3 Creative Portrait Photography Ideas in 1 Ordinary Location | Lindsay Adler

Lindsay Adler is back with another photography experiment, proving once again that you don’t need an epic location to create jaw-dropping portraits. This time, she’s taking a 10-foot stretch of an ordinary street corner – graffiti, dirt, and all – and turning it into a series of strikingly different shots. With a few simple tools and a creative mindset, she shows how angles, lighting, and lenses can completely transform a scene. 

Soft and Dreamy: Using V-Flats and Lensbaby Omni

First up, Lindsay wants to enhance model Eva’s otherworldly, almost translucent skin. The solution? Soft, glowing light. Instead of using the harsh midday sun directly, she sets up a V-Flat to bounce the sunlight, creating an even, creamy effect that smooths out the skin and enhances that ethereal vibe.

To push the surreal aesthetic even further, she grabs her 85mm f/1.2 lens, shooting at f/2.2 for a dreamy depth of field. But she doesn’t stop there – she adds Lensbaby Omni filters to introduce subtle rainbow flares, giving the shot an extra touch of magic. The result? A luminous, futuristic portrait that looks nothing like the gritty city street she’s shooting in.

Playing with Reflections: Mylar for an Underwater Effect

For the next look, Lindsay switches gears completely. Instead of soft and smooth, she goes for texture and unpredictability. She pulls out a crinkled sheet of Mylar and uses it to reflect and distort the sunlight, creating wild, shifting patterns on Eva’s face. Depending on the exposure, the effect can range from soft and dreamy to dark and dramatic – almost like looking at her through rippling water.

The Mylar doesn’t just change the light; it adds movement and an organic feel to the images, turning an otherwise simple portrait into something dynamic and visually complex. With just a sheet of reflective material and a willingness to experiment, Lindsay proves that you don’t need a fancy setup to achieve mesmerizing effects.

High-Contrast Fashion: Scaffolding and Direct Sunlight

For the final look, Lindsay steps away from reflections and soft light entirely and embraces high-contrast drama. She spots a scaffold in the background and decides to use its strong geometric lines to frame Eva. Instead of diffusing the sunlight, Lindsay lets it hit Eva directly, emphasizing her bone structure and creating deep, striking shadows.

This setup calls for a wider shot to show off Eva’s stunning dress, so Lindsay switches to a 50mm f/1.2 lens, shooting at f/2.2 to slightly blur the background while keeping Eva sharp and prominent. The harsh lighting and the industrial backdrop create a bold, editorial-style image that screams high fashion. To complete the look, she envisions the final result in black and white, stripping away color to focus purely on shape, light, and contrast.

Transforming the Ordinary into the Extraordinary

At first glance, this location seemed uninspiring – cars, trash, and a whole lot of nothing special. But Lindsay’s approach proves that with the right tools and a creative eye, even the most unremarkable spot can produce incredible results. By changing her lighting, experimenting with lenses, and thinking outside the box with reflections and in-camera effects, she was able to craft three entirely different aesthetics – all within the same tiny space.

Wanna Learn More?

Interested in learning more of Lindsay's creative portrait photography tips? Check out more videos by Lindsay to create dramatic, striking looks that stand out.

Plus, we’ve got over 100 videos on our Behind the Scenes page with tips and tricks for photographers and videographers of all genres.