Musings: January 15, 2026

The Pillar of Strength © Jamiya Wilson Studio, 2025
One of my favorites images from last year with fantastic model and friend Emma Helena.
Images like this are why I now consider myself solely a portrait and fine art nude photographer.

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NEW BEGINNINGS

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Well hello 2026.

Another year begins which opens opportunities for fresh starts, new beginnings, and new relationships. 2025 was a very interesting year for me. It started with a bang, lulled a bit in the summer, then ramped up again in the fall. It was fraught with emotional moments, sad goodbyes, tear jerking happy moments, and countless surprises. I’ve taken time away from posting not only due to my work schedule but I’ve also been dealing with some personal issues I’ll detail in a future post. Still processing things at the moment, so bear with me. I’m human.

As the first musings post of the year, this one kicks us off with announcements and details about the overall direction for the year. Not only are things changing rapidly in my own life, but all over the world. How do we as artists navigate an ever changing(and ever shrinking) landscape? I hope to have more answers to that question as the year progresses, so stay tuned.

For now, enjoy the first musings of the year.

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RECENT PHOTOGRAPHS

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Model: Layana Devis @layanadevis
Studio: L’Atelier & Beyond Studio @latelierandbeyond_studio
Location: Paris, France

ALL IMAGES SHOT ON THE SONY A7RV + SONY FE 28-70MM F/2 GM

Just one photo this week. I’m still working on images from this set, but this is from my first shoot with the stunning Lana aka Layana Devis. She’s quickly becoming one of my favorite models to work with whenever I’m in Paris. Beautiful features, a friendly demeanor, and always up for shooting, she has been a pleasure to work with.

This image was captured on the Sony 28-70 f/2 GM lens. A lens which I’ve pondered selling from time to time, but I find it irreplaceable for my portrait work. I covered an event at the end of 2025 and didn’t find the focal range as pleasant when compared to the 24-70. Having the 24 on the wide end is still extremely useful so I own both. 28-70 for portrait work, 24-70 for events and video. The 28-70 is my go to for portraits since it essentially replaces a bunch of primes I’d use such as the 35mm or 50mm options. Love the output from this lens.

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GEAR TALK

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The Sony FX3 Is Still The Camera To Beat

The Sony FX3. Been around 5 years and still #1.

The Sony FX3 is still one of, if not the best, video cameras on the market.

I’m currently working on a documentary project(details coming soon) which was greenlit in July 2025. At the time, I didn’t own a dedicated video camera. Already being in the Sony ecosystem, the FX3 was the logical choice for me. However, I did compare it to other available options and honestly none of them appealed to me as much. Panasonic has their S1II’s, Canon has the R5 Mark II and the recent C50, and Nikon came out with their ZR at the end of 2025. All great options but lacking in some area for me. With Panasonic, form factor and company dependability. I shot Panasonic for years and the lack of innovation and/or haste in getting out new products(especially lenses) left me with a sour taste in my mouth. So Panasonic is a no go. Further, I’ve also have been studying the image from Panasonic’s recent cameras and I don’t find it as pleasing as I once did. It looks “waxy” to me. Canon has impressive options, but is expensive and I didn’t want to invest in a completely different system unless it offered substantial benefits over what I have. Plus the C50 doesn’t have IBIS which won’t work for my application. The Nikon ZR looks cool, but isn’t suited for this sort of work. It’s more a prosumer camera than a true workhorse like the aforementioned options. It lacks much of the customization options on the body that more pro level cameras have. Plus, I don’t like Nikon’s colors.

So after all the comparisons, the Sony Fx3 still came out on top for me. The biggest advantage it has over ALL the others, is low-light performance. Shooting doc work, you’ll often find yourself in less than ideal lighting scenarios, so it helps to have a camera that can still produce a clean image even with abnormally low lighting conditions. Add in the small form factor, the amount of buttons and dials I can customize, and I have a camera I can truly call my own. After changing most of the default settings, it actually feels like “my camera”. There are still some odd Sony design philosophy quirks that nag me, but overall I find it a pleasant system to use. It will remain my main camera for the duration of this documentary project. Once it’s completed maybe I’ll consider other options, but for now, it’s been bliss working with the FX3.

Long live this amazing little camera.

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NEW DIRECTIONS

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One of my earliest(and still favorite) beauty images. Fun and frustrating times that era was.

