Squeezing Every Drop of Color Out of a Gray December (2025)

To be honest, December was about as dull as it gets. It was fifty shades of gray underfoot and a gray sky overhead. In weather like this, a photographer has two options: complain or go looking for color and interesting shapes. I chose the latter. The result is a sort of visual survival diary for a monochrome world.

I finally took the 35mm "Vanilla" achromat lens out for its first real spin. It was handcrafted by Viktor Zharikov, a master from Tambov. This lens renders images so softly. It’s not about sharpness—it’s all about the light.

The gallery below captures my rare outings and my attempt to bring some color to this endless November that, for some reason, we’re calling December. But right at the last minute, December finally came to its senses right at the finish line. The city was finally buried in snow, the deep freeze set in, and the story got its proper winter ending after all.

The Best Shots#

New Year Lights#

Testing the "Vanilla" 35mm Achromat by Viktor Zharikov#

Gear:

• Camera: Canon EOS R8, Canon EOS M50 MK2, Canon EOS M200, Samsung S22 Ultra
• RAW processing: DarkTable