Lauren got in touch with me over Instagram to schedule a swim shoot. Thankfully we got lucky with one of the most beautiful sunsets of the year.

Don’t worry, this post will walk you through all the steps and some of my favorite pieces of advice to get you photoshoot ready.

We all know that preparing for a photoshoot can be a little intimidating but this guide should help make the process a little easier.

I did!

My latest editorial with the talented Alexa!

I’m so glad that I got to collaborate with Hermoza Swimwear and Peltier Winery for their mini-partnership. It was so wonderful that Marisa trusted me to capture these images and share them across her and Tiffany’s brand. To give you some background on Hermoza Swimwear, they design comfortable and timeless swimwear that will stand the test of time. Their prints are colorful and have so much character that each piece tells a story.

A few days ago I posted a few images of a flatlay board I made in one of my favorite photography Facebook groups, Looks Like Film Learn. It’s a great group to learn, find educational resources, and just interact with a ton of insanely talented photographers. Anyways! It got a ton of comments and a lot of you wanted to see how I made it so this is what this post is about.

If you’re a photographer who is just starting out, you’ve probably wondered what it takes to start shooting with models signed with agencies. To be frank, the answer is really simple.

I’ve been a SoCal native my whole life, born in San Diego and raised in Temecula! I am 18 years old and am a college student while working. I truly enjoy traveling, and spending quality time and experiences with family and friends! Whether it be yoga, traveling, learning- there are so many things which bring me joy!

My name is Alex, I grew up in Encinitas CA and I like to roller skate, hang with friends, and go to the beach. I started modeling at the age of 17 when I got scouted by my agent at a taco stand.

This past year has been a legit roller coaster, with a lot of twists and turns, plus some high points. Into the start of  2019, I was 40 pounds heavier, was growing distant from my family, had a job that paid the bills but didn’t fulfill me, and was struggling to move on from a relationship that wasn’t going anywhere.

It’s not every day that you create a set of images that you’re truly proud of. This impromptu shoot with Veronica just that.

The Team:

Model: Lexa @lexaaloha

Hair & Makeup: Cindy Tran @noirbeaute

Stylist: Myself and Nicole Pakozdi @redandrelaxed

Shot at EQ Studios

Do you ever get that question, you know the one that asks about how you knew what you wanted to do and when? It's the type of question that kinda stumps you. The one that makes you think way back to when you were a kid or in high school when you were just figuring things out.
For me, I get this question a lot...
”When did you start photography and how did you know?” and usually my answer is ”I've always wanted to be a photographer, I just didn't know it.”

Finally got my first shoot of summer done and I’m stoked with the results. This shoot, styled by Nicole, had so many highlights, I definitely had a difficult time selecting the final edits.

The day before I had contacted Allison and asked if she’d be interested in shooting. Thankfully she was because I had heard that Lake Elsinore was ablaze with poppies from the Super Bloom and I was desperate to go and see it for myself! We settled to meet up at 2:00pm at the poppy fields and shoot until sunset. What we didn’t know was that traffic was going to be our biggest hurdle of the day. So off I went, driving out of San Diego until I reached the 15N and continued on until I got about 5 miles from the Lake Street.

Working with Alex was literally one of the most fun shoots I’ve had in a while. Mainly because she’s freakin hilarious! Alex models like a pro, because she is, she’s not afraid to go out of the box with posing or her facial expressions. We went from casual to classic, shot some gorgeous beauty shots and ended with a wet hair look that I loved.

Emily from Willow Model Management

Test shoot with Allison from Willow Model Management

Gabi from Willow Model Management