife of Cedar Point includes pretty much only seagulls.
Location: Cedar Point; Iron Dragon
About: The griffin mascot of the Iron Dragon, my favorite ride as a kid.
Location: Cedar Point; Sirens Curse
About: A new coaster that was put in this year. When we visited Cedar Point earlier this year (see: Photos from May - June 2025) the ride was still in testing, but now it was opened! I opted not to ride this one as it seemed a bit extreme for my liking, but the friends I was with loved it. They said it was their favorite, riding it twice while we were there (@ day and @ night).
Location: Cedar Point
About: The park was packed full of people, this shows the busy nature one should expect going to Cedar Point on a day like this. We even picked a day that we new attendance might be a bit less (Tuesday)!
Finishing up our time in Cedar Point, I tried to fully utilize the zoom lens as much as possible, and to some success! Catching people on a coaster as it is in motion is really cool, but challenging. This roll had several shots that came out blurry or out of focus, even some that I was really excited for. Still, I'm very happy with how some pictures turned out.
The other half of this set is from the Cleveland Guardians Baseball game. It was a beautiful night with a lot of Cleveland Spirit! These pictures also utilize the zoom lens to get close up shots of the players, crowd, and the stadium.
Location: Cedar Point
About: Taken from the top of the Top Thrill 2 bleachers, in the distance you see a small stretch of the Millennium Force; I waited very patiently to catch the coaster at the peak of this hill. Although the train itself is blurry, everything else is in focus. It's not all a bad thing as it shows motion, plus you can make out and see people have their hands raised in the air!
Location: Cedar Point
About: Clouds are among the most beautiful things in God's creation. I love the random/sporadic nature of the sky here; the light and the shadows too.
Location: Cedar Point; Top Thrill 2
About: The Top Thrill 2 moves really fast forward and backward; this shot shows the ride at it's highest point going back before re-launching forward. For how fast the ride moves, and how careful you have to be with a film camera with a fully zoomed lens, I'm happy with how this came out. The white background of the sky gives an isolated feeling to this picture.
Location: Cedar Point
About: We sat down to eat a quick meal at a table not too far out from the stage. I don't remember what music they were playing, older hits for sure, but they sounded really good. They also had a very fun presence on stage.
Location: Cedar Point
About: Another shot of the band. The band gives off this friendly neighbor vibe. Kind of like how The Beatles were originally described: clean. I like the pink guitar the lead singer has, very stylish.
Location: Cedar Point; Cedar Creek Mine Ride
About: The longest we had to wait for a ride was here at the Cedar Creek Mine Ride, which is my all time favorite at Cedar Point. The amount of people is crazy, but not necessarily a bad thing. My brother claims that you can smell maple syrup going through one of the tunnels, do you concur?
Location: Cedar Point
About: Taken from on the gondola ride. This is a very summery picture, with the blue sky, blue lake, and the white Grand Pavilion building all sitting behind the orange ferris wheel. I've never been on a ferris wheel; hopefully the change will come in time, when the time is right.
Location: Cedar Point
About: I initially wasn't going to include this image as I felt it turned out bad. But then I looked at it a bit closer and realized I liked it. The thing I like about it is the slight blur, which gives a sense of motion/action. It's also kind of cool that the train is seen between both the orange track and blue metal beams.
Location: Cedar Point
About: I'm not a fan of tattoos, but this girl rocked the style. I like this shot more so because of the complexity of the background. Even though it's out of focus, all the tracks and beams make the park look so full and exciting. You can also see how long the line for Valravn is!
Location: Cedar Point
About: Taken just as the train departed, as it began to climb the initial hill. This was another shot I was hesitant to include, but it did turn out well.
Location: Cedar Point
About: Seen are people in line for Valravn close to the front. The blank sky adds a strange quality (or vibe?) here; it's difficult to explain how I feel about this image... Is it just me?
Location: Cedar Point
About: I really like how this turned out. The contrast between the bright yellow game area vs the dark blue building tops creates this balance that works very well. This is image is very nostalgic to me, as it brings back memories of being a kid at Cedar Point playing these games.
Location: Cedar Point
About: One of the many restaurants throughout the park. We stopped here for dinner before leaving. I like the look of the diner, especially with all the lights at night.
Location: Cedar Point
About: Another look at the carnival games they have set up. I only see two people in this image who are a bit hidden. This gives a feeling of emptiness to the park, which goes against reality as seen in my previous photos, and just because it was night doesn't mean there are that many less people. Overall, a good picture, and a good one to conclude our trip to Cedar Point.
Location: Cleveland; Progressive Field
About: The statue is of a man who was a former slugger for the Cleveland Indians, Jim Thome. I really like this shot, especially with the stadium in the background and the sea of heads below him.
Location: Cleveland; Progressive Field
About: Our seats for the baseball game were really high up at the South End of the stadium, so not only did we have good seats to watch the game, but we had a great view of the entire stadium.
Location: Cleveland; Progressive Field
About: I like this picture because it blends together all sorts of different people; from the fans, cheer-people, the camera operator, the actual players, and other staff. There are a lot of moving parts to each one of these games, which is kind of cool to think about.
Location: Cleveland; Progressive Field
About: Seen pitching on the field is player #54, Joey Cantillo. Baseball is such an interesting sport to me, I love it. I'm not a sports fan very much, but baseball would probably be my favorite.
Location: Cleveland; Progressive Field
About: A better overall view of the stadium, with Cleveland up to bat against the Atlanta Braves. A very fun game, even though we did lose 2-0.
Location: Cleveland; Progressive Field
About: The Progressive Field sign with Cleveland buildings in the background.
Location: Cleveland; Progressive Field
About: Pictured is a crazy Clevelander who ran out onto the field in the middle of the game. Two officers detained the man. It was fun to hear the crowd cheer as soon as this guy was caught and taken off. I like the look of the player in the bottom right just watching.
Location: Cleveland; Progressive Field
About: A fun picture taken when staff were tossing t-shirts in the stands.
Location: Cleveland; Progressive Field
About: As the day turned into evening, the sky gained this subtle gradient. The overhead lights shine brighter as the game nears its end.