At Home with Tech

It’s not as complicated as it looks. Tech tips for your life.

Category: Tech Trends

October 18, 2026

An Outsider Comes Home to FUJIKINA NYC

It’s amazing how much a day at a photography festival can teach you about yourself and who you really are. So, I headed to Manhattan’s Lower East Side for quite the experience.

I’ve always felt a connection to professional photographers. I’ve spent time with them across the years through my career managing video production and leading creative teams. I’ve worked with numerous crews both in studio and on location. Sure, video and photography are different, but professionals often cross over as they work with the same tools today.

And though the videographers and DPs I’ve met were initially strangers, I quickly felt like I’d known them for years.

They were geeky, smart and collaborative, yet often introverted. They embodied an inclusive, fun energy that I always found appealing.

Not only did they bring my creative vision as a producer to life, they also happily brought me into their world of shiny cameras, lenses and lights. And that place always felt like home.

Yes, in another corner of the multiverse, I’m sure there’s a version of me who’s one of them.But in this universe, I’ve found myself locked in an orbit around them. And that’s a very good thing.

My Photography Hobby

Not surprisingly, on the home front, I’ve done a fair amount of dabbling in photography as a hobbyist over the years. Sure, we’re all photographers, especially with the amazing photo capture skills of smartphones.

But I’ve always felt the creative impulse to push my photos to do more. I wanted more control of what I created.

And though at the end of the day, it’s always about the skill you bring to the craft and the technical knowledge to use your equipment properly, I’ve often found myself continuing to search for the right camera for me.

I’ve recently come to the conclusion (much like so many others) that the best camera is the one you carry with you. And though smartphones win that prize, they can only take you so far.

Hello, Fujifilm

So, I started looking for an APS-C camera with a small footprint. And I came upon the Fujifilm X-mount camera line.

I had never owned a Fujifilm camera, but as I delved into my research and watched a number of YouTube videos, I liked what I saw. I liked how small the cameras were. I liked the more tactile design.

Also, this Fujifilm camera ecosystem felt… comfortable. (Maybe that’s the power of marketing, but I almost instantly felt a connection to this community of photographers.)

I looked more closely at Fujifilm’s X-T30 III. It’s a beginner-level model with a full auto mode switch to prevent early-use hyperventilation. But then, with the auto switch disengaged, you’ve got full control. It was the perfect next step for me.

So, I bought one (along with a Sigma f/2.8 18-50mm lens).

Serendipity

Then, as I registered my new Fujifilm camera online, I noticed an ad on the top of the page for FUJIFILM FUJIKINA NYC 2026.

Huh. What’s that?

It was Fujifilm’s photography festival in New York City… in just two days! Located at Manhattan’s Lower East Side, it featured photo exhibitions, workshops and a street fair filled with gear, focused for the Fujifilm community.

I looked at my calendar. Though my family life is busy, this Saturday was open. (And taking the train into Grand Central Terminal is never a big deal.)

Huh. I began to feel that this was something more than coincidence.

Still, I worried that FUJIKINA wasn’t really for me. I barely knew how to use my new X-T30 III (even in auto mode). I’m just a Fujifilm amateur.

But the other part of me intuitively knew that this community of photographers… was my community.

My professional self always knew this. But my personal brand needed a moment to catch up…

Click.

So, I bought my ticket and prepared for my day in The Big Apple… my hometown.

Finding Joy

Of course, I had a blast. I talked to a bunch of talented photographers… asked questions, listened a whole lot. And I also had a chance to do some facilitated street photography exploration and test shots.

Yes, I practiced my craft on the streets of New York, and I was exposed to creative techniques I had never considered.

Everyone was so nice and welcoming. The day simply flew by.

Yes, this was my community. I had come home.

And I wasn’t an outsider… I never was.

Shots from FUJIKINA 2026

Though my experiences and learning are certainly what mattered most, I also snapped a few decent shots along the way to document this impactful day.

Photograph by Barrett Lester
Photograph by Barrett Lester
Photograph by Barrett Lester
Photograph by Barrett Lester
Photograph by Barrett Lester
Photograph by Barrett Lester
Photograph by Barrett Lester
Photograph by Barrett Lester
Photograph by Barrett Lester

More Frames Ahead

Thank you, Fujifilm for putting together this opportunity for me to find my creative community just around the corner (courtesy of Metro North).

It was a truly meaningful experience, and I’m excited for what’s ahead.

And now, as always, my creative journey continues.

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September 13, 2026

What the Heck is Happening in the Sci-Fi Series ‘Silo’?

After three seasons, “Silo’s” mystery continues to deepen. Here’s my spoiler-free view of this great series on Apple TV.

The world ended hundreds of years ago, and ten thousand people live in a massive underground circular bunker that stretches down for a mile without an elevator. This society is functional though constantly resource stressed. Technology is limited, and possessing anything from the past is a crime.

History has been erased, and nobody seems to know why they’re stuck in this prison/sanctuary. They don’t know if the world outside is really a barren, poisonous landscape. 

