Welcome to the photography of Michael A Kearns. Please feel free to look around. Make yourself at home. Theres a little bit of everything here as I have a very short attention span. Your comments are always welcome.
- feral
The following is an expanded version of a show currently hanging at Slims Restaurant in the Northside neighborhood of Cincinnati. If you're in town, stop in, say hello to Patrick; enjoy some great food and take a look at the originals.
Thanks to Patrick for his generous support. Show statement follows below:
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feral
For most men, life is a search for the proper manila envelope in which to get themselves filed. ~Clifton Fadiman.
There is an eternal landscape, a geography of the soul; we search for its outlines all our lives. ~Josephine Hart
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I’ve always, from the earliest years, even while living in the most common and complacent of places; and amongst the most uninteresting and predictable people- been drawn to the unknown, the wild, the feral.
One encounters the feral, the inherent wildness of life, both within and without. In people, in landscapes, in wildlife. These places, these sentient beings, have maintained the core of their authenticity, their integrity; despite the determined efforts of society, of government, of corporate america, to civilize, to homogenize, to process them.
There are grand truths and wisdoms residing in these beings, these places. Sometimes this wisdom, these truths must be gained intuitively.
Other times, these special qualities are obvious.
In either event, all such beings, all such places, offer an opportunity- to those who are willing to listen- to discover nothing less than one’s own authentic self; to venture into the geography of one's soul.
- Gypsy Bikers
The war came home to Milford Ohio, again, this past week.
Funeral services have been set for a Clermont County soldier killed last week in Iraq.
Spc. Jacob P. Dohrenwend was killed June 21 in Balad from injuries suffered in a noncombat incident.
The military has released few details about the events that led to his death.
A visitation is set for Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. at Milford First United Methodist Church, and a funeral will be held there Saturday at 10 a.m.
Dohrenwend's body is expected to arrive Wednesday or Thursday at Lunken Airport and be escorted to Craver Riggs Funeral Home in Milford.
The procession will travel from the airport along Beechmont Avenue, onto state Route 32, then onto Church Street/Newtown Road, onto Wooster Pike and then Main Street.
Dohrenwend was with the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment based out of Fort Riley, Kan.
He is the 11th soldier with ties to Clermont County that has died since Operation Iraqi Freedom began in 2003.
- Nate Kearns' Graduation
My son Nate graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Aerospace Engineering. He is pictured here with his long time beloved Melissa and his mother and some unidentified large hairy guy.
Also pictured in the ceremony are Auburn's President and the Dean of the Engineering School. The gentleman with the faint resemblance to Richard Nixon gave the long and very forgetable commenecement address.
- Fundraiser 4/27/2012
Had a number of friends- from various bands- play a fund raiser on behalf of a local non-profit which recycles building materials. Since it was a green charity they covered REM's Green album and raffled off memorabilia which REM had been kind enough to donate and autograph. These are photos of the show.
- Local Music- Wussy/ Buffalo Killers
Cincinnati band Wussy and w/ a couple bonus shots of the Buffalo Killers 2/25/12 at the Canal Street tavern in Dayton.
- Early Wildflowers
Turns out that if you open your eyes and go out into the woods, there are signs of life after winter. Got a chance to go for a walk iin the woods yesterday and found that the wildflowers were already in bloom. Which means that we're going to have an early, and apparently beautiful, spring- if winter doesn't make a brutal late appearance....
- Migwa
- Raging Against January
In my end of the world January is a long dark month. Not as bad as someplaces, but noteworthy, nonetheless, for the constant monochromatic gray views out any and all windows. This is my attempt to relieve the monotony which is January.
- Travel-Apalachacola Fl
Situated in the heart of what is frequently referred to as the Redneck Riviera are the coastal communities of Apalachicola, St. George Island and Eastpoint.
Apalachicola, which is marked by the local chamber of commerce as "a quaint small southern town with a strong maritime culture, an eclectic group of locally owned shops and galleries, restaurants," is in a reality among the last of the old school fishing villages in Fl. The town is long on fishing, drinking and generally friendly natives.
The town, especially in the offseason is blessesedly unpopulated by the usual florida tourism and crowds, though toney and upscale communities abound just up and down the road.
The area also features two seriously beautiful barrier islands with long white beaches. And while both islands- St Joseph's and St George's both possess their share of commerical clutter, large sections of both are reserved as National Wildlife Areas. These parks provide an opportunity to experience some degree (depending upon the season) of actual coastal wilderness.
- Travel- Cumberland Island
Cumberland Island is Georgia's largest and southernmost barrier island. It sits roughly equidistant between Brunswick Ga and Jacksonville Fl. The island, which can only be reached by ferry or private boat, features pristine maritime forests, undeveloped beaches and wide marshes.
