Three Nails Photography (2026)

05/08/2026

So here's a crazy story from this wedding...

I flew all the way from Louisiana to Maryland to photograph this incredible day. The couple was amazing, the guests were so much fun, and the entire wedding was just an absolute vibe.

During the reception, a family came up to introduce themselves. A mom, dad, and their two daughters, both around my age.

The mom says, "I hear you're from Shreveport. We're actually from there too! We moved away about 20 years ago."

I smiled and asked, "Oh, that's awesome! What part of Shreveport?"

Now, keep in mind, Shreveport isn't a tiny town, it covers about 120 square miles.

She replied, "We lived in Broadmoor."

I laughed and said, "Really? I live in Broadmoor."

Then she said, "We lived on Greenway."

I just stared at her for a second before saying, "I LIVE ON GREENWAY."

After talking for another minute, we realized I wasn't just living on the same street...

I was living in the exact same house where they raised their daughters in the 1990s.

What are the odds? We traveled 1,200 miles from home, randomly met at a wedding in Maryland, and discovered we're connected by the very same house. 🤯

Sometimes the world feels a whole lot smaller than it really is.

27/07/2026

This will always be one of my favorite photo shoots I’ve ever created.

We photographed this campaign for designer Anna Campbell on El Matador Beach in California, and somewhere along the way I had the completely random idea to shoot the entire session through a sheet of plexiglass covered in petroleum jelly to create that soft, dreamy glow.

What I didn’t think about was the wind. Every few seconds, a gust would blow sand all over the plexiglass, and we’d have to stop and clean it before shooting again. 😂 It was absolute chaos behind the scenes, but somehow it was worth every second.

There’s something about the combination of the ocean, the light, and that hazy, ethereal effect that still feels almost otherworldly to me. It has this dreamy, mermaid-like quality that I’ve never been able to get out of my head, and years later, I’m still completely obsessed with these images.

Hair and makeup by Meka Bennett

22/07/2026

There are some photos that are beautiful because everything went according to plan, and then there are the ones that happen in the middle of complete chaos.

Right after the ceremony, family photos, and bridal party portraits, the three of us snuck away for just a few minutes before the storm rolled in. By this point it had already started sprinkling, and I was completely torn between my two jobs that day.

The photographer in me was absolutely obsessed with those dramatic skies, the wind, and the cinematic light. The makeup artist in me was internally panicking because I could see the rain starting to break up Emily's makeup, and I knew I was about to have to switch roles and run inside for touch-ups.

As we were wrapping up, a huge gust of wind caught her cathedral veil. Emily turned to look back at it, I hit the shutter, glanced down at the back of my camera, and immediately thought... that's the shot.

Seconds later I grabbed the back of her dress, and we all ran inside before the storm really hit.

It's funny how one of my favorite images from the entire day came from a moment that felt like pure crisis while it was happening.

I seriously can't wait to share the rest of this wedding with you all.

Cherie Hicks Leone Emily-Anne Leone Boulay

21/07/2026

I know so many of you have been waiting to see my sister's wedding, and I'm so excited to finally share it with you this week!

We just had to submit everything to a few publications before posting the full gallery publicly, so we've been patiently waiting. In the meantime, I wanted to give you another little sneak peek.

The first photo is my sister standing at the altar with the makeup I did for her wedding day, and the second is probably my favorite photo of my mom and dad walking down the aisle after the ceremony. I just love the way my mom is looking at my dad in that moment, I also love how the second they said "I do" my country dad ripped his bow tie off haha.

The entire day turned out even more beautiful than I imagined, and I honestly can't wait for you all to see the rest. We're narrowing down our favorite images now (which is much harder than I expected!), and the full gallery will be shared here later this week.

I can't wait to show you everything!

Cherie Hicks Leone Hunter Leone

20/07/2026

Back in 2019, I decided to launch my hand-painted canvas backdrop company, Hunter Leone Backdrops. I'd actually been painting my own backdrops since 2012, and over the years they became such a huge part of my style that people constantly asked where they could get them.

