How I Match a Subject to a Space: Behind the Nfocus Fresh Faces at The Manning Nashville
Every year, nFocus magazine selects ten Nashville philanthropists for their Fresh Faces feature. Every year, the creative challenge is the same: ten different people, ten different personalities, and a location where every room brings its own personality, its own light, and its own set of surprises. This is how I approach it.
For this Fresh Faces feature, we shot at The Manning, a private residential community in Nashville's Belle Meade neighborhood. The Manning gave us something rare for an editorial shoot: a collection of fully furnished, beautifully designed residential spaces, each with a completely different look and feel. No two rooms were the same, which meant no two portraits could be either.
Why The Manning Works as a Location for Editorial Photography
The Manning is not a photo studio. It is a private residential community in Nashville's Belle Meade neighborhood, and what makes it work for a shoot like this is exactly that: it feels specific. The spaces have personality. They feel curated and considered. When a room already tells a story, your job as the photographer is to find the right person to stand in it.
nFocus selects the location, and my assistant Anthony and I arrive early to load in and start walking the spaces. That early time is where the shoot actually begins. We are assessing light, noting challenges, and already thinking about who belongs where before anyone else arrives on set.
Photo Credits: The Manning Website
How I Match a Subject to a Space
Before the shoot day, our set stylist Bruce Pittman has already selected and prepared the wardrobe for each subject. On this particular shoot, I reviewed the outfits via photos on a phone and we talked through which looks would work in which spaces. That conversation happens early, before anyone is on set, so by the time we are walking the rooms we already have a working plan.
From there, Anthony and I do test shots while subjects are in hair and makeup. We dial in the lighting, confirm the composition, and work through any technical problems the space might present. The goal is to be fully camera-ready 30 to 45 minutes before the first person walks out of hair and makeup. By the time they arrive on set, the guesswork is done.
The shoot itself runs back to back with staggered call times, which keeps the day efficient without feeling rushed. Crew takes a rolling lunch break in the middle. It is a well-choreographed day, and the preparation that happens before anyone arrives is what makes that possible. Some of those preparations hold perfectly. Some get thrown out the moment something unexpected happens on set. That is location shooting, and it is one of the reasons this kind of editorial work keeps me sharp.
The Portraits
Wardrobe: Shop: Gus Mayer • Dress: Akris Punto • Earrings: Patricia Marie Fine Jewelry • Bracelet: Patricia Marie Fine Jewelry
Hadeel Abouhasira
Profession: Business immigration attorney, Holland & Knight
Nonprofit: YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee
Empathy and understanding are central to Hadeel's work at YWCA Nashville. As junior board committee president, she leads fundraising and awareness efforts that connect the organization's mission to women across Middle Tennessee, championing a community dedicated to eliminating racism and empowering women.
Hadeel's portrait almost looked completely different. The original plan was a white hallway with black architectural elements as the background. Clean, graphic, and a strong contrast for her look. But when we stepped into the room with the black floral wallpaper, the whole team stopped. Her red dress against that wallpaper was too good to leave behind. We made the switch on the spot.
Getting the shot required hanging out behind furniture to give me enough shooting distance to frame her correctly. The conference table in that room was easily twenty feet long, and I had to frame it just right to not show the conference table. I lit this one with a Profoto B10x and one large umbrella camera right. The light setup was straightforward.
Our set stylist Bruce ended up lying on the floor holding the hem of her dress taut so it would lay perfectly in the frame. That is the kind of quiet, unglamorous teamwork that makes an editorial shoot work. Hadeel brought incredible energy to set, and we let her personality lead. What you see in this image is exactly who walked through the door.
Wardrobe: Shop: Gus Mayer • Dress: Oscar de la Renta • Earrings: Patricia Marie Fine Jewelry • Shoes: Model's own
Caroline Swenson
Profession: Philanthropy manager
Nonprofit: Friends Life Community
When Caroline Swenson moved to Nashville five years ago, she found her community through Friends Life Community, an organization supporting adults with disabilities through social, community and art programs. She now serves as philanthropy manager, creating record- breaking fundraisers and outreach programs that help the Friends feel seen, valued and welcomed.