While the island is still situated close to civilization, it is a world apart. There are feral horses, alligators and all other form of wildlife. Cumberland Island is approximately 18 miles long and between one-half and 3 miles wide—or about 40 square miles.
Traveling north on the dirt shell road known as Grande Avenue you travel through the heart of the island under a draping canopy of live oaks, across forest floors packed with palmetto, through tall stands of stately pines, over open fields, near tidal creeks, fresh water wetlands and lakes
The island has also held, at various times, throughout it's history, mansions of the very rich (most of which are now literally crumbling, though several have been restored); a Gulah colony; as well as an upscale resort; and was once home to indiginous pre-columbian natives who, among other activities, hunted whale from dug out canoes fashioned from trees on the island.
- Travel-Charleston S.C.
Charleston S.C. is one those few places in America which doesn't look and sound like nearly every other city in America; at least for the next ten minutes.
Charleston is, unfortunatately, (and has been for sometime)steadily becoming Americas next great ubiquitous outdoor mall.
The city is slowly trading it's unique looks and history and architecture for a couple of main drags that look, taste and sound like upscale anywhere. A homage to corporate America in all its banal glory.
For now it's still possible to engage in the illusion that Charleston remains a unique and magical place.
For now it's still possible to met real southern gentlemen and women who behave with grace and manners.
For now it's still posible to eat in restaurants which don't cook the exact same pre-made tired dishes from the same wholesalers as the rest of culinary America.
But all that will change in about eight minutes. Get there while you can.
- Southgate House 12-26-11
The Southgate House was a live music venue in Newport Ky., just across the river from Cincinnati. A historic home converted to a music venue; the SGH has been the epicenter of Cincinnati's vibrant local music scene for years. Regional and national acts have also performed there regularly.
The SGH announced recently that it would close for good on New Years 2011. There's no way to describe how much this closing means to both local music fans, and musicians, as the SGH has been, for a very long time, one of the premier music venues in the country. New owners have stated that they will reopen as a concert space, but when, and how, the club will reopen, as a music venue, remains unknown.
This is my tribute to the people who played here, those who came to listen, and of course, to the venue itself.
- M&E-CD Release at the Comet
Photos from the Messerly and Ewing CD release party on 11/18/11 at The Comet in Cincinnati. Shiny and the Spoon opened.
- Exactly Heaven
A rainy Wednesday at the Taos Pueblo (village) north of Toas NM.
- MPMF 2011
Res ipsa Loquitur. And never take portraits with wide angle lenses. Sorry.
- Sat Night at the Comet-The Labor Readings
Photos of a reading held at the Comet, 9/3/11, to celebrate the release of Aurore Press' latest anthology, "Living In The Lap Of Labor," as edited by Betsy Young, Marry Anne Cowgill and Chuck Byrd.
- Mu
Joshu (A.D. 778-897) was a famous Chinese Zen Master who lived in Joshu, the province from which he took his name. One day a troubled monk approached him, intending to ask the Master for guidance. A dog walked by. The monk asked Joshu, "Has that dog a Buddha-nature or not?" The monk had barely completed his question when Joshu shouted: "MU!"
- Sunday Evening at the Pond
A mid summer night's collection.
- 8-7-11 Cincinnati Nature Center
Friends and family excluded, I find myself tired of the company of other humans. I'd much rather spend time with frogs, dragonflies and turtles these days. Here are some shots from a pond within Cincinnati Nature Center.
- Tues Night
Tues night at the Tavern. Friends playing music, friends drinking beer. Summer.
- Milford High School Graduation 2011
My Sons graduated from Milford High School at Cintas Center, Xavier University, on 5/27/2011. These are their photos and photos of several of their friends.
- Spring
A belated look at our belated Spring of 2011. From S Ohio to N. Ky. From the Smokies to N Ga.
- Spring 2011
I know. We didn't have a spring this year. But it only seemed that way. I belated look back from southern Ohio to the Smokies to North Georgia.
- Southgate House II-A Scrapbook For Musicians and Fans
Here's a less contemporary look at the SGH. This collection isn't about photography. Many of these earlier photos in this collection aren't of great quality. For along time, I simply didn't have the skills or gear to shoot in the dark cave which was the SGH at midnight. Rather, this collection is for those who spent too many hours listening and playing at the SGH. A slightly blurred trip down memory lane.
- Neshobe 2010
Every year friends throw a themed New Years Party. This year the theme was adventure.
- Nov-Dec 2010-Landscapes
- Best Of MPMF 2010
These are my favorite shots from Midpoint. Nuff said.
- Sunflower Revolution
Annual professional cycle races held in my hometown of Milford, Ohio.
