See It First.
This week, I stopped reacting to images—and started trying to see them before they exist.
Last week was fun.
For the first time, I feel like I stopped forcing images around light… and actually started to see light itself.
Toward the end of the week, a few images clicked.
Not because the subjects were great—but because the light was.
A garage door.
A lightbulb.
Really?
And yet… they worked.
That was surprising.
Light started catching my eye before anything else, and I was finally able to build a frame around it. The subject almost didn’t matter. The image worked because the light did.
Last week was about letting light come to me.
This week is about recognizing it before it does.
That said, most of those moments came while I was rushed.
Time has been the biggest challenge.
Since starting the photo-a-day experiment, I’ve kept it going—every single day, something gets created. Good, bad, or ugly… it doesn’t matter.
And yeah, there have been plenty of boring images.
But the consistency is what’s driving everything forward.
When you do something every day, it starts to become natural.
You begin to understand what’s possible.
You start to recognize what might work before you even raise the camera.
That realization started to show up this week.
I also experimented with gear a bit.
I tried switching to the 35mm f/2.8 for a few days, but quickly went back to the 35mm f/1.8.
That lens just feels right.
Part of it is familiarity—I know what it can do. But it’s also the way it renders light and depth. It has a certain feel that stood out immediately when I switched away from it.
The smaller size of the f/2.8 wasn’t enough to justify the trade.
The 1.8 is staying.
Another shift this week: I want to get out more.
Exploring is a huge part of why I love photography. Being outside, finding new places—that’s where it all comes together.
But driving wasn’t working.
I found myself pulling over every couple hundred feet, constantly stopping, starting, getting in and out of the truck. It felt clunky… and honestly, kind of frustrating.
So I tried something different.
I took the bike out.
It was simple, but it changed everything.
It made it easier to stop when something caught my eye. It added a sense of flow. And it opened up more opportunities—especially for wildlife.
The photos from that first ride weren’t anything special… but the potential was there.
That’s enough for now.
Which brings me to this week.
This one’s a stretch.
The goal is simple to say, but hard to execute:
See the image before I take it.
Before the camera comes up to my eye, I want to already know:
What the subject is
Where the light is
How the frame should look
If I can’t figure that out quickly… I move on.
No more spray and pray.
This is about being intentional.
In a way, it’s a return to shooting film.
When every frame mattered, you slowed down. You took the time to get it right. You had limits.
36 exposures feels very different than 3,600.
I want to bring that mindset back.
I already know this is going to be difficult.
Even last night, I thought I had a few solid frames. In the moment, they felt right.
But when I got them onto the computer… something was off.
The feeling didn’t translate.
And that’s exactly why this experiment matters.
Because I knew there was something there—I just didn’t fully see it yet.
So that’s the focus this week.
Keep showing up.
Keep refining the eye.
Keep chasing that moment before the shutter.
The light will come.
I just need to be ready to see it first.
The goal isn’t to take better photos.
It’s to see them before they exist.