Mila: Model, Entrepreneur, Activist

Mila

Model, Entrepreneur, Activist

One way I work to add narrative elements to my photography is to include what is real about my subjects. Whether working with a professional model or a lawyer, I want my photos to speak to who they are as individuals and not just be pretty and clean representations of them for their social media or portfolios (although we definitely capture images like that, too!). Mila is a kind of dream subject for this because of all that she is involved with, and while you don’t want to literally inject a photo with all of a person’s interests, you’ll see that her personality and interests shine through in these images.

Mila is a seasoned model (who is even in some billboards on a highway near my home!), the owner of a sustainable, vintage fashion brand, The Vintage Riot, and a stylist as well. We wanted these photos to capture the range of her personality and interests, so of course she styled herself in some pieces she was offering through The Vintage Riot.

I had a tiny diagram drawn for the shot of her at the edge of the backdrop paper—I knew from the beginning that I wanted to show some behind the scenes moments and purposely expose the setup of the shoot (featuring the amazing Davisha doing Mila’s makeup, showing the floor, the white v-flat) to add to the organic feel of the shoot that was inspired by both Mila’s personality and the nature of her work. Check out more images from the shoot below of Mila as Mila!