natural light – Greg Urbano

Joy

Joy’s portraiture, captured during a studio session in Denver, exemplifies contemporary photography that harmonizes technical prowess with intimate atmosphere. Using controlled lighting and thoughtful composition, the image showcases Joy’s comfort and presence. It reflects the photographer’s growth in creating authentic portrayals within collaborative workshop settings, emphasizing spontaneity amidst structure.

Woman lies on her stomach on a bed with pillows, looking toward the camera in a softly lit indoor space. — Joy reclines on a bed during a studio session at Headquarters in Denver, Colorado.

Within Chapter 4 of Greg Urbano’s Top 100 Journey—a section dedicated to studio, outdoor, and workshop portraiture—this photograph stands as a compelling study in contemporary portraiture that balances technical precision with an atmosphere of relaxed intimacy. Captured during the Sunday Night Meets sessions at the Headquarters in Denver, Colorado, the image demonstrates the photographer’s evolving command of controlled lighting environments and his ability to translate spontaneity into refined compositional structure.

The subject, identified simply as Joy, reclines across a bed adorned with an array of textured pillows in warm earth tones—burnt orange, cream, and cognac leather—that create a sophisticated color palette against crisp white linens. Her pose suggests ease and self-possession, legs bent upward, body stretched diagonally across the frame in a manner that fills the space without appearing contrived. The composition guides the viewer’s eye from her contemplative expression through the length of her form, utilizing the diagonal as a classical device to create visual momentum within an otherwise still domestic scene.

Technically, the photographer employed a Sony A7ii paired with an 85mm f/1.8 lens, supplemented by a Godox V1s flash fired through a shoot-through umbrella. This setup reveals a deliberate approach to managing the challenge of interior lighting. The umbrella modifier produces soft, directional illumination that wraps around the subject’s features and limbs, creating gentle gradations of shadow that model form without harsh contrast. The 85mm focal length, a portrait standard, maintains proper perspective while allowing sufficient working distance in what appears to be a modest interior space. The choice to augment available window light with flash demonstrates an understanding that control, rather than pure naturalism, often serves the portrait best.

The environmental context—a workshop setting where photographers gather to practice and experiment—adds significance to the technical choices evident here. Such collaborative sessions demand efficiency and adaptability, requiring the photographer to balance artistic vision with the practical constraints of shared time and space. That this image emerged from such circumstances speaks to his ability to synthesize technical preparation with responsive observation, recognizing and capturing moments of genuine presence even within structured shooting scenarios.

Post-processing in Skylum’s Luminar 4 has yielded a polished yet authentic aesthetic. The skin tones register warmly against the cooler neutrals of the background, while the overall color grading maintains consistency with the chapter’s broader visual language. The photographer has avoided the temptation toward heavy manipulation, instead allowing the fundamental strength of the capture—lighting, composition, and subject rapport—to carry the image.

Within the trajectory of Chapter 4, this photograph represents the photographer’s progression from purely technical competency toward a more holistic understanding of portraiture as collaborative performance. The subject’s comfort before the camera, the thoughtfully curated environment, and the measured application of artificial light combine to create an image that feels both intentional and uncontrived. It exemplifies the workshop paradigm at its most productive: controlled conditions that paradoxically enable spontaneity, resulting in portraiture that documents not just appearance, but a quality of presence that transcends the specifics of its making.

Passage Through Green: Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

The photograph from the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary captures the harmonious relationship between human infrastructure and Florida’s natural environment. The cypress boardwalk invites viewers into an intricate ecosystem, showcasing careful light management and depth. By depicting the balance of accessibility and preservation, it highlights Florida’s ecological significance and the need for conservation.

Wooden boardwalk winding through tall cypress trees and dense green foliage at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, with dappled sunlight on the path. — Cypress Boardwalk at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (2014)

In this luminous study from the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, the photographer presents Florida’s natural landscape not as wilderness observed from a distance, but as an invitation to passage—a curated encounter between human infrastructure and primeval forest. The cypress boardwalk becomes both subject and compositional device, leading the viewer into a cathedral of green light that speaks to the delicate negotiation between preservation and access.

