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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Rebirth of the Bird at L’Atelier & Beyond Studio in Paris

Claire

I’m headed to Paris tomorrow for probably the last time this year. So in honor of that, here are some portraits I did with model, Claire aka RebirthoftheBird. A brilliant model, Claire has one of the most intense gazes I’ve ever seen, drawing immediate comparisons to alluring actresses like Penelope Cruz or Eva Green. Her look could cut glass! Can’t wait to shoot with her again.

These were taken at my favorite studio in Paris, L’Atelier & Beyond. It was the first studio I’d worked in in Paris and it remains my favorite to this day. Not only for the space itself, but the friendly staff. I consider the owner, Karine, a good friend. She always takes care of me and rolls out the red carpet whenever I’m in town for shoots. It feels like “my space”, a space where I can create at my best. The light feels right and the rustic backgrounds are reminiscent of old Paris. We often talk about gear feeling right to use, but I’ll take that notion farther and apply it to places as well. There are just some places where I feel my creativity can flourish and this is one such space. Honorable mentions being the studios I frequent in Düsseldorf and Prague. Paris as a whole always leaves me feeling inspired. Walking the streets and visiting the places frequented by artistic legends from Picasso to Avedon or Dior to Saint Laurent, fills me with a zest for creating and enjoying the process I don’t get anywhere else.

Closing thoughts at the end of this post. Hope you enjoy this set!

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PHOTOGRAPHS

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

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

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My favorite photo from this set. I told you, her look can cut glass. The intensity!

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IN CLOSING

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This set of images utilized a different approach to post-production than I’ve previously used. Usually I would edit the original in color then convert it to black-and-white in Capture One. However, I’ve found that Capture One alters the RAW image very differently than a .TIFF or .PSD file. Colors and/or tones don’t look the same. So I’m looking at my finished works and they don’t quite have the punch as my adjustments on the RAW files within Capture One.

To outline the old process: Global adjustments in Capture One > Export as a TIFF > Retouch in Photoshop > Bring final TIFF back into Capture One > Apply chosen Style of Preset > Export JPEG at various sizes for desired medium (e.g. social media, website, etc.)

The new process: Global adjustments in Capture One > Apply chosen style of preset > Export as a TIFF > Retouch in Photoshop > Bring final TIFF back into Capture One > Export JPEG at various sizes for desired medium (e.g. social media, website, etc.)

Below are two examples. The image on the left utilizes the old process, the image on the right uses the new process.

New process
Accurate color, contrast, and tones applied to the RAW file in Capture One.

Old process
Notice how faded it looks or the flatness of the white background?

The only downside is, I have to commit to a look. The old process would allow me to get both a black-and-white and color version of the same photo. This new method requires me to commit to one or the other. Or process both a black-and-white and color version which will have to be retouched independently. It’s more work, but yields a higher quality result overall. I’m still tinkering, but wanted to share my findings.

As for the shoot, it was a chill and fun vibe. I like my sessions to be low-stress affairs where people can come in, chat, chill, and create. This is not a high-pressure fashion campaign, but more of a personal, intimate setting which often results in portraits that feel relaxed and most importantly, authentic. As mentioned, I have more to come from this session, but hope you enjoyed these. Not every group of photos I post will be 15-20 image epics. Sometimes it’s just a handful. And sometimes, that’s enough.

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

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Musings: May 23, 2025

My mobile workstation. A lot going on in image. Capture One, K-Pop, a fine art nude, and Charlie Chaplin. What an odd combination.

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I AM NOW EXPERIENCING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

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Well if it isn’t Murphy’s Law, my old pal.

I’m writing this from my hotel room in Paris. Today, I woke up bright and early ready to finally post about my trip to Japan back in March. I spent a lot of time last week gathering images and on the day before my departure, I could have sworn I put the Capture One session on my hard drive with me. I get here and nope, they’re nowhere to be found. No worries! I can access my images remotely! I use an app that lets me access my computer back home. I fire it up and start exporting the files into Dropbox so I can access them here. I log in a few minutes later to check the progress and my desktop has several notifications telling me my hard drives have disconnected.

What the fu…

For hard drive storage, I use OWC’s Thunderbay enclosures. While they are fantastic for speed and durability, they have a fatal design flaw. The port where the Thunderbolt cable connects is too shallow so the cord will fall out if it isn’t support somehow (pressed against a wall for example). What’s probably happened is the cord fell out and now I can’t access those images. Not to mention I have some clients who need some photos retouched while I’m away.

Wait a second! This literally just dawned on me. I have an online backup of all my images.

I know this is starting to sound like an ad or something, but truthfully I figured it out. I should have copies of all my images in my Backblaze account. My entire computer is backed up to the cloud!