In 2026, I’m saying goodbye to both beauty and swimwear as genres I’m focused on. For those who wish to see that work, you can see it in the Archive menu in the site’s main navigation.

Why abandon beauty photography?

“But Jamiya, you’ve put so much work into it!” I know. However, unless it’s for a commercial client, I’m not interested in shooting beauty. It doesn’t inspire me. I could care less about makeup, hair looks, etc. None of it draws my attention anymore and it lacks the emotional depth and intrigue I can create with portrait photography.

Swimwear was really fun, but time to move on.

Why abandon swimwear photography?

There’s no money in it. It’s fun to shoot beautiful women in beautiful locations. But since the rise of social media, influencer culture, etc. there’s really not a lot of money to be earned shooting swimwear. Brands aren’t hiring photographers for it in droves like they used to. Instead they’re bringing much of it in house. Influencers/models are shooting themselves just to post quick pictures on their stories. And the photos are more than “good enough”. There are about 3-5 photographers I know of that make a decent living shooting swimwear alone. And half of them have to do other things like weddings(*shudder) alongside their swimwear work in order to earn well. So while fun, it’s not moving the needle forward for me in any significant way to warrant focusing on long-term.

Will I ever shoot those other genres again?

Sure! I certainly will if I have an idea or something inspires me. If I just want to go to Miami and shoot swimwear for fun, I’ll definitely do it. Or hit the streets of Tokyo for some street photography, I’m with it. Those genres just aren’t mainstays in my portfolio like they used to be. And I won’t market/promote myself as a photographer in those genres. I don’t want any potential clients getting confused about the style of work I generally offer. Anything outside of portraits and nudes is more of a special case and quoted accordingly.

Where is all this going?

Essentially I’m starting fresh and reinventing myself as an artist. I don’t think some of my older work still serves me, so instead of clinging on to successes of the past, it’s time to embrace the future and focus on the next chapter of my career. On the photography front, I now consider myself simply a portrait and fine art nude photographer. I’m focused on making striking, compelling portraits of people outside of the scope of just shooting with models/actors. I want writers, poets, politicians, musicians, philosophers, CEO’s, etc. This new focus allows me to hone my efforts and really refine my marketing going forward. It also frees up precious time to step more fully into filmmaking and make that a more extensive part of my repertoire.

I want my portfolio going forward to be: Portraits, Nudes, Film/Video.

Expect small changes to happen on the website over the next month as I make the transition. Archiving the old work was step one. Now it’s time to fill out my portfolio a bit with more recent work and make creative projects plans for the year.

Sigh, my job is never done.

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LESS BLOGGING, MORE WORKING

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I won’t be blogging as much this year. Instead my focus will be on working more, improving my style, and growing my business. Blogging isn’t a huge part of my business strategy. It’s more of a place for me to share announcements, thoughts on things, but with minimal engagement it’s not worth wasting useful hours writing posts. 15 years ago, blogging was all the rage. People would actually read, engage in comments sections, etc. But now? Across the web, you’ll see many photography blogs are ghost towns. Comment sections use to be full of insightful discussions, now there are only a handful of comments. The web has shifted more to social media and YouTube and even on those platforms, unless the focus is on gear, engagement isn’t what it once was. Such is the times ya know?

If you’re sensing a theme, I’ll spell it out: I‘m focusing my time on things that excite me and yield greater results for my business. If it takes up too much time, offers little return, and/or I don’t enjoy it, it’s out.

So I’ll still blog occasionally if you’re into that, just not as frequently. 1-2 per month seems sufficient. Maybe I’ll share more from my travels as well. We’ll see!

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IN CLOSING

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I feel it’s important for artists to take greater control over their careers. If you don’t want to do a certain type of work, don’t. Figure out another way. Don’t allow yourself to be pigeon-holed into a miserable existence working on stuff that doesn’t stir your soul. Life is far too short to be wasted on things that demotivate us. Seek out clients/customers who love what you do. Sure it may be more niche, perhaps come with less fanfare, but at least you’re being authentic to yourself. For years I’ve pondered stepping away from beauty in a more official capacity and now I’ve made it so. It feels a bit odd letting go of something you worked on for years, but I’m not one to linger on past successes. I’m seeking deeper, more enriching challenges that make me excited to photograph. In time it will make sense, for now I feel liberated.

Here’s to the new year! May it bring more happy and exciting moments for us all!

Hope you enjoyed this post! Feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below!

