What I love best about photography is the way that with a little prep work and understanding of how cameras and light work you can capture an image of something in a way that doesn’t exist in real life… but feels like it could.  This photo of Joe Kenzinger and his girlfriend, Liza, is one of those photos.

Every part of this photograph is incredibly staged.  Joe and Liza are friends of mine who agreed to pose for me.  The car backlighting them with its headlights is being driven by my assistant, Tamie McBride, and the car whose taillights are casting a red glow on the street is driven by another friend, Lynette.  Joe and Liza are positioned at the only place that would give them a little bit of lighting on their faces (from the street light) and they are in a specific pose that allows the viewer to see Liza’s ponytail, thus alerting them to the fact that this is a couple.  The camera is placed off the sidewalk so that there is a diagonal line in the image breaking up the horizon line.  The time we shot this was specifically picked in order to get some light in the sky so that the trees wouldn’t blend into a dark background.  And the result of all this specific planning?  An image that makes it feel like you’re looking at a natural scene unfolding in front of you.

The energy in this image crackles and I absolutely love this photo.