NISA LIKE NISSAN

When I first met Nisa, I didn’t catch her name at first.  So when I said what, she said, “Nisa. Like Nissan, but not.”  And I’ve never forgotten her name.  

Last week, I shot a portrait session with Nisa in one of my favorite spots in La Jolla.  The wall is amazing, the beach is beautiful, and the sunset light is gorgeous!  To top it off though, I was shooting with one of the most fun girls I think I know!  The most difficult thing to do was trying to get a shot of Nisa NOT smiling.  As soon as the camera was on her, she was smiling and flipping her hair and throwing out poses.  She told me that there are a bunch of photographers in her family so she has been a model for them many times.  Well it showed, because Nisa was so comfortable in front of the lens and the pictures came out awesome!

I started with my favorite picture of the whole day!  This is Nisa’s serious face.  I know, more sly than serious, but honestly, I couldn’t get her to stop smiling!  That’s just the type of girl she is, and it was so much fun to be around her!

This shot was funny, because although she looks totally comfortable, she was actually squeezed under that little rock overhang.  The spot was just so cool and she was up for it, so BAM good shot!

I think I have about a hundred or more shots of Nisa laughing!  Especially when I would ask for a serious face, she would just bust up laughing!  It made for some great shots though!

Okay, here is a beautiful shot of Nisa actually being serious.  I know, crazy.  I was playing with my camera for a bit, then I looked up to see Nisa just looking out to the ocean.  So I just said her name and snapped the shot when she turned.  It’s funny that she has to be caught off guard to get a serious shot, but I guess that’s not the worst problem in the world.  

So Nisa is apparently a bit of a brain.  Next year, she’s off to NYU.  Watch out fellas, a San Diego beauty with brains in New York, that’s trouble!  Well, when she’s in New York, I hope she looks at this pic every once in awhile to remember home.  The walkway at Seal Beach/Children’s pool is sooo San Diego!

This next shot is at the same spot that I shot an e-session a little while ago and you guys went nuts emailing me about.  It’s sort of my secret spot now, but I’m going to give you all a huge hint.  This shot is a really beautiful shot of Nisa, but the next one shows off her personality and a bit more of the spot!

Hahahaha!  Yeah, this shot is much more Nisa than any other I caught all day!

One last thing about Nisa is the amazing story of her family.  Her mother immigrated here from Vietnam and she is bringing me her mom’s written story tonight at church.  If allowed, I’ll post it on here.  I can’t imagine it being anything but incredibly inspirational!  

Thank you Nisa, for being such an awesome model and bringing your experience in front of my lens!  You pretty much made me laugh the entire time we were shooting.  Good luck in New York!