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Musings: October 31, 2025

Unattractive actress Sydney Sweeney at Variety’s Power of Women Event

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INTRO

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Happy Halloween! Can you believe Fall is already here? 2025 has gone by so quickly! It seems like yesterday I was just celebrating my birthday and now it’s Halloween! Crazy.

My apologies for the lack of posts these past months. I needed to shift focus for a bit as I prepare for a project. Sometimes it’s good to step away, focus on something in order to improve, then come back to something else. In this case, the blog. Don’t get me wrong, I love posting here. However, this is more of a therapeutic, creative outlet for me where I share my thoughts, plans, and other things I’m interested in. Money isn’t the motivator, so I write and post at my leisure. I also don’t want money to be the main incentive for writing on the blog as I don’t want to get roped into doing reviews and shilling camera products.

No, the blog will remain a platform for my thoughts and ideas. Sort of a look into my mind so maybe you’ll understand me better as an artist and to an extent, a person. I value authenticity and going against the grain. Let the others shill gear for camera companies, be overly PC, or not share they’re true feelings about a topic, we do things different over here.

On to this week’s musings!

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IN THE DEFENSE OF BOMBSHELLS:
SYDNEY SWEENEY EDITION

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Ugh, hideous.

Sydney Sweeney is one of the most brilliant actresses of this generation. Beautiful and talented. Ever the provocateur, from her American Eagle ad that stirred “controversy” earlier this year and now this silver sheer dress reminiscent of the draped fabrics used in the famous sculptures of Michelangelo. She knows how to turn heads and stay in the headlines in both a simultaneously subtle yet in your face way. It’s racy without overdoing it, sexy and unapologetic so. I particularly like how she makes a certain contingent of people seethe for committing the crime of being attractive and existing. For not listening to the haters or those jealous of her figure, refusing to shut herself away and act ashamed of who she is. For refusing to engage in politics and feed into the oh so tiring political discourse in modern day America.

For leaning into her sex appeal. And for understanding that men find her attractive and not being appalled at the thought. A refreshing sight in the west, where anything catered to men is seen as(what some odd looking liberal arts grad in New York may tell me), “Patriachy” “Misogyny”, “Sexist” or some other dismissive criticism lobbied at what they deem as the “male gaze”.

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It’s an odd, contradictory time of supposedly sexually liberated and opened minded people who screech in disapproval when someone attractive is getting praise and attention. Especially when it’s a woman(in this particular case, a white woman - which they especially hate) eliciting attention from men. Because as we know, men aren’t allowed to like attractive women(and in turn women aren’t allowed to like men) anymore or have preferences. And yet, that seems to be the lifeblood of modern social media. Attractive women in grand locations, fancy restaurants, showcasing often form-fitting clothing sent by corporate sponsors, etc. What a contradiction to clamor for this sort of content but respond like a prudish nun whenever certain women garner attention from men.

When it comes to Sydney Sweeney, what are you so afraid of? Does she bring out your insecurities? Given how so many people act as evangelists regarding therapy, maybe you should see a therapist. That’s some pretty heavy baggage you’re dealing with there.

Sweeney is no different than other bombshells of the past from Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, Jayne Mansfield, Angelina Jolie, Pam Grier, Farrah Fawcett, Pamela Anderson, Halle Berry, Vivica Fox, Kate Upton, Monica Belluci, Salma Hayek, Lea Seydoux, Eva Green, Scarlett Johansson, Sharon Stone, Denise Richards, Carmen Electra, Kim Kardashian, and the lists goes on. Women who embrace their looks and sexuality, flaunt it in a tongue and cheek sort of way, and have fun doing it. I like bombshells, sue me.

Her existence and this dress wouldn’t have been a problem in the 90s:

Rose McGowan’s dress at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards

Or in the 2000s:

Jennifer Lopez’s dress at the 2000 Grammy Awards.

Or in the 2010s:

Rihanna’s dress at the 2014 CFDA Fashion Awards.

But today she’s basically representative of the third reich according to some unhinged types.

Oh no! It’s Nazi propaganda!

It’s lame. Stop hating. You look and sound jealous.

The girl’s hot. The dress is cool and she looks beautiful in it, like it was made for her.

She’s likely this generation’s Marilyn Monroe and I’d love to shoot with her someday.

I also think she should reach out to comic artist, J. Scott Campbell and talk to him about producing a Danger Girl live-action film. You know, one of those campy but sexy spy thrillers like Charlie’s Angels. She’d be perfect. And Hollywood could use a win.

