A woman lying down on the floor surrounded by scattered open books, wearing a purple sweater and white knee-high socks.
Close-up of a person's face with piercing blue eyes, wrapped in an orange fuzzy blanket with a dark background.
A woman holding a transparent umbrella that displays a starry night sky and galaxy, with a dark background.
A person dressed as a fantasy character with elaborate makeup, horns, and jewelry, featuring dark lines and designs around the eyes and mouth in black and white.
Close-up of a person with colorful galaxy-themed makeup and decorative facial embellishments, including star and constellation designs, black lipstick, and eye makeup, against a dark background.
A woman in a long, dark brown gown sitting on sandy ground, looking up and to the side, with decorative jewelry and a headpiece.

Seriously Creative Portraits. Unserious Photographer.

A person's face with glasses surrounded by dark roasted coffee beans.

Photography should be more than standing in front of a camera and smiling on command.

I’m Tony Gist, the photographer behind Coldbrewed Creative, based in the greater Phoenix, Arizona area. I love creating portraits that have personality—whether that means dramatic lighting, an unusual concept, a ridiculous idea, or simply capturing someone exactly as they are.

From creative portraits and headshots to families, maternity, graduation photos and personal projects, every session is a chance to make something unique. Sometimes we start with a carefully planned concept. Sometimes we start with, “Okay, this might sound weird…” Those usually end up being some of my favorites.

It's about experimenting, having fun, telling stories and creating images that actually mean something to the people in them. Because the photographs we make today eventually become something much bigger than photographs. They become reminders of people, places, ideas and moments we don't want to forget.

So whether you're looking for a great portrait, something a little more creative, or you simply have an idea you'd like to bring to life…

Bring the idea. Bring yourself. I'll bring the camera.

Let's Make Something

Coldbrewed Mugs

Coldbrewed Mugs started as a simple photography experiment: take away the preparation, posing and retouching and see what's left. Just a person, a camera and a face. No pressure to look perfect. No elaborate setup. Just an honest portrait and whatever happens in front of the lens.

Check Out the Project
A collage of black-and-white headshots of diverse people, arranged in five rows and nine columns, showcasing various ages, ethnicities, and expressions.