When I am in Pittsburgh, I like to visit the Alcoa Building downtown. I love it, at the same time as I don’t. I am drawn to its originality, design and history. But photography-wise, it is a nightmare for me. None of my photos have ever come out to properly reflect the history of successful American industry, the people that contributed to it, and the creativity of the skyscraper design. Instead, my photos just give a dull and lifeless view of endless rows of monotonic small, framed windows in a sterile geometry on a gray building. Very boring. But must it be? This time I have tried to blow life into the building by adding some human elements in post-processing, cropping hard, pushing the contrasts and working with tonality as I converted my picture into Black and White. (See the original photo at the end of the honorable mentions.)

The Metal Lamp image was taken in January 2026. The bare bulb burned brightly and the shadows were interesting, especially because there are two tabs creating a nice shadow. I improved the contrast and decreased the “whiteness” inside the bulb. Taken hand-held.

An early-morning shoot with Charles and Melissa Needle in Tuscany. Behind me was a restaurant parking lot.