Portrait Session: Michelle Nielsen, Therapist

Striking a Balance Between Character and Composition
This shoot is a good example of a classic editorial portrait—plenty of clean space around the subject for text layout, while still holding its own as a composed image. In fact, I liked it enough that I didn’t feel the need to shoot an alternate setup based on my usual preferences.

Why Character Matters More Than Convention
Photographing someone like Michelle is often easier than working with a conventional model. She’s attractive, yes—but not in that interchangeable, agency-polished way. There’s personality in her face, and she was also refreshingly relaxed about the whole process.

Glass, Light, and a Minimal Setup
The background was a glass wall, which I tweaked slightly in Aperture to bring out a more unusual hue. Lighting was minimal: a shoot-through umbrella as the main source, with some fill bounced in using a reflector. Sometimes that’s all you need.