The Zombie Apocalypse

Cleveland, Ohio skyline from Edgewater Park © acgercak

It felt like the zombie apocalypse. The streets were empty and flooded in some places and trees were across the roads with power lines tangled among the mess. Power was out all over and you could smell the fires in fireplaces as people try and keep warm.

So what happened? I live in Cleveland, Ohio which is close to 500 miles West of Ocean City, NJ where Hurricane/Super storm/Frankenstorm Sandy made landfall. This storm was unlike anything I have ever seen or experienced before, and this from a guy who spent a year in Tornado Alley. In Cleveland, winds off the lake are nothing new, but the velocity and duration of the winds we got were unreal, and to a emergency junkie like me, something completely awesome.

When the storm started to hit Monday morning, I grabbed my camera, got some drinking water into the fridge and set out with my friend Patrick to try and get photos of the predicted 15-20 foot swells on Lake Erie. I have lived on the lake for years, never have I seen waves that large on the lake. I had to see it.

Veteran's Memorial Park Avon Lake, Ohio 

We made our way to Avon Lake, Ohio which is 18 miles West of Cleveland to start the adventure. Avon Lake was the western edge of the large wave zone. So I figured starting out and moving in would be the best. As I stood on a 10 foot cliff over looking the lake, I was getting battered with spray as the waves crashed onto the cliffs and sprayed all over the place. The waves were large, but nothing that I haven't seen before having grown up here and body surfed these waves.

Satisfied, we moved East to Huntington Beach in Bay Village, Ohio in hopes of larger waves. We got all the way down to the beach before seeing siding ripped off the tower of the ice cream stand. The waves were larger here. The rain stung our face from the howling winds. And this was at the very beginning of the storm. I could only imagine what was on the way.

Huntington Beach Bay Village, Ohio

After we were done there, we met up with a couple of friends, George and Mandy Gomez; both are adventurous and wanted to see the lake as well. As we made our way East the wind picked up and started moving the car around as we drove. The next stop was Edgewater Park in Cleveland. From there I could get a perspective of the lake and the city. I was there 5 days earlier at sunrise; Monday was much different.

Through the greyish haze you could make out the city. In the big surf on the beach there was a kite surfer. Unreal when you look at it all. We made our way down to the beach and there we saw it littered with surf boards and people in full wet suits getting ready to surf Cleveland. Again these waves were small compared to what was on the way. I put these waves at 8-12 feet at times.

Our last stop of the day was the E. 55th St. marina. At this location there isn't a beach to absorb the energy of the waves and they crash directly into the break wall just feet from I-90. In Cleveland this is where the big waves were. Like Banzai Pipeline on Oahu, HI; E. 55th was the place to see the big ones.

Waves at E55th St Marina Cleveland, Ohio

 The parking lot was packed with curious people. We all wanted to capture and experience the waves, the spray, and the wind. A hurricane in Cleveland is rare, we all wanted a piece. Again this is all before the big winds of the storm were coming. I looked at the waves crash, made a few frames, then George said, we should go out to that walk way that runs along the Shoreway for a different perspective. I was, at first, a little gun shy about going out there. The waves were crashing almost over the walkway, we would be sitting ducks, but we went any way.

In the end, that is where I got a different perspective. The waves would crash on the dock and roll up the break wall rocks and drench our feet. I got a few more frames, and we headed home. The worst was still yet to come and we didn't want to get caught in it.

View from the walkway along the Shoreway Cleveland, Ohio

Around 8 o'clock that night, the winds really started to pick up. I heard trees bending in the wind. Around 11:00 I lost power and we were in the dark. We were prepared, and honestly we were expecting power to be lost a lot sooner than it did. The next morning we got up to scope out the damage around town, and because we didn't have power, stopped at McDonald's for breakfast and news. My mom asked that I call my Grandma and check on her. Instead we made the drive out there. I checked her foundation and made sure it wasn't leaking, checked her sump pump which was on battery back-up was still functioning, and her siding is still on the house.

I walked up and down the street to see what I could see. Just south of her house there was 4 downed trees, one on a house. To the north there was a power line in the road that had been closed. Around a little street called Coveland, which is right on Lake Erie there was a tree across power lines, trees on cars, houses, bushes missing, decking in the water, and waves crashing so hard on the cliffs that you could feel them thump at your feet.

Despite the damage, we dodged a bullet. We got hit, and hit hard, but because much of us were prepared and ready, there were not any deaths associated with the storm in Cleveland and there wasn't widespread flooding. Most of us were inconvenienced by no power, unlike the East coast where there is no power and also a lot of no houses, no cars, and a crane dangling hundreds of feet in the air.

