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Musings: October 31, 2025
Cope and seethe edition.
Unattractive actress Sydney Sweeney at Variety’s Power of Women Event
INTRO
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!
IN THE DEFENSE OF BOMBSHELLS:
SYDNEY SWEENEY EDITION
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”.
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!
RECENT PHOTOGRAPHS
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
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!
GEAR TALK
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…
I’M MAKING A MOVIE
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!
I NEED YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY QUESTIONS
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!
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The 1X NEO Home Robot
New future just dropped. Tick, tock humans…
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.
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.
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 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?
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Olivia Linz at Ape Studios in Barcelona
Selection of fine art images of model and generational talent Olivia Linz taken at Ape Studios in Barcelona, Spain.
Olivia Linz. Easily one of the greatest models of all-time. I like giving people their flowers while they’re here.
I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the best models in the world. Truly. Maybe they’re not as famous as the supermodel, influencer ilk (not because of talent mind you), but man if these wonderful ladies and gents don’t bring their A+ game to shoots. Olivia Linz is one such person. I think she’s a generational talent. Every pose is effortless, delicate, and considered with the facial expressions to match.
To grow as a portrait photographer, it’s vitally important to work with people that help raise your game. From your team to the model in front of the camera. Especially the model. Olivia’s brilliant for this. No kidding, everytime we shoot, I feel like I go up another level. I approach the picture differently and consider options I may would have overlooked before. A great model can bring that out of you, just like a great photographer can bring something unique or surprising from the subject. That transfer of inspiration not only makes shoots fun, you also feel like you’ve grown as an artist from the experience. Isn’t that a big part of what it’s all about? Constantly pushing ourselves and seeing how we can improve shoot after shoot?
This set is from a previous trip to Barcelona and my first time working in the wonderful Ape Studios. It’s a beautiful space in a great location. The lighting and layout are perfect for my style of working and I really appreciated how clean the space was and how accomodating the staff were for our little shoot. The first time Olivia and I worked together, we were in a tiny studio in Lisbon, so it was great to work in a much larger studio to see what we could really do when giving the proper space. For portraits, a small space is fine, but I like a bit of room when shooting nudes.
I have enough images to create 3-4 sets from this single shoot, so here’s the first. I love these images. Sexy, sensual, yet refined and beautiful. Those four adjectives sum up the goal of my nude work. Or at least the goal I strive for when working.
Closing thoughts at the end of this post. Hope you enjoy this set!
PHOTOGRAPHS
Model: Olivia Linz @oliivaa_linz
Studio: Ape Studios @apestudi0s
Location: Barcelona, Spain
ALL IMAGES SHOT ON THE SONY A7RV + SONY FE 85MM f/1.4 GM II AND SONY FE 28-70 f/2 GM LENS
This last image is one of my favorites. Just a happy accident when I saw her reflection in the window. Yeah, it’s out of focus, but that’s the whole point.
It was intentional I swear. ;-)
IN CLOSING
As you can see, I’m still using the same gear as mentioned in previous posts. I’ve been really happy with my kit, so no need to tread over old ground again.
Regarding the shoot, I had a bit of a struggle with the Instagram police when posting any images from this shoot. If Instagram even sees a hint of nipple or too much skin, my account gets flagged and it won’t show the post. So after removing several images from this set, I ultimately decided to just post a single image and those curious to see the rest can visit me here on the blog. I think we need to convince people to venture out of their social media bubbles anyway. I hate censoring my work on Instagram. Don’t get me wrong, I totally understand why. My work is not for children and my account is public, so in the spirit of decency, we censor to protect the children. And maybe the grandmothers. But it’s disappointing as some people won’t bother to click elsewhere and will only see one frame from the set. Guess I can’t worry about that too much. It’s beyond my control.
Creatively, things just flowed as normal. What differs with this group of images is I’ve change my post-processing style. I think this is the best style yet. I’ve been tinkering around with a new, more contrasty, almost Tri-X like style in Capture One. I love the tones in these. Dark shadows that aren’t muddy. Strong highlights that aren’t blown. Contrast that isn’t over done. Grain that gives the image texture and character. And when the right subject matter is featured? You have a winning combo. I even made a new color style as I’ve yet to be happy with any styles I’ve used that are supposed to have bold color. I basically want the depth and style of my black-and-white images, but in color! Is that so hard?! Thankfully I think I’ve cracked it. Expect to see more color images going forward.
Lastly, I know it’s been quite some time since I’ve posted on the blog. There are many reasons for this and I will go into more detail in a separate post. I haven’t gone anywhere, just had to shift focus for a bit to grow as an artist, but I’ll delve into it next week. An important announcement is coming soon.
