**Now on Thumbtack** Secret Studio is a private Austin studio dedicated to a single craft: editorial portraiture. Every session is built around one subject — you, your founder, your collection, your face — and executed with the care of a magazine cover shoot.
The result is not a folder of photos. It is a small, considered archive of images you will use for years.
Why Clients Choose Us
What sets Secret Studios apart:
01 — A Trained Eye
Harvard-educated, decade-tested
Abel Acuña studied Government and Visual Arts at Harvard and has spent more than a decade making images for brands like Marriott International, Shell, IHG, CREXI, and Cushman & Wakefield. Every frame at Secret Studios is shaped by that editorial and commercial discipline.
02 — A Private Studio
One client at a time
Sessions are by appointment in a private space — no overlapping shoots, no shared lobby, no rushing. You get the studio, the lighting, and the photographer's full attention for the time you've booked.
03 — An Editorial Standard
Magazine-quality, every time
Lighting is built, not borrowed. Wardrobe, posture, and expression are directed in real time. Final images are hand-graded — never pushed through a preset — so the work feels like a printed editorial, not a content dump.
04 — A Calm Process
Comfortable in front of the camera
Most people don't love being photographed. The studio is designed to fix that — quiet room, clear direction, honest feedback between frames. You leave with images that look like you on your best day, not a stranger.
The Session
What's included:
Pre-Production
A short call to align on intent, wardrobe, mood, and the way the images will be used.
The Shoot
A focused studio session with controlled lighting, multiple looks, and active direction throughout.
Final Delivery
Hand-selected, fully retouched images delivered in web-optimized and print-ready formats.
Who it's for
Founders, executives, artists, and brands
Anyone who needs a single, definitive image — for a profile, a press kit, a campaign, a book jacket, or simply because the last good photo of you is a decade old. If the image will represent you in public, it deserves a real session.
Book a session
By appointment only. Limited dates each month.See more