*checks account*

It works! Ah yeah, we’re back in business! I’m selling those Thunderbays when I get back. Never again.

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

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RECENT PHOTOGRAPHS

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Model: Iryna Berdnyk @irynaberdnyk
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

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Some portraits of Iryna straight out of the camera from yesterday. I said she’s becoming my muse and it seems that prediction is coming true. We do great work together and it’s been exciting to see her growth as a model in such a short time. I’m wishing her all the success as a model. She really has the “it” factor.

This shoot was fun. We experimented with some different looks this time around and I tried some new lighting equipment that worked out far better than I imagined. Those coming in a future post.

After taking such a long break in April, I was a bit worried I would lose my improved skills, but I think it’s once you hit a certain level of artistry, it’s hard to go back to what you did before. Practically impossible once your technique is refined.

Expanding on that thought, think about drawing if you’ve ever drawn seriously before. In the beginning, say when you’re a child, your drawings are rough. Crooked lines, bad proportions, etc. But as you gain experience and put in years of practice, your drawing is considerably better. No more crooked lines. People look lifelike. You’ve mastered highlights and shadows. Even if you wanted to attempt to draw how you were when you were a kid, you’d be unable to. The muscle memory is so trained now that you couldn’t draw as rough as you did when you first started.

Photography is very similar. Once your eye is trained, refined, and nurtured, it’s hard to go back to the style of images you did in the beginning or even a short while ago. You’ve arrived in a new place and there’s no going back. That’s quite comforting I must say.

Anyway, my work is better now and I’m proud of that.

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GEAR TALK

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Panasonic’s Recent Camera Releases

The Panasonic Lumix S1 II. Finally. But probably too late.

I know I’ve been hard on Panasonic over the past year or so. It’s really from a place of love and disappointment than hate. They have so much potential, but have routinely dropped the ball. They’ve sort of let their passionate community of fans down over the past few years. “Mid” releases, radio silence on any upcoming product announcements, and abysmal customer service.

An actual honest experience working with the S1R II. These are hard to find on YouTube.

I’ve been saying these things for years and people downplay it. In light of their recent releases people are starting to wake up and have started calling them out. Comments sections on product announcements aren’t all rosy like in the past. Now people are asking hard questions and throwing scathing criticisims their direction. And the shills on YouTube and photography outlets will try their best to get everyone excited for their cameras.

The shills are the worst. Clickbait video titles, using words like “King of cameras”, “Masterpiece” is just hyperbole by a bunch of phonies who likely won’t actually own the camera, but will try to convince you to buy it. The shills deserve their own post, so I’ll end my criticism of them here for now.

For Panasonic, the excitement is gone. You’ve burned the consumer too many times and now they’re the worst thing they can be towards a brand, apathetic. The S1R II got announced and it had cool specs, but nothing to sell your Nikon/Canon/Sony for. The S1 II just got announced and while the specs are cool, it still doesn’t outdo Sony’s 4-year old FX3. Not to mention people are now calling Panasonic out on a huge oversight I’ve mentioned countless times: “Where are the lenses?”

It’s hard to recommend anyone investing in the ecosystem when all the other major manufacturers have a well-rounded first-party lens lineup. Panasonic has released no new S PRO glass since the first year of release! That’s pitiful. Sigma has come out with TWO versions of their 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN ART lens in that timeframe. They either don’t have the resources or ambition to keep up with the big players in the field. And that my friend is why they lose.

An easy win for them would have been to release a full-frame GX8 style camera with small lenses to match. In this era of social media and content creation, where every young photographer wants to be a street photographer, it’s a no brainer to release a small, stylish camera that can be used in that capacity. For the street/travel/hobbyist photographer. Nope, instead they release that pitiful, crippled Lumix S9 that they can’t even give away.

Panasonic, hear me: GX8 style body, full-frame sensor (maybe the one in the new S1 II), 4K 60P no crop, no overheating issues, small lenses. Profit.

So while some of their remaining customers have given in to full blown masochism, others with real professional and/or demanding needs have moved on. Buy anything but Panasonic these days bro. It’s over.

Some New Additions to My Gear Family

Before my trip, I picked up another Sony A7CR and FX3. I now have four cameras. Two A7RV’s plus these two. I know, I know, a bit excessive eh? I also bought a trio of new lenses. Two, count ‘em two, Sony 24-50 f/2.8 G lenses. And one Sony 16-25mm f/2.8 G Lens.

I’ll explain my equipment loadout:

A7RVs - My workhorses. They’re set up to shoot professionally. I just grab them and they help me produce the work I’m known for.

