greg urbano – Greg Urbano

Jonny Edward — Portrait

In this sixth chapter of the visual odyssey, Jonny Edward’s portrait embodies the blend of environment and identity, created in his studio, Atelier Alchimia. The image emphasizes texture and iconography, showcasing a stylistic marriage between traditional garments and modern tattoos. It marks a pivot to evocative, symbolic portraiture, exploring the philosophy of aesthetic existence.

Portrait of a person wearing a black hat and round glasses, seated indoors with tattooed arms, dressed in a vest, shirt, and tie against a textured studio backdrop. — Portrait of Jonny Edward photographed seated in his studio, wearing a hat, glasses, and layered clothing, with tattoos visible on both arms.

In the sixth chapter of this ongoing visual odyssey, the photographer explores the intersection of environment and identity, moving beyond the mere capture of a likeness to conduct a sophisticated study of texture and personal iconography. This portrait of Jonny Edward, captured within the subject’s own creative sanctuary, Atelier Alchimia, serves as a cornerstone of the “Recent Work & Ongoing Exploration” phase. It represents a pivot toward a more layered, atmospheric approach to portraiture, where the subject and the space they inhabit become indistinguishable components of a singular narrative.

The composition is a masterclass in the management of complex visual information. The subject is positioned with a calculated stillness, his gaze direct and piercing through circular frames that provide a geometric anchor for the viewer. There is a profound intentionality in the styling: the marriage of classic haberdashery—a wide-brimmed felt hat, a patterned cravat, and a structured waistcoat—against the modern, intricate cartography of extensive tattoo work. The photographer skillfully navigates these disparate elements, ensuring that the elaborate patterns of the skin and the plaid of the vest complement rather than compete with one another.

Technically, the image excels in its tonal range and tactile quality. The lighting is deliberate, casting a soft yet directional glow that carves out the contours of the subject’s face and highlights the physical relief of the ink on his forearms. There is a tangible weight to the textures presented: the coarseness of the waistcoat’s weave, the smoothness of the felt hat, and the weathered patina of the background wall. This background, reminiscent of a Renaissance fresco in its muted, distressed tones, provides a timeless quality that lifts the portrait out of a specific era and into a more permanent, artistic realm.

As a significant entry in the “Top 100 Journey,” this work illustrates the photographer’s evolving mastery of the “creative workshop” environment. By collaborating within a space designed for artistic alchemy, he has successfully distilled the essence of a fellow creator. The image functions as a dialogue between two artists—one in front of the lens and one behind it—resulting in a portrait that feels less like an observation and more like an excavation.

In the context of Chapter 6: The Road Ahead, this photograph signals a refined direction. It moves away from traditional, literal portraiture toward a more symbolic and evocative methodology. The hands, clasped in a gesture of quiet strength, draw the eye to the lower third of the frame, grounding the composition and reinforcing the sense of grounded presence. It is an exploration of the “modern alchemist,” capturing a figure who is both a product of and a contributor to the creative landscape of Colorado. This portrait does not merely record a face; it documents a philosophy of aesthetic existence, marking a high point in the photographer’s continued pursuit of visual excellence.

Natural Elegance: A Portrait in Copper and Light

Abigail Marchetti, known as Copper Muse, poses at a Denver Models open shoot, showcasing the photographer’s evolving studio portraiture techniques. Utilizing natural light, he captures her striking features and authentic expression, emphasizing color harmony and psychological presence. This portrait marks a significant step in his artistic development, blending classical principles with a modern sensibility.

Studio portrait of a red-haired woman in a black dress posing against a light background with her hands framing her face. — Model Abigail Marchetti, known as Copper Muse, poses during a Denver Models open shoot at Realm Studio in Denver.

This compelling portrait of model Abigail Marchetti exemplifies the photographer’s deepening engagement with studio portraiture and his refined approach to natural light as a primary sculptural tool. Captured during a Denver Models open shoot at Realm Studio, the image represents continued exploration of collaborative creative environments while demonstrating increasingly sophisticated control of the portraitist’s essential elements: light, gesture, color harmony, and psychological presence.

