A week of waiting for the light
Here is what altered, and what stayed exactly the same. Some of this will be self-evident; some of it took me years. The trick, if there is one, is to leave sufficient room for missteps. Scanning is tedious, but it is where the series takes shape.
Looking ahead
Every winter I revisit the same questions about shadows. Most problems with contact sheets turn out to be problems with time. A light meter is a good teacher if you let it disagree with you. A tripod helps, but it is not the point.
The best frame on the sheet was the one I almost did not take.
Lessons
If something here is unclear, that is on me, not you. I would rather do one thing deliberately than five things quickly. I altered my mind about portraits twice while writing this.