MXGARI
This studio session for indie rock musician MXGARI involved using warm and shadowed lighting techniques to capture his personality and align with his musical aesthetic for album covers, social media.
The studio shoot for MXGARI was designed to visually echo the emotional softness and rawness of his indie folk sound. I coordinated his wardrobe with muted, earthy tones and textured fabrics to complement the gentle lighting. To unify the visual palette, I selected a green curtain backdrop that subtly blended with both his outfit and the tonal warmth in post production. The shadows were intentionally used to shape his face and emphasize expression, reinforcing the introspective mood of the shoot. Every element, from styling to lighting to color grading, was created to feel natural.
I used a single key light positioned at roughly 45 degrees from his face and slightly above eye level, angled downward to sculpt his facial structure. This creates intentional shadow depth along one side of the face, to produce a Rembrandt style triangle of light. The shadows are controlled rather than harsh, due to the key light being modified with a softbox. In post production, I added linear and gradient masks to add light to his face and guitar. I edited in a warm tone that compliments the overall neutral vibe of the shoot.
