The Monthly Edit - March 2026
This will be the first piece I’ve written since I have settled into a new way I’m going about my photography. I have a long-term vision of creating a body of work that can eventually be put into book form. In support of that, I’ve modified my website to include a weekly visual journal to track my progress but also to serve as a repository for the work this project will eventually spawn from.
In support of this endeavor, at the end of every month I will select my twelve favorite photographs and offer a bit of commentary for each. Since March is the first full month since inaugurating this new vision, it will be where I start things off.
To begin, we’ll start with the hero image above. This was taken while walking underneath the Roseville train yard from old town Roseville toward Downtown. That day I was walking with my youngest daughter as we explored.
Normally, there are cars zooming past in either direction, but as we reached this spot, I noticed two things: no cars, and the diagonal shaft of light cutting across the tunnel. I stopped, raised my camera, and snapped the photo before moving on. I didn’t expect much from this one, to be honest, so I was pleasantly surprised upon viewing in the computer. It’s probably my favorite of the month.
As part of an online workshop I’m attending, we are given new challenges to try every couple of weeks. This particular challenge was “blur.” I was in downtown Roseville late one afternoon and spotted this train stopped nearby. I wanted to make the flag look as if in motion. I haven’t done a lot of ICM photography but I did enjoy the challenge. This one came off well but not quite what I had envisioned in my mind’s eye when I took it.
I wrestle with this one. It feels like an “almost” but there are parts of it that if changed would likely alter the photo in a negative way. This was a scene from Old Sacramento one morning. I wanted to be closer but I also like the post in the foreground and feel it would lose something if that wasn’t there. I don’t know, perhaps it’s better than I think? He is placed nicely in the left third of the frame which helps for this particular shot. What do you think? Is this one a keeper?
This is my other selection from the “blur” challenge and one of my favorite photographs from the month. I came upon these stairs in Old Sacramento and loved the light slicing across the stairs. I figured it might work for an ICM and jiggled my camera through several shots. Again, I wasn’t expecting much but was enthralled once seen on my computer.
If I was only allowed to take shots like this from here on out I wouldn’t complain (well, we know that’s not true). I’m a sucker for bright, saturated colors in the wild along with patterns. These chairs fit the bill for both. The eye in the background adds a punch to make this one of my favorites from the month.
This wall along the R Street corridor in Sacramento has intrigued me for a while but I have never been able to produce anything worthwhile from it. On this particular morning, as I was walking by across the street I noticed this shadow of the nearby lamppost on the wall. I liked the two bulbs accompanied by the stars and the two planets. It’s kind of funky and out there, even for me, but there’s just something about it that intrigues me.
One of the things I will always shoot is sunlight on empty tables of a restaurant through a window. I don’t know why, it’s just something I enjoy and makes me happy. I’ll probably have enough of these by the end to make their own book or zine. The color of the light as the day was winding down in Carmel-by-the-sea adds just that extra bit of punch to it.
Another contender for photograph of the month. In Carmel, I saw this woman in the striped dress highlighted by the sun with the deep shadow of the storefront behind her. The crook in her elbow was a bonus of the moment. I also like her left foot pointing toward the ground as she’s in the middle of a step. I think this is one of the better “street” photos I’ve taken so far this year.
If only the guy had on a royal blue shirt, then we’re talking picture of the month. But alas, he chose to wear white. I loved the deep red wall as I walked past. I backed up and took the shot before the guy disappeared. I love the contrast between the warm red wall and orange wood panels against the green bamboo and plants. It just needed a deep blue shirt to bring it home.
We had just parked the car in downtown Monterey when I turned around and saw this light hitting the wall of this theater entrance. It’s not very colorful, and likely would be a better black and white photograph, but sometimes you just have to work with what you get. I think the light plus all the different angles and different types of stairs adds to the complexity of the scene. The Marriot sign at the top adds the extra bit of tension to allow this one to make the cut.
I found myself in San Francisco for a work reunion. Hard to believe it’s been 25 years since the first dot.com days. It was fun catching up with old colleagues and friends. The next morning, I awoke, got some breakfast, and headed out to Union Square. The morning light was strong and there were lots of subjects to choose from. I saw the cable cars running up and down the street and I wanted to capture one in motion while keeping the background in focus. I didn’t want to blur the car so much that it was unrecognizable and I think I achieved that. This one turned out as I had imagined.
Might as well start and end with two photographs that ended up in my portfolio. This is my kind of “street” photograph. Colors, light, and more colors. It’s always hard to go wrong with blue and yellow with some red thrown in (and a bit of orange from the dude’s jacket in the back). Add the warm morning glow from the rising sun and it all comes together.
And that concludes the twelve I selected from March 2026. Overall, I’m pretty damn happy. Four of these photographs ended up in my current portfolio (which will be updated frequently). I am feeling fulfilled with the current direction of my photography and am looking forward to adding depth to my work.
David
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