October 18, 2026

A Few Words on Color Tones

Knowledge
A Few Words on Color Tones | Sunlight falls on a curved building facade at a Fulton Street corner in New York, with a pedestrian passing a restaurant entrance

My early experiences shooting film deeply shaped how I handle color tones. It's an intensely personal, subjective preference. To me, film colors are images with texture. Whether the teal-green cast of Fujifilm or the warm sepia of Kodak, both left deep impressions on me. A slight shift in color can give a photograph an entirely new beauty and mood.

A Few Words on Color Tones | Passengers sit and stand inside a subway car, with a B train sign and Brighton Beach destination shown on the window

Every time I travel to a city, its architecture, weather, light, and culture inspire a unique view of that city's colors. I've made it a habit to name my tones after cities, because each trip brings new revelations about color.

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For example, on this trip to New York, I brought the Leica SL3 for the first time. Alternating sun and rain let me capture the many faces of this vibrant city. Building on Leica's color foundation, I created a “New York, New York” tone to express its fast-paced, full-of-life character.

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A Few Words on Color Tones | A cyclist on a red bicycle crosses a wide Barcelona street lined with European apartment buildings and trees

In Barcelona, the dry, hot Mediterranean climate left a deep impression. Blue skies, sunshine, earth-toned European architecture, and the leisurely romance woven through it all melted into my lens. Along the way, I often gazed at the sky, watching sunlight fall across this beautiful city, drawn deeply by its tranquility and azure. So on my first night in Barcelona, I crafted a tone exclusive to Barcelona, to commemorate the colors of this city's charm.

Leica SL3 + Zeiss ZM 28mm F2.8 + SL 50mm F2 APO

A Few Words on Color Tones | A pedestrian in a long coat walks across a sunlit plaza in front of a white ribbed glass building
A Few Words on Color Tones | A person in an orange jacket and beanie stands by a building entrance near a Vanderbilt Ave sign as crowds move along the sidewalk
A Few Words on Color Tones | A pedestrian holding a blue umbrella waits at a crosswalk in front of the green neon Pershing Square sign and passing cars
A Few Words on Color Tones | Traffic and pedestrians cross a New York intersection surrounded by high-rises, with an American flag hanging from a building and a cyclist crossing the street
A Few Words on Color Tones | Crowds holding umbrellas fill rainy Times Square, lined with large billboards on high-rise buildings
A Few Words on Color Tones | The wavy stone facade of Casa Mila in Barcelona under a blue sky, with pedestrians and trees at the street corner
A Few Words on Color Tones | Four people sit on a bench along a tree-lined boulevard looking at their phones, sunlight filtering through the leaves
A Few Words on Color Tones | Two people sit on a bench beneath a tree, with a balconied European apartment building and street shops behind them
A Few Words on Color Tones | A cyclist and strolling pedestrians move along a tree-shaded pedestrian avenue dappled with sunlight

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