In this video I’m breaking down the behind-the-scenes from a recent fashion shoot I did with Crystal (she’s from an agency I work with), and the whole goal was simple: make the images feel more edgy, more dramatic, and a little grittier than what’s already in her portfolio. To get there, I focused on three things: creating a strong gradient from light to dark, leaning into harsher shadows (instead of trying to “fix” them), and infusing color so the frames feel moodier and more cinematic. For camera gear, I kept it super clean: Canon R6 + Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 for everything. Then I walk you through three lighting looks. Look one is a multi-light gradient setup—soft 5600K bounce on the face, plus two colored background lights (a saturated red gel and a red/pink RGB) to build that layered color falloff. Look two is my favorite “embrace the shadows” setup: a single Forza 500 through a Godox spotlight mount, creating a clean circle on the wall with deep falloff into darkness. And for the last look, I go lifestyle—direct key light, a practical lamp for hair light, and an RGB red edge to push the shadows into something more dramatic. Everything was shot at my studio, Sage Studios in DTLA.