Between Frames - May 2025
A full month late, but it's full of good photos :)
Introduction:
I feel like every one of these newsletters is starting to sound the same, “I’m sorry it’s late, we were travelling, I’ll try to be better next time.” Of course that’s still true this time. This time, it was to another level. I was out of town from mid-May until almost mid-June, so I am just now getting around to writing this newsletter. Sorry.
In May alone, I/Paloma & I went to Chicago, Southwest Utah, Denver, and Italy.
It was a lot.
So, here’s a mega collection of May’s images, with a handful of words about trips thrown in there.
This email is better viewed on Substack as it’s LONG.
Chicago:
Paloma and I took a trip to Chicago to visit some friends and to meet my boss in person (the joys of remote work). Oh, and we went to a White Sox game (go Sox)!
Chicago wants to be New York in many ways. A lot of the city feels partially like New York, but it’s also missing that NYC charm and character that I know and love. We enjoyed our time there and are going back this weekend for a NASCAR race of all things, but we do miss a nice Subway system (I <3 U, NQRW line).
As Edward Hopper super-fans, we had to make a trip to see Nighthawks at the Art Institute. It was beautiful. Also, seeing so many of Claude Monet’s, Georgia O’Keeffe’s, and Picasso’s was a dream. If you’re ever in Chicago, the Art Institute is a must.
I will hand it to Chicago—it’s a sick city. It’s got culture and tons of beauty and it’s one of America’s greatest cities for sure. We’ll be back many more times :)
Utah:
If you know me (or seen my leg tattoo), you know how special Zion National Park is to me. Zion is home-away-from-home for me—a place that feels so safe. In May, I took a quick trip out to Zion to spend some time photographing the park in the beginning of summer. I also went out for a shoot for a client: Autocamp.
This trip was fast, full, and also a bit stressful. Not feeling super settled before the trip made the trip not the most enjoyable, but it ended up being a fruitful time. I walked out with a lot of images that I am proud of.
One such image was of a tree that I’ve been wanting to photograph for years now (this one that Ben Horne photographed). I am happy with this photo, but know that it could be better—the conditions were not exactly the best, so we will have to try again one day.
Most of the rest of the trip was spent hiking through slot canyons or along the Virgin River in the main canyon. Here’s some photos that I love from those spots.
This trip also gave me my first experience with “reflected light.” Reflected light like this happens in tall, sandstone canyons, like much of Zion National Park. When the light is not yet touching the canyon floor, but bouncing off the canyon walls, this phenomenon happens.
It usually only happens in small(er), narrow canyons where the light doesn’t have too large of a gap to cross (ruling out most canyons that tourists see in Zion).
The photo below is heavily influenced by reflected light. If you look under the leaves, there is a warm glow that fills the shadows and adds a little pizzazz to the image.
Now, here’s some images from my time at Autocamp :)
Denver:
Paloma and I made our yearly journey to the Rockies — to Denver for Lord Huron’s show at Red Rocks. This year, they played their best album, Strange Trails, from top to bottom and it was simply lovely. Here’s two photos from the show and one more from the flight there.
(The Beginning of) Italy:
From Denver, Paloma and I flew to Italy. It was a grueling day made worse by Lufthansa perpetually teasing us of the flight to Munich that they launched after I booked our tickets. We flew DEN > SEA > LHR > MUC > VRN for all your airport nerds.
We were in the air, on the aforementioned flights, for the last (technically two) day(s) of May. So here’s one photo in the air over the Dolomites and another on the ground at our AirBNB.
Things I loved in May:
I bought a bike and I became hooked. Forget running, cycling you’re my new fav.
Our friends released a new album. If you like indie music, rock music, chill music, or something in between all of that, then “The Curse of Caring” is for you. Phabies forever <3.
If you want new outdoor gear and don’t want to break the bank, try REI re/supply. I bought some Rapha gear there for >50% off.
This Geisha from Madcap Coffee is so so tasty. Will at Madcap Fulton pulled a beautiful shot for me today :)
If you use Zapier, you should start using Relay instead. Thank me later.
Conclusion:
I’ve barely scratched the surface of editing photos from the past few months. I really need to spend some more time digging into all of the folders and folders of RAWs that I have.
As soon as I hit send on this newsletter, I’m going to write June’s and that one will be just as full, so strap in.
Thanks for the support as always. If you’d love to own one of these photos for yourself, you can sign up for the paid tier of my newsletter and you’ll receive a little print of it!
Peace & blessings!
-C
SO GOOD
Those are fantastic travels! I didn't know Lord Huron was at Red Rocks - I would have gone 🤦🏼♀️ I also love your Zion shots. I want to hike the Narrows again in the winter.