About Joe

Joe Harrison, Cincinnati Photographer and Videographer

As a junior in high school in Denver Colorado, there were lots of visually interesting scenes that caught my young eye.   Denver had fresh dynamic looking architecture and mountains that were part of the city’s everyday landscape.  Photo 101 put me in touch with those two loves immediately and although it took me 25 years to realize my true level of interest in photographing architecture, I was hooked as a photojournalist right away.

I carried my camera with me everywhere whether it was chronicling my first trip to Europe, bringing back spring break memories of my college baseball team or fun family gatherings.  I jumped on staff at my college newspaper as a freshman and by my junior year was the photo editor.  It was truly a wonderful experience to realize that photography could take me to places that I had never been, it allowed me to see and experience things that most people had never seen and most importantly I was able to meet people that were making a difference.

 
 
For three years just out of college I held a position as a photojournalist at the Cincinnati Business Courier and that is where my love of photographing people stem’s from.  I learned how to connect with all kinds of personalities quickly and how to not waste people’s time in our fast paced business world.  This became extraordinarily important in my annual report and magazine projects, which became the base of my business when I eventually ventured out on my own.
 
I apprenticed commercial photographer, Tom Rogowski, for the next three years and his tutelage was invaluable to the direction that my photography took.  I learned the business and the craft of commercial photography but most importantly a giant doorway opened with the understanding of larger productions and the control that I had over creating my images.
 
After marrying my best friend Paula, we opened our new business and studio at 308 E. 8th Street in downtown Cincinnati in 1993.  Talk about the time of my life…..  We stayed busy and both of us were totally invested in making JH Photography Inc. succeed and thrive.  The relationships that have blossomed through so many opportunities over the years have filled our lives.  I feel extremely blessed that I not only love what I do but that so many have touched my life in so many ways.
 
20 Plus years of experience shooting Architecture, Corporate Executives, Environmental Portraits and People of all walks of life has now led me to thousands of locations.  I love to be challenged and I love to roll with the punches that location photography throws my way.  I have worked extensively with magazines all across the country, architects, the health care, insurance and investment industries and I find myself creating in deep dark exciting industrial locations as well.
 
In this business you need to reinvent yourself periodically to stay fresh and relevant and there have been 2 very noticeable shifts in my business over the last several years.  The first of these two shifts came in 2008 when I landed my first architectural client.  I had a very good friend and client who had told me for years that my work would be perfect for some architects.   I fought her on it tooth and nail but over time it became apparent that she was right and I ended up enjoying architectural photography almost more than I had enjoyed anything else I had ever photographed.  Chalk one up for someone else being able to see what you can’t about yourself.
 
The most recent reinvention has come in the form of video.  I have always had an interest in the moving picture and have learned to edit on personal projects.  It is absolutely what charges me up right now.  Collaborating with other professionals, bringing a team together to produce a vision and enjoying the process is incredibly gratifying at this stage of my career.  I love what I do and I don’t see a time that I quit creating.
 
A favorite quote by photographer Imogene Cunningham really sums up my vision today.  When asked, “Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow.”