The blog for anyone who’s ever wanted to quit this business—and didn’t.

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Keith DeCristo 2/9/20 Keith DeCristo 2/9/20

Unplanned Iconography II. This time, its personal. Styled by Naomi Cooper

There’s no craft to it. Not really. Just proximity, a reasonably functional camera, and the willingness to be caught off guard. To see the sacred in the incidental. The theatre in the detritus. You don’t capture these moments so much as agree to host them.

Stylized magazine-style cover featuring close-up of model Naomi Cooper with clean typography and bold design — *Unplanned Iconography II – Cover*

No plan. No prep time.

She opened the window and—

the light begged to watch.

They arrive with no warning—these crooked little visual haikus. A half-drunk espresso reflecting a neon cross. A cigarette burning too far down in the fingers of someone who should’ve left already. The symmetry of strangers. The impolite grace of real life refusing to wait for your shot list.

Welcome to Unplanned Iconography: a collection of accidents worth framing.

Model Carter Guthrie lit dramatically against a deep blue backdrop, wearing midnight teal fashion with vintage updo — *Carter Guthrie – Midnight Teal Look*

Model Carter Guthrie seated backwards on zebra-print chair in color editorial studio portrait — *Carter Guthrie – Color Studio Editorial*

She blinked. I missed it.

But the blur said more than she

ever would out loud.

“BTS fashion shoot with model seated in studio window, photographer visible in glass reflection, analog film frame overlay” — *"Next scan loading..."*

Keith DeCristo 9/7/15 Keith DeCristo 9/7/15

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.

Split black-and-white cover image with a close-up of a model in sunglasses and a shirtless male model in a pool below, promoting the “Unplanned Iconography” series. — *Unplanned Iconography – Canon C300 & 5DMK3 Promo*

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.

A reclining woman in a bikini, lounging under a canopy poolside with palm trees in the background. Shot in high-contrast black and white. Produced and Co-directed by Nick Foss — *Model Lounging in Sun Chair – Iconic Poolside Image*

A shirtless male model walks through an infinity pool with the Los Angeles skyline and mountains blurred in the distance. Shot in black and white. — *Male Model Emerging from Infinity Pool – LA Skyline*

Close-up of a woman in sunglasses, windblown hair, and a black top, gazing to the side in strong natural light. Co-produced and directed by Nick Foss. — *Model in Sunglasses with Windblown Hair – Black & White Close-Up*

A woman in a bikini dances near a rooftop infinity pool with palm trees and Los Angeles in the background, wearing large headphones and bathed in blue light. — *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