I had a very fun shoot with Nikola outside, despite the frigid 12º-15º temperatures. Nikola was especially great to shoot, and she was a great sport too – never complaining about the freezing cold. The cool, foggy air of downtown Salt Lake City made for some beautiful backdrops and I wanted to accent that with some creative lighting skills.

We battled the cold and took advantage of the beautiful foggy air, accenting it even more with some specialized lighting techniques to add a color shift and punch to the images. For instance in these first few images, I lit her in a way to make the skyline behind go a deeper blue. That contrast between cool and warm colors really makes her pop out, and it accentuates the cold feeling of the night.

These close ups are killer! I love her subtle expression, the look in her eye, and the color makes the image all the more interesting to me.

Here we have a mix of cool and warm colors again. It adds depth to the photograph, and makes the image feel more three-dimensional. Most photographers in comparison sadly use a very “flat” style of lighting. Their images are often muddy, dull, or blown out. The problem is that a photograph is already flat, and a flat picture on flat paper doesn’t have as much impact. I work hard to create dimension. I want to draw people into the images I create and make them stare and feel as if they could step into the photograph. That extra work I think gives images more of an emotional impact. I hope people can see the difference in what I offer.

These laughing images just show how much fun these photo shoots are. You can tell it’s cold, but you wouldn’t believe how cold by this genuine smile.

Finding some cover from the harsh wind, we stepped into this stoop for a few photographs. I really like the colors and textures and how they mix and blend well with her.


Shooting along this brick wall was great. I love the color harmony, and Nikola’s gorgeous hair ties in beautifully.

While speaking for Adobe at the national photography convention (ImagingUSA) this last week in San Antonio, I felt blessed to have a packed ballroom of about 1,000 people. I used these images in my demo on stage, and part of that demo was creating this trio below from scratch. I really liked the genuineness of her laughing images, so I combined them into a framed trio design to tell a story in three images. 

And finally, this serious image is just killer.

Thank you to Nikola for the fun shoot and her good-naturedness despite the freezing cold Utah weather. Often this time of year I’m shooting in the warm studio, but for this shoot I really wanted to create something different. And we got some incredible photographs by utilizing that cold air with some really creative lighting styles.

If you’re in need of some awesome photographs (even despite weather problems like frigid cold), give me a call at 801-728-3317. I’d love to create something awesome for you.

And until next time, America.