Back in November I flew out to LA to shoot two of the members of Muse. One of the members wasn’t able to attend the shoot, so a week later I met up with him in London where I set up a makeshift studio in a lobby. While I was shooting at the studio in LA I had to be cognizant of the fact that the space I would be shooting in a week later would have to be recreated on a 4-foot wide seamless in a hallway. Thankfully I had the Lindsay Adler X Westcott Optical Spot, which allowed me to control and sculpt light in a small space (historically I would’ve used a projector or flags, which requires working in a dark or large space).

This shoot was a milestone for me for several reasons. First, Muse is a legendary band that I’ve been listening to for almost two decades, so this was an “achievement unlocked” moment in every sense of the word. Secondly, the shoots creative direction was based on my personal work, meaning that all of the unpaid work that I created when client work was non-existent wasn’t for nought. Third, the logistics of having to match a portrait created in a lobby with studio portraits meant that I had to put my Studio Anywhere muscles to work, thus validating my journey of working with minimal, portable gear (which was born out of necessity since I was broke lol). I had to rely on every skill I had to pull off this job, and I did it.

I want to thank Jesse Lee Stout / Metaform Studio for their trust and for including me in their vision.