Photography Tutorial: 3 Tips for Working With Drag Queens

Learn how to shoot show-stopping drag portraits with photographer David Ayllon and RuPaul’s Drag Race star Scarlet Envy

Working with drag queens is a bit different than working with regular models—it’s a bit more collaborative. “When we are creating an illusion, the illusion has to also be created by the team,” says RuPaul’s Drag Race star Scarlet Envy (@scarletenvy). This also means the relationship between a photographer and model is especially important.

A photographer, creative director, and visual artist specializing in bold, pop culture portraits, David Ayllon (@davidayllon) has worked with big names in the drag community, including Bob the Drag Queen, Peaches Christ, and Trixie Mattel.

In this free tutorial, David teams up with Scarlet Envy to share expert tips for fabulous drag queen portrait photography. Follow along with the video below and read on to learn about everything from the basic equipment you’ll need to lighting advice, and tips for creating atmosphere.

Take note, hunty!

What you’ll need: basic tools and equipment for portrait photography

To help you get started, David shares the essentials and extras he keeps in his portrait photography kit:

- Camera: "I am using my Canon Rebel T7, with a Tamron 18-200mm lens. While a DSLR will always be more versatile, you can also use a phone."

- Lights: "I use the Alienbees B400 Flash Units along with a white beauty dish and 7’ reflective umbrella to help soften light as needed."

- Tripod: "You’ll need some sort of apparatus to keep the camera still while you shoot or make adjustments to the studio."

- Reflector: "Again, nothing fancy, but it may be helpful to have a white reflector of some kind, when adding another light would be too bright. This can even be a large white poster board."

- Color gels: "Not entirely necessary, but different colors can bring a unique dimensionality to your photos, so if you have access to some they are definitely worth exploring."

- Props: "These can be anything! Found stuff, borrowed stuff, dollar store stuff—it’s not the elements themselves, but how the elements fit together."

In his upcoming Domestika course teaching portrait photography inspired by pop culture, David also shares more tips for planning out a dynamic, colorful lighting set-up, and how to source or create inexpensive props for your photoshoot.

3 top tips for drag queen portrait photography

1. Lighting: more is more

Drag queens have a lot going on compared to regular models. We’re talking hairspray, glue, plastic—you name it. It’s important to be aware of these things and build your lighting plan with them in mind.

A soft key light is always going to be the best route to light your drag queen. The easiest way to tell the difference between a soft light and a hard light is to look at the shadows—hard light will have very sharp, well-defined shadows, whereas soft light will have a more feathered, or even nonexistent shadow.

A good way to ensure a nice soft light is to use a softbox, and have the light be as close to the subject as possible without infringing on the shot.

Aside from the key light, experiment with different colors and angles to make the shot look more dynamic. Using different color lights can also help hide any imperfections that may have otherwise been noticeable.

2. Patience is a virtue

Drag queens often require a lot more time to get ready than normal models. Be sure to plan enough time before your photoshoot to ensure your queen has enough time to get ready without feeling rushed.

Also, remember that parts of the queen’s outfit may not be the most comfortable. The experience of the queen is often rushing to get ready, only to sit still for a long time being photographed. Keep this in mind as you create your shooting schedule to ensure your team has enough time to adjust to whatever is needed.

3. Bring the energy!

If you aren’t excited about the shoot, the queen won’t be either. Drag queens bring a lot of energy to their identities, and it’s incredibly difficult to build all that energy as a single person in an otherwise dull room. Your queen will feed off the energy that you bring. If you are both excited about what you are doing, the final product will be so much more rewarding.

Did you enjoy this tutorial? If you’d like to learn more about shooting expressive and bold portrait photography, check out David Ayllon’s upcoming Domestika course Show-stopping Portrait Photography Inspired by Pop Culture.

David's course is available for presale until June 20, 2022; the course launches on June 21, 2022.

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