Sydney Sweeney as Abbey Chase in Danger Girl?! I should work in casting.

Sydney have your people contact my people. Cool dress by the way!

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RECENT PHOTOGRAPHS

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Model: Emma Helena @riel.life
Studio: Studio Stadtwald @studiostadtwald
Location: Düsseldorf, Germany

ALL IMAGES SHOT ON THE SONY A7RV + SONY FE 28-70MM F/2 GM

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A couple of new images featuring model Emma Helena. I took these in Düsseldorf months ago and they’re probably my favorite set all year. There are so many great options to choose from, it’s overwhelming. The more I learn about myself as an artist, the more I realize what visual elements I like to consistently see in my work. Balanced framing, pleasing composition, sharp lines, and emotive expressions. I feel I’m improving with each shoot, but now it’s more about defining “my work”. Who is Jamiya as an artist? After years of shooting beauty photography, then pivoting to portrait and nude work, I’ve really started to find myself.

Though I’ve enjoyed this exploratory journey, I also feel like it’s time to reach a destination. So my focus has been refining my style, testing different looks, all in hopes of getting to a place of contentment. I guess that’s folly as art is often a lifelong pursuit with constant learning and refinement, but I want to feel like, “This style is me.” if you get what I mean.

Hope you like these!

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GEAR TALK

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The New Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM Lens

The Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM Lens. Can’t wait for this lens to arrive.

Not much to report on the gear front. I’ve been using the same lenses for most of the year and have been more than happy with their performance. I squeal with glee every time I see shots from the 85mm f/1.4 GM II lens or how I rarely remove my 50-150 f/2 GM Lens(it does 95% of my work these days). The lenses are so good for what I do, I’m just free to focus on what I’m creating. But there’s one missing.

About a month ago, Sony unveiled the upcoming Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM Lens. I used to favor the Sigma 105 f/2.8 DG DN Macro Art Lens(a great lens), but have since gone with a mostly all first-party lineup and sold all my third-party glass except one, the Tamron 20-40 f/2.8, which I use for vlogging. I do miss the Sigma macro lens, but now that Sony’s announced this, my kit can be complete. I finally have all the things! This lens will mainly be used for video, but will see occassional use on photoshoots.

It’s great to whip out a specialty lens from time to time to get something unique. The 100mm focal length is also a change as Sony’s premium Macro lens in the past has mainly been 90mm. I prefer 100mm+ for a general purpose macro lens. Or something longer like 150mm when shooting macro beauty images for example.

I’ll also be using this lens on my upcoming project. Which leads me to…

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I’M MAKING A MOVIE

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Hence the lack of updates on the blog over the past few months.

Begin November 22nd I’ll begin work on a documentary film I’ve been planning for about 4 months now. Since it will be my first project of this scale, it has required extensive planning, research, testing of various equipment, and there’s still loads to do ahead of the first day of filming. Unlike photoshoots, film productions have so many more layers to them. It’s vitally important to be as organized as possible as it’s easy to overlook a small detail that can make all the difference in the final product. So I’ve been giving the film my undivided attention.

I’ll share details when I’m able to speak more publicly about it, but for now I’m excited and can’t wait to begin filming. More things to come!

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I NEED YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY QUESTIONS

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As I’ve mentioned branching out into YouTube and having my own workshop eventually, I’m looking for questions from photographers regarding portrait photography. What are some of the things you would like to learn or know more about? Leave a comment below or shoot me a message on Instagram. I want to compile a fairly comprehensive list as I build the curriculum for the workshop and come up with topics for tutorial posts. Your contributions will be much appreciated!

Hope you enjoyed this post! Feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below!

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The 1X NEO Home Robot

I have a lot of thoughts on the rise of A.I., robotics, etc. but for now I’ll simply say that over the next 10 years(barring some sort of global catastrophe - knock on wood), we will see some of the most dramatic and disruptive advances in technology. We’re already seeing it with software through leveraging A.I., next we’ll see it through robotics which will combine both advanced, A.I.-driven software with robust, articulate hardware.

The 1X NEO is the first of its kind for the consumer market. It’s a little silly looking but it could serve a crucial purpose in the homes of many. Think of elderly people who need a home attendant? Or someone who just needs a robot to keep their place tidy while they focus on taking care of their newborn child. Once this space becomes competitive with big companies launching their own versions with even more advanced tech and better software ecosystems, they’ll get better and better and better. In 10 years. Ten.