The composition centers on the model’s striking features—vibrant copper-red hair cascading in loose waves, piercing blue-green eyes meeting the camera with direct but unguarded confidence, and pale skin that catches and reflects the soft window light with luminous clarity. Her pose, with one hand gracefully raised to her hair and the other touching her neck, creates natural framing that draws attention to her face while suggesting unaffected spontaneity. The black strapless garment provides bold tonal contrast against both her skin and the pale backdrop, creating visual drama without competing for attention.

What distinguishes this work is the photographer’s masterful exploitation of natural window light. Rather than relying on the multiple strobes and reflectors typical of commercial studio work, he has chosen a more classical approach that recalls portrait painting traditions. The directional quality of the illumination—soft yet defined—models the subject’s features with sculptural precision while maintaining delicate gradations across skin tones. Highlights along the hair reveal its rich, multidimensional copper coloring, transforming what could be merely descriptive documentation into chromatic study.

The technical execution demonstrates growing confidence with the Nikon Z5 system and the versatile 24-120mm lens. The focal length selection—likely in the moderate telephoto range—provides flattering perspective without distortion, while the depth of field keeps the subject sharply defined against the subtly gradated background. The exposure balances the challenge of pale skin and light background without sacrificing detail in either the model’s features or the deeper tones of her garment.

Within the framework of Chapter 6—”The Road Ahead: Recent Work & Ongoing Exploration”—this portrait signals important developments in his artistic trajectory. The open shoot environment, like the previous workshop-based work, indicates willingness to engage with structured collaborative opportunities while bringing his distinct sensibility to bear. Yet where some open shoots yield generic beauty documentation, this image transcends its circumstances through careful attention to classical portraiture principles: the quality of light, the authenticity of expression, the harmony of color and form.

The model’s direct gaze introduces a quality often absent from his landscape and architectural work—reciprocal acknowledgment between photographer and subject. This mutual recognition adds psychological dimension, transforming technical exercise into genuine encounter. The slight asymmetry in her expression—contemplative rather than performative—suggests comfort and trust within the photographic exchange.

The photograph also reveals evolving aesthetic priorities. While maintaining the tonal sensitivity and compositional rigor evident throughout his portfolio, he demonstrates here that minimalism need not preclude richness. The interplay of copper hair, pale skin, black fabric, and soft grey background creates visual complexity through chromatic relationships rather than environmental detail. This represents a distillation of his practice—finding depth in apparent simplicity, discovering complexity in restraint—now applied to the human figure with increasing assurance and grace.

Suspension and Illusion: A Study in Controlled Ephemera

Model Everyn Darling is featured in a significant studio portrait taken during a photography workshop in Denver. This image, characterized by its minimalist setting and controlled lighting, explores themes of aspiration and vulnerability through the metaphor of a translucent balloon. The photographer’s evolving style emphasizes collaborative creativity and visual poetry over mere technical perfection.

Studio portrait of a woman in a black dress holding a translucent balloon against a plain backdrop. — Model Everyn Darling poses with a translucent balloon during a studio photography workshop in Denver, Colorado.

This studio portrait represents a significant departure within the photographer’s evolving practice, marking his exploration of collaborative, workshop-based creation and the controlled artifice of studio environments. Captured during a Creative Experimental Photography Meetup at RAW Studios in Denver, the image demonstrates how structured creative exercises can yield work of surprising conceptual depth when approached with technical precision and compositional awareness.

The photograph centers on model Everyn Darling, positioned within a minimalist studio setting characterized by graduated neutral tones that transition from cool blue-grey to warm cream. This chromatic subtlety provides visual breathing room while maintaining atmospheric presence—a backdrop that supports rather than competes. The subject, dressed in a simple black dress with white collar detail, appears barefoot in a pose of upward contemplation, one arm extended to hold a translucent balloon trailing delicate white ribbons or fabric.

