Forest City Collective: The Best Photos of 2025
The idea for the Forest City Collective: The Best Photos of 2025 zine did not start as a product. It started as a realization from the heart of Cleveland.
From the very beginning of Forest City Collective, I’ve had one big, slightly unrealistic goal sitting in the back of my head: A gallery show in Cleveland.
A real space. Real walls. Real prints. A room full of photographers finally seeing their work outside of a phone screen.
I don’t have a gallery.
I don’t have a permanent space.
But I do believe that if you keep building in the right direction, the space eventually appears (if you or someone you know has a space, let’s talk!).
This zine became the first real step toward that vision.
After talking with photographers across Cleveland, Akron, and Canton, I kept hearing the same thing.
They were shooting constantly.
They were improving quickly.
They were proud of their work.
But many had never seen their photography in print.
Photography deserves to exist somewhere physical. Something you can hold, flip through, and return to. Something that does not disappear when an app refreshes.
The zine became a way to change that and showcase the best of the Cleveland photography community.
Celebrating the Work and the People Behind It
Forest City Collective: The Best Photos of 2025 brings together work from over 70 photographers connected to the Cleveland photography group.
Submissions came primarily from Cleveland, with additional photographers contributing from Akron and Canton, reflecting the broader creative ecosystem of Northeast Ohio. While Cleveland is the heart of the project, this zine was intentionally inclusive of surrounding cities to capture the regional photography scene.
Street photography sits next to portraits. Film photography sits next to digital art. Familiar Cleveland streets sit alongside moments from Akron and Canton. The goal was not to define a single style but to show the range of perspectives that exist in this Cleveland photography community.
This zine celebrates individual voices while connecting them across Northeast Ohio.
For more on how this community grew, see my post on Building a Cleveland Photography Community.
Why Print Still Matters
One of the most meaningful parts of this project has been seeing photographers experience their work in print for the first time.
Print slows you down.
It changes how you read an image.
It gives photography weight and presence.
For many contributors, this zine represents the first time their work exists outside a screen. That alone made the project worth pursuing.
To keep the focus on the photographers and their work, the zine is sold for $6 (at cost). This project was about accessibility, visibility, and supporting the Cleveland photography group and Northeast Ohio photographers.
All copies remain available as an archive so this project can grow year over year.
110+ Copies and Reaching New Eyes
As of this release (12/22/25), 112 copies of the zine have been purchased.
The hope is simple:
Someone picks it up and flips through it casually.
They recognize a street, a neighborhood, or a familiar location in Cleveland.
They discover a photographer they have never seen before.
The zine becomes a connector for Cleveland photographers, photographers across Northeast Ohio, and the communities that see their work.
Forest City Collective and What Comes Next
Forest City Collective exists to support and elevate a Cleveland photography community built on collaboration, curiosity, and shared growth. Over the past year and a half, this vision has grown through meetups, conversations, and now a printed zine that features local, regional, and digital work.
The gallery show is still the goal in Cleveland. Until then, projects like this are how those ideas become real. One step at a time, one physical artifact at a time.
The Best Photos of 2025 zine stands as a snapshot of this moment. A record of the work being made, the people making it, and a Cleveland photography group choosing to build something together.
If you believe in what this represents, the best way to support it is to help it travel.
Purchase a copy of The Best Photos of 2025 Zine
Or grab an extra copy and leave it somewhere unexpected.
That is how this work finds new eyes.