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They will work for companies, deliver packages, provide security, and do jobs too dangerous for most people.

And yes, there will be companions. Or “sex bots” as they will be derisively described. Which will cause all sorts of backlash. A.I. companions are coming within a year, mark my word. Only a matter of time before people will want them in the physical form.

The film Subservience starring Megan Fox delves into this arena.

Once the robots look like Megan Fox, it will be a big problem.

It all reminds me of the videogame, Detroit: Become Human. The social backlash and divide around the use of robots(or androids) and their implementation in modern society will be one of the tensest topics in the years to come.

The 2018 videogame Detroit: Become Human captures may of the fears and excitement around androids and their place in society. Amazing story and the visual are still impressive today.

The future is here and it doesn’t care if you like it or not. You can’t stop it.

Depending on your perspective, it’s either a scary time or an exciting one. I’m somewhere in the middle. I love the promise of it, yet dread how destructive it will be for social norms, job markets, etc. But I’m aware it’s nothing we can do to stop the progress of technology and more broadly, time. The people that road horses lamented the transition to cars. People who depending on the Yellow Pages dreaded the rise of the internet and having to have a website. Yet time and technology pushed forward. This will be no different. I think people are afraid as they sense deep down, this could actually replace them in a variety of ways.

Who wants to get excited about potentially being replaced?

I’ll monitor NEO’s progress with interest and see how the market responds, but I wouldn’t consider purchasing one until about 5 years in when the tech has matured.

What do you think? Will you be getting one someday?

Hope you enjoyed this post! Feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below!

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Musings: June 19, 2025

Ryu Sera © 2024. Love this image. View the full gallery here.

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INTRO

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Another week and some musings from the frontlines.

I got back from Santorini about a week and a half ago and it’s been nonstop work since, so pardon the delay in weekly updates. Despite my best efforts, juggling client obligations and finding time to write on the blog has proven challenging at times. So much so, I’ve decided to do away with the weekly blog schedule. So posts will occur randomly and without warning. Muhahaha! Ahem…I mean, just check back periodically for new posts, which should occur about once a week or at minimum, once every two weeks.

This week I’ll be covering some recent website changes, YouTube and the issue with photography/filmmaking related content, letting go of street photography, a potential workshop for the fall, and the importance of projects.

Let’s go.

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THE RYU SERA GALLERY

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Very proud of this layout. Really presents the images in a more impactful way. #teamsera

I’ve been wanting to post the full set of images from my shoot with Ryu Sera for months now, but couldn’t quite crack what I had in mind for a layout. I didn’t want to do a traditional “photography website” layout. You know the kind with masonry thumbnails, you click them, and a big image pops up. That works for most things, but I think when you want to feature images in a more unique fashion, other layouts should be considered. It’s just not every website platform will give you the ability to do so.

One of the things I do love about the Squarespace platform is customization for layouts. The current platform(7.1), allows a lot of flexibility in terms of content layout. I can have large images, blocks of text, design elements overlaying one another, and so on. I’ve attempted some of my layout ideas on other platforms to no avail. There was always some sort of odd limitation that prevented me from positioning or sizing elements exactly how I want them. And when the site is displayed on mobile devices, it was a disaster. Squarespace has been one of the few platforms that can handle the changing scope of my work. And while I’ve considered abandoning the platform, it’s just too good at what it does. Despite some small quirks.

For Sera’s gallery, I wanted to make the images big and bold with a layout similar to an online editorial. Her gallery is also the first of what I’m referring to as “Collections” where I can post a full series of images versus one-shots(i.e. single images). One-shots will go in the “Main Gallery” of whatever category you click on (ex. Portraits > Main Gallery). I couldn’t bear to just put a singular image from this shoot in my main gallery and call it a day. It deserves more. It just took some time to wrack my brain and find a solution that worked.

You can view the full Ryu Sera gallery here.

I hope you enjoy the images in this format. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

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GEAR TALK

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Camera YouTube has lost the plot.

Excellent take. Subscribe to Matt’s channel if you’re interested in filmmaking, he posts quality content.

Great video by filmmaker Matt Aitia on the fallacy of the photography/filmmaking space on YouTube. In this video he muses on all the content based around gear instead of actually creating. You know, the art of it all. And while I’ve been stressing this here on the blog for years, it’s a point that needs to be repeated so people get the message. I think the often incessant, feverish talk around gear hurts the industry as a whole.