Between 2019 and 2021, I hand-painted well over 150 custom backdrops for photographers all over the country in just about every color, size, and style you can imagine. Then in 2022, when I moved to Dallas, I no longer had the space to keep painting them, so I quietly stopped offering them.

Over the past year, though, I've had so many people asking if I'd ever bring them back... so I've decided it's finally time.

I'm officially accepting custom backdrop orders again!

Every backdrop is hand-painted by me on high-quality canvas. I offer custom colors, multiple sizes (from individual portraits to large group backdrops), smooth or textured finishes, spotlight gradients, top-to-bottom gradients, and even matching twin sets (one backdrop for the floor and one for behind your subject, for a completely seamless look.)

Because each one is painted by hand, I'm only accepting a limited number of orders this round. The last time I opened orders, they came in much faster than I expected, and I don't want to overbook myself again.

As a thank-you for everyone who's been asking me to bring these back, I'm offering a special launch promotion for the next **3 days only**:

Order any **2 custom backdrops and receive a 3rd backdrop FREE.**

If you've been thinking about upgrading your studio, now's the perfect time. Just fill out the contact form on my website (linked in the comments), and we'll start designing your custom backdrop.

I'm so excited to be painting again. I can't wait to see these backdrops back in studios all over the country.

Here are some examples of some drops I’ve painted in the past! More examples in the comments

16/07/2026

“The Fall of Man”

I've always loved the storytelling and symbolism found in old Renaissance paintings, especially the ones centered around angels, heaven, and the fall of man. So I wanted to create my own modern interpretation of the story of Adam and Eve while paying homage to some of those iconic works of art.

For this shoot, I built and made almost everything you see. I hand-painted all of the canvas backdrops, sculpted the concrete wedding cake, and even made both sets of angel wings. I wanted the overall aesthetic to feel timeless, but with modern elements woven throughout.

Eve is dressed entirely in black with black wings, while her "bridesmaid" appears in white with white wings as a visual representation of good versus evil. Adam begins the story dressed in light colors, but after taking the bite of the apple, he's transformed into black clothing with black wings, symbolizing the loss of innocence and the moment everything changes.

Several of these images are direct tributes to famous Renaissance masterpieces. You may recognize references to The Last Supper, The Creation of Adam, The Fallen Angel, and other classical works that have inspired artists for centuries. I loved the challenge of taking compositions that are hundreds of years old and reimagining them with contemporary fashion, handmade props, and a darker, more editorial approach.

I've always believed photography can be more than just a pretty picture. Sometimes it's an opportunity to tell a story that people already know, but through a completely different lens. This was my interpretation of The Fall of Man, and without a doubt, one of my favorite concepts I've ever had the chance to bring to life.

Hair and Makeup by Meka Bennett

14/07/2026

When I started planning this Great Gatsby-inspired shoot, I became obsessed with old photos from the 1920s. One thing I kept seeing over and over were these giant crescent moons that people would pose on at lavish parties. I knew I had to build one.

A few days before the workshop, my dad and I were covering the moon in spray foam inside the garage so we could stay warm. What we didn’t realize was that the fumes and the space heaters were a terrible combination. Out of nowhere, the entire moon burst into flames. It singed my eyebrows, eyelashes, and arm hair, and I was convinced we’d have to start all over just days before the workshop.

Then my dad pointed something out… the fire had accidentally created the most realistic moon texture imaginable. The scorch marks looked exactly like craters. It ended up being one of those rare happy accidents that actually made the final prop even better than we’d planned.

When I first shared these photos, so many people were convinced the moons were Photoshopped that I had to post behind-the-scenes videos proving they were real.

To this day, this is still one of my favorite sets I’ve ever built.

And yes… I know I’ve been sharing a lot of older work lately. There’s a reason for that. I have a pretty exciting announcement coming soon, and all of these throwback posts are leading up to it. New work is coming very soon, too.

Hair and makeup by Meka Bennett

12/07/2026

Let them eat cake.

One of my all time favorite workshop shoots I've ever created.

I've always loved the story, the fashion, and the over the top opulence of Marie Antoinette, so several years ago I decided to create an entire workshop inspired by that world. Looking back at these photos now, I can't help but laugh because nobody attending the workshop had any idea how much chaos was happening behind the scenes.