Caroline was our first subject of the day, and there is a specific energy that comes with being first. The whole team is still finding their rhythm in the actual space, and the person who walks out of hair and makeup first sets the tone for everything that follows. Caroline made it easy.
The room we had mapped out for her during our walkthrough made immediate sense once she arrived. The decor complemented her dress in a way that felt completely natural, and she slipped into the space like she had always been there. Cool, calm, and collected from the moment she arrived. That quality reads clearly in the final image.
I lit this with two lights: a large umbrella in the front as the main light, and a second light bouncing off the back wall to fill the space behind her and bring up the brightness in that area without flattening the whole image. Her energy set the tone for the rest of the day.
Wardrobe: Shop: Levy's • Jacket: Model's own • Shirt: Eton • Pants: Levy's
Amos Glass
Profession: Interim executive director
Nonprofit: Nashville Repertory Theatre
Amos Glass joined Nashville Repertory Theatre as an intern a decade ago, never imagining the organization would become his long-term home. Now serving as interim executive director, he brings nearly a decade of dedication and heartfelt leadership to one of Nashville's most cherished cultural institutions, guiding the theater through a period of growth and momentum.
When we reviewed the wardrobe options for Amos, it was between the pink floral blazer and a cream outfit. I had a strong opinion. The dark space we had planned for him needed something bold to anchor it, and that blazer was it. He walked out of hair and makeup wearing it and then proceeded to be one of the most fun people we photographed all year.
After every single frame, he was already in a new pose. The whole team was laughing. The energy in the room was completely infectious, and you can feel it in the image.
The space required two lights to keep it from going completely dark. I used a Profoto B10x with a large umbrella in the front as the main light, then added a smaller umbrella camera left that bounced light around him, hitting the background and the floor. Without that second light, the space behind him would have disappeared entirely.
Wardrobe: Shop: Gus Mayer • Dress: Oscar de la Renta • Earrings: Patricia Marie Fine Jewelry • Bracelet: Patricia Marie Fine Jewelry. Bangles, necklaces, shoes: Model's own
Katy Dieckhaus
Profession: Community engagement coordinator
Nonprofit: Voices for a Safer Tennessee
In a city that knows both heartbreak and hope, Katy Dieckhaus is helping shape what comes next. After losing her daughter Evelyn in the Covenant School tragedy in 2023, Katy leaned into her community and found purpose at Voices for a Safer Tennessee, where she now serves as community engagement coordinator, helping shift conversations from division to shared responsibility.
The shelves behind Katy were completely empty when we walked in during our morning walkthrough. So we pulled elements from around the room and built something simple and minimalist that felt considered rather than improvised. We also tried a large piece of artwork as the backdrop first during test shots, decided it was not working, and pulled it before she arrived.
I lit this one with a large umbrella camera right on a Profoto B10x, and bounced a second light off the wall camera left to fill in the shadows.
Once we had the safe photos locked in, I asked Katy if she would be up for sitting on the counter. She did not hesitate. That openness to try something less expected is what separates a good portrait session from a great one. The shot on the counter is the one the magazine chose, and it is a reminder to always go for the interesting frame after you have the safe one in the bag.
Wardrobe: Shop: Haymakers & Co. • Jacket: Ring Jacket • Shirt: Emanuel Berg • Pants: Citizens of Humanity • Pocket square: Edward Armah
Austin Barlow Pennington
Profession: Real estate developer, Barlow Builders
Nonprofit: Tennessee State Museum
A sixth-generation Tennessean, Austin Pennington believes Tennessee history is not simply something to study but something to preserve and carry forward. He founded Barlow Builders after graduating from Belmont University and has spent the last decade championing Tennessee history through the Tennessee State Museum, chairing A Tennessee Waltz, the museum's largest annual fundraiser.
Austin was photographed in the library at The Manning, which is a visually rich space. Dark walls, beautiful built-in shelving, and a lot of depth to work with. We had flagged this room during our morning walkthrough as a strong option, and also identified its main technical problem during test shots: the paint has a sheen to it that does not respond well to strobe lighting. Light reflects off the surface in a way that creates hotspots.
