(Courtesy of Downtown Akron Partnership)

Downtown Akron Partnership, through support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, has launched Akronstock, a free online repository of professional photographs. The akronstock.com site provides more than 1,400 photos for use in promoting the authenticity of the downtown Akron district, as well as other neighborhoods in the greater Akron area.

This project began from a need for a collection of current, quality photographs representing various facets of Akron. Following conversations between Downtown Akron Partnership and the Knight Foundation, local photographer Shane Wynn was commissioned to visually communicate the story of downtown Akron and various neighborhoods.

“This project will showcase Akron’s strengths and help people visualize and connect its many offerings,” said Kyle Kutuchief, Knight Foundation program director for Akron. “Through it we can encourage residents to more deeply discover their city and help create the strong sense of attachment necessary to support a culture of civic engagement.”

The concept is to have images available for free to benefit small business owners, nonprofit organizations, residents and media for use on social media and printed materials. This platform is designed for sharing affection for the community through high-quality images. Wynn shot 40 hours of stills to populate Akronstock.

“I was thrilled to have the opportunity to shoot the city I love extensively,” said Wynn. “I had long imagined the concept of an Akronstock site, but in conceptualizing with the Knight Foundation and Downtown Akron Partnership, I was able to reimagine this idea in a way that made it a reality and with much further reaching prosperity. This experience has expanded my whole concept of collaboration and how I can contribute by helping other people visually communicate through my photography.”

The site is organized into categories for Downtown Akron, Other Neighborhoods (North Hill, Highland Square and East Akron) and The University of Akron. Within those categories, galleries contain images of bars/restaurants, shops/stores, city beautification, public places/institutions, cityscapes/skylines, residents and events. All images are captioned and tagged with keywords for ease in searching.

When an image is selected, a download button is shown with levels ranging from low resolution to original size. When prompted, users may enter “akron” as the password. While the images are free for use, it is requested that photos are credited to the photographers in all usages. As the site grows, additional photographers’ images will be added.

The mission of Downtown Akron Partnership (DAP) is to promote and build a vibrant and valuable Downtown. DAP is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing people, activity, business and a thriving civic life to the heart of Akron. Through strategic marketing, clean and safe programs and management of Downtown’s resources, the DAP works to promote downtown as a gathering place in the center of our community.