The RYB color model is comprised of the colors red, yellow, and blue, which are otherwise referred to as primary colors. You can mix them in different combinations to make every other color. Red and yellow make orange. Red and blue make purple. Blue and yellow make green. Many of you learned this in art class as kid. Artists have been exploring compositions of red, yellow, and blue for ages. A prime examples is the painter Piet Mondrian, who worked almost exclusively in these colors for over two decades.

I decided to rely on this classic color trio for a quick little shoot I did last month with model Alayna Small and stylist Jennica Gray. I had no idea what kind of clothing they were bringing to the shoot— I told them to surprise me. When they showed up with elements of yellow, blue, and red, and given Alayna’s natural look of minimal makeup, I decided double down on the colors by using red and blue backdrops as well as yellow and blue lighting.

I shot a closer-cropped shot of each look, using a ring light to create a wrapping shadow around Alayna (I’m a sucker for outlines), and a colored accent light. I also pulled-back for a shot, creating a frame within a frame with the c-stand and backdrop. For that shot I used un-modified, hard light sources, one of which was positioned behind a large plant in order to cast organic shadows onto the backdrop.

Often my personal shoots are quick little studies such as this, where I play with light and pose for an hour or two before returning to my emails and admin work. It keeps me sane and reminds me why I do this for a living.