My Approach To Curating Long-Term Projects

Six practical steps to developing a meaningful body of work

Jul 26, 2026

This week, we’re diving into the minutiae of curating a long-term photo project. I’ve spent the better part of the last three years travelling across the polar regions. What started as a commercial partnership with my friends at Quark Expeditions gave birth to a deeply personal endeavour.

I thought I was someone who hated the cold and didn’t shoot landscapes. But travelling to the Arctic and Antarctic Circles has taught me a lot. The most important perhaps being never to prematurely close the door on creative exploration.

Today, I’d like to walk you through how I build out a long-term photo project, specifically referencing my ongoing project, Shades of Blue.

PART I: SURFING HURRICANES

Any trip to the polar regions ends up with me collecting anywhere between 8,000 to 15,000 images. Where documentary and portraiture allow me to be surgical, the dynamic nature of the wilderness pushes me to shoot fast and shoot often. By the end of my adventure, I’ll have an overwhelming amount of images. Or I should say, it’d be overwhelming were it not for my approach.

Previously, I talked about my file management and where my photography lives. After those initial backups, I review all the photos captured that day. I’ll have a session created in Capture One for my current trip and, each night, I import images from the day. I’ll then scan, often multiple times, through all the images from that day and tag any interesting photos RED (minus key is the shortcut in Capture One). If something stands out as an image that might have enough ingredients for a story, it gets tagged.

During this process, I embody the spirit of John Free and stay very liberal in my tagging process. When I’m done, I move all the tagged images into the SELECTS folder of my Capture One Session.

PART II: FOLDING WORLDS

Within my SELECTS folder, I’ll star images from 3 to 5 depending on how strong they feel to me. This is also the step where I begin omitting repeated shots or images that feel too similar to each other.

Next, I create unique albums that aim to break out the literal subject matter from the current trip I’m on. For most of my polar trips, the albums look like this:

WATER
ICE
SKY
STONE
WILDLIFE
GUIDES
GUESTS
SHIPS

I go through this process so I can easily find specific images but more importantly, approach the editing process with more intention. When I’m in the mood to edit images of wildlife, I can focus on that. If I’m looking to share quick portraits of friends, I can target that. Albums are immensely helpful in focusing my creative energy, where I'm working on files that align with my state of mind.

PART III: UNCOVERING TRUTHS

As you can see, there’s a lot that goes into my process even before I start editing. This is because I’m doing all that I can to set myself up for success. The editing process is an artistic pursuit. The goal isn’t about sharing a cool picture. It’s about sharing a truth of some kind. A moment that connected with me and can speak to a larger concept without the need for words. Discovering that requires intentional effort. You can read more about this here.

When I feel that I’m in the right headspace to edit, I’ll dive into a specific album and start working through my top-rated images. I’ll start by getting the overall image to a more neutral exposure with broader editing tools, then move the contrast and colour in a specific direction. I’ll then look to use more specialized tools, like Curves or Advanced Colour, to really dial in the feel of the image.

Throughout the process, I’m constantly scanning and rescanning the image. Zooming in, zooming out, viewing in full screen. I’m examining the image dozens of times over to put it on trial in a sense: does the image have something worth sharing?

The images that pass this gauntlet eventually get tagged GREEN (plus key on the keyboard) and moved to my OUTPUT folder inside Capture One. Here, they’ll go through a final pass of refinements to dial in the look, after which they’re exported to my archive.

PART IV: POSITIONING STORIES

Earlier this year, I started building private galleries online for my long-term projects. This has been valuable in a few ways:

Curation: an easy way to arrange and examine how images can work alongside each other. Subscribers can learn more about this here.
Collaboration: a secure way to solicit feedback from trusted partners.
Pitching: an elegant way to introduce the work to curators and gallerists.

Bringing a story to life is an involved process. Building an online gallery, however, is the opposite. I can upload images in seconds and move them around like LEGO to build a visual experience. Here’s an example from my recent trip to Svalbard.

PART V: HOLDING PROOF

Those favourites that make it to the online gallery? I’ve also been batch printing them. The end goal of any of my long-term projects is to make them available in a physical way, be it through prints, books, or galleries. The journey there starts with the small, intentional step of making 5x7” prints that I can interact with in real life.

PART VI: DILATING TIME

The last step I want to talk about is a bit of a catch-all. You see, there’s no linear path to bringing a long-term project to life. While the early stages are predictable, the final stages are quite random. Sometimes things move quickly. Sometimes you’re sitting on a project for years. Sometimes, you get the call you’ve been waiting a lifetime for.

Work like you’re behind. Wait like you’re ahead.

Patience is a super power . My goal with my photography projects is to control what I can, move them forward with intention, and allow them to find their home. Not rushing the process.

This is all to say, if you’re going to put everything into a long-term project, don’t throw it out to the world without carefully considering how it deserves to be shared. Because the reality is, once you’ve published the work, it’s no longer yours.

LAST CALL: July Contest

This month, I’ll be giving away a $200 gift card to the Moment Shop where the winner can save big on their next camera, lens, bag, or courses. Moment has so many creative products to choose from and $200 can absolutely make for a great deal.

How will I pick the winner? Make sure you’re signed up for this newsletter then leave a comment on at least one post from this month. I’ll be randomly picking one person, confirming they meet the requirements and contacting them directly before announcing the winner publicly.

As always, this contest is void where prohibited by law. Good luck!

My thanks to the team at Moment! Not only for this contest but for being the longest supporter of my work online. They’re a lean team of passionate creators that truly believe in supporting other creatives on their journey. Whether it’s a new camera, lens, workshop, or just some great articles, visit ShopMoment.com today.

What’s Next?

Next week, I head out to Iceland for some ambitious work. Within that journey, I’ll find some time to keep building out my Shades of Blue project. Be sure to follow me on Instagram to see updates in real time.

Discussion about this post

Ready for more?