There’s a stark lack of support for actual work that’s created(photoshoots, short films, etc.), which often leaves artists discouraged. But if you talk about some new camera or lens, you’ll get considerably more engagement.

As this commenter on Aitia’s video pointed out:

Sad, but unfortunately true.

Many of the people giving gear focused content views and attention aren’t even creating work. They’re just there to have heated discussions in the comment sections or on forums. They have no portfolio, no examples of good images they’ve made, but will list off all the cameras they have and why such and such a camera/lens doesn’t work for them or it would be better if it had this feature blah blah blah.

From the YouTuber’s perspective, they want to create content that has engagement. And unfortunately, posting your short film or trying to have a discussion about actual photography or filmmaking gets only a lukewarm reception if not outright ignored. I know this first hand. If I post here on the blog about some new camera, traffic spikes and I’ll even get a comment or two. I post samples of work or want to delve deeper on a photography related topic, crickets.

You see a similar phenomenon on Instagram. Really cool creative picture gets posted = 50 likes. Poorly lit selfie of young attractive woman = 6000 likes.

What the hell are we doing?

In the age of social media, creatives feel they are either at the mercy of the algorithm or the audience they’re trying to court. As an artist, that’s quite stifling. Because it’s no longer about creating things you enjoy or expressing your individuality as an artist, but trying to appease others. You don’t have much of a YouTube channel if you post videos and they only get a few hits. So in an attempt to foster engagement you post something about gear (ex. Sony A7RV vs. Fuji GFX 100 II) and boom, instant engagement. The response is intoxicating and makes you feel like you did something great. But next thing you know, your entire channel is about gear. And you’re creating videos about gear versus shooting all the creative content you wanted to do. You’re less a photographer or filmmaker and more a reviewer.

I’ve basically outright refused this approach. My entry into this industry has been as a working professional. I’m not a gear reviewer or influencer, but I will periodically chime in about gear if I feel it’s interesting or important. For the most part, I prefer to chat about the work. In mulling over creating my own YouTube channel, I decided to wait a bit more as I want to make sure it aligns with my creative and business goals. I don’t want to get distracted chasing attention on yet another platform when I could be using that energy to create better work, get bigger clients, etc.

While I wish people’s enthusiasm would shift, I’m not holding my breath. They like what they like.

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LETTING GO OF STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

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The Merchant © 2019

I no longer do it. Well, not deliberatly. It takes a lot of time walking around NYC or another city trying to capture moments. If something catches my eye, cool, but there’s no pressure to go out and create street photography images. It just doesn’t have a place in my business goals. Maybe I’ll do a small book eventually with the existing work if I think it will be profitable. And I say profitable with emphasis because I think people assume that if you have a book out, you’ve made money. Most likely, unless you have a publisher, you lost money.

Speaking of, who really earns money off street photography? There’s a small minority for sure, but many of the modern ones I see are just using it to grow social media platforms, sell presets, photo walks, or workshops. They’re not exactly lighting it up with exhibitions, book sales, or shooting some sort of work for a client. It’s like creating work to promote another product (e.g., workshops). But the general public’s interest in street photography? I’m not so sure they really care.

It’s an art form I respect, but man does it require such a time investment. Hours upon hours of walking the streets to net 1-2 images sometimes. These days, I have too many other endeavors to devote the time and energy to it. So I’m letting that one go. So much so I’ve removed the street photography gallery from the website. I may do the same thing with swimwear too. But that’s a topic for another time.

Au revoir street photography.

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MY PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP

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Portrait of the incomparable Nicci photographed in Prague. ©2025

This fall, I’m planning to have my first photography workshop. It will focus primarily on portrait photography and be aimed at serious photographers who want to pursue photography professionally or are very serious amateurs. Portfolios will be required and reviewed for acceptance into the workshop. Plans are still being ironed out, but the workshop will be in Paris and will likely be about 3 days in total. We’ll cover topics from lighting and composition, to posing and working with people(experienced and inexperienced), presenting your work, finding work, and more. It will be pretty comprehensive, so if improving your skills as a portrait photographer is of interest to you, stay tuned for more details!

