Pure-Energy Portraits

Justin Haugen harnesses each person’s individuality with the right light and his Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 zoom lens.

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By Jenn Gidman
Images by Justin Haugen

When Justin Haugen takes someone’s portrait, one of the first things he does, before he even breaks out his camera, is interpret their energy. “That energy is what I want to communicate in my photos,” he says. “If I meet someone and they’re grinning from ear to ear, that’s the energy I’ll show. If they’re a more serious person, that’s the energy I’ll show. That’s what makes each portrait truly unique.”

To capture his photos, Justin relies on the Tamron 35-150mm F/2-2.8 Di III VXD all-in-one zoom for his Sony mirrorless camera system. “This is the ultimate portrait lens for me, because it hits the entire focal-length range that I like to shoot in,” he says. “Being able to shoot at F2 on the wider end, and having the F2.8 aperture available throughout the range, helps me immensely in low-light situations and when I want separation between my subject and the background.”

Like most photographers worth their weight in memory cards, Justin is obsessed with getting the lighting just right for each and every portrait. Read on for Justin’s approach for each of the portraits here.

35-150mm (48mm), F4, 1/60 sec., ISO 800
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I was commissioned by the Tucson Weekly to photograph Billy, a local musician with a new album coming out. I wanted to get a feel for who he was, so I asked him about where he worked, and where he liked to hang out. He told me his album release party had been at the Maverick, a local country dive bar.

I wanted to use the stage lighting to my advantage so it would complement Billy and the backdrop. I had full control of the venue lights and was able to pick which colors I wanted. I also had several strobes on him: a main light and a silver light, and then two colored accent lights gelled to match the stage lighting. I wanted the light to look like it was emanating from the stage.


35-150mm (89mm), F2.8, 1/125 sec., ISO 100
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For this photo, I used colored RGB light. As mentioned earlier, I love playing with colors in my lighting. I gravitate toward deep color tonality and dabble in color theory. I wanted the model here to present gold, which I played up with colored fill lights. I picked purple, because that’s on the opposite side of gold on the color wheel and I figured they’d complement each other.


35-150mm (77mm), F2.8, 1/160 sec., ISO 100
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Unless you’re purposely going for a moodier feel, you don’t want deep, dark shadows in your corporate photos. For these type of portraits, I often use very soft, polished light with ample “spread.” I’ll typically use large umbrellas for corporate shots ranging from 5 feet to 6 feet to modify the light.


35-150mm (44mm), F4, 1/400 sec., ISO 125
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I went to school at the University of Arizona, where athletics is a big deal. Taking a portrait inside the stadium there has been on my bucket list. The student you see here was graduating, so I decided to experiment with some shots on the bleachers, using dynamic lighting that would take the image to the next level.

I used a long-throw reflector with my strobe, which allows for bright, direct illumination over a longer distance. I was able to throw this intensified light from about 30 or 40 feet away. It created a spotlight effect around my subject, then transitioned off into the higher rows. I also threw another flash with another long-throw reflector up in the stands, with an accent light on his back shoulder. That way, there was some nice floodlight, then a bit of shadow, then a floodlight off his shoulder.


35-150mm (35mm), F2, 1/6400 sec., ISO 100
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We were in Arivaca, Arizona, for this shoot, a desertlike area near the Mexican border. The subject of this photo runs a men’s wellness and rehab center; the men he works with come out to his property for retreats and to heal. He was seeking photos that show who he is, as the person behind the business. He’s a man of the earth, so I knew we had to do an outdoor shoot in the tall grass, with him set up in a contemplative pose. What made this shot was the great natural light as the sun started to descend in the sky, highlighting the grass and reflecting onto his face.


35-150mm (119mm), F2.8, 1/200 sec., ISO 100
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I wanted to create a polished look for the model, a local wedding florist. I wanted to aim as much strobe at her while still making it look as naturally lit as possible, as if she were sitting in front of a large window. I used large light modifiers to convey a softness that you don’t usually see with flash photography.

To see more of Justin Haugen’s work, check out his website and Instagram.


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