The Model

I took this photo in Las Vegas, while on a photo expedition with Jason Lanier, an incredible pro photographer.

The model was a model he used regularly during his model shoots. I was not very confident I would come away with any keepers, but I’d learn from someone whose style I admired.

This was the first time I had been to Vegas, and I’m not going to lie, I was neon drunk by the time we all met and headed out to shoot Vegas with the models. There were 3 wonderful models, and about 10 photographers.

I wasn’t feeling very confident. There were photographers in this group who I followed on instagram, people who had thousands of followers. They were loud, pushy, and had way better gear than I did.

I lurked in the back, letting the loud, pushy folks shoot, while I stood behind them and when they weren’t in my way, I’d get a quick shot.

Jason noticed I was not really into the craziness, and came to where I was lurking in the back and told me to get in there. So, I did.

Once I nudged my way in I took this shot.

Once we were done with the 2 hour shoot around Vegas, we all went to eat. I was tired, hot, and still not feeling super confident with the group so I stayed pretty much quiet. Jason asked to see my favorite shot, so I showed him the one you see here.He said some very kind things about the shot, and also told me that sometimes you have to use the elbows God gave you to get the shot.

I still use those elbows today, bit I don’t have to as much anymore.