Coveland Dr. Avon Lake, Ohio

Cleveland didn't have it bad, but we got through it thanks to great info from Emergency Management folks and spot on reporting from local TV and radio stations.

Hire Me

Since being laid off in May, I have scoured the Earth for a new gig. Banking, technology, PR, and photography have been the areas I have concentrated most of my efforts. I am knowledgeable in all those industries and what ever I may not know, I could learn quickly.

A large bank interviewed me, liked me, and called the day after my interview and said someone internally is moving into the position I interviewed for. It was a cool gig too, but I was encouraged to keep a look out for more opportunities in that department. I saw a posting last week, jumped at it, and waited. Then I saw that company was laying off a ton of people, and the recruiter called me to tell me the open position was being eliminated due to those cutbacks.

So I kept looking. Last week I saw a posting for the Avon Lake Municipal Utilities. Part-time community outreach specialist. I read the description, saw I knew how to do everything they were looking for, and even better, it was in my hometown. I had a friend who's Dad worked (possibly still does work there) there when we were in high school.

So I punched up my resume, again, tailored it to the job, wrote a cover letter, sent two writing samples, and ultimately my video work too. I gave them a lot to chew on, and I am hoping this goes my way. I got a twitter response yesterday that they will look at the apps on 11/8.

I remember when I was a kid and a water main would break on our street. Water would go pumping all over the street, the big green vans from the water department would come out, knock on the doors to let us know the water is getting turned off while they repaired it, and then all the neighborhood kids would go out and watch then bring in the backhoes and repair the leak. Seriously, we would just watch them dig, repair, fill, and patch. We were fascinated and to an extent I still am.

It was fun to see and kids that I knew that lived in newer developed areas of Avon Lake had no idea that a water main could break and flood a street. All their infrastructure was new, worked well, and their streets were unblemished by a ruptured water pipe.

This position at Avon Lake's Municipal Utilities is just my childhood fascination with the green trucks coming back. I think from the late 80's to today our kids have lost some of that fascination with the world around them and I am hoping I get the opportunity to show them that under our feet is a vast array of pipes that connect to every house in the community. The water department does a lot more than make sure your water comes out of the tap. Some might say that they are the backbone of a community because without them, we would still be going in outhouses and walking to get our water.

Fingers crossed. I am hoping this is the start of a new career path for me. Wish me luck.

G Squared Studio

Well we are nearly through our first month and we have had some great help getting things rolling. I am not sure what the typical traffic to most Etsy shops are, but I feel we have gotten a good sum of visitors thanks to you.

We have gotten messages from users that think our products are brilliant and are important. I feel terrific that our photos have made an impression. This gives me hope that maybe, just maybe, this can be successful. Christmas is coming up, and now I understand why Wal-Mart and every other box store starts pushing it early. Doesn't make it right, but at least I understand better.

Jenn and I are passionate about what we do and I hope that comes out in our work, but that first sale is elusive. We are ready to fill orders and we are hoping we break that ice soon. I know so many people who have found success on Etsy, and I hope I can take what they have taught me and run with it.

Our next steps are to try and add more items, a specific blog, and then a website. Our little shop is just the beginning for us.

If you haven't been to the shop, check it out. If you'd like to buy something, we'll throw in shipping. Use coupon code: SHIPIT at check out.

Aspirations

Your senior year in high school can be classified as a pinnacle of an adolescent's life. Since kindergarten our children are groomed to be pushed out of the nest when they are 18 and fly. Their first flight will be either working or going to college. With Brittanie this is no exception. She has worked all through high school taking all her classes for high school at the college level. She is going to graduate high school with an Associate's Degree and her high school diploma. This is a huge accomplishment for any person, but for Brittanie it is just the beginning. From here she has a choice to make. Where to go to college?

As I sat her down on a bridge in Cascade park over a moving stream, it was the perfect metaphor for what is to come. Right now she has built her bridge from childhood to adulthood. Rushing below is all the adversity she has had to over come to get to where she is. As she continues her journey she will dip her toes into adversity, but I hope she remembers what it feels like to accomplish a feat most of us never did at such a young age.

Brittanie aspires to be a doctor. After spending an afternoon photographing her, her aspirations and dreams are what I thought were missing on the youth of America. She will be a success and we all can say, "I knew her when..."

Start Up

I was up all night. My wife would say I was sleeping, but I was awake. I had ideas running through my head. Ideas for video shorts. Ideas for photo shoots. Ideas for so many things. I couldn't quiet those voices. Just as they about shut up for the night was when my wife snuggled into my section of the bed and pushed me out.

