What The Long Look Letters Is (and Why I’m Writing It)
I’m Paul O’Malley. For twenty years I worked in marketing. I loved parts of it and learned a lot. I was never passionate about it, though. The work that stayed with me was photography and writing about place, time, and the quieter parts of being human.
The Long Look Letters is where I put those two things together. It is a small, steady practice. Photographs, short essays, and field notes along the way. Tokyo backstreets. Winter villages in Romania. A side street in Queens at 4:30 p.m. A beach in winter (read Summer in Ireland). I care about the slower parts of travel and city life. How light falls. How people move when they think no one is watching. How distance can still feel close.
What you can expect here:
Essays about attention and place. Grounded in a real scene from behind my camera lens.
Behind-the-frame notes. How a picture was made. Position. Timing. What I kept and what I cut.
Process and craft. Simple techniques that made a difference to me, and why. No gear wars.
Contact sheets. Choices and mistakes. Picking the frame is the craft.
Routes and rituals. How I set up a shoot day. Where I walk. What I look for.
What this is not:
Not a growth hack. No funnel. No “increase your audience by 10x.”
Not hot takes or outrage bait.
Not a gallery of only my “best ofs.” I will include working notes and imperfect frames when they help.
Why I’m writing now:
A few years ago I had to put things back together. Walking with a camera helped. Writing about those walks helped too. Sharing some of that here keeps me paying attention. I hope it is useful beyond me.
Practicalities:
Cadence: 1 to 2 posts a month.
Length: Most pieces are 400 to 900 words, plus images.
Cost: Free. If I ever add a paid tier, it will be for extras like deep dives or books in progress. The main work will stay open.
Comments: Open. I moderate for tone. Disagreement is fine. Performative snark is not.
Who this is for:
People who like looking slowly.
Photographers who care more about why an image works than what camera made it.
Travelers who value street corners, side streets, and the long look over the checklist.
If that sounds like your pace, you are welcome here, and I’d be grateful to have you.
Thank you for reading.
Paul
