Field Journal & Optics
Stories from the Field.
Notes on manual glass, honest light, and what changes when you slow a portrait session down.
Optics & Portrait Craft·August 2026·4 min readWhy I Still Reach for the Zeiss 85mm f/1.4
In a world of blazing-fast autofocus and clinical sharpness, a heavy piece of manual German glass on a Nikon body is what reminds me why I love making portraits.
Read the story →- Lens Notes·August 2026·6 min read
The Nikkor 105mm f/2.5: The Lens I Reach for Without Thinking
It fits in a jacket pocket, it costs less than a lens hood for anything modern, and it makes people look like themselves.
Read the story → 
Working Notes·August 2026·7 min readSix Manual Lenses on a Nikon Z8: What It's Actually Like
No autofocus, one aperture ring per lens, and a focus ring you have to earn. Here's how each one handles and what the Z8 does to make it workable.
Read the story →