We ended up with noticeable reflections right behind Austin's head that required post-production work to clean up. Beautiful room. Worth the extra time in post. For the lighting, I used a medium sized Profoto B10x with a Photek umbrella camera left, and bounced a second light off the ceiling camera right to fill the dark space behind him.
We also moved some books around for color management. A red book sitting at his head level was pulling attention away from him, so we relocated it. Small styling adjustment, significant difference in the final frame. Austin was hilarious throughout the entire session, and when the magazine went with the more playful image, it felt completely right. That is who he is.
Wardrobe: Shop: Levy's • Jacket: Jack Victor • Shirt: Eton • Pants: Giles & Jasper • Pocket square, belt: Model's own
McKenzie Mullins
Profession: Wealth management adviser, Northern Trust Wealth Management Nonprofit: Cheekwood Estate & Gardens
Cheekwood Estate & Gardens has always felt like home to McKenzie Mullins. As cofounder of the Council of Contemporaries, he helped grow the young professionals group from 11 founding members to more than 100 in just two years, building the next generation of supporters for one of Nashville's most treasured cultural institutions.
For McKenzie, we chose a space with some beautiful environmental details already built in: a striking mirror element and a lamp in the background that added depth without competing with him. We shot several looks in the space, both standing and sitting, which gave us strong options throughout.
The lighting was a Profoto B10x with a large umbrella camera right, and a second light bouncing off the back wall to keep the space from going too dark and give the image more of a lifestyle feel. McKenzie came in prepared and took direction well. That combination of readiness and adaptability keeps a shoot moving efficiently, and it shows in the result.
Wardrobe: Shop: Gus Mayer • Dress: Prabal Gurung • Earrings and ring: Patricia Marie Fine Jewelry • Shoes: Model's own
Juleesia Santiago-Karim
Profession: Program director
Nonprofit: Jonathan's Path
For Juleesia Santiago-Karim, supporting young people through life's most difficult moments is not simply a career. As program director for Jonathan's Path, she provides critical support for youth aging out of foster care, overseeing programming and fundraising efforts that have raised more than 00,000 to help young people navigate life without traditional family safety nets.
This room. The floors, the walls, the piano. There was a lot to love here during our morning walkthrough, and when Juleesia arrived her dress matched the energy of the space in a way that confirmed everything we had planned.
I lit this one with a Profoto B10x and large umbrella camera left, and bounced a second light off the white wall camera right to fill in the shadows. After some of the darker, more layered setups earlier in the day, those white walls were a gift.
We tried multiple poses in different areas of the room before landing on this one. This shot came late in her session, and it was immediately everyone's favorite. Keep shooting even when you think you already have it. The best frame often shows up when everyone is relaxed and nobody is forcing it.
Wardrobe: Shop: Levy's • Jacket: Canali • Shirt: Eton • Pants: 6 East by Ballin • Pocket square: Levy's.
Alvaro Manrique Barrenechea
Profession: Assistant clinical professor of law, Vanderbilt Law School
Nonprofit: Nashville Public Library Foundation
A lifelong learner and bibliophile, Alvaro Manrique Barrenechea gravitated to the Nashville Public Library immediately upon moving to Nashville in 2015. As chair of the foundation's program committee, he brings his legal expertise to support one of the city's most vital community resources, believing books are essential to learning a new language, navigating a new country, and building community.
Alvaro was also photographed in the library, but we knew going in that we could not repeat the same setup we had used for Austin. Two portraits from the same position in the same room would not serve either subject. So we moved to the fireplace side of the space, which gave us a completely different composition and feel within the same four walls.
We also styled the fireplace shelf. A taller decorative piece that had been there did not feel right, so we swapped it out for the duck you see in the image. Those small decisions are what keep an editorial from feeling generic. I lit Alvaro with a large umbrella camera left on the Profoto B10x, and bounced a second light camera right to fill the shadows and keep the shelf details from going completely dark.