I guess crap rolls downhill. I got up and saw that the three year old was pushing her into me and me into the abyss. I gave up and got up. 

I guess this was the perfect metaphor for what I have done. I had a idea, a big idea, but it needed money. So my wife helped me take that idea, scale into smaller bite size chucks to achieve a larger goal; proving my theory that behind every good man is an even better woman. All of it so that I can provide for the little monsters that we call kids. 

Last night our little internet shop opened to a little fanfare, I tweeted a few links, put some stuff on Facebook and people came and viewed the shop. It is a leap of faith I never knew I was going to do and let alone do together with my wife. What happened next was awesome. People reaching out on how they can help promote. "Send me a flyer", "E-Mail me a link", "Do you have..." It was amazing to see so many people rooting for us. Refreshing actually. One email I got stuck out. It was from another internet shop owner. "Why do you photograph firemen?". So I thought about it and responded back: 

We have photography that shows real men and women doing extraordinary things. There is a print of a firefighter in a smokey building. You can barely see him, but if you were trapped in that building you would easily mistake the hands that pull you from that hell as the hands of God. I have another print of a vintage fire engine with bright reds and greens that any little boy would want in their rooms. I think people relate to it because when we were kids, that was the engine we imagined riding in one day. There is even a print inside of a structure as it is set on fire, a rare glimpse into what firemen see and the public rarely, if ever, sees. 

These aren't just photos to me. Behind every frame I've made there is sweat, passion, and desire of someone who absolutely loves the job they are doing. You have to love firefighting to do it. That passion is what I am after, a photo is the only way you can capture it.

A friend of mine has a saying about photography:

"A photo tells a story...a good photo starts one." - Adam Watt 

This is the start of our story.

Out of Necessity

I am staring at a blinking cursor. There is so much potential in that little flickering set of pixels. Out of that blinking cursor comes something new. Created out of someone's mind and onto the screen. Right now I am that little blinking cursor. I am filled with potential, hope, something great, and it is up to me to make something of my talents and love of what I do.

I looked at losing my job earlier this year as devastating, and it was, but something special has happened this summer. I got to know my kids a little better. I got to know myself a little better. I learned very quickly what I wanted to do. I wanted to do something with my photography. I wanted to capture and sell and make myself the number one resource for fire departments to capture their stories. I wanted to start a relationship with the Cleveland Fire Department, a fire department coming off one of the worst scandals in it's history, to become a person they could turn to when they wanted quality photos of what they do. The activities of a few should not taint the public perception of the good work they do and I wanted to tell their story. I also wanted to double down my involvement in Fire Photographer Magazine and help it grow.

I can tell you that everything I set out out to accomplish this summer has happened. I have qucikly become Cleveland's go to on-scene guy for big events. The first event grew into another, and into another, and by the end of summer firefighters recognized me, other agencies recognized me, and I was standing in a live fire burn house snapping frames of doctors playing the role of firefighters. I met the chief, battalion chiefs, and PIOs I am happy to call my friend. People who I look up to as super heroes know my name. I was invited to sail on a Navy warship with them. I was given incredible access to capture things the general public don't get to see. Fire Photographer Magazine is growing, so what's the next step?

My dream job is working on a fire department as their official photographer. That is not a secret. When will that happen? I don't know if it will ever happen, but instead of looking at the summer as a waste, I am using it as a stepping stone for the next steps. I need to live, I need to contribute monies to the bills my wife has been working hard to pay, and I need to feel creatively satisfied.

My wife and I have been tossing around the idea of opening a creative studio. I would work as a photographer, she would work as the in house graphic designer. I grab the photos, she edits,  we sell them. We could make videos. I would write and shoot them, she would add artistic flare to them and we could sell that. She could create logos, crafty awesomeness, and we could sell that. The cursor blinks.

So what I have been doing is researching the laws about selling photography of firefighters doing their job. The conclusion is with a release I can do it. I spoke with a few firefighters that I have photographed and low and behold, I can now sell some of my best photography.

The next few weeks you will start to see things from me on various social media platforms asking for your help. Help is getting this jump started. I take photos that some people see as niche. I don't subscribe to that school of thought. I take photos that tell the same story as a landscape of Paris, except my story usually involves something burning.

So as this little cursor blinks on the screen, out of it comes something amazing and I hope to have your support both here in my personal endeavors and over at Fire Photographer Magazine, as it is recognized as the best place to see fire photography on the interwebs.