What elevates this image beyond documentation of a workshop exercise is the photographer’s attention to the psychology of gesture and the poetry of the ostensibly simple prop. The balloon—that most ephemeral and-associated of objects—becomes a vehicle for exploring themes of lightness, release, and the tenuous connection between desire and drift. The model’s gaze follows the balloon upward, creating a diagonal compositional line that draws the eye through the frame while suggesting aspiration, longing, or perhaps the acceptance of letting go.

The technical execution reveals disciplined studio craft. Working with his Nikon Z5 and the versatile 24-120mm f/4 lens, the photographer has managed studio lighting with restraint, avoiding the harsh drama often favored in workshop settings. The illumination appears softly directional, modeling the subject’s features and dress while maintaining detail in the translucent balloon. Shadow work on the studio floor provides subtle grounding without becoming graphic or distracting. The slightly elevated perspective and negative space allocation give the subject room to breathe within the frame—a compositional generosity that reinforces the image’s contemplative mood.

Within the context of Chapter 6—”The Road Ahead: Recent Work & Ongoing Exploration”—this photograph signals important developments in his practice. The workshop origin indicates openness to collaborative creative structures and willingness to work within parameters set by others. Yet the result bears his aesthetic signature: careful attention to subtle tonal gradations, preference for psychological ambiguity over narrative certainty, and interest in objects as metaphorical carriers rather than mere props.

The image also represents exploration of human subjects with greater intimacy than much of his earlier landscape and architectural work. The model’s upturned face, though not confronting the camera directly, introduces vulnerability and interiority often absent from environmental documentation. This shift suggests expanding comfort with portraiture and the complex dynamics of photographer-subject collaboration.

The balloon’s deliberate artificiality—clearly held rather than actually floating—adds productive tension. The photograph acknowledges its own construction while inviting viewers to suspend disbelief, mirroring how all photography negotiates between document and fiction. In selecting this image as his best from the series, the photographer reveals evolving criteria for success: not technical perfection alone, but the achievement of visual poetry through careful orchestration of simple elements within controlled conditions.

Reclamation and Ruin: A Study in Agricultural Melancholy

The photograph of an abandoned farmhouse near Fort Collins, Colorado, embodies themes of impermanence and decay. The image balances architectural elements with natural landscapes, showcasing technical sophistication through HDR processing. By highlighting details of deterioration amidst recent human traces, it transforms rural abandonment into a poignant meditation on time and memory.

Weathered wooden farmhouse with boarded windows and peeling paint standing in tall grass near Fort Collins, Colorado. — An abandoned wooden farmhouse sits in open prairie near Fort Collins, Colorado.

In this haunting documentation of rural abandonment, the photographer captures a weathered farmhouse on the outskirts of Fort Collins, Colorado—a structure caught in the liminal space between human history and nature’s patient reclamation. The image, selected for Chapter 6 of his Top 100 Journey, exemplifies the ongoing evolution in his practice toward subjects that speak to impermanence, transition, and the quiet dignity of forgotten places.

The compositional strategy reveals a mature understanding of architectural photography merged with landscape sensibility. The two-story structure commands the frame while remaining subordinate to the expansive Colorado sky, which fills nearly half the image with dramatic cloud formations. This deliberate balance prevents the photograph from becoming merely documentary, instead elevating it into meditation on time and decay. The golden hour lighting—captured with precision timing—rakes across the weathered clapboard siding, accentuating every crack, peel, and shadow in the wood grain. This textural emphasis transforms deterioration into visual poetry.

His decision to employ HDR processing demonstrates technical sophistication in service of artistic vision rather than mere spectacle. The extended dynamic range allows simultaneous preservation of detail in the sun-bleached siding and the darker recesses of boarded windows and doorways. The processing maintains naturalistic color while enhancing the amber warmth of dying light against cool blue-grey clouds, creating chromatic tension that mirrors the thematic conflict between persistence and decay.

The overgrown prairie grass in the foreground serves multiple functions within the composition. Practically, it provides textural contrast to the geometric severity of the architecture; symbolically, it represents nature’s inexorable advance. The discarded white fabric or tarp in the lower right corner introduces a note of recent human presence, suggesting that abandonment is an ongoing process rather than a completed historical fact. This detail prevents the image from slipping into nostalgic romanticism.