My dad and I built these massive sets inside an old warehouse that we had rented. The morning of the shoot, while I was teaching everyone, my dad walked into the venue and motioned for me to come outside. He told me that it had rained the night before, the roof had leaked, and both of our sets had completely flooded.

I seriously thought the whole thing was over.

While I stayed behind teaching, my mom, my dad, my Uncle Dwayne, my Aunt Thelma, and several other family members all went to the warehouse with scrapers and whatever they could find and pushed all of the water out of the sets. Somehow, by the time everyone arrived to shoot, you could hardly even tell anything had happened. Looking back now, it's funny to think about how calm everything looked in these photos compared to everything that was happening behind the scenes.

Another fun fact... I wanted the engagement portion of the workshop to feature a vintage rowboat, but I couldn't find one anywhere. So my dad and my Uncle Dwayne literally built one from scratch just for this shoot.

And if you think this looks like springtime... it definitely wasn't. I'm pretty sure this was in January or February. Everything outside was dead, it was freezing cold, and everyone was absolutely shivering. I wanted that lush spring look so badly that I went to Hobby Lobby, bought hundreds of artificial flowers, and used a screwdriver to poke holes all through the ground so I could plant every single stem by hand. It was freezing, but somehow it photographed exactly the way I had imagined.

Hair and makeup was done by my incredibly talented friend Meka Bennett, who absolutely nailed the vision.

This is the kind of work I love creating. The elaborate sets, the problem solving, the last minute chaos, and somehow making it all come together in the end. Looking back, I wouldn't change a thing.

11/07/2026

“The Southern Belle”

I've always loved creating images that make people stop for a second and think.

The very first time I met her, she was actually my waitress at a restaurant. Before she even made it to the table, I knew I wanted to photograph her. A couple months later, she came over for a shoot, and I originally planned on putting one of my wigs on her. She had her hair pulled up in these little knots because she figured we'd be covering it anyway.

The second she walked through the door, I completely changed my mind.

Instead of trying to make her fit the vision I already had, I decided to let the vision evolve around her. I paired her natural hairstyle with a traditional Southern antebellum gown and hat because I loved the contrast. To me, it became a reminder that history, beauty, and identity are rarely as one-dimensional as we're taught to see them. Sometimes the most interesting images are the ones that challenge our expectations instead of confirming them.

We ended up calling this shoot The Southern Belle, and it's still one of my favorite editorials I've ever created. It's proof that some of my favorite images have come from throwing away the original plan and embracing something I never expected.

Makeup by me.

10/07/2026

I know I just shared my 1960s Priscilla Presley inspired workshop with you guys, so I figured I’d go ahead and take it into the next decade and share my 1970s flower child workshop.

I did this one a while back, and I wanted the entire shoot to feel like flowers, Americana, freedom, peace, love, and all of those dreamy hippie vibes from the 70s.

I found this HUGE old Volkswagen and somehow managed to convince the model, aka my cousin, to climb all the way on top of it while holding this old American flag I found at a vintage antique store. I had this entire vision in my head, and thankfully she trusted me enough to just go with it haha.

For another setup, I had envisioned the couple lying in the middle of this beautiful field of flowers. The only problem was... I couldn’t find a field of flowers anywhere. So I did what I always do when I have something stuck in my head and can’t find it. I made it myself.

I went to Lowe’s, bought a bunch of different potted flowers, brought them out to the shoot, and surrounded the couple with them while they were lying on the ground. Sometimes you just have to fake the field of flowers until you make the field of flowers.

Since the 4th of July was just last weekend, I figured this was the perfect time to finally share some of these again. This workshop was so much fun to dream up and bring to life, and it’s still one of those shoots that makes me smile when I look back at it.

I hope you guys enjoy these as much as I enjoyed creating them. Which setup is your favorite?

Hair and makeup by Bennett

Three Nails Photography

05/08/2026

27/07/2026

22/07/2026

21/07/2026

20/07/2026

16/07/2026

14/07/2026

12/07/2026

11/07/2026

10/07/2026

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