Playing favorites: FreshWater celebrates 500 issues with our favorite mastheads

On Thursday, Sep. 30, 2010, FreshWater Cleveland published it’s very first issue. We introduced ourselves, then-managing editor ran our very first I Live Here (now) installment on serial entrepreneur Marc Canter, and Diane DiPiero reported on the pending 2011 debut of the Syrian Cultural Garden, among a slew of other stories.

On Thursday, Dec. 8, more than 11 years later, FreshWater marked it’s 500th issue. Today makes 502 issues.

Managing editors and news and features writers have come and gone—and sometimes returned again—but two things have remained a constant:

First, FreshWater has always been committed to reporting on What's Next in and around Cleveland—offering a fresh wave of stories covering Northeast Ohio's most creative people, businesses, organizations, and neighborhood developments.

Second, managing photographer has been with FreshWater since Day One—capturing people doing what they love or performing their duties; celebrating Cleveland’s landscape (both natural and urban); and since January posting candid portraits in our #StreetsofCLE series.

And, each Thursday since Sep. 30, 2010, Perkoski has created a new masthead. Today, we celebrate Perkoski’s unique and creative view of our fair city with our personal favorite mastheads from the 502 he has done. For our complete masthead library, click here.

Bob Perkoski
Bob Perkoski

About the Author: Bob Perkoski

Bob is managing photographer with FreshWater as well as a Cleveland freelance photographer. His photographic approach is rooted in the art of storytelling. Whether freezing the energy of an event, encapsulating the magic of a performance, or astutely anticipating the decisive moments, his work displays an innate ability to distill the essence of any scene or subject into a single frame or series of work. In addition, Bob is the official photographer for LAND studio and Holden Forest and Gardens and has worked with various Cleveland organizations. In 2019 he published a book of his photos Rust Belt Burlesque. He's had work published in other books like LGBTQ Cleveland by Ken Schneck, Rust Belt Chic: The Cleveland Anthology, Rust Belt Chic: The Pittsburgh Anthology and Moon Cleveland by Douglas Trattner. Previously he was co-founder/art director for Balanced Living Magazine. You can view his versatile portfolio of work, which includes news coverage, portraiture, architectural and fine art at Perkoski Photography. Originally from Conneaut, Ohio, Perkoski now lives close to the city in Parma. He has been Fresh Water's managing photographer since the publication's September 2010 inception.