Shoot Breakdowns
Consider these articles your backstage pass to some of my favorite studio photographs and on-location photographs. This is real-world photography, peeling back the curtain on what it takes to go from concept to finished shot. You’re in the right place if you’re looking for practical insights and honest storytelling.
Each breakdown is packed with detailed lighting diagrams, gear lists, and behind-the-scenes videos that show you exactly how the magic happens. I’ll walk you through my creative process, from planning and problem-solving to tackling the unexpected on set. This isn’t just theory—it’s the stuff you need to sharpen your skills and elevate your own shoots.
Bookmark this page and check back often!
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Creative Beauty Portrait Inspired by Accessories
Sometimes, the concept for a shot starts with an accessory, which was the case for this shot featuring an old-school cloche-style hat. loved this hat and the dark red color she brought to one of…
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How To Create a Colorful Beauty Portrait With a Truly Unique Hairstyle
Discover how to craft a vibrant beauty portrait featuring a distinctive hairstyle, from conceptualization to lighting setups and digital background creation, resulting in a captivating and unique image.
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Create Colorful Beauty Portraits With a Handheld Smoke Machine
Discover how to create vibrant beauty portraits using the Lensgo Handheld Smoke Machine S, incorporating bold colors and smoke for stunning visual effects.
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A Beauty Portrait with Gravity-Defying Hair
The goal of a beauty portrait is to highlight the subject’s physical beauty. The challenge in adding the word ‘creative’ to the mix is that you don’t want the photo to become more about the…
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Shooting Cowboys and Cacti in the Arizona Desert
Join me as I explore the Arizona desert, capturing cowboys and cacti. I'll share my experiences, gear choices, and techniques for photographing this unique landscape.
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Diary of a Street Fashion Photo Walk in New York
Join Joe Edelman on a Street Fashion Photo Walk in NYC. Learn how to find great backgrounds, use natural light, and direct models to capture stunning, dynamic street fashion portraits.
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Photo Shoot With Celebrity Magician Matthew Furman
Go behind the scenes of a photo shoot with celebrity magician Matthew Furman. This article details the creative process, lighting setups, and techniques used to capture compelling images of this renowned performer.
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Fashion Portraits With Cellophane
Discover how to use colored cellophane to create vibrant, dynamic fashion portraits. This article provides a detailed shoot breakdown, offering creative inspiration and practical tips for your next photography project.
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Your Best Shot Is a Mistake!?!
Embrace the unexpected in your photography journey. Discover how mistakes can lead to your best shots and why perfection isn't the ultimate goal. Learn to see flaws as opportunities for creativity.
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How To Save a Shoot When Your Idea Isn’t Working
Discover effective strategies to rescue a failing fashion portrait session, ensuring you capture stunning images even when initial plans falter.
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Sci-Fi Inspired Four Light Fashion Portrait Tutorial
Discover how to craft stunning sci-fi fashion portraits using four strobes, blue gels, and a fan. This tutorial provides a step-by-step breakdown of the lighting setup and posing techniques.
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Direct Flash Glamour Shots and Beauty Portraits
High-key lighting creates bright, low-contrast images by minimizing shadows. This article demonstrates how to achieve this effect using three studio lights and a white room for stunning portraits.
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Bikini Glamour Photography Setup
Learn how to create a stunning bikini glamour shot using a four-light setup with orange gels. This article covers lighting techniques, posing tips, and styling to achieve vibrant, high-energy images.
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Three light Portrait, Headshot and Beauty Lighting
Discover how to create stunning beauty portraits using a three-light setup and a reflector, all without light modifiers. This technique emphasizes simplicity and effectiveness in achieving professional headshots.
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2 Light Lingerie Glamour Lighting Setup
Discover a simple two-light setup using a medium softbox to create stunning lingerie glamour shots. This technique emphasizes the model's figure and personality, ensuring captivating and professional results.
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Halloween Inspired Three Light Beauty Portrait
Discover how to create a captivating Halloween-inspired beauty portrait using a three-light setup, featuring creative makeup and lighting techniques to achieve stunning results.
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Beauty Portrait with a Beauty Dish, 4 lights & Red Gels
Discover how to create stunning beauty portraits using a 21-inch white beauty dish, four lights, and red gels. This tutorial provides a detailed lighting setup and creative insights for dramatic effects.
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EASY Portrait Lighting that can also be used for a Beauty Shot
Discover a simple three-light setup for stunning portrait and beauty photography in studio settings.
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Create an Awesome 1 Light Fashion Shot Using Two DIY Gobos
Here’s a one light fashion shot that I did that you can do with a few DIY gobos and a speedlight or a monolight. Plus, I’ll show you how to make this work in almost…
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One Light & Reflector for Dramatic Portraits
I have a really simple one light portrait lighting set-up that I use for beauty shots and dramatic portraits. I’ll walk you through it and show you how you can add more lights and gels…
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