⏳ Are You Making Space to Photograph Fast and Slow?

Hello friend,

A serious case of adulting has been happening over the past few months, which meant my full attention and energy were needed elsewhere for a while. The newsletter quietly drifted to the back burner in the process, but I’ve missed this creative space and the rhythm of turning thoughts into words and emotions into images.

Still, somewhere between the birdsong, spring greens, and many drives back and forth to the Smokies, I’ve found myself thinking a lot about how photography fits into the realities of everyday life. The planned outings, the stolen twenty minutes before work, the unexpected moments that appear without warning, and whether I’m making room for all of them.

This issue is a reflection on making space for those different kinds of photographic experiences, along with a Lightroom workflow tip that has saved me a tremendous amount of time this spring and a few thoughtful finds from around the photography community. Enjoy and happy photographing!

THE OBSERVANT LENS
Reflections to deepen our craft and sharpen our vision

This spring, I've found myself paying closer attention to the tempo I move through the landscape with my camera. Spring is always a flurry of activity, but what I've realized is that the surprise isn't really about the season at all. It's about the pace we bring into our photography, and how often we don't even notice it. Are you making space to photograph both fast and slow?

Read the Article

THE LIGHTROOM COMPASS
Navigating a better processing & photo organizing experience

Save Time with Lightroom Import Presets

After driving back and forth to the Smokies four times already this spring, I’ve become even more appreciative of anything that reduces repetitive work in Lightroom. One of the biggest time savers in my workflow has been creating Lightroom import presets that automatically apply my preferred settings before I ever click “Import.”

The purpose is to keep my Lightroom catalog consistent so every import starts with the same foundation.

This is one of those small workflow decisions that doesn’t feel important at first, but once it’s set up, you never want to go back. To create your own import preset:

Open Lightroom Classic and insert your memory card.
In the Import window, configure your preferred settings (see my recommendations below).
At the bottom center of the Import screen, click the tiny preset dropdown and choose Save Current Settings as New Preset.
Name it based on the location or type of photography you frequently create images in.

The goal isn’t to create a perfect system. It’s simply to reduce repetitive decisions so you can spend less time rebuilding the same settings but stay consistent with your files. In the end, that provides more time focused on creating images instead of managing them.

For example, here's what my Smokies Preset handles for me. Adjust whatever you need to fit your photography:

Sets My Preferred Build Preview Type: Embedded & Sidecar while traveling for faster culling without waiting for Lightroom to render previews
Checks the "Don’t Import Suspected Duplicates" and "Don’t Import Rejected Images" boxes to keep the catalog clean.
Renames My Image Files:
I like to use a date, location, and sequence number to keep every file unique and consistently named (e.g. YYYY-MM-DD_GSMNP_####)
Applies Metadata Preset: applies my copyright and basic information
Triggers Big Bucket Keywords: This ensures every image in the catalog has at least a few keywords and is easily searchable.
WHO: Great Smoky Mountains National Park
WHAT / GENRE: Landscape Photography
WHEN: Spring
WHERE: Tennessee
Destination Folder Structure: Adds context at the folder level so you can quickly identify shoots without opening them, such as using a year, month, location and/or theme structure. (e.g. YYYY-MM-GSMNP-Fireflies)

A Few Lightroom Videos

FOCUS POINTS
To utter, repeat, and shape our mindset

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”
— Annie Dillard, The Writing Life

TRAIL FINDS
Curated resources, news, and inspiration for your journey

1.) Michele Sons’ “Deeply Rooted” Looking & Reading List
Michele Sons released a free four-part email series exploring how photographers can build a deeper connection to the landscapes they spend time within, and in turn, create more meaningful images from that relationship..

2.) Tony Sweet Launches The Color of Water Kickstarter
After 35 years of photographing water in all its forms, Tony Sweet is bringing that work together into a new fine art photography book exploring abstraction, motion, reflection, and the emotional pull of water as a subject.

3.) The Nature of Place eBook by Circle of Light
Created by a collective of women photographers I deeply admire as artists and humans, The Nature of Place explores how our relationship with the landscapes we return to shapes both our photographs and our experience within nature.

4.) The Truth Behind Cultural Photography by Kah Wai Lin
A thought-provoking perspective on staging in cultural photography and the role of intention in image-making, exploring the line between documentation and storytelling, and what it really means to represent something truthfully.

5.) Two New Plant Photography eBooks by Sarah Marino
Sarah Marino released two complimentary eBooks, Plants + Flowers: Fifteen Photography Lessons and One Year of Plants, offering both practical insights for photographing plants and a full portfolio of her 2025 work.

6.) Nature Vision Magazine, Reimagined
Nature Vision Magazine has been reimagined under Jennifer Renwick and David Kingham reshaping it with a more intentional and refined direction. It's been a joy to devour the past two issues.

7.) Finding the Essence in Your Photograph by Robert Rodriguez Jr
A thoughtful piece on simplifying compositions and focusing on what actually made you stop in a scene, with practical reminders like naming your subject and letting go of elements that compete for attention.

8.) The Art of Creative Layering Workshop Replay by Stephanie Johnson & David Duchens
A 4-hour workshop replay exploring creative layering techniques both in-camera and in Photoshop, blending intuition, experimentation, and expressive image-making into a practical and approachable process

9.) Women’s Immersive Photography Retreat by Outdoor Photo Alliance
A four-day women’s photography retreat in Bailey, Colorado (September 1–4, 2026) focused on creative growth, connection, and exploring photography beyond the technical. Designed for all levels, with small group sessions, guided activities, and space to reconnect with your creativity.

10.) Close-up Photographer of the Year (CUPOTY 8) Entries Open
An international competition for macro, close-up, and intimate landscape photography that highlights the smaller details and often overlooked moments in nature. Entry is open through July 12, 2026. The galleries alone are worth spending time with for inspiration.