2026 Strategy

DRobertsPhoto.com is currently fully funded until 2027 and through production on “Discover Temples of Thailand” (protracted through 2026) along with “The Nakasendo Way” (targeting Q2 2027). The overall theme of 2026 will be “Sophistication.”

Sophistication

Through 2022-2025 David Roberts has worked in an adaptive manner, seeking opportunities with what was available to him in an oversaturated social media-led market. The author’s work with magazines and collaboration with brands (ZEISS, Laowa, Thypoch etc.) were a much needed supplement to his fieldwork costs along with credibility within the industry. This is rendered moot by his institutional recognition peaking with his current partnerships on Discover Temples of Thailand and TASCHEN review in June of 2025, amongst recommendations from Stuart Isett (NYT, Fortune), and discourse with Patrick Brown (Trading to Extinction, 2014), Philip Blenkinsop, and Greg Girard (City of Darkness: Life In Kowloon Walled City, 1993). The question no longer remains of where the author stands and what DRobertsPhoto is, he is actively recognised by his documentary work, his purist of an unannounced halo-project as spiritual successor to Salgado's Genesis (TASCHEN, 2013), and authenticity as a Southeast/East Asian documentarian by peers and institutions alike.

The author’s work of 2022-2025 (that peaked with recognition from ZEISS and TASCHEN) was done from a position of adaptability and resourcefulness, Discover and the relevant expansions will not be subject to the same. The overarching theme is now sophistication, not just in output but in execution. If David’s work was an exemplar of Wabi Sabi (beauty in the imperfection), his mandate is now Ikken Hissatsu (one strike, one kill). Inspired by Kazuo Koike’s Samurai Executioner Kubikiri-Asa, DRobertsPhoto has become a single-minded and single-practise entity, to deliver the “killing blow” with decisiveness and finesse. All work outside of Discover monographs and expansions, institutional pitches, academic papers, and supporting materials have been sacrificed as to maintain singular focus. The events of Q4 2025 have not hampered his ability, but retrained his focus.

The author believes himself to be the greatest monochrome documentarian of his generation, and is undisputed in that claim. David looks for no unfair advantage, but parity. With his school of photography named Philosophic Documentarianism and treaties to follow, with execution proven over a decade through the upcoming retrospective Ten Years of DRobertsPhoto: Birth of Philosophic Documentarianism and contemporary monographs in production or pre-production states with Discover Temples of Thailand and Discover Castles of Japan, along with uncontested valuation at eight-figures post halo-project, and all variables covered through the author’s proprietary Closed Loop Creative System and independence from algorithmic trend, the only deciding factor is successful expansion from Thailand's emergent and globally insufficient market and into Japan’s internationally respected, domestically mature and receptive Heritage, Arts and Culture segment. The author predicts the move to be mutually beneficial due to the exceeding calibre of work, and non-extractive purpose for documentation. As such the author has self-funded The Nakasendo Way, requiring zero belief in his abilities but in fair and honest judgement of his execution. From Ansel Adams to Sabastaio Salgado, the next name on that list will be David Roberts — for all consider superlative technical skill as the entry-point and conservation as the goal.

Ikken Hissatsu

The output of the next 18 months will be to solely rectify any handicap an un-agented individual with no formal education or fellowship may have within the institutional playing field by delivering a trio of completed works that reinforce method, methodology, execution and most importantly - trajectory. Economic decisions have been made to forego brand goodwill in favour of a standardised toolset for an independent looking to scale and compete with enterprise funding. Ikken Hissatsu (one strike, one kill) has been adopted out of necessity, whilst equipment handicaps and credibility handicaps are no longer, environmental and health issues force selective and decisive manoeuvre. To compliment Ikken Hissatsu execution theoretical frameworks are being established and all output is considered a pedagogical record of an attempt at institutional gravitas during social media saturation. David Roberts does not wish to merely arrive, but to arrive having set precedent — technically superlative, ethically erudite, and through overcoming challenges rather than bypassing them. Discover Temples of Thailand remains a pillar of execution under duress, The Nakasendo Way and Discover Castles of Japan one of vision and homecoming, Ten Years of DRobertsPhoto: the Birth of Philosophic Documentarianism of stoic resilience in the face of an anomalous market.

