My Favorite Photo? It’s Actually the Shoot I Love Most

My Favorite Photo? It’s Actually the Shoot I Love Most

Lessons for Those Who Want to Learn Portrait Photography

One of my students recently asked me a simple question during class:

“What photo do you love the most in your portfolio?”

At first, I thought it would be easy to answer. I immediately remembered several images that I really like—some because of the lighting, others because of the expression or the concept behind the shoot.

But as I tried to decide which photograph I loved the most, I realized something interesting.

It wasn’t actually the photo itself.

It was the shoot.

When I look back at the images that stand out in my portfolio, what I remember most isn’t just the final photograph. What I remember is the experience of creating it.

I remember working with the model and watching the personality come out in front of the camera.

I remember shaping the light in the studio until it finally felt right.

I remember the collaboration with the team—the makeup artist, the hair stylist, and the wardrobe stylist—all contributing to the final result.

In portrait photography, the image you see at the end is only the final frame of a creative process.

The concept, the lighting, the direction, the model’s energy, and the teamwork all play a role in creating that one photograph.

Sometimes everything simply clicks.

The lighting works perfectly.

The model finds the right expression.

The team is fully in sync with the concept.

When that happens, the session becomes memorable. And when I later see the photograph in my portfolio, I remember the entire experience behind it.

That’s why I often tell my students who want to learn portrait photography or learn studio lighting that photography is not only about the final image.

It’s about the process of creating the image.

The collaboration.

The experimentation with light.

The connection between photographer and subject.

Those moments are what truly make a photograph meaningful.

So when someone asks me what my favorite photo is, the honest answer is:

I don’t really have just one.

Because what I truly love are the photo shoots where everything came together—the concept, the lighting, the model, and the team.

The photograph is simply the result of that moment.

And for anyone starting to learn portrait photography, that’s an important lesson:

focus not only on the image, but also on the experience of creating it.

Keep on shooting everyone!