People & Portraits
I’ve always been drawn to the stories that faces can tell—whether it’s a quiet moment in a gritty environment, a dancer caught mid-air, or just someone being fully themselves in front of the camera.
My portrait work is all about capturing personality, expression, and a sense of real connection. Sometimes that means working with dramatic lighting in a studio, other times it’s about letting the setting do the talking.
Either way, these portraits are a look at the people I’ve crossed paths with and the stories we’ve told together
Creative Portrait in an Abandoned Building – Climbing Through a Frame
In this creative portrait, a young woman poses with a rustic wooden frame in the middle of a crumbling hallway inside an abandoned building. The illusion makes it appear as if she's stepping out of the frame into real life. The decaying walls, broken windows, and rubble-lined floor provide a haunting contrast to the vibrant energy of the subject. This photo blends urban exploration with surreal portraiture, offering a compelling story of contrast, perspective, and imagination.
Self-Portrait of Canadian Photographer Dave Conlon
This creative self-portrait of Canadian photographer Dave Conlon captures a moment of artistic expression using hand framing and direct eye contact. Shot against a neutral grey background, the image highlights both the subject’s personality and his connection to visual storytelling. Tattoos, glasses, and a simple black shirt add character and authenticity to this clean, modern portrait that reflects both identity and intention.
Professional Studio Headshot – Sarah Van Der Valk
This studio portrait of Sarah Van Der Valk presents a clean, confident, and professional look. Styled in a deep red dress and subtle jewelry, she stands out against a dark, softly lit backdrop. Her bright smile, natural expression, and smooth lighting make this an ideal image for use in portfolios, editorial spreads, or personal branding content. It combines modern studio technique with personality and polish.
Studio Portrait of Sarah Van Der Valk in Black Sequin Dress
This studio portrait of Sarah Van Der Valk uses directional lighting and a dark backdrop to create a mood of quiet elegance. Wearing a black sequin dress, Sarah poses in profile with her hand raised to her face, catching subtle highlights in the sequins and her hair. The image is a study in texture, tone, and grace, captured in a minimalist studio setting that draws full focus to the subject’s natural expression and refined style.
Vintage-Inspired Studio Portrait – Sarah Van Der Valk with Antique Radio
This lighthearted studio portrait of Sarah Van Der Valk blends modern photographic techniques with vintage charm. Wearing a classic blue polka dot dress, she leans casually on an antique wooden radio, smiling confidently at the camera. The neutral-toned backdrop adds softness and contrast, enhancing the nostalgic feel of the image. A strong example of themed portraiture with personality and polish.
Close-Up Studio Portrait – Sarah Van Der Valk with Subtle Smile
In this intimate studio portrait, Sarah Van Der Valk looks straight into the lens with a subtle, confident smile. Her bright blue eyes and soft skin tones are highlighted by diffused studio lighting and a black backdrop, allowing the viewer to connect instantly with her gaze. The photo balances professional lighting and natural expression, making it a strong example of clean, minimalist portrait photography with personality and presence.
Extreme Close-Up Eye Portrait – Sarah Van Der Valk
This macro-style portrait captures an intimate and hyper-detailed view of Sarah Van Der Valk’s eye, highlighting the textures of the skin, lashes, and iris with precision and softness. The frame isolates the eye and surrounding features, making it a powerful study in focus, contrast, and expression. The dark background enhances the luminosity and detail, while the natural light direction brings the image to life. A perfect blend of portraiture and fine art detail.
Ballerinas in Motion – Studio Dance Portrait of Peyton and Raya
Set against a softly lit studio backdrop, this dance portrait showcases Peyton and Raya in a powerful duet pose. Peyton is grounded in a deep lunge, offering strength and balance, while Raya soars through the air in an elegant leap, her back arched and hair in motion. Both dancers wear matching pink leotards and light tights, visually linking their movements. The timing, coordination, and trust between the two are evident, with the image freezing an otherwise fleeting moment of energy and grace. This photograph captures the essence of ballet’s athleticism and artistry.
Photographer with Complete Urban Exploration and Photography Gear
This overhead photo shows a visual inventory of an urban explorer and photographer’s complete toolkit. At the center lies the photographer, arms behind his head, framed symmetrically by dozens of items arranged with precision. On the left: LED panels, cameras, batteries, lens filters, memory cards, communication gear, lighting accessories, and a full camera backpack setup. On the right: tripods, lights, gloves, flashlights, masks, action cameras, and long telephoto lenses. Each item is laid out to showcase the variety and specificity required for documenting abandoned places and low-light locations. It’s a peek behind the curtain into the essential gear that makes these explorations possible.