- Hank To Thank
A benefit was held on 8/30/10 to raise funds and awareness regarding 811 Race Street. The second floor of this building was, once upon a time, a recording studio. There's a lot of history in the place and the concert on 8/30 commerated the 61rst anniversary of Hank Williams recording, "Im so lonesome i could cry."
(I wrote a story about 811 race in Soapbox a few weeks back- for the full story- go here http://www.soapboxmedia.com/features/0817cincinnatimusicheritagefoundation.aspx?referrerID=ba9ee8bf-12e1-47bb-ae54-d5c24dd8cf59).
The fundraiser featured local outlaw rocker Dallas Moore and his band as well as Jody Payne- a one time Cincinnatian most famous for playing guitar in Willie Nelson's band for over thirty years.
Please consider supporting the group which is working to make 811 live again: Cincinnati USA Music Heritage Foundation, led by President Elliot Ruther.
- Jeffersonville-August
I had to be in Columbus very early. When I left Milford it was dark. About halfway to Columbus the sky bgan to lighten and color and reflect off lakes and ponds adjacent to the highway. There was also backlit ground fog and the colors on the ground were highlighted. I pulled off I-71 and drove down backroads and shot central Ohio farm country coming to life.
- Out West 2010 (pt.1)
Images from cross country travel with my three sons. we traveled from Cincinnati to Chicago via bus and from Chicago to San Francisco via Amtrak.
We explored San Francisco, the coast north of SF and then spent several days on Point Reyes.
W e took the train to Portland, stayed in Portland and and then took the train to Glacier National Park.
After staying in Glacier we took the train back to Chicago, and then, after another day in Chicago, took the bus back to Cincinnati.
The numbers: 6500 miles in sixteen days, no arguments.
- Out West (pt.2)
Images from cross country travel with my three sons. we traveled from Cincinnati to Chicago via bus and from Chicago to San Francisco via Amtrak.
We explored San Francisco, the coast north of SF and then spent several days on Point Reyes.
W e took the train to Portland, stayed in Portland and and then took the train to Glacier National Park.
After staying in Glacier we took the train back to Chicago, and then, after another day in Chicago, took the bus back to Cincinnati.
The numbers: 6500 miles in sixteen days, no arguments.
- New Orleans and back 5/30/10 Pt 1
My entire life, I have been a creature of the road. I don't have one, but a handful of hometowns. Nowhere calls as clearly to me today as New Orleans. Not the frat boy NOLA of soulless Bourbon street; but the New Orleans that lies largely outside the French Quarter.
More than anything, what I love about New Orleans- beyond the food and music and the varied expressions of the melted cultures- are the people of the city. They're quick to accept, almost always willing to help out, and are always willing to share their passions.
The hostess at John Besh's Domenica summed up the people of NOLA best during a conversation over Sunday Brunch, "We love life" she said. Indeed.
As if to prove a point, the pretty women in this set are care of Kermitt Ruffin who insisted that all the pretty women in the house dance with him, on stage, during his set. Apparently Kermitt knows something about how to live as well.
- With A Little Help From his Friends
Eric and Tricia threw Mark a birthday party. My gift is a collection of belated portraits of Mark's friends. Happy Birthday brother. A Wussy show followed at NST. A damn fine night.
- Spring Retreat 2010- Highland Nature Sanctuary
I recently attended a meditation retreat. A thing I've done from time to time, and have been doing for almost some twenty or so years. The idea is to join the world, to see the world exactly, by giving complete and unadorned attention to each and every moment. By dropping one’s obsessions; fantasies and expectations, one can come to see the world as it is, rather than as we would have it be. Or, as Zen master, naturalist and Pulitzer Prize winning author Peter Matthiessen wrote in his introduction to his Zen memoir, Twelve Headed Dragon River: "To practice Zen means to realize one's existence in the beauty and clarity of this present moment, rather than letting life unravel in useless daydreaming of the past and future". Normally, the weapon of choice for fighting one’s way to enlightenment is the meditation cushion. However, for many reasons, sitting meditation has always been damn near impossible for me. Years of effort have lead me in circles. I have learned through trial and error, however, that art can take me where the cushion will, or can not. Thus photography and writing are important, to me, for not only aesthetic reasons, but also for spiritual reasons as well. This particular retreat was challenging as winter was still upon the land and spring was just a rumor. Color was nearly nonexistent. It was cold and gray and light was dim. The landscape is old and tired and beat to hell; and has been worked for a very long time. One, in crossing the land, stumbles repeatedly upon structures which once had some purpose, long since forgotten. The land and the weather and the lighting, therefore forced me to open my eyes, to look for beauty, to work harder to find the connection to the moment, to work beyond my own desires. Thanks to all, especially the Cincinnati Dharma Center and Randall and Laura for providing this challenge.
