CINCINNATI — Ben Wright doesn’t tell people how to pose. He doesn’t want you to think too much. In Findlay Market, someone asks if he’s an influencer.
“I’m a photographer,” Wright said.
But he does record himself.
“You get a lot of no’s,” Wright said.
WATCH: See how a local photographer documents ‘people of Cincinnati'
A Tri-State native, Wright has been taking pictures for a decade. He started with bridges and buildings and ballparks. Sometimes hundreds of feet in the air.
“There’s only so many pictures you can take of Cincinnati,” Wright said. “I think I more just wanted to show the real Cincinnati.”
To him, that's the people who live here. Especially people who don't usually get their pictures taken.
“I'm just trying to shed light on humanity," Wright said. “Everyone is human."
We’re at Findlay Market when Wright shows a man the picture he took of him.
"Damn, how do I get that?"
Then, he asks for another photo. One woman stops Wright as he's trying to escape the rain.
She gives him a hug.
“It shows the actual people,” said Helen Dahms. “The goodness of people in our community.”
Wright tells me he didn’t set out to break stereotypes in Cincinnati, it just kind of happened.
“And people seem to like them,” Wright said.
In a convenience store, he takes out his phone and shows some of his work. After he’s done, he leans on the counter.
“Would you like to get a photo?”
See his pictures
To see more of Wright's work, you can follow him on Instagram by clicking this link.
