For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to do editorial photography for film and television. That dream led me to the incredible work of Art Streiber—a legendary photographer who’s collaborated with every major studio and whose portraits have been published in some of the most iconic entertainment magazines. (Seriously, Google him—he’s amazing.)
When I found out he was teaching a one-day seminar at Santa Monica College, I knew I couldn’t miss it. The class wasn’t about gear or lighting—it was about the business: client emails, thank-you notes, paperwork, and how to build meaningful relationships- The class really stuck with me.
After the seminar, I sent Art a thank-you email—in the same format he uses with his clients—and included a casual offer to do a photoshoot of him at his office. I just wanted to show my appreciation and learn from one of the best. To my surprise, he said yes.
When I arrived, he was editing portraits of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg for a magazine feature dropping that week. He welcomed me in, shared stories, offered guidance, and gave me total creative freedom. That photoshoot completely changed how I approach portraits and I'm forever grateful to him.
About this photo:
Art often shares behind-the-scenes moments of his photoshoots on Instagram, where I came across his work initially. He often shares his lighting setups, gear, and all that go into creating his final images.
With that in mind, I wanted to photograph him in a similar environment: surrounded by equipment, almost like a behind-the-scenes look at the man behind the camera.
Canon R5. RF 24-70mm 2.8.
I used a 35" Aputure Light Dome paired with a Flashpoint 600 TTL as my key light. For added depth, I brought in an Aputure 300D on the side—it acted more as a practical element than a functional light source. The sun served as a natural backlight, creating subtle separation behind Art.
Post-Processing:
I used Photoshop for editing and color correction. As for Art on the apple crate, I composited him from a different frame to include the worker in the background—his body language felt stronger in that version, but I preferred the background of the other with the worker, that had the flatter body pose. The rest of the edits were more straightforward, focusing on mood and color balance. No luts or auto coloring.
Challenges:
One of the biggest challenges on this shoot was working outdoors. You’d think I’d have learned by now, but the bright California sun continues to be a tough opponent. Many of my outdoor shoots end up looking flat or washed out, and I’m still working on striking the right balance between harsh natural light and fill. That made post-production a little trickier than I’d hoped.
Another challenge was internal—my own nerves. I didn’t know Art that well yet, and I really wanted to make a good impression. That pressure held me back from fully directing the shoot the way I normally would. Looking back, I can see he appears a bit stiff in some shots, probably because I wasn’t as relaxed or confident as I should’ve been in guiding him. At one point, I defaulted to a more journalistic approach—just capturing him while he edited and did his work—which in hindsight may have felt underplanned to someone of his caliber. However, I love those images too.
That said, Art has always been incredibly kind and generous with his time. He continues to answer my questions and offer insight when I reach out. He’s been a true mentor, and I’ve learned so much from this shoot—about preparation, creative direction, and trusting my instincts.
To see more work from this shoot:
ecliptic media photo . net /blog /the-art-of-bts
Veery good.