Columbus is going through a bit of a thaw. With the weather  becoming far more pleasant, people were out and about today. It was nice to see Columbus return to it’s more natural state with High Street full of pedestrian traffic, and people wearing shorts.

I had an interesting day today. I started out with my weekly meeting with James of Periodisa Publishing. We met at Aab for lunch, discussed the progress of this year’s “the hot 17,” and did some more chatting about the Greater Columbus Arts Award that we’re trying to get going. We even ran into Branden Barnett of Ghost Shirt, fresh from his show at the Treehouse last night with The Woosley Band. We were able to chat a bit, and I found out about his new project, helping to provide mental health to people working in the creative arts. It sounds like a great idea, and hopefully we’ll have some links on the project to share soon.

Johnny Oaks Po' Boy & Shrimp Shack with his famous po'boy and bacon

After lunch, I went back to the office for a bit, and then moved onto the next photo shoot. I was out on assignment for (614) Magazine, taking photos of Johnny Oak’s Shrimp Shack for the March issue. As I entered the front door of the very small, very awesome establishment, I was warmly greeted by Johnny and his assistant. We jumped back in the kitchen and Johnny proceeded to show me how to make the best po’ boy sandwich I’ve ever had. While I took photos of him making his famous sandwich, his assistant filmed the photo shoot for an online video they’re doing about their restaurant. I even got to try some of his thick cut fried bacon, that he coats in barbecue sauce. Admittedly, I am not a huge fan of bacon, and I am allergic to barbecue sauce, but they looked so good that I tried them anyway. I have nothing but amazing things to say about them, and the po’ boy sandwich that Johnny artfully whipped up for me. Johnny himself is charming, funny, and warm. He’s got a great character that shines throughout the restaurant. And, he must be doing things right, since he’s working on opening his second location on High & Gail Streets, downtown.

Chad Kessler at Travonna Coffee House with his latest collection.

I then headed South to Travonna Coffee House to meet with one of their featured artists, Chad Kessler. He has a pretty amazing collection displayed there, mostly acrylic prints on wood. It’s a really interesting concept that I had been entertaining myself, but have never really figure out how to execute it. Chad’s pieces have a very interesting aesthetic, harkening a print style that was very popular in the 70′s, warm, noisy, and slightly faded. When combined with the wood that the images are transferred onto, it makes an interesting interpretation of vintage photography and then pushes it farther. We took a few photos of him in front of his work, trying to make use of the small space and limited visual depth a wall gives. We got some shots we were happy with, and called it a day.

The rest of the week isn’t looking any less busy, as I’ll be spending the next three days preparing for the First Annual South Asian Bridal Expo, being held at the Hyatt Regency downtown on Sunday from 1 until 4. Natalie will be working the booth with me, which will be a slightly more stream-lined version of what we had at this year’s Columbus Bride: The Show. I’m thrilled to have a booth there, because I’ve been wanting to photograph Asian weddings for as long as I can remember. Many of my undergraduate classes in Comparative Religious Studies were in Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism. After experiencing each tradition, I an excited to return to work with the colors and styles that they have to offer, and am really looking forward to the food.