Featuring a talented Austin beauty and fashion photographer whose work exudes a natural light feel that invites you to step outside. From her journey into beauty and cosmetics photography to her favorite gear, she shares invaluable insights into her creative process and the evolving world of commercial photography. Dive in to learn more about her artistic evolution, favorite projects, and what keeps her inspired.
Website: kristamillerphotography.com
Instagram: @krista.miller.photography
Your work has a natural light feel that makes me want to be outside. How did you come to develop this into your style?
Honestly, this was just a LOT of shooting, and realizing that is the light I gravitate toward. I think experimenting and shooting as much as possible is the only way to figure out what your style is! You’ll figure it out without even trying if you’re just practicing your craft often and with an open mind.
Are there any photographers or artists who have influenced your work?
I have only really begun to dive deeper into studying the work of photographers, whether contemporary or historical. I’ve always been drawn to classic paintings and drawings for compositional inspiration, and love a good fashion spread. I can often tell you a LOT about what I found inspiring about a body of work, while simultaneously not knowing who even shot it. I’m definitely working on this, though, and am starting to study individual photographers more meticulously. I do really admire Kayleigh June and Olivia Bossert. Their styles are so natural and feminine and they’re both so generous with their knowledge. Big fan over here.
What equipment, platforms, or tools are essential for you as a commercial photographer?
I am a Nikon girl through and through, and my trusty workhorse lenses are the 105mm, 50mm, and 16-35mm. I love the prime lenses the most, but the wide angle zoom comes in handy as well. For strobes, I favor Profoto, because I just can’t complain about the quality of the light, as well as the ease of use. I don’t think commercial photography needs to always involve artificial light, but even when going for a natural light look, it’s important to have the knowledge to be able to bring in strobes when needed, and how to make it look natural mixed with ambient light. On set, I also rely heavily on CaptureOne not just for tethering (a must-have in commercial photography, if you ask me) but also post-production work like color grading. I do a lot of file prepping in CaptureOne before exporting images out to finish up in Photoshop, whether I am retouching myself or sending it off. I also rely heavily on Dropbox for file handoffs, but for other jobs, I prefer to set up a gallery inside of Format, which is where I host my website.
Do you have any insights as to what you have found to be your most effective marketing tool?
I know this is the answer a lot of us introverted creatives don’t want to hear, but, 99% of my jobs have been through networking and word of mouth.
Could you share a favorite project or client you’ve worked with? And why?
While I absolutely LOVE my clients, my favorite projects are my personal projects or test shoots. The freedom to create and explore and try new things on my own terms (or with a team of amazing talent!) is so refreshing and life-giving. As I mentioned before, this is how I have been able to really hone in on what I’m drawn to, which has organically helped me define my personal style. I recently did an amazing test shoot where I went in just wanting to play around with new in-camera techniques – I was not expecting to get anything even close to exciting – and came away with some of my most favorite photographs to date. This is a whole other long story, but I actually got to present it in a gallery setting and it was a super magical experience. The work can be found on my website HERE.
What emerging trends or technologies in commercial photography excite you the most?
I know a lot of people are feeling very nervous about AI, and I have to admit that if I let myself I can also go into a spiral about it! But I am really excited to see how it develops. Speaking of Olivia Bossert, she just did a podcast episode addressing AI, and in it she talked about using Midjourney for mood boarding and now I’m obsessed. (Thank Olivia!) I already started implementing this in some test shoot planning, and I think it’s going to be a game changer for me in that way. I also have a personal project I’m in the beginning stages of developing that will involve AI in the planning aspects (but NOT in the finished images), so stay tuned!