The technical approach reveals careful consideration of the swamp’s challenging photographic conditions. Working at ISO 100 with a half-second exposure at f/16, the photographer has maximized depth of field while maintaining exceptional image quality. This combination renders crisp detail from the weathered planks of the boardwalk through to the layered canopy above, where backlit foliage creates a luminous gradient from deep shadow to radiant yellow-green. The 24mm focal length—a moderate wide-angle perspective—provides visual breadth without the distortion that might compromise the scene’s natural proportions.

What distinguishes this image is its masterful handling of light. Shooting within the swamp’s dense canopy during what appears to be late morning or early afternoon, the photographer has captured the moment when sunlight penetrates the upper canopy, creating an almost ethereal glow. The graduated tonalities—from the shadowed foreground through the mid-tones of the boardwalk to the brilliant highlights beyond—establish a sense of progression and discovery. The exposure value suggests deliberate retention of highlight detail in what could easily have become overblown areas of white, instead preserving the textural complexity of individual leaves and branches.

The boardwalk itself serves multiple compositional functions. Its strong linear perspective creates depth and movement, drawing the eye inexorably toward the illuminated center. The railings function as framing elements, containing the viewer’s gaze while suggesting the carefully managed interaction between visitors and ecosystem. The warm tones of the aged wood provide chromatic relief from the overwhelming green, grounding the image in the tangible reality of human construction within natural space.

Within Chapter 2’s exploration of Florida landscapes, this photograph represents a significant counterpoint to the architectural documentation of the Dalí Museum. Where that image examined cultural infrastructure against an urban backdrop, this work investigates environmental infrastructure—the pathways that allow observation without destruction. The photographer recognizes that Florida’s identity is inextricably linked to its threatened ecosystems, and that contemporary experience of these spaces is mediated by such interventions.

The cypress trunks, standing as dark vertical elements throughout the frame, provide rhythmic structure while emphasizing scale. Their substantial girth and textured bark speak to age and resilience, while the dense understory of ferns visible in the lower portions of the frame suggests the biodiversity these swamp systems support. The photographer has captured not merely a scenic vista but a complex ecological narrative.

This image demonstrates the photographer’s evolving understanding of Florida’s duality—a place where nature and human presence exist in constant negotiation. The boardwalk, rather than intruding upon the swamp, becomes evidence of a conservation ethic, allowing passage while preserving the delicate substrate below. In documenting this careful balance, the photographer offers a vision of Florida that transcends tourism, revealing instead a landscape worthy of sustained attention and protection.

Electric Sublime: Atmospheric Drama Over Tampa Bay

The image of a lightning strike over Tampa Bay, captured from Vinoy Park, showcases the photographer’s skill in storm photography. Using a Nikon D610, the thirty-second exposure reveals a dramatic interplay of colors and natural forces. This work highlights Florida’s weather patterns, merging urban and natural landscapes in a powerful visual narrative.

Long exposure photograph of lightning illuminating clouds over Tampa Bay, viewed from Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg, Florida. — Long exposure lightning strike over Tampa Bay from Vinoy Park.

Among the most technically demanding and visually arresting images in Chapter 2 of the photographer’s Top 100 Journey, this capture of a lightning strike over Tampa Bay represents a masterful convergence of patience, preparation, and meteorological fortune. Photographed from Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg, the image transforms a transient weather event into a sustained meditation on nature’s raw power and the atmospheric spectacle that defines Florida’s subtropical climate.

The composition presents a study in horizontal stratification—water, distant shoreline, and sky arranged in classical landscape proportions, yet animated by the extraordinary electrical discharge that commands the frame’s center. A single lightning bolt descends vertically through towering cumulonimbus clouds, creating a luminous column that connects the charged atmosphere to the bay’s surface. The strike illuminates the cloud structure from within, revealing billowing formations in shades of pearl, lavender, and steel blue against a gradient sky that transitions from deep indigo to warm amber.

