![Adobe Photowalk NYC | Empire of Light — Concrete & Catchlights with Travis KeyesSaturday, October 3, 2026 · [Meet time] ...](https://img5.ngos1.com/668/051/1521447836680513.jpg)
09/14/2026
Adobe Photowalk NYC | Empire of Light — Concrete & Catchlights with Travis Keyes
Saturday, October 3, 2026 · [Meet time] · [Meet location, neighborhood]
I've been leading this walk in New York for years now, and every October it's still my favorite day to pick up a camera. New York doesn't pose for you. It moves, it interrupts, it changes the light on you mid-frame. That's the whole point. You don't get comfortable here — you get better. Concrete and catchlights. That's the whole city in two words, and that's what we're chasing.
Every walk raises money for kids who need it.
This isn't just a photo walk with a charity attached. It's a worldwide fundraiser, powered by photographers, for Springs of Hope Kenya — a nonprofit home caring for children who've lost their parents or survived abuse and neglect. Many arrive malnourished, with no one left to care for them. Springs of Hope gives them a safe family, an education, and a real shot at the future they deserve. Every walker who joins is part of making that happen. So when you register, you're not just claiming a spot on a sidewalk in New York — you're putting a kid in a bed, a classroom, a family. That matters more to me than any frame we'll make.
This year we're turning it up.
Thanks to our sponsors Adobe (Lightroom + Photoshop) and Harlowe Creators, we'll have professional models walking with us and real lights on the street. That means this isn't only a street-photography walk — it's a chance to shoot lit, directed portraits in the middle of Manhattan, with the city as your backdrop. I'll be working alongside you the whole way: how I see the light, how I place a subject against the chaos, how I get a real moment out of someone in ten seconds on a crowded corner. Ask me anything. No gatekeeping, ever.
Who this is for: Everyone. Phone, mirrorless, DSLR, film — if you love making pictures, you belong here. First-timers and working pros will both leave with frames they're proud of.
The plan: We meet at [location] at [time], walk roughly [X miles] through [neighborhoods], stopping at a few spots I've picked for the light. The models and Harlowe lighting setups rotate through the group so everyone gets their turn. We wrap at [end location] around [time], then head to [bar/café] to swap cards, compare shots, and talk about what we made.
Bring: Your camera, a charged battery (or three), a memory card with room on it, comfortable shoes, water, and an open mind. A portrait-length lens (50–85mm) will be your friend around the lights, but shoot with what you have.
After the walk: I'll be judging the photo contest for our walk — and I'll be looking for honest, alive images, not perfect ones. Share your favorites with and tag me so I can find them and cheer you on.
Register (link in Comments section below) , walk, shoot, give. See you on the street. Come say hi. Let's build an empire of light — and do some good while we're at it.
Travis Keyes
Adobe Ambassador · Harlowe Ambassador of Light · Sony Alpha Advocate
