NOTE 01 / LOOKING CLOSELY
Reflected light
Look beyond the brightest part of the scene.
A second source
A pale wall, a window, or a patch of water can turn light back into a scene. The reflected light is often softer than its source. Start by noticing where a shadow becomes less dense, then look for the surface that might be filling it.
Make room for the reflection
Move the frame a little at a time. A reflection can read as a shape before it reads as an object. Allow enough quiet space around it to make that shape legible; the result need not explain the entire setting.
A small exercise
Choose one stationary subject and make three frames without moving it. Change only your position: one step left, one step right, then lower the camera. Compare the highlights before comparing anything else.