Technical execution reflects the specialized demands of storm photography. Working with a Nikon D610 at the wide end of an 18-35mm lens, the photographer selected an 18mm focal length to encompass both the expansive cloud system and the reflective water below. The thirty-second exposure at f/5.6 and ISO 400 represents a calculated approach to lightning capture—a long enough duration to increase the probability of recording a strike within the frame, yet controlled enough to prevent overexposure of ambient light sources visible along the distant horizon. This extended shutter speed also smooths the bay’s surface into a mirror-like plane, its subtle texture suggesting gentle motion while maintaining enough definition to anchor the composition.

The color palette distinguishes this work within the chapter’s broader collection. Where the architectural study of Signature Place employed monochrome austerity, this image embraces the full chromatic range of atmospheric phenomena. The storm cell’s cool blues and purples contrast with the warm ochre glow infiltrating from the right edge of the frame—likely light pollution from Tampa’s urban corridor or residual sunset illumination scattered through distant clouds. This interplay of cool and warm tones creates visual tension that enhances the image’s dramatic impact without resorting to artificial enhancement.

Within Chapter 2’s exploration of Florida Landscapes & Cityscapes, this photograph occupies essential territory. Florida’s identity remains inextricably linked to its volatile weather patterns—the daily thunderstorm cycles of summer, the atmospheric electricity that makes the state the lightning capital of North America. By documenting this phenomenon, the photographer engages with environmental storytelling that moves beyond picturesque representation toward a more complete portrait of place.

The work also demonstrates sophisticated understanding of the sublime in contemporary landscape photography. The tradition of depicting nature’s awesome power—from nineteenth-century Romantic painters to mid-century photographers like Ansel Adams capturing Sierra storms—finds fresh expression here. The lightning strike serves as both subject and metaphor: a literal discharge of atmospheric energy and a symbolic representation of nature’s capacity to humble human observers.

Viewed alongside the chapter’s urban architectural studies, this image provides necessary balance. Together, these photographs suggest a photographer equally attentive to built and natural environments, capable of finding visual poetry in glass towers and electrical storms alike. Such range indicates a mature artistic vision—one that recognizes Florida’s complexity as both a site of intensive human development and a landscape still subject to forces beyond human control.

Fallen Tree: The Foundation of Seeing

The photograph from Hillsborough River State Park, taken by Greg Urbano in 2013 with a Nikon D7100, captures a pivotal moment in his artistic development. It reflects his early understanding of composition and intentionality, showcasing the dense subtropical landscape through HDR processing. This image symbolizes the importance of beginnings and learning in photography.

HDR photograph of a forest trail in Hillsborough River State Park with a large fallen tree across the path, dense vegetation, and filtered natural light, taken with a Nikon D7100 at 10mm. — A 2013 HDR landscape photograph of a fallen tree along a forest trail in Hillsborough River State Park, Florida.

In the opening chapter of Greg Urbano’s photographic journey, this image from Hillsborough River State Park stands as a testament to the essential nature of beginnings. Shot in 2013 with a Nikon D7100, the photograph captures more than a forest scene—it documents the foundational moment when a photographer learns to truly see the landscape before him.

The composition reveals an intuitive understanding of depth and perspective. Shot at 10mm, the wide-angle lens creates an immersive quality that draws viewers directly onto the trail. The fallen log in the foreground serves as both literal and metaphorical threshold, inviting passage into the deeper woods beyond. This diagonal element cuts across the frame with authority, its weathered texture rendered in sharp detail by the f/8.0 aperture, demonstrating Urbano’s early grasp of how to balance foreground interest with background context.

The HDR processing technique employed here reflects the experimental spirit characteristic of this pre-2015 period. While HDR would later fall somewhat out of favor in fine art photography circles, its application in this image serves a clear purpose: to capture the dynamic range of a Florida forest understory, where dappled sunlight creates extreme contrasts between shadow and highlight. The palmetto fronds and oak canopy are rendered with an almost hyper-real clarity that emphasizes the dense, layered nature of this subtropical ecosystem.

What makes this photograph particularly significant within the “Beginnings” chapter is its honesty about place and limitation. Urbano’s accompanying note—that this Florida park offered his “best opportunity to capture flowing water over river rocks” before relocating to Colorado—reveals something crucial about artistic development. Great photography emerges not from waiting for perfect conditions, but from working intensively with what’s available. This trail became his classroom, this fallen log his teacher.

