The blog for anyone who’s ever wanted to quit this business—and didn’t.
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Un-Planned Iconography Vol. One: The Civillian Cover Story
I used to think the best images were the ones you planned—the ones where the talent hit their mark, the light spilled just right, and the whole damn thing looked like it belonged on a moodboard next to a quote from Tarkovsky and an ashtray.
But- the ones that stick with me? They’re almost always the throwaways.
Framed it. Lit it. Clicked.
Then tripped, and the test shot won.
I hate that I love it.
Unplanned Iconography – Canon C300 & 5DMK3 Promo
I used to think the best images were the ones you planned—the ones where the talent hit their mark, the light spilled just right, and the whole damn thing looked like it belonged on a moodboard next to a quote from Tarkovsky and an ashtray.
But the ones that stick with me? They’re almost always the throwaways. The test frame before the pose. The grip leaning just a little too perfectly into frame. A pigeon ruining someone’s attempt at sincerity. There’s a strange, stubborn poetry to the things I didn’t mean to shoot.
I don’t know, maybe I’m just noticing more. Or maybe I’m finally letting go of the myth that anything can be controlled. Maybe these images say more about how I really see the world than all the ones I lit within an inch of their life.
Welcome to Unplanned Iconography: a collection of accidents worth framing.
Model Lounging in Sun Chair – Iconic Poolside Image
Male Model Emerging from Infinity Pool – LA Skyline
Model in Sunglasses with Windblown Hair – Black & White Close-Up
Model Dancing with Headphones – Hollywood Hills Infinity Pool
On this shoot, the unexpected thing takes form of an outlier.
The woman in these photos is not a model by profession, or even a hobby. I became known of this fact during preproduction, when I asked for a headshot or a reel and learned that I would not be getting one, nor would it be possible to add the lights and diffusion tools that I would need to sculpt a civilian into celebrity. Turns out, I was worried for nothing. This forty-something civilian stole the show with a natural, captivating energy, solid creative instincts, and not a single bad angle to be found.
Among some photographers, this is known as: “When the model does all the work”.
Mostly natural light. At the top of the day I leaned heavily on a variable ND plus a polarizer to maintain a f5.6/f8.0 split, sometimes using the architecture of the location to avoid harsh light. In the afternoon we switched to 4x4 bounce cards. On the last setup we turned on the only light that ever played- an HMI that I was using to emulate something I call “The David Lachapelle High Key”.
Canon C300 | Canon 5DMK3
Arri Master Primes
L-Series Canon Glass
Tiffen Glimmer Glass, Black Pro Mist
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That Time I Used the Force… and Shot for ELLE UK | Behind the Lens
In 2012, I was broken, brilliant, and about to fake my way into one of the most iconic shoots of my career. This is the story of burnout, blind luck, and how a Canon 1DX with no silent shutter forced me into post-production witchcraft that somehow landed me in the pages of ELLE UK. Warning: contains eagles, French cigarettes, and emotional whiplash.
A behind-the-scenes tale of burnout, brilliance, and blind luck—the day I hit creative rock bottom and landed a dream gig anyway.
Looking from the inside out—with the grim clarity of hindsight, after multiple rounds of introspective dissection and enough mirror-staring to qualify as psychological warfare—I still struggle to describe the man I’d become by 2012. Not honestly, at least. Not politely.
I’d played the role of card-carrying creative professional for 5,326 consecutive days. No breaks. No vacations. No reprieve from the madness. Just a marathon of deadlines, deliverables, and the slow erosion of soul that comes from turning your passion into your paycheck.
Has anyone here seen the movie Home for the Holidays?
Bogey. Par. Bogey. Bogey. Par. Par. Bogey. Par. Bogey. Bogey. Bogey. Bogey. Bogey. Bogey.
Bogey. Eagle.
Repeat.
This, friends, is what forging a career in the entertainment industry looks like. A cruel, looping scorecard where some of those bogeys hit like bricks to the ribs—and they don’t wait for you to recover. Oh no. They bring backup. Ugly, swing-happy cousins with bad timing and worse breath. Before you know it, you’re face-down on the mat, right next to the spot where you were last kicked. You’ll swear the floor is getting familiar.