A7CR - My everyday carry/travel camera. It’s too risky to take my work cameras everywhere with me. When I’m traveling for shoots, I’d rather leave my workhorses where I’m staying and go with another camera that won’t be the end of the world if something happens to it. Sure there are cheaper options, but I still want the A7RV’s image quality. I’ve tried countless other small cameras, but despite my best efforts, I’m a bit of an image quality snob. No medium format though.

FX3 - My video camera. I’m not planning on shooting any film projects just yet, but I will be recording more behind-the-scenes video from my shoots as I work to build out my YouTube and other channels.

For the lenses, I have two 24-50’s as one will be on my A7RV at all times. It’s a perfect focal length for travel and everyday photography. The other will be used on the FX3 alongside it’s brother the 16-25. Those two small lenses handle all of my practical video needs.

While we’re talking lenses, I sold off all my Tamron lenses and have decided to shoot predominantly Sony glass. Don’t get me wrong, the Tamron’s were great in terms of size and affordability. However, in terms of image quality, I noticed a stark difference between them and some of my other lenses. The only third-party glass that remains in my kit is my Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DG DN Macro lens. That one delivers the same level of visual acuity as my Sony’s so it stays. I also prefer 100mm+ in terms of focal length for a macro lens. I’m not sure why 90mm Macro lenses are a thing. I digress.

My Dream Lens

Want.

The Sony FE 50-150mm f/2 GM Lens. $4,000 and absolutely beautiful. Zooms are so good now, you don’t experience the same quality drop versus primes as you did in the past. The Sony 28-70 f/2 GM is so good, I doubt I’ll buy an expensive 35mm or 50mm prime lens again. There may be times where I want the small size of a prime or the extra stop of light, but I don’t see the need for a 35mm or 50mm f/1.4 lens for the type of images I make. So my portrait photography kit would be the 28-70/f2 GM, the 85mm f/1.4 GM II and the new 50-150 f/2 GM lens. That would cover all my bases well into the future.

$4,000 isn’t anything to scoff at so I’ll be saving up for that one. It’ll probably be a Christmas gift to myself this year. Just put a little aside here and there over the next 6 months and it’ll be mine! Can’t wait to get one!

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ON THE TOPIC OF TRAVEL

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Traveling is fun, but in my opinion, overrated. It’s become such a thing people like to flex about as if they’re doing something spectacular. These days travel is fairly reasonably priced. If you save up, take advantage of some deals, you can travel. The downside for me is airports. In general they suck and plane rides are rarely comfortable unless you’re in fancy first class and even that is dependent on the accommodations provided by the airline. If you’re a photographer/creative, you may end up spending loads extra for bags to be checked then have anxiety hoping that all your equipment will arrive unscathed.

Then there are the time changes. I arrived in Paris on Wednesday, took a short 2 hour nap that evening and couldn’t sleep a wink that night. I literally stayed up all night and didn’t go to bed until midnight on Thursday. Finally, I feel more normal and adjusted to the time. Despite my best efforts, adjusting to the physical rigors of constant travel is something I’ll never quite get used to. It’s just a part of the experience at this point.

With that said, I won’t be doing any more traveling until September. I want to plant my feet for a bit and focus on things domestically before I jet off to another destination. I will travel within the US (Miami, LA, Mississippi, etc.), but unless a can’t miss opportunity presents itself, I won’t go abroad. I need to stay grounded for a while. There are a lot of things to work on and I’m unable to do that in the midst of traveling.

So for now, it’s Paris till Tuesday then off to Santorini for a bit.

I’m staying put once I return.

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RIP SEBASTIÃO SALGADO

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A brilliant photographer and by all accounts a wonderful person. RIP.

Today, master photographer Sebastião Salgado passed away at the age of 81.

I find his passing shocking after having gone to his exhibition in Barcelona back in March of this year. It was the first time I saw his work in person. Admittedly, I’ve known about his work for years, but never considered myself a fan. Don’t get me wrong, his work is brilliant. Masterful portrait, documentary, and landscape photography. It just wasn’t the type of work I was interested in early on, so I didn’t really follow his career as much as say Richard Avedon or Irving Penn.

However, after attending the exhibition, I came away with a newfound appreciation for his work and really started to understand his passion for the projects he pursued. Just look at these:

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I could see myself pursuing similar projects in the future. Working with unique cultures and getting to meet such interesting people is a dream to a portrait photographer like myself. Yeah, there’s definitely a lot I could learn from Mr. Salgado.

The photography world has lost one another of the few remaining masters of the craft. We must appreciate them while they’re here and never forget them as people nor the contributions they’ve made to this wonderful art form.

Godspeed Sebastião Salgado. Prayers for you, your family and friends.

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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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