***“…this costume was given to me, and let me tell you, it has seen some shit.”***

Ruby Marx - 2023

January 29, 2023

Happy New Year everyone! Yes, I know, its almost the end of January already, but just bear with me here. I’ve been busy with work stuff and I’ve had to push back a couple of shoots because of travel and illnesses, but trust me there is already some exciting things in the pipeline.

This shoot mostly came about because I wanted to try out a new backdrop. This is my first experience shooting with a backdrop from Gravity Backdrops. As much as I like the images we took in color, the unique texture really came out when we went black and white.

What more can I say about Ruby that I haven’t said many times before? Every time we end up working together I know that we are going to create something special. Ruby is my go-to for the best “vintage Hollywood” looks and she does it so well. Something about the combination of style, technique, and color timing really made this shoot look like something out of an old magazine…and I’m not mad at that at all.

Stay tuned for what 2023 has in store, but for now…Ruby Marx

*“…that better make the blog..”*

(Ruby, after learning that she was the first “stranger” I’ve shot with that my cat has allowed to be touched by)

Ruby - 2022.

July 03, 2022

(Damn that new photo setting can look pretty cool, going to have to play with that a little more on future posts)

I think the last time Ruby and I worked together it was for some graduation photos back in 2020, but certainly this is the first time she’s been in the new studio. She reached out to me a few weeks ago and asked if I wanted to shoot some content for a magazine submission and although I was slightly apprehensive because of some bad tastes in my mouth from years ago, I decided we should move forward and give it a go.

(Spoiler alert, we almost immediately got accepted for publication, and I hope to be able to share those images soon).

Although those images were the main goal, Ruby did bring along a couple of other looks that I can show you now.

Be sure to give Ruby a follow on Instagram, and if you are in the Atlanta area, find some time to see her live and in person.

Ava Cado - 2022.

February 20, 2022

Bravacado! (Ok…I’d be lying if I said I didn’t go through several Avocado puns looking for just the right one). I’ll see myself out now, but before I do let’s talk photos.

I’ve been trying to get this shoot set up with Ava for a few weeks, and I’m happy that everything finally fell into place. I met Ava through my friends over at The Fandom, and after trading Edgar Allen Poe references back in forth I knew that this was going to be something special. We discussed a couple of concepts, and for a hot second, I even tried to work out the logistics of hanging an aerial rig in my studio–

That would have been a terrible idea, but Ava, thinking on her feet, brought her hoop anyway and worked it into some very exciting photos that I am extremely happy with.

Even though this was our first time working together, I sure hope it won’t be the last. Her personality is infectious and more importantly, she is so incredibly easy to work with. I hope ya’ll don’t mind how many photos are in this update, as usual, I got a little trigger happy and ended up with (more than) a few more final images than usual.

“It’s an Ava Cado! Thanks! She is a whimsical performer with a love for all things props. She gets her movement inspiration from liquid, loves to be fluid, and finds beauty in odd shapes. She’s known for her chair acro and aerial performances. While her burlesque, fire, and aerial career only started in 2021, she’s ready to bankrupt more people with a slice of her ava cado toast. is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”

See more of Ava on Instagram or catch her live at an event if you can.

Top Photos of 2018 - An UNEXPhotography year in review!

December 26, 2018

So here we are, it’s that time again. Another year has almost come and passed. 2017 was a HUGE year of firsts for me (I mean, you can see that here if you like, just make sure you come back), and even if 2018 wasn’t as huge, I still accomplished several new things.

Unlike last year, I only averaged a shoot every 1.85 weeks this year, but I still was able to create some quality work and capture some quality times from my friends and clients.

The year started almost immediately, I was at a company meeting for my day job and was challenged with a team of my peers to make a series of images. I’m not sure if I ever actually shared this with anyone since most of my work is portraits and not abstract works, but I still liked how this one turned out.

I was hired to shoot some photos for one of my cosplay clients, and after wrapping I just wasn’t done yet. I had built a very simple and basic lighting setup against a blank wall and asked Kat to step in for a few shots after she finished with a shoot of her own.

I still love how these turned out, and I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve ripped myself off with a similar lighting plan on several shoots after this one.

It also just occurred to me that I never posted any of the final images from the shoot I was hired for. Unless one or two made it to Instagram.

The final images that were delivered to the client were drastically different than this one, mostly because their vision was something very specific (even if it wasn’t really my cup of tea in the end). But I’m still very thankful that I was allowed to experiment on some final images after we shot what was needed.

A short time later I had the chance to shoot New York Burlesque Royalty Nina La Voix while on a business trip. I was happy that she took the time to respond, and actually took a chance to meet up with me in my hotel room for a shoot. We captured a couple of different set-ups that day, but I still love how this image came out.