Levitation Portrait in an Abandoned Newspaper-Strewn Room
In this creative levitation photograph, a young woman in a vivid pink dress appears to float above the ruined floor of an abandoned room filled with rubble, bricks, and scattered pages of old newspapers. The contrast between her clean, elegant form and the decaying, chaotic environment evokes a sense of surreal beauty and defiance against the backdrop of urban decay.
With light streaming in from the open windows, the textures of the peeling plaster, exposed bricks, and piles of forgotten paper are accentuated — adding atmosphere and depth. This is a perfect fusion of fine art and urban exploration, merging storytelling, surrealism, and photography in one captivating frame.
Close-Up Gritty Portrait of an Elderly Face and Eyes
This intense macro portrait zooms in on the textured face of an elderly subject, capturing every line, pore, and emotion etched into the skin. The focus is sharp on the eyes, which look sideways with a piercing, almost suspicious expression. The photo invites viewers to examine the details of age, time, and human experience, making it suitable for both artistic interpretation and documentary-style photography.
Steel Wool Sparks Rain Down in Front of an Abandoned Fire Truck
This dramatic long-exposure image captures a creative light painting session where a girl stands silhouetted, holding an umbrella beneath a storm of golden steel wool sparks. Behind her, an old red fire truck provides a gritty, nostalgic backdrop that contrasts with the elegance and motion of the fiery light trails. This kind of photo involves spinning burning steel wool inside a whisk attached to a chain, creating trails of molten sparks when captured at a slow shutter speed. The resulting photo is part urban decay, part performance art, and entirely mesmerizing.
Freaktography Portrait – Surrounded by Mannequins in Storage Room
This eccentric and atmospheric portrait features photographer Dave Conlon of Freaktography seated among dozens of dismembered and full-bodied mannequins. Shot in a cramped, pastel-blue storage room, the image plays with themes of isolation, absurdity, and visual overload. Each mannequin has its own pose, some headless, others staring blankly, amplifying the surreal nature of the shot. It's both a tongue-in-cheek moment and a clever blend of documentary and conceptual photography.
Outdoor Dance Portrait – Peyton Seated with Arms Raised
In this grounded and expressive outdoor portrait, Peyton channels strength and serenity in a seated pose with her arms lifted toward the sky. Her bright red top stands out against the muted tones of the urban wall and soft greenery behind her. The light casts a warm glow on her face, creating a bold, uplifting portrait that conveys power in stillness and grace in symmetry. A strong entry in a modern outdoor dance photography series.
Multiple Exposure Ballerina Portrait – Peyton in Studio
This layered dance portrait features ballerina Peyton in a sequence of graceful ballet movements, captured using multiple exposure photography. Her red leotard and black skirt pop against a deep blue studio background, while her expressive arm and leg movements create visual rhythm across the frame. The image combines fine art portraiture with technical creativity, revealing the flow of dance in a single, unified frame.
Dance Portrait with Light Trails – Ballerina in Motion
This dance portrait captures the duality of stillness and movement. A ballerina poses in blue, one arm raised, while slow shutter motion blur leaves behind delicate light trails that mirror the fluidity of her performance. The image combines sharp focus with ghosted motion, telling a visual story of poise, energy, and elegance. It’s a bold fusion of flash and long exposure that transforms a moment into a living impression of dance.
Expressive Dance Pose – Ballerina in Blue Against Black
This image captures a ballerina in a visually commanding moment, extending upward in both arms and legs while her blue fabric flows gently behind. The use of low-key lighting and precise flash accentuates muscle tone and motion while isolating the subject in darkness. This portrait conveys strength, balance, and elegance through clean composition and intentional lighting—an ideal visual study of the human form in expressive movement.
Mid-Air Dance Portrait – Ballerina in Flight
This high-impact dance portrait captures a split-second moment of pure elevation and strength. The ballerina, dressed in flowing blue fabric, is suspended mid-air with her limbs extended in graceful arcs. The dark background isolates her form, creating a dramatic contrast that highlights motion, power, and control. This image combines timing, athleticism, and artistry to showcase the expressive beauty of dance in flight.
Moody Portrait of an Elderly Man in Black Hoodie and Cap
This moody portrait captures the rugged character of an older man standing against a black backdrop. His expression is serious and contemplative, with a piercing gaze that cuts through the shadows. The side lighting reveals every crease, wrinkle, and contour of his face, enhancing the gritty aesthetic and emotional depth of the shot. His black hoodie and textured cap blend into the dark background, allowing the facial features to stand out prominently.
The image evokes strength, wisdom, and perhaps a bit of defiance. It's the kind of portrait that stops viewers and makes them ask, “What’s his story?”