- Alejandro, Wussy, Pussy, Easter and The 'Ville
A long Easter weekend. The weather finally breaks and one can venture outdoors without a parka. These are photos from the Wussy show at the Zoo- Part of WNKU's blooms and Tunes Program. That Friday Alejandro Escavedo played the SGH. I'm very happy to say that not only is AE healthy (after a long battle with Hep C), he's also happy (if you can imagine such a thing); kicking ass and playing solid rock. See him if you can. AE was followed by a roadtrip to the 'Ville and Easter.
- March 2010-Krone
By this time, I've been trapped inside for the better part of 4 months. Snow photos grew old a long time ago and my city, currently, is one big damn ugly mud ball. I'd get on a plane and go somewhere, but obligations keep me here. I'd give my eye teeth to shoot something interesting- here's my effort to amuse myself- mostly Krone Conservatory and the 'Ville.
- 2010-03-21 Wussy- NST
A rare home date......
- Fine Art's Sampler
The Cincinnati Ballet and ANAYA GYPSY DANCE; performing at Cincinnati Ballet's practice space on Central Parkway on 2/21/10.
- A Little Night Music
Messerly and Ewing-busking in OTR during final friday. On 2/1/0 The Eagle To Squirrel Variety Hour played a brilliant set at the Stockyard Cafe along with the always memorable Mike Fair And The Adventure Seekers.
- Elegy For Eleven (A Commemmoration on the Thirtieth Anniversary of the Who Concert).
On 12/3/79, 11 young people lost their lives trying to enter a Who concert in Cincinnati. Below are some photographs of a memorial ceremony and march held on the 30th anniversary of those deaths. The author was both at the show, 30 years ago, as well as the subsequent memorial service on 12/3/09.
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Elegy For Eleven*
This memorial was about the people aggrieved; it was not about recounting how, one more time in this town, either a corporation and/or the government weighed profit versus its citizen’s health and/or lives; and then made the easy decision in favor of greed.
No, this gathering was simply about the people involved. The tears were for those who died; and the heartache, which we all felt, belonged only to those who were hurt- in body and mind- and yet lived to tell the tale.
If these photos also incidently, accidently, tell a tale of indifference and greed, of lives bought cheap, then the telling of that tale is merely coincidental; an afterthought to be told in broader strokes and in greater detail, on another day.
*The views expressed in this Elegy are not intended to represent the views and/or opinions of any other party and/or organization, save the author of this site (Michael A Kearns/ flowersforthevoid).
- Thanksgiving Eve
Aurora Press Free Speech event at Blue Rock Tavern and Wussy at NST.
- California, Best of: Part III
Back to San Francisco (Golden Gate Park and Japanese Tea House), Monterey, Pacific Grove and Seventeen Mile Drive; Jenner, Wine Country and most importantly, beautiful Point Reyes Nat'l Seashore, just north of Frisco, as well as photos from the long ride home.
Thanks to Leah for insight and direction.
- California-Best of, Part I
Part one of a three part series documenting the Best of California survey, shot in 11/09.
The photos in the this album were shot in San Francisco and Yosemite National Park.
- California Best of, Part II
These photos include Yosemite (specifically Glacier and Taft's Points) as well as the Ca. coast from Jenner to Big Sur and Carmel Beach and Mission.
- Headed West
Amtrak Triip From Cincinnati To San Francisco, in November of 2009; and the scenery along the way.
- North Carolina 10-09
Photos of the Cherokee National Forest, Telico River and Bald Falls on the Telico River. This area is roughly at the junction of NC, Georgia and TN near the Cherahola Parkway).
- 2009-09-28 MPMF Pt. II
- 2009-09-28 MPMF Pt. I
Mid-Point Music Festival Part I
Photos of the annual MPMF held each year in Cincinnati. The festival attracts independent bands from across the country, and around the world for three days of fun, music and mayhem.
- 2009-09-13 Fri Nite: Cin Beer Fest, Mike Fair % Co and James McMurtry Concert
Fall has finally come and the city slowly comes to life. Fri eve brought Mike Fair and the Adventure Seekers out to Fountain Square to play for Cincinnati Beer Fest. Later, James McMurtry played the Southgate House.
- Portfolio, Best of: Sentient Beings
- Portfolio: All portfolio photos (not divided by subject)
My complete portfolio. Subsequent albums contain the same photography divided by subject, for ease of viewing. The following photographs were taken over the last four years.
- Portfolio, Best of: Places
- Portfolio, Best of: Music
- Portfolio-Best of: A Sporting life.
A look at the games people play.
- K Thomas-R Mallott C Release/Afghan Whigs Benefit
The following are two shows I recently shot. The first was a CD release party featuring the music of Kelly Thomas and Ryan Mallott. The second is a Benefit held at Southgate House, featuring multiple bands performing the songs of the Afghan Whigs in August 2009.