The technical choices demonstrate a photographer thinking through his craft. The 1/50s shutter speed suggests deliberate handholding technique, while the ISO 200 setting indicates available light conditions and a preference for image quality. These aren’t the settings of someone simply pointing and shooting; they reveal consideration and intentionality, even in these early stages.

The color palette—predominantly greens with earth-toned accents—creates a cohesive, naturalistic feel despite the HDR processing. The slight motion blur in the foliage adds an organic quality, a reminder that this is a living landscape caught in a specific moment. The trail itself winds invitingly into the frame’s depth, disappearing around a bend that promises further discovery—a fitting metaphor for the artistic journey being documented.

In the context of Urbano’s larger body of work, this image represents more than just an early attempt. It embodies the crucial truth that mastery begins with showing up, with making photographs even when the circumstances aren’t ideal, even when the technique hasn’t been perfected. The photograph’s inclusion in his top 100 collection isn’t about technical perfection but about recognizing the importance of foundation.

Every artist’s journey requires a starting point, a place where curiosity meets commitment. This fallen tree, this Florida trail, this moment of learning to see—these are the essential ingredients that would eventually lead to mountain streams in Colorado and a mature photographic vision. The imperfect attempt, it turns out, isn’t just necessary. It’s everything.

The Gulf Pier: A Foundation in Light and Structure

Greg Urbano’s “Landscapes in HDR” captures the Gulf Fishing Pier at Fort de Soto Park, reflecting his artistic development in photography. Utilizing a Nikon D7100, he balances composition with HDR techniques, achieving naturalistic vibrancy without over-processing. The image embodies a pivotal moment in skill mastery, exploring the connection between environment and human creation.

HDR landscape photograph of the Gulf Fishing Pier at Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County, Florida, extending over calm water under a bright sky, taken with a Nikon D7100 at 14mm. — A 2013 HDR landscape photograph of the Gulf Fishing Pier at Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County, Florida.

In the early stages of any photographer’s journey, there exists a pivotal moment when technical curiosity converges with artistic vision. Greg Urbano’s “Landscapes in HDR” from 2013 captures precisely this convergence—a photograph that speaks to the fundamentals of seeing while revealing the seeds of a maturing artistic voice.

The Gulf Fishing Pier at Fort de Soto Park presents itself as an exercise in classical composition, yet the image transcends mere documentation. Shot with a Nikon D7100 at 14mm, the photographer embraced the distortion inherent in ultra-wide-angle photography, using it not as a limitation but as a tool for emphasis. The pier’s concrete pathway stretches toward the horizon with geometric insistence, its weathered surface textured with salt stains and age—details that anchor the ethereal quality of the surrounding environment.

What distinguishes this work within the context of Chapter 1—Beginnings is the deliberate exploration of HDR processing, a technique that dominated landscape photography in the early 2010s. Rather than falling into the trap of over-processing that plagued much HDR work of this era, Urbano demonstrates restraint. The luminous gradations in the sky—from deep azure to wispy white—retain a naturalistic quality while revealing detail across an impressive tonal range. The turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico maintain their vibrancy without crossing into hypersaturation, suggesting an eye already sensitive to the boundaries between enhancement and artifice.

The technical choices reveal a photographer building his fundamental vocabulary. The aperture of ƒ/8.0 ensures critical sharpness from the foreground concrete to the distant structures, while the fast shutter speed of 1/400s freezes the subtle motion of the scene—likely the flutter of distant flags or the movement of the few figures visible along the pier. At ISO 100, the image maintains clarity in its textures, from the horizontal railings that create rhythmic lines to the architectural shelters that punctuate the composition’s middle ground.

What makes this photograph significant in understanding Urbano’s artistic evolution is not its perfection but its purposefulness. The nearly symmetrical composition, the careful attention to the leading lines, the consideration of how architectural elements frame the natural environment—these are the building blocks upon which more complex visual narratives are constructed. The weekly visits to this location mentioned in his notes speak to something essential in photographic development: the practice of returning, of seeing the same subject under different conditions, of learning through repetition.