What distinguishes this work within the context of Chapter 6—titled “The Road Ahead: Recent Work & Ongoing Exploration”—is its synthesis of earlier themes with evolving concerns. The photographer has long demonstrated interest in human traces within landscape, but here the investigation deepens. Rather than simply documenting what remains, he engages with the process of vanishing itself. The boarded windows become blind eyes; the peeling paint functions as aging skin; the sagging roofline suggests exhaustion. The structure possesses almost anthropomorphic vulnerability.

The photograph’s origins as a response to the 52frames weekly challenge reveals another dimension of his practice—the ability to transform assignment-based work into personally meaningful investigation. Many photographers struggle to maintain artistic integrity within the constraints of themed prompts, yet he has consistently used such frameworks as catalysts rather than limitations.

The telephone number still visible on the building’s facade—a commercial ghost—adds poignant specificity. It grounds the abstracted themes of abandonment and time in particular lives, particular businesses, particular failures or departures. This detail resists the tendency toward generic commentary on “the death of rural America” and instead insists on the singular reality of this particular farmhouse, this particular field, this particular evening light.

In positioning this image within his ongoing journey, the photographer signals continued commitment to finding profound resonance in overlooked subjects. The road ahead, it seems, leads deliberately toward what others pass by—not from contrarian impulse, but from genuine recognition that beauty and meaning persist even in, perhaps especially in, the discarded and decaying.

Deadpool Lucha Libre: Chromatic Drama in Miniature

The photograph of a Marvel Lucha Libre Funko Pop Deadpool figure exemplifies a blend of commercial and fine art photography. Utilizing dramatic lighting and technical precision, it transforms a mass-produced collectible into a subject of contemplation. The piece reflects the cultural hybridity of its character, bridging traditional still life with contemporary themes.

Studio photograph of a Marvel Lucha Libre Deadpool Funko Pop figure standing on a reflective black surface against a dark background. — A studio still life of a Marvel Lucha Libre Funko Pop Deadpool figure posed on black acrylic.

Within Chapter 5’s exploration of tabletop still life—from classical arrangements to experimental departures—this photograph of the Marvel Lucha Libre Funko Pop! figure demonstrates the photographer’s command of dramatic lighting and his willingness to elevate commercial objects into subjects worthy of sustained contemplation. The piece functions as both technical exercise and cultural commentary, bridging the gap between traditional product photography and fine art still life.

The composition centers on El Chimichanga De La Muerte, the Deadpool variant rendered in the distinctive aesthetic of Mexican lucha libre wrestling. Against an uncompromising black void, the figure emerges through carefully controlled illumination that recalls the chiaroscuro techniques of Dutch Golden Age painting. The photographer has employed a Godox AD100 with gridded softbox to create a focused pool of light that caresses the figure’s surfaces while allowing the background to recede entirely. This technical choice—stark, theatrical, unforgiving—transforms what might have been simple documentation into something approaching portraiture.

The red and gold color palette dominates with painterly intensity. The matte finish of the vinyl catches light selectively, creating subtle gradations across the mask’s sculptural forms. Each stitch line in the figure’s costume becomes a shadow-casting element, adding textural complexity to what is, in reality, molded plastic. The photographer’s choice of the Tamron 35mm f/2.8 lens on his Sony A7II suggests a deliberate approach to depth and perspective—close enough to capture minute details, yet distant enough to maintain the figure’s proportional integrity and comic heroism.

What elevates this work within the chapter’s trajectory is its dialogue between high and low culture. Funko Pop! figures exist as mass-produced collectibles, yet the photographer treats this specimen with the reverence typically reserved for precious antiquities or fine crafts. The shirtless, muscular torso—absurdly rendered in the Funko aesthetic with its characteristic oversized head and simplified body—becomes an exercise in form and volume under his lighting scheme. The reflection on the glossy black surface beneath adds a layer of sophistication, grounding the floating figure in space while doubling its visual presence.

