Lightroom Editing

Zone Focus, Film Burns, and Honest Editing: What Peter McKinnon's NYC Street Shoot Taught Me
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Zone Focus, Film Burns, and Honest Editing: What Peter McKinnon's NYC Street Shoot Taught Me

Every Sunday morning I take a photo walk. No client, no brief, just me and whatever camera I grab off the shelf. For a long time, those walks felt like practice without a destination because I was still thinking like a studio shooter. I’d wait for perfect light, fuss over focus, and come home with twelve technically fine images and zero soul. What I was missing was the street shooter’s mindset: decide your settings, commit to your zone, and let the city do the rest.

How to Edit Film Scans in Lightroom (and Why Less Is Almost Always More)
Video Tutorials

How to Edit Film Scans in Lightroom (and Why Less Is Almost Always More)

Film photography has been sneaking back into my life lately, and honestly, I wasn’t prepared for the editing side of it. I assumed shooting film meant skipping the computer entirely. Wasn’t that the whole point? Then I started getting my scans back from the lab and realized: flat profiles are the default for a reason. The lab is giving you latitude, not a finished image. You still have to show up in Lightroom.

Three Photography Habits That Feel Like Progress (But Are Quietly Keeping You Stuck)
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Three Photography Habits That Feel Like Progress (But Are Quietly Keeping You Stuck)

I used to think that putting in the hours was enough. Show up, shoot, repeat. And for a while, that belief carried me. But there’s a particular kind of frustration that sets in when you’ve been shooting for years and your photos still feel like they’re circling the same drain. You’re not a beginner anymore, but you’re not where you want to be either. That middle space is uncomfortable, and it’s sneaky, because the habits keeping you there are usually the same ones that helped you get started.