Feels like Spring has Arrived Early

Hi Everyone,

Honestly? February was rough. Cold, gray, and mostly spent indoors staring at hard drives full of photos waiting to be edited. If you felt the same way, know you're not alone. Thankfully, Spring is right around the corner, so things are looking up.

As you read this, I'm in Charleston, South Carolina, for the first time, shooting alongside the talented Hudson Henry. I do not really know what to expect from Charleston, but I came for the owls, wildlife, and beautiful architecture. We're shooting at Francis Beidler Forest, the Birds of Prey Center, Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Middleton Place, and the Audubon Swamp Garden. Wildlife, landscapes, and historic light. It will be a lot of fun to photograph a new location.

Back home, I spent some time testing DxO PureRAW 6, and it's genuinely changed how I approach wildlife edits. Most denoising software bloats your files to five times their original size, which is a real headache. PureRAW 6 actually shrinks them. Cleaner files, less storage. That's a win I didn't see coming, but I will make a final decision on whether to upgrade in a few weeks.

I also led two photography walks this month with a great group of photographers eager to learn, which is always a lot of fun. I really love teaching people about Photography.

The book is still in progress. My beta readers have been wonderfully honest, which is both helpful and humbling. Editing continues.

The real highlight of the month? Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. We watched thousands of snow geese lift off at once. No camera can fully capture that moment, but I tried my best. If you've never seen the snow geese migration, add it to your list right now. After all that shooting, we had a great dinner at Doc's Downtown Grille in Easton. Classic American fare with some serious Eastern Shore staples on the menu, including crab cakes and cream of crab soup. Highly recommend.

I am very excited to be heading back to Europe in early April. Details coming next month.

Keep creating. Keep traveling, even if it is just with your camera close to home. And keep building the life you want, one small step at a time.

Thanks, as always, for following along and being part of this journey.

My Best,

Vito

Photography & Tech Gear I Love

My latest gear and tech recommendations:

I made the Switch to YouTube TV and cancelled Xfinity

After one month with YouTube TV, we said goodbye to Xfinity Cable for good, and honestly, we haven't missed it once.

The switch saves us about $150 a month, which adds up fast. More importantly, YouTube TV is just easier to use. Cleaner interface, less frustration, more time actually watching what you want.

One thing I especially love: you can stream on up to 6 devices at the same time. So whether I'm catching up on a show at home or watching something at the gym, it works seamlessly. No fighting over the remote, no extra fees.

If you've been thinking about cutting the cord, this might be your sign. Check out their plans here and see what works for your household.

Have You Tried Claude Yet?

Most of us know ChatGPT by now, but the world of AI is growing fast, and there are more options worth exploring than ever before.

I recently downloaded Claude, an AI assistant made by Anthropic, and I've been enjoying the learning curve. If you haven't tried it yet, it's worth a look.

What I notice most is how it responds. Where ChatGPT feels like a search engine that talks, Claude feels more like a conversation with a knowledgeable friend. The answers feel more natural, more thoughtful, and honestly, a little more human.

We're all figuring this out together, and that's the fun part. The more you experiment with these tools, the better you get at using them, and the more time you free up for the things that matter, like travel and photography.

Give Claude a try and let me know what you think.

What I’m Reading in 2026

My 2026 Reading List

• Reread - The Boy, the mole, the fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackay (A)

• Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

• Theo the Golden by Allen Levi

• Phosphorescence: A Memoir of Finding Joy by Julia Baird

• On the Shortness of Life by Seneca

• The Greatest Sentence Ever Written by Walter Isaacson

• 84 Charing Cross Rd. by Helen Hanff

• The Frozen River by Arial Lawhon

• Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

• Montaigne by Stefan Zweike

• Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel

TV/YouTube Videos I Recommend Watching

1. The REAL REASON your PHOTOGRAPHY isn't improving by Simon d'Entremont

2. Photographing the Incredible Frozen Trees of the North - Arctic Road Trip by Thomas Heaton

3. JUST RELEASED DxO PureRAW 6 is Here —Is It Worth Buying/Upgrading? by Scott Keys

Photo of the Month

I captured this image at sunset from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, looking across the Reflecting Pool toward the Washington Monument.

The sky was putting on one of those rare Washington, DC evenings when the clouds catch the last light and turn deep shades of orange, pink, and violet.

To create the smooth, glass-like reflection in the water, I used a Kase 6 Stop neutral density filter and a tripod to achieve a 28-second exposure. The filter allowed me to slow the shutter speed while keeping the highlights under control, which helped soften the subtle movement on the water and deepen the color in the sky.

Moments like this are why patience matters in photography. If you stay a little longer after the sun drops below the horizon, the light often becomes even more dramatic, and sometimes the National Mall rewards you with an incredible sky.

Final Note

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” — Albert Einstein

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Thanks for reading,

Vito