The image represents a contemporary evolution in still life photography where the distinction between commercial and fine art intentionally blurs. By applying gallery-level lighting techniques to a pop culture artifact, the photographer participates in a broader artistic conversation about value, nostalgia, and the objects we choose to collect and immortalize. The lucha libre variant itself carries layers of cultural hybridity—an American comic character filtered through Mexican wrestling tradition, then reimagined as a Japanese-influenced vinyl toy.

The technical execution is nearly flawless. Exposure is carefully balanced to preserve detail in both the deepest reds and the highlighted edges of the mask. The black background shows no distracting gradients or light spill, evidence of precise modifier control and post-processing restraint. This discipline allows the figure to exist in a realm of pure focus, removed from context yet somehow more present because of that isolation.

Within the broader context of Chapter 5’s examination of still life evolution, this photograph demonstrates how experimental approaches need not abandon classical principles. The work honors centuries of still life tradition while embracing decidedly modern subject matter, creating a bridge between photographic eras.

Mike Groth: Classical Studio Portraiture and the Language of Formality

Mike Groth’s studio portrait, featured in Chapter 4 of the Top 100 Journey, exemplifies traditional portraiture through controlled lighting and composition. Shot at Old Town Yoga Studio, the image focuses on character and presence, utilizing a classic backdrop and professional techniques. Its formal simplicity highlights the subject’s confidence, making it versatile across various contexts.

Mike Groth is photographed in a studio portrait at Old Town Yoga Studio in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Within Chapter 4 of the photographer’s Top 100 Journey, this portrait of Mike Groth represents a return to the foundational principles of studio portraiture—controlled lighting, deliberate composition, and the timeless formality of traditional headshot aesthetics. Shot at the Old Town Yoga Studio in Fort Collins, Colorado, the image demonstrates the photographer’s facility with classic studio techniques while exploring the psychological dimensions of formal masculine presentation.

The technical execution adheres to established conventions of corporate and editorial portraiture. Utilizing a Sony A7ii with an 85mm f/1.8 lens, the photographer has positioned his subject against a pure black backdrop, eliminating all environmental context to focus entirely on character and presence. A Godox V1s flash paired with a shoot-through umbrella provides the primary illumination—a traditional modifier choice that produces soft, diffused light with gentle shadow gradation across the subject’s features. This approach creates dimensional modeling without the harsh contrast of direct flash, revealing the contours of the face while maintaining a polished, professional quality.

The composition centers the subject in a classical three-quarter view, shoulders angled slightly to create visual interest while the face turns toward the camera. This positioning—neither fully frontal nor profile—has been a cornerstone of portraiture since the Renaissance, offering both dimensionality and direct engagement. The subject’s formal attire—dark suit, white shirt, burgundy tie—reinforces the traditional corporate aesthetic, while his neutral expression and direct gaze suggest confidence tempered with approachability.

What distinguishes this work within the photographer’s broader practice is its embrace of restraint. Where other images in Chapter 4 explore environmental integration and spontaneous moments, this portrait strips away context to examine how lighting, posture, and expression alone can convey character. The black void backdrop functions not merely as a neutral background but as an active element, creating psychological weight and directing all attention to the subtle details: the catch lights in the eyes, the texture of facial hair, the precise fall of shadow along the jawline.

The post-processing in Luminar 4 maintains the studio’s carefully controlled atmosphere. Skin tones are rendered with natural warmth while preserving texture and detail. The lighting reveals itself as directional yet forgiving, highlighting the subject’s facial structure without creating unflattering shadows. This balance between revelation and flattery characterizes effective professional portraiture—honest without being harsh, polished without appearing artificial.

Within the context of Chapter 4’s mission to document studio, outdoor, and workshop methodologies, this image anchors the studio component with particular authority. It demonstrates that contemporary portrait photography need not abandon classical techniques in pursuit of innovation. The photographer’s choice to work within established conventions reflects an understanding that certain approaches endure precisely because they succeed in their essential task: revealing the subject’s presence and character with clarity and dignity.

