It’s been about three months since my last update - but that is keeping on pace for this to become a fairly consistent personal photography journal, at least for me. At the time, I was focused on growth behind the lens—studying light, gesture, and the rhythm of…well, just about everything. Since then, the work has expanded in ways I didn’t fully expect.

Some of that growth came from travel. Some from client work. But most of it came from something quieter: revisiting past frames and learning how to see them differently.

Because the truth is, photography doesn’t end when the shutter closes. In many ways, that’s where it begins.

Just basic environment…where everything serves a purpose…and of course yellow!

From Familiar Ground: Studying Light Close to Home

Over the past few months, I’ve spent a lot of time working close to home in Westchester County, exploring the Hudson River towns and local spaces that often go unnoticed when you live near them. And let’s be honest…it’s been a really cold winter. I also have the Tappan Zee bridge and a legit lighthouse at my close disposal…so that doesn’t hurt. Early mornings along the water. Cold air. Subtle winter light. Quiet movement.

Working locally has been grounding. It forced me to slow down and see familiar environments with fresh eyes. These sessions became less about finding something dramatic and more about studying atmosphere—how light moves across surfaces, how people interact with space, and how small moments can carry emotional weight.

Editing this work reinforced something I’ve come to believe deeply: subtlety creates connection.

A great inexpensive gear add over the last three months was a high quality set of back of lens ND filters for the 15mm g-master.

Returning to Chicago: Structure, Rhythm, and the LaSalle Study

My quarterly trip to Chicago provided a different kind of energy. The work there, particularly the ongoing study around LaSalle Street, pushed me toward structure and rhythm. Repetition. Geometry. Human scale against architecture.

Where Wells and Lake streets meet provide quite an El dance during the evening commute.

When I returned to those files in the edit, I realized how much the raw images held that I hadn’t initially seen. The strongest frames weren’t the most dramatic. They were the ones where gesture, shadow, and timing aligned in quiet ways.

This process changed how I approach editing. I began asking a different question: What is this image actually about?

Not what looks impressive, but what feels true.

Warmth and Distance: St. Thomas and the Emotional Power of Color

Atmospheric sunlight that dapples is one of my favorite kinds of surface light….a sailboat doesn’t hurt either.

A trip to St. Thomas added another dimension. The light there was open, warm, and expansive—very different from Chicago or winter in New York. The edit became less about contrast and more about emotional temperature.

Warmer tones created intimacy. Cooler tones created distance. Muted color felt reflective and cinematic.

Instead of correcting color, I began shaping it as part of the narrative. This has helped bring continuity across very different environments, from tropical coastlines to steel and glass cityscapes.

The island layers do not hint the vast amounts of ocean directly beyond them.

Rural Texas: Space, Texture, and Patience

A recent trip to rural Austin, Texas, provided yet another contrast. Wide open spaces. Quiet textures. Time moving more slowly.

In these environments, patience becomes the primary creative tool. The edit followed that pace—longer tonal transitions, restrained contrast, and an emphasis on atmosphere rather than immediacy.

This work reinforced my shift away from high-impact editing and toward longevity and subtlety.

Corporate Storytelling: Where Craft Meets Collaboration

Alongside actual work and travel, I’ve also had the opportunity to partner with several corporate clients across the region on project-level storytelling. These collaborations have been deeply rewarding and have influenced my editing just as much as street photography.

Corporate environments demand clarity, consistency, and emotional authenticity. The goal isn’t just strong imagery—it’s trust. It’s understanding how a business sees itself and translating that into visual language.

This work has sharpened my ability to:

Build cohesive visual narratives
Maintain tonal and color consistency across deliverables
Balance cinematic style with professional clarity
Deliver efficiently without sacrificing intent

It’s also reinforced my commitment to working with a smaller number of clients, allowing for thoughtful, high-touch collaboration from start to finish

Midtones, Subtlety, and the Evolution of the Edit

Across all of these environments—Westchester mornings, Chicago structure, tropical warmth, Texas space, and corporate storytelling—one theme has remained consistent.

Midtones.

Highlights catch attention. Shadows create drama. But midtones hold the story. They create connection and emotional depth.

My editing over the last few months has focused on:

Protecting highlight and shadow detail
Building depth through gradual tonal transitions
Avoiding heavy-handed contrast
Letting scenes breathe
Creating cinematic atmosphere without overpowering the moment

The strongest work has come when restraint leads the process.

By focusing on the midtones - you lift the shadows and lower your highlights naturally to meet more in the middle. In doing so, you pull more of the story into the frame.

AI, Workflow, and Creative Freedom

I’ve also leaned more intentionally into AI-assisted tools for denoising, masking, and refinement. The biggest benefit has been speed and precision, freeing up time for creative decision-making.

But the core remains unchanged. Light. Gesture. Timing.

Technology removes friction. It doesn’t replace vision.

Looking Ahead

Looking back at the past three months, I see a shift. The work is becoming quieter. More intentional. More cinematic.

Less about perfection. More about connection.

And as I move forward, the goal remains simple: continue studying light, continue refining the edit, and continue telling stories that feel grounded, human, and true.

Because in the end, the power of a photograph lives in the space between light and shadow. In the midtones

In the Midtones: The Last Three Months of Editing, Travel, and Quiet Growth

A Quick Catch-Up: Three Months of Growth Behind the Lens