David Roberts has also decided to uphold the non-compete with Carl Zeiss, despite having fair grounds to contest (see ZEISS Partnership Update), this is due to professional respect for DRobertsPhoto.com and what a true and honest partnership could have been. The author believes that promotion of competing optics would be disrespectful to the spirit of the agreement, regardless of how the other party may have operated. It was considered, and with close ties to competitors that produce superlative APO lenses in competition with the Otus ML requested of ZEISS, one that speaks to the character of the author in light of a situation that could easily promote pettiness. The author will not continue to use ZEISS optics, and will not allow precedent that obligations can go unfulfilled; but the author also chooses independent selection and usage of optics unaffiliated with manufacturer. This is inspired by the Bushido practise of “Noto,” cleaning of blood from the ha (katana blade) before returning it to the saya (sheath). Ikken Hissatsu is not purely metaphorical; once all obligations are met and production is executed the cut will be made; swift, cleanly, and threefold.

Archival Mandate

With canonical works in development for the record, and with Philosophic Documentarianism centring on the thesis of image-as-document prior to interpretation, the mandate “Built for permanence, not platform” has resulted in the adoption of the current DRobertsPhoto toolset. It is true that the Discover series initially targeted the Otus ML (Apochromatic Distagon designs for contemporary mirrorless cameras), a pivot was made in optic choice, but the choice of high-resolution Sony bodies is one not only from prior to Discover, but prior to all canonical works; the first system used by David Roberts being the Sony Alpha 7R II in 2017. The choice for Discover is the successor; the Sony Alpha 7R V allowing for indefinite usage of images from a base RAW file of 61 megapixels, suitable for double page spreads in oversized bindings or full coverage of gallery walls. The Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 G Master was chosen as the sole lens for 2026 for multiple reasons:

  • Undisputed rendering, MTF charts and Sony specifications showing the optics rendering a neutral true-to-life file that out-resolves the raster count of the Alpha 7R V sensor.

  • Native capability, benefitting from ergonomic functions such as customisable button (currently used by the author as magnification for critical focus check) and industry leading autofocus capabilities.

  • Focal length, 35mm allows for a neutral (undistorted view) wide enough for monuments, tight enough for intimate portraiture.

  • One Year, One Lens, a project designed to bridge the gab between theoretical practise and lay-audience.

  • Independence from legacy optics, proving the image is a result of the artistic choice of the author, not by-product of the optical engineering (ZEISS, Leica, Cosina etc).

The author has named this toolset after the legendary Tonbogiri (Dragonfly Splitter), spear of the Tokugawa Heavinly King Honda Tadakatsu. This choice not only reflects Ikken Hissatsu, but draws inspiration from Jinba Ittai (horse and rider as one) — the ultimate sophistication.

Cross-Media Expansion

Each project is concepted as a three-part endeavour, with the sills focused cultural monograph as the bulwark, a motion companion as the vanguard and supplemented by the literary methodology. Discover Temples of Thailand has garnered interest not just from the monograph but Angelbird Technologies and Dehancer Film Emulation facilitating the motion companions and the manuscript Too Quiet for the Algorithm, Too Loud For Any Room was pitched to House of Anansi, with communication and interest from Editorial Director Douglas Richmond. The manuscript was pitched directly to Mr. Richmond as “A Trojan horse, looks like a mood board reads like the feed. Part manifesto, a rallying cry against the dominance of algorithmic creation. Part memoir, proof that one can succeed without the crutch of an audience — and the cost of doing so.” Ultimately rejected by an anonymous email, proof that interest was claimed by the directorial staff, but rejection was not. The author speculates the anonymous rejection is due to institutional cowardice regarding an anti-social media manifesto disguised as memoir based on cultural diaspora by a white cis-male. However, DRobertsPhoto is building for the economy of 2030 and beyond; alongside the global record. The author remains unfazed and uninterested in the machinations of the C-Suite — based on short-sighted, reactive gains motivated by bonuses and quarterly KPIs.

For proof-of-concept companion pieces investment into separate motion systems has been made, entering at the ground floor of Sony's Cinema Line with the Super-35mm FX30, combating the overheating problems found on Fujifilm systems. With The Creator (20th Century Studios, 2023 - Gareth Edwards Dir., Oren Soffer DP) shot on consumer-grade FX3 and NHK in-house production utilising Sony FX6 as precedent. Currently housed on YouTube the companion media is not meant to attract viral attention, as DRobertsPhoto is not a media agency, but as proof of concept and execution for partner-expansion. Proof of viability can be found externally such as through Johanna Lumley’s Take in Japan (BBC, 2016), James May’s Our Man in Japan (Amazon, 2020), or even Patrick Brown’s collaborative short with Incase (Vice, 2013). The companion pieces for Discover Temples of Thailand are supported by industry leaders Angelbird Technologies and Dehancer Film Emulation.