The formal simplicity of this portrait allows it to function across multiple contexts—editorial, corporate, archival. This versatility speaks to the photographer’s understanding of portraiture not merely as artistic expression but as functional communication. As part of the Top 100 Journey, the image represents a technical benchmark, showcasing the fundamental competencies upon which more experimental work can build. It is portraiture in its most distilled form: light, subject, and the photographer’s ability to orchestrate their interaction with precision and purpose.

Maia del Mazo Urban : A Study in Contemporary Youth Portraiture

Maia del Mazo’s portrait, captured in Old Town Fort Collins, exemplifies the intersection of contemporary youth culture and environmental portraiture. Utilizing natural light and artificial enhancement, the photographer balances technical precision with spontaneity. The subject’s confident pose and styling reflect a subcultural moment, fostering an authentic connection with the viewer.

Woman wearing red shorts and knee-high socks crouches on a concrete surface in an urban setting with bright sky behind her. — Maia del Mazo poses in an urban location in Old Town Fort Collins, Colorado.

Within Chapter 4 of the photographer’s Top 100 Journey—dedicated to studio, outdoor, and workshop portraiture—this image of Maia del Mazo emerges as a compelling examination of contemporary youth culture and environmental portraiture. Shot in Old Town Fort Collins, Colorado, the photograph demonstrates the artist’s evolving command of natural light augmented by carefully controlled artificial illumination, a technical approach that has become increasingly refined throughout this chapter of his documentary project.

The composition presents the subject in a confident, grounded squat position against a minimalist architectural backdrop. Her styling—vintage band aesthetic meeting modern streetwear, complete with floral combat boots, striped knee socks, and layered chokers—speaks to a specific subcultural moment. The photographer has positioned her centrally within the frame, allowing the clean lines of the urban architecture to recede into soft focus, creating negative space that amplifies the subject’s presence rather than competing with it.

Technically, the image represents a sophisticated balance between available daylight and artificial enhancement. Shot with a Sony A7ii paired with an 85mm f/1.8 lens, the photographer employed a handheld Godox V1s flash without modification—a bold choice that suggests confidence in reading ambient conditions. The direct flash technique produces a subtle fill that lifts shadows without flattening the image’s dimensionality, while the 85mm focal length compresses the background just enough to isolate the figure without creating unnatural bokeh. The slight wind-swept quality of the subject’s hair adds dynamism to what might otherwise read as a static pose.

What distinguishes this work within the chapter’s broader context is its departure from traditional studio control. While maintaining the technical precision associated with formal portraiture, the photographer embraces environmental elements—concrete surfaces, architectural geometry, natural wind movement—that introduce spontaneity into the frame. This hybrid approach reflects an evolution in his practice, moving beyond purely controlled studio environments toward a more flexible methodology that captures authentic personality within structured compositions.

The post-processing in Luminar 4 demonstrates restraint appropriate to the subject matter. Color grading emphasizes warm tones in the subject’s skin and the amber cast of her sunglasses while maintaining the cooler neutrals of the concrete and sky. The processing enhances rather than transforms, supporting the documentary quality inherent in the photographer’s approach to his Top 100 Journey project.

The subject’s body language—relaxed yet assertive, casual yet deliberate—suggests a collaborative relationship between photographer and sitter. This comfort level allows for genuine expression rather than performative posing, a quality that distinguishes effective contemporary portraiture from mere documentation. The direct, knowing gaze above the rose-tinted frames establishes connection with the viewer while maintaining a degree of cool remove characteristic of youth subculture.

As part of the photographer’s long-term Top 100 Journey, this image contributes to an ongoing investigation into portraiture’s capacity to capture both individual personality and broader cultural moments. It represents the workshop and outdoor component of Chapter 4’s mission, demonstrating how environmental factors and technical adaptability can produce work that honors both formal photographic traditions and contemporary visual language. The result is a portrait that feels simultaneously timeless in its compositional confidence and distinctly anchored in its cultural moment.