Good photos start here.
Location ideas, honest advice, and stories from behind the camera. Find what helps you plan, then let’s make something that feels like you.
Topics
-
Start with the decisions that make a session feel like you.
Start here
Plan your NYC portrait session
Choose your photographer
Headshots or creative portraits?Feel prepared
Feel comfortable in front of the camera
Choose what to wear
Avoid common headshot mistakes
Understand model tests and digitals
Choose your final photographsFind your setting
NYC portrait locations
Studio or location?
At home · On a rooftop
Choose the right light
Summer · Winter · Rain plans
After dark · Editorial ideas
Los Angeles locationsMark something personal
Birthday portraits · Give a session as a gift -
For an ordinary afternoon together, a question you’ve been waiting to ask, or the next chapter.
Make it feel like you
Natural couples and engagement photo ideas
Find your NYC location
What to wear together
Make photographs at home
Anniversaries and date nightsPlan a milestone
Plan a surprise proposal
Engagement photos for save-the-dates
NYC vacations and honeymoonsBeyond New York
Los Angeles locations · LA timing and lightChoose your next step
Explore couples sessions · Explore engagement sessions
Explore wedding photography
Tell me your date and what you’re planning -
Make photographs that belong to the work you’re putting into the world.
Music and releases
Find the visual direction for your music
Plan an album-cover shoot
Build your press and EPK photographsBrands, books, and collections
Plan personal-brand photographs
Author portraits for books and press
Plan a fashion lookbook
Write a useful photography briefSee music projects · Explore commercial photography
Tell me about your project and deadline -
A closer look at how I see and what I carry. Start with the photographs; the gear is only part of the story.
Seeing and making
Light, color, and NYC streets
Black-and-white: light, shape, and expressionCamera notes
One year with my Ricoh GR III
Fujifilm X100VI or Ricoh GR III?
Sony a7CR: portraits and cropping
Sony a7 V: a portrait photographer’s perspectiveLike the way these photographs feel? See what a portrait session with me looks like.
Miami couples photos that feel romantic, not like a resort advertisement
Photographs from real couples sessions show how interaction, detail, light, and a compact route can make your Miami couples photos feel like you.
Miami portrait photos without the tourist look: a complete planning guide
A visual Miami portrait-planning guide that connects color, framing, clothing, weather, and location choices to the photographs you want to make.
A NYC Date-Night Photoshoot: Making the Session Part of Your Evening
A couples photoshoot can be one part of an evening you already want to have. Plan the route and timing, then leave room for the two of you.
What to Wear to a Model Test Shoot
Three looks, a simple packing list and a clear distinction between model tests and agency digitals. Here’s how to prepare for your session.
Why You Dislike Photos of Yourself—and How to Choose Differently
Look at expression, light, and the whole frame before judging one detail. A photo-led guide to reviewing portraits with more perspective.
9 Portrait Session Mistakes to Avoid
Nine planning choices that affect a portrait session, illustrated with photographs showing movement, styling, light, and setting.
NYC Couples Photo Ideas: Movement, Light & Connection
Twelve photographs from three couples sessions, with practical ideas for movement, clothing, light, details, and planning your own NYC couples photos.
Fujifilm X100VI Review: Great Photos, but Not My Pocket Camera
I like my Fujifilm X100VI, but its size doesn't fit the pocket camera I want for concerts. Twenty portraits, their settings, and the tradeoff that matters to me.
Planning a NYC Honeymoon Photoshoot
Make honeymoon photographs part of your time in New York, with a route and pace that leave room for the rest of the trip.
Model Digitals vs. Test Shoots: What to Book in NYC
Agency submissions and creative portfolio photographs serve different purposes. Start with the requirements, then decide whether a test shoot helps you make the images you need.
Sony a7 V Review: A Portrait Photographer's Perspective
I love the Sony a7 V, but it is expensive—and part of me still wants more megapixels. A personal look at its photos, video, and the balance it offers.
Planning a NYC Brand Content Day
A brand content day works best when it is built around the material you actually publish. Map the photographs to your website pages and recurring messages, then organize the shoot so each setup produces useful variety.
NYC Artist Portraits for a Launch or Press Feature
A launch gives your portraits a specific job and a real deadline. Whether you are preparing a release, exhibition or press feature, plan a clear introduction and supporting images that connect the person to the work.
NYC Summer Photoshoots: Planning Around Heat and Harsh Sun
Summer light can be soft, graphic, or full of color. Choose the look deliberately and build a session that leaves room for comfort and a realistic pace.
NYC Winter Portraits: Clothing, Light, and Staying Comfortable
Build a winter portrait session around comfortable clothing, a short route, and the kind of light you want rather than hoping the cold will be invisible.
What Happens If It Rains on Your NYC Photoshoot Day?
Rain changes the plan, but the right alternative depends on the photographs you want. Here is what to discuss before the forecast becomes the whole conversation.
At-Home Portrait Sessions in NYC: Making Your Space Work
You do not need a magazine-ready apartment. Plan around a few useful corners, the light available, and the parts of your everyday space you want to keep.
NYC Night Portraits: City Lights, Flash, and Atmosphere
How to plan a portrait after dark, from colorful ambient light to direct flash, without expecting every night photograph to look the same.
Planning a Fashion Lookbook Shoot in NYC
Turn a collection of outfits into a coherent set of photographs, with practical planning for garments, locations, and the final layout.
Planning a NYC Rooftop Portrait Session
The skyline is only one part of a rooftop portrait. A practical plan makes room for access, wind, changing light, and comfortable movement.

