Your Best Portraits

This photograph was taken during a competition in Portland, Oregon called PDX Squared, hosted by ASMP. There were 100 photographers, each assigned a random city block to explore and create within.
This particular image is especially meaningful to me because it’s a portrait of my husband. We were hanging out on an overpass around midnight, taking a breather, when I noticed the way the street lamps were casting this incredible light around him. I shifted my perspective—getting low to the ground—and suddenly the whole scene came alive. Bam! I captured this frame, and to this day, I lovingly call it my “James Dean” photograph.
It was taken with a Nikon D810 and a Sigma Art 50mm lens, using only the ambient light available. I kept the editing minimal, working solely in Lightroom to preserve the natural highlights and the rich, authentic feeling of the moment.