Alvaro was one of the calmest, most genuinely warm people we worked with all day. He walked in, we found our position, and the shot came together quickly. Some portraits take a long time to find. This one arrived fast and was exactly right.
Wardrobe: Shop: Levy's • Jacket: Castangia • Shirt: Robert Talbott • Pants and pocket square: Levy's • Jewelry, belt, shoes: Model's own
Dexter D. Evans
Profession: Deputy director of strategy and advancement Nonprofit: National Museum of African American Music
Dexter D. Evans has always been surrounded by song. As deputy director of strategy and advancement at the National Museum of African American Music, he has helped secure over million in gift commitments and welcomed more than 50 nationally recognized musicians into NMAAM's collection, building believers in a museum that tells the story of how Nashville became Music City.
After some of the darker, moodier spaces throughout the day, this room felt like a completely different energy. White walls, clean lines, elegant furniture, and a chandelier overhead that added something special to the frame without competing with the subject. When we reviewed Dexter's wardrobe ahead of the shoot, his outfit and this space made obvious sense together.
I lit him with a large umbrella camera right, and added a second Profoto B10x camera left bouncing into the ceiling to fill the entire space. That ceiling bounce is what gives this image its open, polished feel. We tried a couple of different poses, but the standing shot was the clear choice almost immediately.
And then there is Dexter's smile. Some people have a quality that the camera responds to with zero prompting, and he is one of them. That is not something you can light for
Wardrobe: Shop: Levy's • Jacket: Jack Victor • Shirt: Etro • Pants: Ballin • Pocket square: Levy's • Belt: Model's own.
Joel Abramson
Profession: Chief advancement officer
Nonprofit: Adventure Science Center
You could say Joel Abramson walked into the Adventure Science Center as a guest and never left. As chief advancement officer, Joel has already helped cut the ribbon on 10 different exhibits ranging from dinosaurs to Tennessee pollinators, connecting families and students across Nashville with hands-on learning experiences that spark curiosity at every age.
We found a reading nook within Joel's space that had a large framed piece of art on the wall and a natural lean built into the layout. The only issue was that the table he was going to rest his hand on was too short for him to do it without looking uncomfortable. So we grabbed some books, stacked them on top, and solved it in about two minutes. Location problem-solving rarely requires anything complicated. It mostly requires that you notice the issue before you start shooting.
The lighting setup for this one had to change during our test shots. Anthony and I had planned to place an umbrella camera right, but it reflected straight into the glass on the artwork behind him and we could not eliminate it. So we moved the main umbrella to camera left and added a second light also camera left, angling it to hit both the artwork and the background wall. Without that second light, the dark green walls would have gone almost completely black.
Joel was relaxed, ready for whatever we needed, and great to work with. A strong finish to a long and genuinely fun day.
The Team
Editor: Janet Kurtz @musiccitytraveler — instagram.com/musiccitytraveler
Art Director: Christie Passarello @passarello — instagram.com/passarello
Associate Editor: Madeleine Bradford — instagram.com/madeleinegbradford
Photographer: Tausha Dickinson @taushadickinson — taushadickinson.com/about
Photographer Assistant: Anthony Romano @anthonyromanocreative — anthonyromanocreative.com
Hair and Makeup: Jessica Vaughn, Risa Rodriguez of Nashville Luxury Bridal — instagram.com/primpthis/, www.instagram.com/risarodriguezhmua/, www.instagram.com/nashvilleluxurybridal/
Set Stylist: Bruce Pittman @brucepittmaninc — instagram.com/brucepittmaninc
Stylist Assistants: Tabitha Reading, Pam Scates, Linnea Tweedy — www.instagram.com/tabithareading/, www.instagram.com/pam_scates/, www.instagram.com/ltweedy/
Work With Me
If you are a brand, magazine, or agency looking for an editorial photographer in Nashville or Middle Tennessee, I would love to talk about your project.
If you are a photographer who wants to go deeper on location lighting, on-set problem-solving, and the creative decisions behind editorial portrait work, this is exactly what I teach through my workshops and private mentoring at Rooted and Refined.
