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What Makes a Good Photographer? A Portfolio Deconstruction
Clyde Vaughan
Guest post by Clyde Vaughan — ahead of Clyde's talk on January 22: “How to create incredible images: A talk by Clyde Vaughan”.
If you ask “what makes a good photographer?”, the answer depends on what “good” means—income, notoriety, appreciation. The thread that ties it all together is the ability to build a story through images. Looking at the work that inspires you—and deconstructing it—is one of the fastest ways to learn the craft and develop your own voice.
Understanding light
The key to any image is light over time—how light hides or reveals detail to shape mood and story. Use it to create depth, make artificial light feel natural, and build scenes rather than single frames.
Samuel Elkins is a master of harsh, direct light. Through composition and camera placement he shoots in hard light that still feels soft and lived-in—no blown highlights, rich shadows. He embraces contrast: darks stay dark, brights stay bright, avoiding the “HDR” flattening that kills emotion.
Gracie Steindl brings complete control in the studio—manufacturing beautiful frames with lighting that flatters the subject. Here the emphasis shifts from lighting a scene to lighting a person: highlights on skin, depth in spaces with minimal background. Fashion demands careful consideration of talent, product and mood; Gracie balances all three.
Story
Story comes from movement, context and the narrative the viewer constructs. Choose moments that serve that narrative, but leave clues so the audience brings their own history to the image.
Samuel’s timing is consistent across locations, talent and genres, so the work feels like it lives in the same world—homogenous without being repetitive. Even across fashion, product and food, the styling, palette and mood support a single narrative.
Gracie’s challenge is different: creating story through performance. She balances direction, set, lighting and wardrobe so the emotion reads. This kind of work is collaborative by nature; clear direction lets the talent understand and deliver the vision. Her images stand out because the technical and the emotive live in the same frame.
Strong composition
Clean borders and intentional guidance to the subject create strong standalones and stronger galleries. Samuel’s compositions feel unforced yet deliberate—authentic without the baggage of “this looks like a photoshoot.” Practical takeaways: avoid tangents and mergers at the frame edge; keep lines clean; favour simple, eye-level perspectives.
In Gracie’s work, composition centres on the human form—posture, position, eyeline and expression. She frames faces and limbs to feel balanced, avoids cropping joints, and leaves enough room that images feel intimate without, feeling unnatural despite high contrast lighting, bold make-up and high contrast styling.
Want more like this? Join Clyde’s talk “How to create incredible images” next week.