journal / april 2026
Five Looks with Juli Melazo
Notes from an editorial session at NjoyStudio, Mexico City. Five looks, one model, and the logic of building a complete series in a single afternoon.
There are sessions where the set comes together slowly, and others where everything falls into place on the first take. This was one of the latter. Juli arrived early at the studio, the lighting was already dialed in, and Alejandro Romero — who handled styling — had hung the five looks the night before. You don’t always get that luxury. When you do, it shows.
The concept
The idea was to build an editorial series in the spirit of “magazine cover from scratch” — not the shoot that follows a brief imposed from outside, but one that starts by reading the wardrobe and lets the model set the rhythm. Five looks, ranging from elegant minimalism to fashion drama. No forced narrative, no manufactured titles — just five different ways of inhabiting the light.
That only happens with real preparation before the day of the shoot. The big decisions get made beforehand: the wardrobe direction, the lighting moodboard, the order of looks to optimize wardrobe changes. On set, all that’s left is to execute and react.
The light
Profoto B10X Plus as key, B3 Plus as fill. A single directional source for the warm-light portraits — the amber tone comes from the gel, not from post. For the looks against the neutral grey backdrop, we opened up to soft light with a large softbox and a beauty dish. The camera, a Nikon Z9 with the 85mm f/1.2 for tight crops and the 24-70mm f/2.8 when we needed to widen the frame.
Nothing exotic. What matters in a session like this isn’t the setup — it’s the rhythm. And that depends more on the model than on the photographer.
The model
Juli is one of those models who understand direction without you having to repeat yourself. You give her the line of sight, the weight of the body, the intent of the look — and she adjusts between frames with the body language already shifted. That saves hours on set and frees the photographer to think about composition and light, not about pose.
Working with professional models isn’t only about “getting better photos.” It’s also about giving yourself permission to take creative risks. When you know the next frame is going to land, you start trying things that didn’t work in the previous look. That kind of freedom only comes from mutual trust.
The five looks
Most of the wardrobe came from Ophelia Showroom — Alejandro has direct relationships with several local ateliers, and for this session we worked with pieces by La Tarántula, Monizen Creaciones, Jonathan Guzmán Atelier, Carmezynne, and Leoquistian. The rings came from Chabacano.
Mixing Mexican designers with archival jewelry isn’t a statement — it’s what’s available when you work in CDMX and pay attention to the local circuit. The quality is here. You just have to go look for it.
CDMX
There’s a recent conversation about Mexico City as an emerging fashion capital. It’s true, but also old news for those of us who work here. What’s new isn’t the city — it’s the access to local work that was always already there. Designers, models, makeup artists, spaces. You don’t need to travel for international work. International work happens here.
The video
The full BTS of all five looks is on YouTube. It’s not a polished edit — it’s the real version, with the small technical issues that always show up and how we worked through them.
Credits
Model: Juli Melazo · Styling: Alejandro Romero (Virginal Style) · Wardrobe: Ophelia Showroom · Designers: La Tarántula · Monizen Creaciones · Chabacano · Jonathan Guzmán Atelier · Carmezynne · Leoquistian · Studio: NjoyStudio CDMX · Camera: Nikon Z9 with 85mm f/1.2 and 24-70mm f/2.8 · Lighting: Profoto B10X Plus + B3 Plus