Zachary reached out to me again to document some photos for what would become the second of his Talon’s Grasp series. We shot this book cover almost exactly one year to the day that we shot his last cover in 2017.

And of course it wouldn’t be a shoot that involves Zak without some out of context snaps that actually end up looking pretty good.

Where would I be without Dom inviting me to shoot concerts that he books when they come through town. I didn’t get to be at as many as I would have liked to this year, but I still love the photo of JD from Grendel as well as the below photos of Ghostfeeder’s guitar player (I never did catch his name) and Peter Turns Pirate frontman Neil.

I need to partner with Dom and make sure I can schedule my time around more of his shows. They are always a good time.

Around this same time I was given the chance to work with Tru Facade and take some of her first burlesque performer photos. She has grown so much over this last year, and I am so happy that I was able to be there at the literal beginning.

In a first in a LONG time I was invited to be a part of a few different art shows. Kate AKA Artetak did a great job at stoking my ego by actually wanting me to be a part of some of the great shows she has held this year.

But of course where would I be without my subjects. Big shout out to Roux for playing ghost in my entry to the “Occult” themed show, and Kali Fornication for being willing to be tied up by a bunch of random cables for my “Sci-Fi” entry.

Put on your best “monster truck voice” because, Sunday, Sunday, Sunday. I met Sunday when she came along for a birthday brunch of mine this year, and knew that at some point we had to work together. Sunday has a great look, and I’m so happy of the work we made together. Can’t wait to shoot more.

I’d be completely lost if I didn’t mention my local Atlanta burlesque family, I didn’t do as much work for them this year as I would have liked to, but that doesn’t mean that 2019 won’t be different. I’m working on a few special things…so stay tuned.

I spent a week in Germany this year for Photokina. This is the second time I’ve been out of the country, but I am already seeing a trend. When in a place where I don’t speak the language I seem to let street art speak to me on behalf of the people who live there.

Sometime I’d love to spend a period of time in Europe just walking around taking photos of stickers and spray paint. Maybe the occasional bicycle as well.

I had one of my blog posts picked up by two international photography blogs (so you don’t have to). I’m still riding the waves of this since it hit me basically out of nowhere. I’m so entirely thankful that two publications thought so highly of me, and I hope that I can leverage some of the contacts I made during this process to get the opportunity to try and review more products next year.

Also (and I’m sure I’ll be posting about it later) keep your ears open to hear my goofy voice on a podcast in early January.

For Halloween I partnered with Courtney from Courtney Walters Makeup to turn her partner Taylor into a spooky skeleton. I loved this shoot, it was so simple yet so expressive. And of course I love how excited people get when I turn their living room into a makeshift studio.

Courtney and I will be collaborating on a few different projects in 2019, so please stay tuned for that.

Keep your eyes peeled for a stand-alone blog post of this gentleman right here. LA Comedian and Podcast host Rivers Langley.

We squeaked in this shoot on the friday before Christmas and I was able to finalize everything while I had some downtime at home. I should be getting that post up pretty soon, so I’ll save my comments for then.

And of course, where would I be without my friends who love the work I do so much that they ask me to be a key part of their special moments:

Jessica and Thomas

Erin and Preston

Jesse and Rachel

I want to make sure that I give a big Thank You to everyone I have worked with or have talked about working with this year. And also a huge thank you to all of you who follow this blog (or at the very least catch updates as they come through your social media feeds).

I don’t want to put the cart before the horse but I’d like to say that big things are coming in 2019 one way or another, and as always I’d love to see you all there for the ride.

From me to all of you and yours, Happy Holidays and a beautiful new year!

Nina La Voix - 2018.

February 02, 2018

Nina La Voix is a burlesque performer and producer based out of Brooklyn, New York. Her performance style is hard-hitting yet strikingly sensual. With a heavy classic and street dance background, Nina's style often blends the classic structures of burlesque with modern/neo twists. She has graced international stages including Paris and Amsterdam.

I got to work with Nina almost by accident, and I certainly wasn't aware of her celebrity status. While on business in NYC, I reached out to a few different models, and Nina was the one that responded the most positively. It's not every day that a stranger reaches out and invites you to his hotel room for a photoshoot. Nina was completely cool with working through some ideas and we both were super excited with the results.

Nina is a completely awesome individual, and you should not miss tracking her down if you are in the big city.

The Below Images are NSFW

See the rest of this set and so much more by becoming a subscriber to Nina's Patreon and check out her website for the latest calendar of where you can see her perform in person.