I plan to make an official announcement in early July.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF PROJECTS

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Dima captured in New York as part of 100 Faces. © 2018

Coming into 2025, I had a lot of thoughts about the direction I would take this year. What type of work I wanted to focus on, things to let go, etc. I kept telling friends and family, “I need a project. I need a project.” But nothing really caught my interest. As I learned in photography school, projects are important for an artist’s growth. Something long form that you can work on with a cohesive vision and clear direction. It’s one thing to do random shoot after random shoot, but are the images unified in any particularly meaningful way? Creating a project forces you to develop an idea, think of the visual style, and work on creating a body of work versus one-shot after one-shot. It’s not required, but highly recommended.

The challenge with projects is creating one that you’re passionate about enough to see it through to completion. It’s like buying a kid an instrument. They whine and whine about it for months, finally get it, and after six months, it’s collecting dust. Staying focused on a singular project over the course of a year or more is a daunting task. Trust me, while working on 100 Faces, I found myself getting bored, annoyed, discouraged, you name it. But I pushed through to completion, culminating in an exhibition in 2019.

After many years not focusing on a specific project, mainly shooting for my portfolio and experimenting with other genres, I felt it was time to develop a new one. Really out of necessity. I need to focus and refine my vision as an artist even more than before. For my own sanity, but also to have something I can look back on fondly and say, “Yeah, we did that! That was a great project.” But what?!

Well, I have three projects in mind:

1. The Big One. Some things are still being worked out, but it will be video focused and take me about a year to complete. I expect the budget to be a bit crazy and I will likely be stressed to no end. But it’s something I’m extremely passionate about and motivated to work on. If I’m giving the greenlight, I expect to announce more details regarding it in July. Fingers crossed!

2. Underwater nudes. I love creating nude imagery, but want to venture outside of the studio into new territory. I could go to the dessert or the mountains, but what about underwater? Yeah, that would be cool! I know reknown artists like Howard Schatz have done extensive work with underwater nudes, but we don’t exactly shoot the same and my vision is a bit different than his. Although he will be a big inspiration. As Isaac Newton said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

3. A short film. Since I don’t plan to travel much this summer, it could be a great opportunity to work on a short film. I already have some ideas and scripts written, just have to get the budget and elements in place to make it happen. Something small and manageable. Films have a tendency to balloon in scope meaning an inflated budget, more locations, more minutes added to the runtime, etc. I’d like to shoot something small and concise to dip my toe into the narrative filmmaking pool.

If the big one happens, the other two will have to get postponed for a while. But it’s good to have some ideas on paper and a sense of direction. If you haven’t created a project, I highly recommend giving it a try and seeing how it improves your work or even teaches you something about yourself!

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I NEED YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY QUESTIONS

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I’m looking for questions from photographers regarding portrait photography. What are some of the things you would like to learn or know more about? Leave a comment below or shoot me a message on Instagram. I want to compile a fairly comprehensive list as I build the curriculum for the workshop and come up with topics for tutorial posts. Your contributions will be much appreciated!

Hope you enjoyed this post! Feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below!

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Musings: June 1, 2025

Santorini. Absolutely gorgeous.

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FULL BLOG POSTS RETURNING NEXT WEEK

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I’m currently in Santorini on a little vacation and despite my best efforts, it’s hard to juggle personal fun with full blog posts. So in favor of my sanity, I’ve decided to do more of a mini post for this week’s post with full posts to return next Friday.

Ok, ramble over. Here are some musings to hold you over!

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FINESSING THE IMAGE

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Model: Rebirth of the Bird @rebirthofthebird
Studio: L’Atelier & Beyond @latelierandbeyond_studio
Location: Paris, France

ALL IMAGES SHOT ON THE SONY A7RV + SONY FE 28-70MM F/2 GM AND SONY FE 85MM F/1.4 GM II

Rebirth of The Bird on my last trip to Paris. © 2025

A term I’ve coined recently is “finessing the image” which applies to how we manipulate and process an image during postproduction. I’m always experimenting with different techniques be it in Capture One or in Photoshop just for fun to see what sort of interesting results I may get. For this most recent shoot with the amazing @rebirthofthebird, I played around with adjusting the red and yellow channels in my black-and-white process. I think it produces a bolder black-and-white, similar to the tones I would see by great artists such as Albert Watson or Herb Ritts.

Digital isn’t film, but it offers us so much leeway in terms of how we wish to manipulate the final image. I love the flexibility and the more I train my eye for both capturing photographs as well as postproduction to achieve “my look” the more I appreciate having so much room to explore.

I’ll post more images from this shoot in mid-June. We just shot these on the 27th and in the midst of my travel schedule, I won’t get around to selecting and working on this session for a bit. Stay tuned!