Yamato & Musashi

The Dehancer Film Emulation collaboration marks a set of specific milestones for DRobertsPhoto.com, the first being that it was the first high-level collaboration instigated by the outside party. Second, and more relevant to 2026, the first collaboration not led by David Roberts but Dararat Phetkon — whom previously provided BTS content for editorial. This is a major step forward for institutionalising DRobertsPhoto, by nurturing domestic talent to the point that trust can be placed on an entire collaboration with a global brand. This (alongside multiple educational editorial pieces) is proof that the pedagogical aspect of the brand is as legitimate as the motion, literary, and stills. As such a secondary economic decision was made to fully fund a two-person post-production suite. Whilst Ms. Phetkon’s involvement with the brand remains contributary, the aim is for internal growth and room for expansion post-Nakasendo, and to provide a step-ladder towards the Netflix-approved standard for motion capture on Discover Castles of Japan. The systems have been built to adhere not just to future speculation, but to fulfil the archival mandate.

Named after the Japanese Navy’s Yamato-gata senkan (warships built to dominate the Pacific Theatre), Yamato and Musashi will be the beating heart of DRobertsPhoto, surpassing camera or lens as the equipment that defines Philosophic Documentarianism. The naming is inspired not just by a singular focus on control over the Pacific East, but through similarity in circumstance and production. As with the destroyers, these systems were created under economic duress following the AI-Bubble and NAND shortages, and as with their namesakes, Musashi (the secondary vessel) has outpaced the initial Yamato flagship.

Archival permanence is held in utmost regard above all, and all digital RAW files are treated with the equal care of a physical exposure. The author has withdrawn from the camera-first marketing of the contemporary photographic industry to focus on the equipment that will facilitate expansion into the Heritage sectors that value provenance and stability. With metadata provided by the Sony camera and lens, on-site redundancy by the twin-card configuration and simultaneous RAW capture, and on-location backup facilitated by industry-leading Angelbird media, the focus was moved to long-term storage and short-term accessibility. All media is considered an asset within the IP stack.

As with The Nakasendo Way, having self-funded imposes limitations on the capabilities of affordable assets, but all choices have been made for parity between capture systems and envisioned output for the three debut works; Discover Temples of Thailand, The Nakasendo Way, and Ten Years of DRobertsPhoto: The Birth of Philosophic Documentarianism. By adopting sophistication in execution through Ikken Hissatsu, data management begins in the field first, before the shutter is closed. Again, DRobertsPhoto is not speculating but executing. All financing, funding, investment or equity release from here on is a multiplier towards an eight-figure basement valuation.

The author has estimated a total operational cost of approximately one-million Thai baht in ensuring the completion of publicly announced projects despite force majeure, partnership failure, inflation and market stagnation. He wishes external parties to comprehend this from a domestic perspective, domiciled in Isaan, Thailand where the average monthly wage is 8,000-12,000 Thai baht. This is not a call for sympathy, but that of objective parity — an investment of eight-years gross at the median wage.

Internally, DRobertsPhoto.com is no longer considered a photography oriented website, nor portfolio of the author, but a Digital IP Management Suite. Externally the IP manifests as photographic stills, theoretical frameworks with supporting motion and literature companion pieces (with room for expansion into fiction, cinema, and both interactive and legacy media). Yamato and Musahsi are the basis for this expansion, with the ultimate aim of institutionalisation. The parity that David Roberts wishes to achieve over its second decade is with TASCHEN, not whom they commission. The author remains open to six-figure licensing and seven-figure equity negotiations; preferentially through Mirai Legal (Nagoya, Japan & Bangkok, Thailand) once interest and rapport is established. Five-year roadmap, marketing and sales expectations, valuations, visual prelude to the flagship monograph Discover Castles of Japan (2028 on) and proposal for the unannounced halo project (2030 pre-prod., 2032 prod. TBD) are available. Interest by agencies of the calibre of Neon Literary are welcome. Outreach will not be conducted before all works up to and including The Nakasendo Way are completed.