Stolen

This post originally was posted in Fire Photographer Magazine but I wanted to share it here as well. Thank you for all your support as always. You are the best. 

Cleveland, Ohio |9-4-2012 | 2240 hours

I just tore my best friend’s car apart looking for one of three missing bags. Minutes ago as we dropped off a fellow blogger and friend at her office in Downtown, she got out to discover her missing bag. Astonished, I got out checking the back of the car, which is the hatch of a Dodge Magnum. As I looked I notice two of my bags were missing. Not where I left them. Missing. Gone. Taken.

How did I get here? What the heck happened?

I am reliving this day in my head over and over again. I was up and out the door by 0615. I met with the PIO of the Cleveland Department of Safety and we car pooled to the Justice Center where I parked and locked my car. Over the shoulders was a blue and orange backpack filled with emergency munchies, change of clothes including my Fire Photography T-Shirt, a Cleveland Browns hat, and my car keys. Over my shoulder was my black shoulder camera bag. In that bag was a Nikon D3100, 2 fully charged batteries, battery charger, two class 10 memory cards (8GB & 16GB), 3 lenses (VR 18-55mm & VR 55-200MM & screw tight Macro Fisheye combo lens, two standard light filters, and the mount for my Tri-Pod.

I was prepared. We met up with the Commander of Navy week which has just concluded in Cleveland. The last frigate, the USS DeWert, was set to steam from Cleveland to Detroit for the next week. Erica, the PIO, Danielle Fink from Channel 3, and me representing Fire Photography Magazine were going to on the ship the whole way. I was tasked to take pictures and video to document the entire day. From cast off to docking in Detroit and everything in between; this was the chance of a lifetime and to do it in conjunction with Cleveland’s Safety Department and Fire Photography Magazine was something I felt very proud to be doing.

To give you a sense of what this magazine does; I disembarked the USS DeWert in Detroit and there was an Engine sitting on the dock waiting for the tanker to fill water barricades. Of course I snapped a few photos of the rig and the guys on it, and introduced myself only by my name and asked me who I wanted to ride with tonight. They told me they liked my work in the magazine and to keep up the good work. Fire departments read my work? People I don’t know like what we are doing? This just solidifies my mission and my decision to do the kind of work I do. To shoot the stuff I shoot. We tell stories that matter to the boots on the ground. To have their support was amazing.

With my two bags over my shoulder, my best friend was there with his car to take the three of us back to Cleveland, but first we were hungry, in need of a beer or two, so we asked a local for a recommendation. They recommended Slow’s BBQ, and it did not disappoint. Half-way into the restaurant we were joking about the crime in Detroit and that we should probably bring stuff in, but we laughed as we hate it when people say that about Cleveland and we sat down. The decision to not go back for my camera will haunt me forever.

We finished dinner and headed to Cleveland. As we pulled into Channel 3’s parking lot, is when we noticed it. Danille’s bag was gone, my camera bag with everything in it including the 800+ photos on the ship and on the dock was with it, and my backpack was gone. Erica’s iPad and bags were left untouched. There were no visible signs of a break in and we just stood there, astonished. We are now just another statistic on Detroit’s crime reputation.

But I stood there, blank, numb, and with anger so red I could feel it pulsing in my toes. Erica called the restaurant and our friends at the Cleveland Police Department. They opened their doors to help start the investigation and pass whatever they had to Detroit, so they can start looking too, that is if someone hasn’t murdered someone that day. They dusted Pat’s car for prints, got a few good ones and they took my prints and the prints of everyone in the car to eliminate prints on the outside of the car.

Their generosity is something I truly appreciate and the people of Cleveland need to appreciate. They help, they will help, and they want to help. I often work with the fire department, and seeing a side of the Police Department no one sees because they can’t unless something bad has happened, is something I will never forget. They picked through everything for any shred of anything we can get.

I might never see my camera again. I will never see the photos I shot on the ship, but the memories and kind hearts of everyone I encountered is more than enough not to give up on the human race.

To all that have helped get the word out about my camera, thank you. I can’t thank you enough for the support. That camera was my livelihood since losing my job in early May. My family has been nothing but supportive, and what is life without your family? My friends who have stepped up, watching the baby while wife was at work and I was on the ship, and then was kind enough to drive us home from Detroit. Last but not least, everyone at the city of Cleveland. Their support in my mission to capture and tell their stories is nothing short of amazing.

To all who have got the story out; Thank you. Really thank you a million times.

An anonymous donor has come forward and offered to help me get a new camera. I am still in tears over this kindness, and I will let you know once I am back on my feet again and shooting fires.