Silhouette Study – Raya and Peyton in Pointe Position
Captured in studio lighting against a white background, this powerful black-and-white silhouette features two ballerinas, Raya and Peyton, frozen in perfect symmetry. Standing en pointe, they each extend one leg back and their arms upward, meeting at the fingertips to create a mirrored arch of strength and poise. The lighting highlights the contours of their tutus and the graceful lines of their bodies while concealing facial features, turning the focus fully to form and posture. This minimalist approach emphasizes the purity of movement, balance, and artistic connection between the two dancers.
Studio Portrait of Sarah Van Der Valk in Black Sequin Dress
This studio portrait of Sarah Van Der Valk uses directional lighting and a dark backdrop to create a mood of quiet elegance. Wearing a black sequin dress, Sarah poses in profile with her hand raised to her face, catching subtle highlights in the sequins and her hair. The image is a study in texture, tone, and grace, captured in a minimalist studio setting that draws full focus to the subject’s natural expression and refined style.
Editorial Studio Portrait – Sarah Van Der Valk in Deep Red
This portrait captures a quiet intensity in Sarah Van Der Valk’s expression, blending elegance with minimalism. Her long blonde hair and deep red dress stand out against a textured, neutral-toned backdrop. Lit with soft directional light, the image brings out depth and detail while maintaining a calm, composed mood. It’s a strong example of contemporary editorial portraiture with a professional studio finish.
Outdoor Dance Portrait – Peyton Holding High Leg Pose
This striking outdoor portrait captures ballerina Peyton in a technically challenging high leg extension pose, barefoot and grounded on a concrete platform. Her red top adds a vibrant pop of color against the neutral tones of the wall and surrounding greenery. The precision of her form, paired with the soft evening light, creates a bold visual contrast between physical discipline and natural beauty. A standout moment from an expressive outdoor dance session.
Soft Light Studio Portrait – Ballerina in Blue
This portrait captures a moment of calm and grace as a young ballerina gazes off-frame in thoughtful stillness. The use of soft, directional lighting sculpts her profile while casting subtle highlights on her blue costume and curls. The dark background keeps the viewer’s attention fully on her face and expression. This image combines elegance and quiet emotion, making it a standout piece in a dance or studio portrait series.
Low-Key Flash Portrait of a Ballerina in Motion
This striking portrait captures a ballerina in a moment of poised motion, illuminated by a single flash source against a black background. The use of low-key lighting sculpts the contours of her form while allowing the flowing fabric to move with grace and texture. Shot in a controlled studio environment, this image blends dance, portraiture, and theatrical lighting to create a powerful sense of drama and movement. It's a showcase of timing, technique, and creativity behind the lens.
Outdoor Dance Portrait – Peyton in Red Top and Black Leggings
In this expressive outdoor portrait, ballerina Peyton performs a grounded yet elegant dance pose on a concrete platform. Her red top and black leggings contrast with the muted industrial background, while soft natural light and greenery add depth and balance. This portrait blends ballet, strength, and natural settings, showcasing dance outside the traditional studio space for a fresh, modern perspective.
Studio Dance Portrait – Peyton in Maroon Dress
In this refined studio portrait, ballerina Peyton performs a striking pose with her head arched back, arms extended, and one leg lifted behind her. The maroon dress flows naturally with her movement, while the neutral grey backdrop keeps focus on her form and expression. This portrait highlights Peyton’s control, strength, and artistic grace—balancing emotion with technical precision in a minimalist studio setting.
Outdoor Dance Portrait – Peyton Vertical Leg Extension Pose
This commanding outdoor portrait showcases ballerina Peyton in a striking vertical leg extension pose, held with strength and complete control. Her red top and black leggings create visual impact against the soft concrete tones and deep green foliage behind her. The golden hour light highlights both the power and elegance of the pose, capturing a moment of focus, discipline, and expressive grace in a non-traditional setting.
Studio Ballet Portrait – Dancer in Red and Gold Tutu with Shadow Play
This elegant studio portrait captures a ballet dancer mid-pose, dressed in a regal red and gold tutu, lit to create a dramatic shadow that echoes her graceful form. The sharp contrast of lighting and the precision of her en pointe position emphasize strength, balance, and classical technique. The composition draws focus to both the dancer and her silhouette, offering a refined blend of movement and stillness in a controlled studio setting.
Slow Shutter Dance Portrait – Ballerina in Motion Blur
This image captures the fluid artistry of dance using long exposure and motion blur. A ballerina dressed in blue flows through the frame, leaving behind ghosted trails that evoke energy, emotion, and rhythm. The contrast between the soft motion and controlled posture at the frame's core creates a painterly aesthetic. A blend of performance and photography, this portrait explores time, movement, and the physical expression of light.