And yeah, go ahead—say it: “I’ve had enough of this shit.”
Of course you have. We all have. Especially after whispering to ourselves, over and over, that self-medication counts as spiritual hygiene. (Spoiler: it doesn’t.) And just when the blackness starts creeping into your daylight, when the last glimmer of optimism is being smothered beneath the weight of the next unpaid invoice...
An eagle. Out of nowhere.
Your body goes weightless. The fog lifts. And suddenly, you’re standing under a creative waterfall—washed clean by pure, uncut joy. A day’s work that felt like flying. One of those rare, godlike moments when the camera obeys, the team syncs, and the light kisses everything just right.
You celebrate the only way that feels true:
French bistro. Late-night. Your crew beside you.
Buttery entrees. Bottles emptied. Illicit restroom rituals.
Post-prandial cigarettes, flicked with cinematic flair.
If the timing’s right, you might even catch the sunrise bleeding across the Manhattan skyline. It never gets old. It never loses power.
But later—hungover and spiritually gutted—you’ll face the truth.
You’ve got nothing booked. Your calendar is a desert.
And the next paid gig? A total mystery.
THE POINT.
It’s not enough to love what you do. You’ve got to be hopelessly, delusionally *in love* with it.
It’s a dysfunctional romance—your art is a seductress with lipstick smudged and excuses rehearsed. She shows up late, smelling of alcohol and regret, and you… you welcome her like a fool in love.
To survive, you must Jedi-mind-trick your ego into submission. You must romanticize rejection, fetishize failure, and mistake misery for meaning.
Wait—hold on.
Did you hear that?
Sorry. That was a producer friend calling. He’s in town for a shoot. Needs a camera op. Someone he trusts. His guy bailed.
And just like that… I’m booked.
No big deal, right? Just a throwaway gig.
Except—spoiler—it’s for one of the biggest fashion publishers on Earth.
A few weeks later, my BTS stills land across six global editions. The checks clear. In Euros.
And I walk away with some of the most iconic images of my entire career.
So… what was I saying?
Something about eagles.
Let me get back to you.
📸 TECHNICAL SPECS:
Location:
Milk Studios, NYC – 20,000 sq. ft. daylight studio (AKA the suntrap of the gods)
Camera Body:
Canon 1DX (DSLR, no silent shutter)
Novoflex EOS-Nikon F Adapter
Workaround:
Due to set restrictions, I couldn’t shoot stills. Instead, I shot 4K video at max resolution, pulled selects via After Effects, converted frames to DNG, de-noised, and up-res’d each final image in Photoshop.
“Was it ideal? No. Did it work? Better than anyone expected.”
Lenses (Vintage Nikon F-mount primes, mid-70s):
50mm f/1.9
105mm f/2
135mm f/2.8
Filtration & Accessories:
Tiffen Glimmer Glass 1
Chrosziel Matte Box
Gitzo Monopod
Dreamy black and white closeup of Nadine Ponce being brushed with makeup, photographed by Keith DeCristo during an ELLE UK shoot.
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Focused black and white portrait of Gucci Westman mid-application during a high-profile beauty shoot for ELLE UK at Milk Studios NYC
Behind-the-scenes profile photo of Nadine Ponce in the makeup chair, photographed during a fashion editorial with makeup by Gucci Westman
Nadine poses dramatically in front of a teal backdrop as the main photographer, David Slijper, captures the moment mid-shoot.
Dramatic black and white portrait of Nadine Ponce using curtain light effect, part of Keith DeCristo’s BTS beauty shoot for ELLE UK.
“I believe every man’s finest hour, his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear, is that moment after he has fought, with all of his heart, for a worthy cause, and lies exhausted on the field of battle, victorious.”
— Vince Lombardi
Ethereal beauty portrait of Nadine Ponce in a sheer dress set against a vibrant yellow background, captured by Keith DeCristo.
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