I was photographing in Taylor well into the night, as you can see here. After sunset and before the dark, I had dinner at a local joint. I passed by this tiny and cute pharmacy and had to take a picture.

When I saw this establishment, it reminded me of the kind of place YouTuber and serious photographer Nick Carver would shoot. I’ve watched Nick’s videos, and he would talk about his photographic process, shooting primarily large-format film cameras. His channel seems like the ultimate in niche photography subjects, yet, impressively, he has 127k followers. Imagine watching a 25-minute video where he makes only one or two photographs. Yet, I enjoy it. This video of him shooting a small liquor store reminds me a lot of this pharmacy.

I’m not nearly as patient and dedicated as Nick, and I’m throwing technology at the problem. Using the Fujifilm GFX 50S II, with capable image stabilization, I could often shoot without a tripod. I shot this at ISO 200 with a 1/8 second shutter, handheld. In retrospect, I could’ve managed ISO 100 with an even slower shutter and a slightly larger aperture.

I did underexpose this image by 3 stops so as not to blow out the bright sign. Raising the shadows in post-processing created the exposure I desired. Dark and shadowy but with adequate details.

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