I started shooting portraits in 2011 with a Canon 7D I originally bought for filmmaking. For a while I was winging it, always looking for fresh tutorials on YouTube to learn more. Some sessions I'd nail, others I'd drive home knowing the shots weren't there, and I couldn't always tell you what was different between the two.
In 2014, I stopped trying to re-invent the wheel on every shoot and started building systems instead. One light, locked in settings, a process I could repeat under pressure whether the client was an A-list actor or someone who'd never been photographed in their life. If I had a proven system of working, I could confidently sell my services knowing I would deliver outstanding results every single time.
Then I realized the technical side was only half of it. The other half was the person in front of the lens. How you direct them, how you make them comfortable, how you pull something real out of someone who hates having their photo taken.
That's the part nobody really teaches, and it's the part that changes everything.This is how my wife and I built our studio in LA, shooting 2 to 3 clients a day with a long waitlist of clients eager to shoot. I built Portraitist because I got tired of watching talented photographers remain stuck in their craft. They've got the eye and the gear. What they're missing is a system and the confidence to run the room. This takes on both.