<\/p>\n While photographers Leeanna and Aaron DiGruccio say that M4LL PH0T0 started from boredom, the two Ontario, Canada-based photographers have more than just decades of photography experience to build on.<\/p>\n Latest Videos FromDigital Camera World<\/p>\n Leeanna DiGruccio was working for CPI in the US, the company behind store-based portrait studios inside Sears and Walmart, when the company went under. That day, she stayed for 12 hours just to make sure everyone received their photos.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Leeanna and Aaron DiGruccio)<\/p>\n Fast forward, and now asking AI to generate a photo that looks like it came from an 80s mall portrait has become a viral trend. The DiGruccios are taking those photos the traditional way, without generative AI \u2013 though the Sony A7 IV<\/a> bodies and 24-70mm f\/2.8<\/a> used for the portraits are far from 80s tech.<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you use AI to generate an image, that is not that person. It’s not you,\u201d Aaron said. \u201cWe photograph you. That’s the only picture like that of you that exists. It’s not this amalgamation of every image that’s been fed into an AI model.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Leeanna and Aaron DiGruccio (Image credit: M4LL PH0T0 \/ Leeanna and Aaron DiGruccio)<\/p>\n Part of M4LL PH0T0\u2019s success comes from the experience. The duo sets up a booth at festivals and events, often punk and music festivals. The photographers joke with their portrait subjects, and at the end, guests choose from a treasure chest, like going to the dentist in the 1990s.<\/p>\n Everyone who walks into the M4LL PH0T0 booth at a festival gets three different photographs, all themed after the \u201cfloating head\u201d style of photography that was popular in the 1980s: A plain background, a laser background done in Photoshop<\/a>, and a surprise third set.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are characters. We don’t take ourselves seriously,\u201d Leeanna said. \u201cSometimes photography can be very serious. Everybody always says, like, “Oh, I look bad in photos.” I always say back, \u2018But we take them professionally.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Leeanna and Aaron DiGruccio)<\/p>\n \u201cWe’ve had people say, \u2018hang on, I’m going to run home and get my cat,\u2019 and they’d run home and come back out of breath with their cat over their shoulder for a photo with their cat in the floating head inset,\u201d Aaron said.<\/p>\n What to read next<\/p>\n He added that people have also asked to use portraits of deceased loved ones in the floating head inset, while one couple used the portraits as a pregnancy announcement. \u201cAs much as it\u2019s a humorous premise, people have used these for actual sentimental purposes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n A typical M4LL PH0T0 portrait session takes about 90 seconds \u2013 though pets will often take longer \u2013 and costs CA$25 a person (about $18 \/ \u00a313). That price point isn\u2019t by accident \u2013 it\u2019s also the number Leeanna found on old Sears advertisements for sitting for a session.<\/p>\n The couple also runs an event photography business<\/a>, but M4LL PH0T0, along with being built for humor, makes real photography more accessible by running short, affordable sessions in high-traffic venues.<\/p>\n Adding an 80s-themed portrait booth during festivals came with unique challenges \u2013 chiefly, lighting the shot inside a small booth outdoors. The couple works from a tent with three walls in order to have the most control over the light, working with Godox V1<\/a> flashes off-camera with umbrellas.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Leeanna and Aaron DiGruccio)<\/p>\n The response to M4LL PH0T0 has been overwhelming, the couple says, with a long line to the booth at many festivals and daily messages asking what event they\u2019ll be at next. Several guests have traveled from outside of Ontario \u2013 and even from the US \u2013 to get a photo.<\/p>\n In addition to working as photographers, the duo also works in tech: Aaron in IT support and Leeanna as an industrial engineer, including installing Apple<\/a> devices for the Artemis II mission<\/a>.<\/p>\n Leeanna says she\u2019s built AI systems that ended up making her position redundant. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen the tragic outcomes of what AI does, and we absolutely believe AI should not be in art,\u201d Leeanna said.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Leeanna and Aaron DiGruccio)<\/p>\n \u201cWe’ve had people come up to us like with huge Pit Viper sunglasses and lightning bolt windbreakers be like, \u2018We’re ready.\u2019 And it’s like, \u2018I’ve never met you, but you know us,\u2019\u201d Aaron said. \u201cWe love these little interactions. Photography is about relationships for us. It’s not just get you and get you out, unless that’s what you want. We are here for you.\u201d<\/p>\n The name M4LL PH0T0 even has a dash of humor with its hidden Easter eggs. The numbers come from 400, the error code for a bad request, while replacing letters with numbers is part of early internet culture that Millennials \u2013 like the DiGruccios \u2013 will recognize.<\/p>\n M4LL PH0T0\u2019s event schedule is available on their website<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Today’s best Sony A7 IV deals<\/p>\n You may also like<\/p>\n Take a look at the best lenses for portraits<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/zAHHAYqcFsKdQYfv76MgNM.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n![\"Leeanna](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/g4dwHkSyYvum7MPppDSvSo.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/RqZdtR5fGtNx6oU2Af9i5A.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/LVPb2nLDczzbcpwUfSqVKM.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/4EzLnV3wZF8QGsvRN39VHM.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n