Brian D. Mains

So it goes . . .

Recent Posts

  • Ohio River at Sunrise

    Ohio River at Sunrise

    In March 2013, I took a series of pictures during an early morning run along the Ohio River.

    Timing my run across the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge as the sun began to rise to the east was completely incidental.

    The scene of sunlight piercing dense fog as it rose like ghosts from the river into the crisp morning air stopped me midway across the span. With no one else around, I reached for my iPhone to capture the moment.

    I heard the barge behind me as it chugged against the river’s current. I waited for it to pass under the bridge.

    I watched the barge cut like a knife through the fog, making its way east toward the John A. Roebling Bridge.

    I then filled my lungs with cool air, exhaled and continued my morning run at peace with myself in the world.

  • A Day at the Beach

    A Day at the Beach

    This photograph has a story that begs to be told.

    It is part of a collection of old family photos that I inherited a few years ago.

    There’s nothing to indicate when or where this picture was taken.

    I don’t recognize the couple. They don’t appear in any of the other faded images in the collection.

    They look so in love though, spending a perfect day lounging at some lakefront beach.

    I wonder what happened to them after someone captured this perfect moment on film.

    Did their love endure? Marry? Have children? Shoulder heartbreak and tragedy together?

    Did they ever think back to the day this photo was taken with fondness?

    I like to imagine they re-visited the beach years later – wrinkled and frail – remembering their younger selves frolicing and laughing on its sandy shore.

    I’d like to think they reflected on how their love grew richer and deeper every summer after this photograph was taken.

  • A Rainy Day on the Roebling

    A Rainy Day on the Roebling

    Sept. 17, 2018

    I’m not exactly sure when #RoeblingWednesday became a thing.

    On Wednesday of every week my Instagram feed is flooded with photos of the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge shared and re-shared by people living in Greater Cincinnati.

    Courtesy RoeblingBridge.org

    The Roebling spans the Ohio River, connecting Cincinnati, Ohio and Covington, Kentucky.

    When opened on Jan. 1, 1867, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world with a 1,057 feet main span. It was also a precursor to the more-famous Brooklyn Bridge, also designed by John A. Roebling.

    If you browse for the #RoeblingWednesday on Instagram, it’s pretty easy to see why the hashtag is so popular in Cincinnati. Do you have a similar social media hashtag dedicated to an iconic piece of architecture in your town?

  • PHOTOS: THE JOYS OF RAIN

    PHOTOS: THE JOYS OF RAIN

    “Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.” ~ Langston Hughes