Misinformation. Confusion. Psychological control. 

Mechanical vs IT

Welcome to “Silo,” which has wrapped its third season on Apple TV. 

With solid storytelling and strong acting, it stars Rebecca Ferguson as a mechanic who becomes an unlikely leader for a growing resistance movement against this restrictive society and Tim Robbins as an ‘evil’ manager from the IT department. (Yes, in this future, IT controls everything.)

But what they’re all fighting against is more complicated than they understand.

A Puzzle in a Mystery

And I’ve felt a similar confusion watching this series across the years. I don’t know what’s going on either. That’s “Silo’s” storytelling design. The reveals take their time, and every answer leads to a new question.

The ‘enjoyment’ that comes from this process is the satisfaction of understanding. Sure, I don’t feel as clueless as when I started watching the show, but we’ll all have to wait to the fourth and final season to receive all the pieces that answer the one big question…

Why?

Season 3 invested significant time developing a separate flashback pre-silo storyline that, of course, will connect to future events. And its purpose is evidently providing the ‘why.’ But that plot is not straightforward either.

Throughout all this intrigue and confusion, we’ve got a series that’s part mystery, part adventure and part sci-fi. But it also gives itself the time to explore topics like class structure, mind control and inevitable revolution in this dystopian future.

Thoughts on Season 3

“Silo” has clearly savored its major plot twists through its first three seasons. And while I’ve enjoyed the series overall, season 3 felt slower with less gripping action. I think that’s because so much time was invested setting up the pre-silo plot, which stars Ashley Zukerman as a congressman and Jessica Henwick as a journalist who stumble onto a dark mystery they don’t understand.

On the other hand, season 3 also revealed a much larger conspiracy than I thought I understood. Plus, the last episode in season 3 was perhaps the most jarring and intriguing episode to date. It reframed the entire series and reminded me how confused I felt at the start of this show.

It was a great episode, and yes… a cliffhanger that (slight spoiler) weaves our parallel stories together.

The Fate of Humanity?

So this all leads us to season 4, where I expect everything will come together and finally answer the “why.”

Is this silo a just solution to save humanity? Is it a social experiment? Perhaps both? Or has its true purpose not yet been fully revealed?

As the series wraps, it will also have to provide the fates of our many characters as well as the larger fate of this fragment of the human race.

No pressure.

The Truth is Out There

Shows built on mystery often have a hard time sticking their landing after years of flying about through confusion. (“Lost,” “The X Files,” “Fringe”)

But “Silo” seems to possess a clear road map with all its extensive set up. So, I do have high hopes for a great final season.

Season 4 of “Silo” premieres on July 9, 2027.

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September 6, 2026

Why I Like to Convert my New York City Photos to Black and White

Though I’m not a black and white photographer, sometimes I choose to pull the color out of my shots after I walk through the streets of New York. Here’s why.

I grew up in New York City. It’s my forever hometown. Though I haven’t lived there in decades, my life forever orbits around it.

I’m as close as the 7:55am Metro North train into Grand Central Terminal.

Discovering What’s Around the Corner

Many of the photos I’ve taken of the Big Apple over the years are simply the result of my commutes and what I’ve run into on the streets of Manhattan. 

And I’ve found that more than a few of my resulting shots look better as black and white versions. 

Prometheus Watches Over the Ice (2021)

Photo by Barrett Lester

Why am I drawn to the black and white look? When you think about New York City, what are a few descriptors that come to mind? For me, I would say:

  • Classic
  • Dramatic
  • Timeless
  • Gritty

And these are also some of the ways that black and white images present themselves. So, the visual and energy alignment is clear.

Better in Black and White 

That’s why I occasionally feel compelled to click on the tiny black and white button when editing my New York City photos on my Mac Studio. (My tool of choice is Adobe Lightroom. It offers a variety of B&W ‘looks.’)

As a result, my selected shots often benefit from their visual conversion into the black and white universe.

Sure, they still look nice in color. I just like them better in black and white. It generates a classic timelessness about them.

Here are more examples.

Atlas Lifts World Cup Awareness (2026)

Photo by Barrett Lester

Scabby the Rat Protests (2026)

Photo by Barrett Lester

Morning Commute at Grand Central Terminal (2025)

Photo by Barrett Lester

East 63rd Street (2022)

Photo by Barrett Lester

48th and 5th Avenue (2021)

Photo by Barrett Lester

Smith & Wollensky (2021)

Photo by Barrett Lester

Bliss (2021)

Photo by Barrett Lester

Outdoor Dining (2016)

Photo by Barrett Lester

Follow Your Flow

I usually don’t go looking for photos to snap on the streets of New York. Certainly not black and white ones. They find me. And I often don’t recognize the opportunity to convert them to black and white till much later… sometimes years later when I review them again.

I’m not sure what that says about me as a photographer, but it does reveal something about my creative process.

We all travel our own road that leads us into inspiration and towards creative execution.You just have to go with the flow and see where it takes you.

New York City Marathon (2008)

Photo by Barrett Lester
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