Category: Fashion/Beauty

Troy Sawyer had always had an interest in photography, taking photos of his friends in high school and college. His first DSLR camera was a Nikon D5200 and Troy was so often seen walking through his college campus shooting everything he could that he became known as ‘Troy with the camera’. The name stuck and became the name for his business. “I love to capture the beauty and essence of people. I love when I show someone their photo, their face lights up and they feel good about themselves,” he says. 

Troy is primarily a self-taught photographer, having used a mix of YouTube tutorials, mentorship and guidance from more experienced photographers throughout his journey as well as having conducted numerous test shoots in order to experiment and refine his technique.

Troy’s describes his photographic style as vibrant, clean, and crisp, emphasizing vivid colors and capturing emotion, beauty, and essence. He explains, “My goal is to elevate my clients’ presence, aiming for a supermodel-like aura that exudes confidence.” He often incorporates edgy or dramatic elements as well.

A model collaboration

“I started working with models in 2022, and like any other client, I’ve found that exceptional customer service is key to building successful partnerships,” Troy says. Establishing strong client relationships is a priority, “so I make it a point to connect with models on a personal level during our shoots. This approach not only helps them feel comfortable but has also led to lasting friendships,” he adds.

He also believes in clear communication. “I recommend approaching models with a well-thought-out plan. As a visual thinker, I often share mood boards to visually show my ideas and make sure we’re aligned creatively from the start,” Troy says.

Vibrant, Eye-Popping Color

Troy doesn’t shy away from color, in fact he embraces eye-popping color. “Ever since I started shooting, I’ve always loved color and vibrancy. I shoot a lot of people of darker complexion, so I love shooting them in bright colors because it makes them pop as well as the colors. Over time I have learned to tone down the vibrancy some to please my clients and I feel like now I have found that sweet spot,” he says. In fact, Troy is well known for his use of color in his work, that clients will search him out specifically for his style and use of color. He explains, “it always warms my heart when somebody books me for exactly what and how I like to shoot. It makes me feel valued as a creative.”

Branding, Fashion, Beauty, Wedding and more

Troy’s business encompasses a variety of photography genres, including branding— specializing in skincare lines, hair, and clothing brands, portraiture for professionals, fashion, portrait and wedding imagery. “I take great pride in my branding shoots, where new business owners trust me with the visual representation of their ventures. I feel that this is where my skills truly shine,” he says.

Working with new or small businesses is extremely rewarding because it allows us to develop a long-term relationship where I can become their go-to photographer for all their needs. For my branding shoots, I collaborate closely with the brand owner to identify and select models that best showcase their products.

Troy has been able to bridge fashion and love (wedding, engagement) work into a unique style that’s all his own. “When showcasing moments of love, I try to add a little flavor to the photos, making them appear both natural and glamorous. I believe that clients who book me for weddings or engagements desire a blend of authenticity and star quality,” he says. It is so important to have a detailed consultation with the couple to understand their preferences, whether they envision a fashion magazine-style shoot or a more traditional approach. He notes: “This discussion not only clarifies their vision, but also puts both our minds at ease as well as helps me plan the necessary shots, prepare the mood board, and make sure I bring the appropriate equipment for the session.” 

If you check out the beauty gallery https://troywiththecamera.com/beauty on Troy’s website, you’ll see that he’s showcased a row of images from each of his shoots. We wanted to know the impetus was for this layout. Troy explains that it’s a combination of showcasing the diverse emotions captured in each shoot and the difficulty in culling down to only one image.

Evolving and Growing

One of the cooler projects that Troy came up with was his ROYGBIV photo series, in which he shot a unique look for every color in the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. “This project was very special to me because it was my first big project after graduating and moving back home to Atlanta. I feel like this was a platform to show people my work as a fashion and editorial photographer,” he explains. For the series, Troy collaborated with a full team that included a makeup artist, hairstylist, wardrobe stylist, creative directors, and videographers. “Together, we meticulously planned and executed each look, surpassing even my own expectations for the project’s outcome,” he adds.

Troy hopes to work with a variety of prestigious publications in the future as well as influential artists.

As a photographer, my goal is to capture and highlight the unique beauty and essence of each client. While I am pleased with my progress thus far, I recognize that there is still much more I wish to achieve in my career. I am committed to continually evolving as an artist and striving for excellence in every project I undertake.

Joyce Charat is a fashion photographer and director with a distinctive visual style. Her first camera was “a pink COOLPIX” borrowed from her mom, which she replaced with a D5600 before upgrading to a D850, and ultimately switching to mirrorless with the Z8 and Z6III. In this interview, Joyce gives us a behind-the-scenes look at a high-concept photo and video shoot with the Z6III and describes how she and the camera got on in the tough conditions of California’s Death Valley.

Joyce’s work is characterized by motion, bold colors, unconventional framing and a distinctive hyperrealism, often created using very wide focal lengths. What lenses and lighting equipment does Joyce reach for to create her “signature look”?

My core lens kit consists of three lenses. The NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S, an adapted (using the Nikon Mount Adapter FTZ) Nikon AF-S Fisheye NIKKOR 8-15mm f/3.5-4.5E ED and the NIKKOR Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S. The 24-70mm is an essential, super-versatile lens, while the 8-15mm lets me distort people and make them appear tall and powerful. The 14-24mm is perfect for times when my client doesn’t need such an extreme “fish-eye” effect, but I still want to add my signature style. Lighting is so important—it’s what really elevates my images. My main kit consists of Profoto B10X Plus strobes, bounce boards, and some modifiers.

The Z6III comes with a suite of powerful features such as 6K/60p internal RAW and Full HD/240p video, and new hardware including the brightest electronic viewfinder of any mirrorless camera. Joyce explains the concept behind the stunning imagery that she created for the Z6III launch campaign, and how the camera’s advanced features and powerful performance helped her get the results she wanted.

I wanted to create a surreal and dreamy world to contrast with the beautiful avant-garde costumes. My goal was to evoke a sense of freedom, disorientation and escape—really bringing the viewer to another planet.

Shooting in such an extreme desert environment is very challenging. We were working for almost 12 hours in very hard conditions—from the cold of dawn to the heat of the day, with no shade, and the Z6III was incredible. The viewfinder stayed clear and detailed even in the incredibly bright sunshine, which was amazing. I like to capture a lot of action, and I had the idea to blow big bubbles then film them in slow motion. The Z6III’s new Full HD/240p video mode ended up delivering even better quality than I’d expected, and we didn’t experience any overheating, even in such a hot environment. Full HD at 240 fps is amazing and allows me to get creative shots I would not be able to get on the Z8 or any other Nikon camera. It’s unique. I’m planning a fashion editorial involving water and flowy dresses and shooting it all in 240 fps slow motion!

When I was working with the Z6III, I was surprised by how light and compact the camera felt. Both my Z8 and the Z6III are so much faster than the D850. Switching to mirrorless was life changing for me. I’m able to do so much more now, in both stills and motion, with a lighter and faster body.

Shooting in the extreme conditions of the Californian desert with a large crew and a completely new camera was a challenge—Joyce reflects on the experience:

I was nervous about working with a brand-new camera that I hadn’t used or tested before the shoot—I just knew I wanted to create my best work. But when we wrapped, I remember looking up at the sky and snowy mountains as the first stars started appearing and telling myself “We really did it”. I felt very grateful. I’ll never forget that incredible day. It truly felt like a project created out of love and passion, and it brings me so much joy to see a project go from my imagination to reality.