Photography & Portraits in Miami

A black-and-white Stratocaster guitar propped against a swirling, expressionistic mural. A dark, wooden billiards table crouched near the onyx sprawl of antique black leather couches and a four-post bed. Graffiti-covered walls splattered with metallic skulls and fairies. The 40 rooms that make up Image 1st's sprawling studio move these visions in front of guests, nearly overloading the senses. The halls finally spill cathartically outside onto rambling gardens and the deck of a rooftop pool. Designers pepper the space with metallic paints and century-old furnishings, all selected to catch the eye under various lighting schemes.

Professional makeup artists and hairstylists prepare guests and match personal looks to specific rooms, and all team members call their clients by name from the first consultation, getting to know them as people while catering to their aesthetic aims. Beneath the endless curls of damask wallpaper, photographers direct the facial expressions and body language of newly dolled-up models to create sultry glances, playful poses, and faces that express the complicated feeling of discovering a birthday cake was full of puppies. The shutterbugs then hand off snaps to editors, who highlight subjects' beauty through skin retouching and color correction.

The idea for Image 1st came to Danny Gabriel from his brother Doren, who established a similar studio in London. After seeing a need for a photography studio catering to non-models, Danny devised a photo-shoot process more focused on a pampering experience than a traditional portfolio session, which involves high levels of stress and the need to blow-dry hair with exhaust from a Ferrari. His new venture nestles in the Wynwood Arts Complex, which houses many of the city's creative minds.

The photographers at Super Hero Shoots immerse subjects in a cinematic experience as they outfit their clients in a superhero or villain costume of his or her choice. The outfit selection spans superhero universes, allowing up to two clients each session to suit up as mythic figures such as Thor, Wolverine, Doctor Doom, Phoenix, Iron Man, and Harley Quinn. During the dramatically lit shoot, duos can enact hero-villain confrontations or hero-villain coffee dates, while single subjects embody their character's ferocity. Studio staffers can give each customer character-appropriate props, and often edit in special effects or digitally imposed backdrops to place them in industrial complexes or postapocalyptic breakfast nooks. Customers depart with their images immortalized digitally, in full-scale film posters, or in up to a 45-second film trailer offering a glimpse of their persona in action.

Maria-Ines Clarke, the owner of Boudoir by Marie, lavishes her clients with a detail-oriented service that frequently starts with glasses of champagne and hair and makeup styling. After subjects pick flattering threads from the corset rack, Clarke coaches them in seductive poses and facial expressions such as pouty lips or come-hither bunny ears. Her photo packages offer a range of shoot options from one to two hours, which ultimately yield printed booklets or online galleries of approximately 80 images.

Vivid colors and sincere emotions shine out of Erika Chavez’s photographs of weddings, Sweet 16 parties, and family portraits. Whenever she's behind the camera, she strives to capture the ephemeral, such as tender glances between a newlywed couple or split-second smiles between twins who pretend to hate each other. The resulting photos are naturalistic yet rich with color and contrast, helping clients remember special moments in the most beautiful way possible for years to come.

Cesar Varela never thought of photography as a serious pursuit until his wife became a magazine model. As he observed what photographers looked for in their models, he decided to try it for himself. He gathered his own lenses, cameras, and gear and used his wife as a test subject. At-home successes led him to shoot other models before eventually expanding his client base to include families, newlyweds, houses, and family members wearing house costumes. Though he’s since had work published by magazines, publishing companies, and websites, he feels most at ease shooting individual subjects in a photojournalistic style. In his high-rise studio, he photographs subjects in front of colored backdrops or on a balcony overlooking Miami’s sun-dappled skyline. When on location, he works to incorporate the environment—including water and sand, animals, and building architecture—as each shot's secondary subject, adding dimension without strapping 3-D glasses onto his camera. Believing that subjects’ comfort level shows through any pose, Cesar keeps them at ease by offering bits of easygoing direction and capturing candid shots.

The photographers at Varona Photography Studio strive to capture clients in their most glamorous state. To this end, hair and makeup artists collaborate with clients to create flattering looks for memorable headshots or alluring boudoir shoots. The shutterbugs specialize in documenting defining moments such as weddings, quinceañera and sweet-sixteen parties, and high-school graduations. They can also highlight a family’s love or a child’s love of macaroni in regular portrait sessions.