A big thank you to Olivia. I’m not exaggerating when I say, it’s models like her that make me a better artist. I can’t thank them enough for sharing their creative energy with me and assisting in my growth. I’m scheduled to work with her again soon and I’m eager to see what we’ll come up with next. More sets from this shoot to come, but I hope you like these as much as I do!
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Nici at Kuuz Studio in Prague
Selection of portrait and fine art nude images of model Nici taken at Kuuz Studio in Prague, Czech Republic.
Love this photo so much, I posted a color version below. I think I prefer the black-and-white though. What do you think?
I have a few models I work with whenever I visit Prague. It’s a city I often like to begin my trips through Europe in. There’s something about the setting, the atmosphere, and my favorite studio, Studio Kuuz, that gets me excited to take photographs. And the models are phenomenal. Beautiful, creative, and enthusiastic about shooting. They help me do my absolute best work. I stress the importance of working with the best people you can, and my model Nici, in this set, is one such person.
This was our second time working together and I feel like we improved dramatically over our first session. Don’t get me wrong, the first shoot was great and I felt I improved as an artist. But I feel like we really raised our game even farther with this set. One thing I like about working with her is she understands posing and positioning so well. Not a finger or toe was out of place whenever she would pose, then pause in order for me to get the picture. She always knows where the light is and what angle she should be at for the best results which makes my job so much easier. I have to do considerably less directing and can get in a flow of capturing photographs as they occur naturally. It’s a very freeing experience and one of the benefits of working with experienced models over, say, regular people who will often need more directing. It’s also one of the reasons, I only shoot professional models for nude work. Who has time to deal with the awkwardness, insecurities, etc. of the average person who wants to pose because they think “it will be fun”? When you work with professionals they know themselves, they have experience, they understand what you’re trying to achieve, and everyone’s working to serve the photograph, not their individual vanity. Or at least that’s the environment I foster on my own shoots.
I would argue nude modeling is much more difficult than posing with clothing. Not to dismiss the hard work of fashion models, but posing nude requires such a higher awareness of where your limbs are. A misplaced hand here or there may still work in an image with clothing, but ruins a nude photograph. You can even hide limbs with clothing or accessories like handbags or some other prop the model can play off of. When posing nude, you don’t have that luxury. You have to play off of the space itself, be aware of the light’s position, and pay attention to your entire body. Plus hair and other anatomical parts for the women. It’s a skill not every one has and takes time to get better at. Not to mention, most people are uncomfortable posing nude altogether. It isn’t for the shy, prudish, or faint of heart.
A big thank you to Nici, who has helped me grow as an artist every time we’ve worked together.
Closing thoughts at the end of this post. Hope you enjoy this series!
PHOTOGRAPHS
Model: Nici @rici.pic
Studio: Kuuz Studio kuuz.studio_kosire
Location: Prague, Czech Republic
ALL IMAGES SHOT ON THE SONY A7RV + SONY FE 85MM f/1.4 GM II AND SONY FE 28-70 f/2 GM LENS
IN CLOSING
Whenever I do shoots like this, I end up with thousands of images. These sessions last about 2-3 hours and I’m shooting nonstop. I’m not a spray and pray type of shooter, but when you work with such a great model, they’ll give you so many amazing opportunities to capture a great photograph, it makes sense I tend to shoot more than normal. This series is just a small sample from our shoot. There are many other images that work as either a series or as a one-shot, so I’ll be sharing those over time as well. It’s great to have options.
Equipment wise, I went with my trusty Sony A7RV, the new Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM II (My favorite 85mm lens of all time), and the Sony 28-70 f/2 GM. The 28-70 is a beast of a lens, but I prefer its improved light gathering capability, sharpness, and character over the standard 24-70. The new 85mm is fantastic. So sharp and detailed with such a perfect rendering of faces. It is by far my favorite 85mm lens and one that stays in my kit for all shoots. I can do practically all my work with this trio of lenses. I’ve been so enamored with Sony’s lens offerings lately that I’ve sold all my third-party glass. I’m all in with Sony these days and I feel my creative life has been easier and more peaceful as a result.
I’ll be back in Prague next month and will probably shoot with Nici again. She’s essentially my muse there so you’ll be seeing a lot of shoots with her going forward.
Thank you again to Nici and Studio Kuuz. You bring out my best!
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Musings: June 19, 2025
Musings about 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.
Ryu Sera © 2024. Love this image. View the full gallery here.
INTRO
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.
THE RYU SERA GALLERY
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.
GEAR TALK
Camera YouTube has lost the plot.
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.
LETTING GO OF STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
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.
MY PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
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.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PROJECTS
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:
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!
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.”
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!
I NEED YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY QUESTIONS
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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