This shoot sort of came to me in a dream...

I had a vision in my sleep about adding more color into my images. Luckily, this shoot was already booked, and after reflecting on that dream, I decided to try something new. Admittedly, all of the photos were shot on a white backdrop that I later changed in post.

Now, my preference is always to avoid over editing—I like capturing images as true to life as possible. But because I didn’t quite know what Autumn’s outfits would be, I waited until the editing phase to really figure out how I wanted the final images to look.

I think there are different types of photographers—some know exactly what they want going into a shoot, and others, like me, prefer to wait and see. I usually have a rough idea, but I don’t always have the final vision mapped out from the beginning. I’m an extremely intuitive person, and as silly or “of the times” as this may sound, I really do just vibe with the moment. When I’m shooting, I’m blending years of experience, my deep love for photography, and whatever’s happening right in front of me.

An important part of every shoot for me is the music. It’s funny—when chatting with past clients, they'll often note what music was playing during the session. For this shoot, Autumn suggested The Beatles, which is always a great choice.

The session lasted about an hour and a half. I used to limit shoots to an hour, mostly because I felt that we would both be tired by then. But lately, I’ve been extending the shoots to about 90 minutes. Although I’m usually a bit exhausted by the end, taking our time to capture the best images possible feels absolutely worth it.

I should mention—I operate as a one-man band. I’m adjusting the lighting, switching between cameras and lenses, and taking the photos. In the future, I hope to build a team. But I’ll admit, as draining as it can be, I’ve really grown to love the lone-wolf approach I’ve used these last seven years.