Stepping Back to Move Forward

Pittsburgh was quiet today. New Year’s Day has a way of doing that. The city slows down, the usual noise fades, and everything feels slightly slower. I went out this afternoon to take some photos just as the light started dropping low enough to stretch across the river, and the streets felt calmer than usual. It was the kind of quiet that does not happen often here, and it made the city feel different. That's when I took this photo.

I didn't go out with a plan or an assignment. I went out because it felt like the right way to start the year. I wanted to be outside, camera in hand, paying attention instead of sitting still and thinking about what the year should be. It felt more honest to begin by actually doing something, even if that something was simple. And frankly, despite how many times I’ve photographed from the North Shore Trail, it felt like it was just right to go back to where I had shot so many photos years ago as a way to “start fresh” for 2026.

Last year was sort of on autopilot. It was about just keeping the status quo by doing whatever job came my way but not actively out there shooting my own things or even trying to find more work. And even though that was sort of the theme of the year, there were still long days, full schedules, and plenty of moments where it felt like the calendar was in control, especially toward the end of the year. Find out more about that in my 2025 recap blogs – Part 1 and Part 2. Some of that energy was exciting, and some of it was exhausting, but all of it seemed to be leading me toward finding a rhythm again.

In a way, this year already feels different. I spent a lot of my holiday break thinking about the business, building some online infrastructure upon which I can begin to grow. There is more clarity now, and there is definitely a desire to do things with more intention.

That shift has changed how I look at scenes like this. These are the kinds of places I find myself drawn to around the city, and I often catch myself wondering how they would look if I had been here to photograph some sort of an event, watching the energy change as people milled about and boats passed by on the river. I think about how the light would shift as the day progressed, how the quiet would give way to movement, and how the story would begin to reveal itself in small, unexpected ways.

Those in-between moments are the ones I notice most, and over time, those moments have become just as important to me as the main event itself, because they shape everything that comes after.

Pittsburgh rewards that kind of attention. It is a city that reveals itself slowly. You notice it more when you stop trying to rush through it. The layers of old and new, the way neighborhoods change from block to block, and the way the light behaves depending on the season all start to stand out once you take the time to look.

That’s one of the reasons I enjoy working here as much as I do. The best images rarely come from forcing a moment. They come from paying attention and knowing when to step in, versus when to let things unfold naturally. They come from understanding that atmosphere matters just as much as action.

That mindset is shaping how I am approaching this year. I am much more interested in doing things with purpose. I want the work to feel grounded. I want it to reflect the people and places involved rather than rush past them. I want the process to feel intentional, not reactive.

Going out to shoot on New Year’s Day was a small but meaningful way to set that tone. It wasn’t a resolution or a statement. It was simply a choice to start the year the way I hope the rest of it plays out. By being present, making intentional choices, and letting the work grow organically from there.

The city (and my life!) will get louder again soon. My schedule will fill up, and the pace will most definitely pick back up. That is inevitable. For a moment, though, everything was quiet, and that felt like the right place to begin.

Let’s see where this leads…