Waltham, Massachusetts, March 2020

Where can I go to take pictures, while avoiding people? That is a question the times force upon us. It led me to an alleyway between the commuter rail line and some light industrial buildings. By a sign put up by the city, it is called "Railroad Street," but I couldn't find it on any map.

Most folks would describe the photos I took on this outing as "black-and-white," but I prefer the term "grayscale," because it connotes a richness that is possible with a long, nuanced tonal range. It is a principle that Ansel Adams fervently championed: a long tonal range all the way from pure white to pure black is what gave life and sparkle to his photos, and set them apart.

Grayscale photos create an abstract image that tells the story in a scene by means of line and shade, without the sensory burden of color. They often achieve a beauty and clarity all their own. It is an esthetic that increasingly preoccupies me as I go about taking pictures.