The landscape itself offers something eternal—the meeting point of human construction and natural expanse. The pier extends confidently into the Gulf, a gesture of connection between land and water, between the photographer’s position and the infinite horizon. In capturing this scene, Urbano was not merely documenting a favorite location but engaging with fundamental questions about how we frame our relationship to place and space.

Within the broader context of “Beginnings,” this image exemplifies the necessary stage of mastering craft before transcending it. The imperfect attempts referenced in the chapter description are not failures but essential experiments. Here, we witness a photographer learning to see in high dynamic range, to compose with geometric precision, and to capture the luminous quality of coastal light—all foundational skills that would inform the more sophisticated work to come.

This is where journeys begin: in the clarity of intention, the discipline of practice, and the recognition that every master was once a student of light.

Into the Green Cathedral: Highlands Hammock State Park, 2011

Greg Urbano’s 2011 photograph from the Cypress Swamp Trail reflects the intersection of technical skill and artistic vision in photography. Using a Pentax K-x, he captures a weathered boardwalk amidst Florida’s lush swamp, illustrating the relationship between nature and human presence. The image balances light and texture, inviting viewers into a transformative experience.

Wooden boardwalk winding through a cypress swamp with tall trees, exposed roots, and reflective dark water, photographed in 2011 with a Pentax K‑x. — A 2011 photograph of the Cypress Swamp Trail boardwalk at Highlands Hammock State Park in Florida.

In the early stages of any photographer’s journey, there exists a pivotal moment when technical capability intersects with artistic vision—when the craft begins to serve something deeper than mere documentation. Greg Urbano’s 2011 photograph from the Cypress Swamp Trail at Highlands Hammock State Park captures precisely this threshold, presenting a meditation on entrance, passage, and the liminal spaces where human intervention meets primordial nature.

The composition anchors itself on a weathered wooden boardwalk that curves through the left third of the frame, its moss-stained surface bearing witness to countless footsteps and Florida’s relentless humidity. Shot at 18mm on a Pentax K-x with the kit lens, Urbano demonstrates an understanding that wide-angle photography isn’t about capturing everything—it’s about creating context and relationship. The boardwalk serves as both literal path and visual guide, drawing the eye from the immediate foreground deep into the swamp’s verdant interior.

What distinguishes this image from typical nature photography is its masterful handling of light in a notoriously challenging environment. Shooting at f/4.0 with a 1/40s shutter speed and ISO 400, Urbano navigated the technical constraints of a modestly equipped camera to capture the dappled luminosity filtering through the canopy. The exposure balances the bright patches of sky visible through the trees with the darker water below, creating a tonal range that feels both accurate and atmospheric. The slightly elevated ISO introduces a subtle grain that, rather than detracting from the image, contributes to its organic texture.

The swamp water itself becomes a secondary canvas, reflecting the surrounding cypress trunks and creating visual echoes that blur the boundary between substance and reflection. Fallen branches break the surface tension, their pale, skeletal forms contrasting with the vibrant greens of new growth. This juxtaposition of decay and vitality speaks to the swamp’s essential nature as a place of transformation, where death continuously feeds life.

The color palette reveals a sophisticated eye for harmony—countless variations of green layer upon one another, from the luminous chartreuse of sunlit leaves to the deep olive shadows beneath the boardwalk. The aged wood introduces warmer earth tones, grounding the composition and providing respite from the overwhelming verdancy. These are the subtle decisions that separate intentional photography from happy accidents.

Within the context of a photographer’s formative work, this image represents more than technical competence. It demonstrates an emerging awareness of how to use man-made structures not as intrusions upon nature, but as framers of experience—the boardwalk doesn’t dominate the swamp; it offers a way to witness it. The slight curve of the path suggests journey and discovery, inviting viewers to imagine themselves walking deeper into this green cathedral.

Shot with entry-level equipment during a period when digital photography was becoming democratized, this photograph affirms that vision matters more than gear. The Pentax K-x and kit lens proved sufficient tools for capturing not just a place, but an atmosphere—the particular quality of light, air, and time that defines Florida’s ancient swamplands. It stands as evidence of a photographer learning to see, to compose, and to recognize moments worth preserving.

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