JSnaps Photography & Videography Blog

This is a little space to share the thinking behind, the stories that go with. The take aways. Photographer, sometimes videographer. I am based out of New York City.

Some weeks you’ll find reasoning behind a look, other times a thought I might have while at a coffee shop. Just a bit of me, shared.

Sunny Light Leaks - 9/13/25

Indoor sunny day light leaks.
As we know, timing is key, especially if your looking to do a photo session leveraging the sun as an element in your photoshoot. Knowing your start time to capture the light leak, its duration, and it’s level of intensity are factors that you need to study and know well.

A woman in a light-colored dress standing against a wall with her arms raised above her head. She is illuminated by a beam of light, creating shadows and a glow around her. Portrait Photographer New York City
A woman standing against a beige wall, wearing a yellow lace sleeveless dress, illuminated by a beam of light. Portrait Photographer New York City

Actor / Model: https://www.instagram.com/ana.kelliott/

Having tested and practiced compositions in mind, makes for the best results. Having clear and comfortable communication with your client will also allow you to capture and expand upon your ideas, creating beautiful in the moments that your client can help shape and form.

Young woman with long dark hair wearing a yellow lace dress, looking down with a sad expression, standing against a plain wall with soft lighting. Portrait Photographer New York City
Person in a sleeveless dress leaning back against a wall, with head tilted upward and face obscured, illuminated by colorful lighting. Portrait Photographer New York City

Often times, I only have myself.
We always want to be prepared, and comfortable before a photoshoot. Wether its having your exposure locked down, or the colors your creating with a recipe, we don’t want to be experimenting at the shoot. It’s a matter of saving time, and feeling comfortable.

Self Timer, Self Testing - 9/1/25

A person wearing a white t-shirt, glasses, and a hat, leaning forward with one hand on their knee in a dimly lit room near a window with backlighting. There are potted plants and a small lit candle on a surface near the window. Portrait Photographer
A man is crouching on a table near a window with plants and a candle, in front of a green wall. Portrait Photographer New York City

Leveraging my cameras self-timer, and my tripod, allows me to experiment, lock in and get right, camera and lighting settings. It helps me to explore different looks, perspectives and even ideas for poses. And though these selfr-timer sessions arent always 100% what I use during the shoot, they are invaluable to me as a foundation, and a comfortability perspective.

Light leak Portraiture - 8/1/25

A person with short dark hair and closed eyes is illuminated by a beam of light on their face and upper chest, with the surrounding background dark.

Hunting down the light leaks on The Highline (New York City)
You could think of it as another accessory you can wear—one that complements whatever your colors are. You could also use it a bit like a studio light, giving the client their own personal spotlight in an organic way that studio lighting can’t reproduce.

Actor / Model: https://www.instagram.com/miragechameleon/

One of the strengths of using a light leak or sunbeam in a portrait is that it creates a truly unique look for the client. You might use it just across the person’s face, or carefully position the subject so that the beam flows across their body. The possibilities are extensive. Although you can’t reposition the sun like a studio light, you can move yourself around the client. You can also work with the client to position them in various ways, sculpting the light leak around them.

A woman with closed eyes and long dark hair is leaning back against a wall, illuminated by a narrow beam of sunlight across her face in a dark room.
A young woman with dark hair, wearing a white sleeveless top, sitting on a wooden floor with a beam of sunlight highlighting her face and upper body in a dark environment.

Reflection Portraits - 7/1/25

Portrait reflection photoshoot on the New York City MTA 7 line reflections
7 line commuter reflections, something I was inspired by, Sometimes in the tunnels, sometimes at just the right time of day. Often it’s what is behind them out the windows, that is then superimposed on-top of them.

A woman with curly hair wearing a knitted sweater, looking through a glass window on a subway train at night, with city lights visible outside.

Actor / Model: https://www.instagram.com/abbykushenbach/

There are also times where nothing is superimposed from the outside. What is captured during these times isolates the softness of the reflections, a cinema quality that helps to add to the feeling of a moment, not just a straight up portrait.

A woman looking through the window of a subway train
A young woman with curly dark hair and light skin looked through a glass window on a train, wearing a beige knit sweater.
A person with curly hair looking out a subway train window, reflected in the glass with green and yellow lighting.

Music Video
A few video stills from a music video I shot and am currently in the process of editing. We started out in Flushing NY, and by the end of the day we were in Far Rockaway NY. We planed out the logistics and were able to shoot at 4 different locations in 1 day.

Latest videography - 6/1/25

Two women and a man in separate scenes. The top shows a shirtless young man and a woman with dark hair in a bathtub, touching faces in an intimate moment. The bottom shows a young woman with long hair and a man with curly hair in a kitchen, engaged in a serious conversation.

Musican / Actor credits: to come….

3 scenes down, we decided on 2 chop cheese and a Philly. We had to explain what a chop cheese was, we should've reversed right there but, we had hope. 45 mins later they were done making the sandwiches. lol. We then ventured on to Rockaway Beach (TBC)

A few things that I have really grown to embrace through the years about how I tackle my videography assignments. I work my cameras handheld. No gimble. Don’t get me wrong, I like what they can do, but this is a subjective call. That doesn’t mean I am looking for a crazy shaky frenetic look and feel. Slight shifts, subtle sways is a silent character in how I approach working handheld. This take on camera control allows for the viewer to feel like they are a bit closer, in the space, without causing distraction.

Split image showing a woman and a man in a kitchen in the top half and a woman and a man in a bathtub in the bottom half, both couples sharing intimate moments.
Six men playing trombones in a subway station, three standing and three sitting, with a warm, orange glow in the background and green lighting below. Portrait Photographer New York City

NYC Street Performer / 7 line platform at Grand Central
Whenever I commute through the city, I always have one of my cameras with me. NYC street performers, musicians are some of the friendliest, inspiring people you can meet, and ask if could capture a few. I always offer contact information to send them the high res photos as well.

New York City Street photos - 5/1/25

There is no post work applied to these photos. They were captured on two different days using two different “recipes” I created in my cameras (Fujifilm X-T5 & Fujifilm X-H2). These recipes adjust settings such as white balance, dynamic range, highlight and shadow control, color saturation, noise reduction, sharpening, and grain effects—each responding differently to various environments.

When creating my recipes, skin tone is a top priority. Lighting, backgrounds, textures, and materials are all handled differently depending on the specific recipe. Creating recipes that work for a client—and that you, as the photographer, fully understand—can drastically reduce post-production and editing time. Recipes are highly customizable and can be a great way to offer clients a unique look and feel that is entirely their own.

Man playing trombone in an indoor setting, wearing a sleeveless shirt, with focused facial expression. Portrait Photographer New York City
A man with tattoos wearing a white tank top holding a trombone in a crowded subway station with orange lighting. Portrait Photographer New York City

Product Testing - 4/1/25

Product photography through frosted plexiglass test
A client whose brand leans into black-and-white photography approached me to photograph their upcoming e-commerce and product images for marketing. Sometimes, I want to experiment—but it's late, and I'm alone. So I set the self-timer, back and forth I go,

A black-and-white photo of a person's face holding a lipstick near their lips, with the image blurred and artistically styled.

Many of times, the test are for something “basic”, no expectation of getting close to a final shot by any stretch. In this case, I just wanted to get close to what F Stop would work, and what strength settings my studio lights should be at to work at that FStop. The test gave me a great start to get some important settings down, making good use of my time, keeping the client in mind.

A person's shadow holding a spray bottle against a plain background.
A blurred image of a paintbrush with a handle, viewed through a textured or scratched surface.