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GEAR TALK

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Not Loving the Sony A7CR

Sony A7CR in Santorini? Should be fun? Absolutely not.

As much as I’ve tried to love this little camera, I just can’t. The Sony A7CR has too many odd design quirks that just get in the way of shooting. Additionally, the lack of a joystick rears its ugly head every time I use it. It really should be so easy to maneuver a focus point where you want it, but with the lack of a joystick, it can be a pain in the ass to do quickly and accurately. And, by the time you do, the moment is gone. It just doesn’t feel as fluid and easy to use as the A7RV. Although the A7RV isn’t a large camera, the weight and size difference between the two feels substantial. However, in terms of usability, they’re in completely different universes. The A7CR gets in the way with its lack of smooth functionality and customizable buttons. The A7RV can easily cater to a variety of shooting styles. Mine in particular.

I can’t be too hard on myself. This is the third time I’ve owned the A7CR and despite my best efforts to love it, I just don’t. I knew many of the quirks going back to it, but figured the size and weight benefits would make up for its shortcomings in terms of ergonomics. Alas, that wasn’t the case.

I took my A7RV out for a test run as my everyday carry, paired with the Sony 24-50 f/2.8G lens and it just felt right. Snapping shots as I walked around Thira was fun and I didn’t feel like I was fighting with the camera.

My stance now is that, unless a camera has an amazing touch interface(sort of how Canon does it), I won’t buy an expensive camera that lacks a joystick. For me, it’s an essential component of good camera ergonomics. There are other shortcomings, but this one was the most nagging of all, so I can’t justify keeping it. Ah well, we tried.

Sony Announces the FX…2?

The Sony FX2. Why tho?!

I really like the EVF, but think it would be even better if removable a la the GFX 100 II.

Sony announced the FX2, which in my opinion is more of a proof of concept camera for them. I think this will be the direction for the upcoming successor to the beloved FX3. The added EVF with tilt functionality will be appreciated by some filmmakers. I imagine when they announce an FX3 II, and if it includes the EVF, it will be much more higher-res. In line with the A7RV’s or similar. Or even removable? Could you imagine?!

Specs wise, it’s an A7IV in an FX3 body. If you’re serious about video, I still think the FX3 is the better buy despite its almost $1000 price difference. I would wait out some deals and save up a bit if I had to choose between the two. The low light performance of the FX3 alone makes it a contender all these years later.

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STREAMLINING WORKFLOWS

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Can’t wait to work on this set of images. When I have time…

If this recent trip has taught me anything, it’s the importance of streamlining your workflow.

Ideally, a photographer would seek to create images and get them out for the public to see in the quickest way possible. But still at a standard they’re pleased with. It can be a struggle when you shoot thousands of images per shoot and have to sort through them all, compare options, make selections, retouch them, then output them for use online.

Personally, I don’t like to rush my work. I like to sit with images for a bit, ruminate over them, ponder how good/bad they are, then begin my process of selecting the ones that will make the final cut. I also understand the importance of haste and quick turnarounds so I try not to sit on them forever. However, the busier I get, the harder it can be to maintain deadlines and have the same production output. Doing 5-6 shoots a week is much more difficult than one a week or a few every couple of weeks. Imagine going through images from 6 different shoots where you’ve taken 1000+ photos. You need to pair them down to, say 10 images, retouch them then have them out for your website, social media, etc. Hard to do all of that in a week especially if you have other priorities (family, work, etc.). Yeah, not an easy ask.

With that said, I’m working on a process of further refining and streamlining my workflow. So from capture to output, everything is faster and much more seamless. I take a lot of notes in the “Notes” app on my phone and I’ve been brainstorming diferent methods which I’ll start actively playing around with once I’m home this week. Once I hit on something solid I’ll share it here on the blog.

Maybe it’ll help other artists who struggle with their own output.

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I NEED YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY QUESTIONS

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As I’ve mentioned branching out into YouTube and having my own workshop eventually, I’m looking for questions from photographers regarding portrait photography. What are some of the things you would like to learn or know more about? Leave a comment below or shoot me a message on Instagram. I want to compile a fairly comprehensive list as I build the curriculum for the workshop and come up with topics for tutorial posts. Your contributions will be much appreciated!

Hope you enjoyed this post! Feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below!

...

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Follow on Instagram : @jamiyawilsonstudio

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