I had been looking around for some different locations to shoot here in Tucson,. It seems like a lot of the architecture here in Tucson is the same and I wanted to find something different, clean and contemporary.
After a lot of looking around a friend of mine got me in touch with the owners of a new home (less than five years old) that had been built in a very contemporary style. This home was about 5,000 square feet and located in an exclusive gated community with incredible views.
To fit the environment I felt like I needed clothes that had strong lines and structure to them. Laura Tanzer was the designer that came to mind. Laura’s clothes have a lot of classic elements to them but they are also very contemporary as well. I was very excited when Laura agreed to be a part of the shoot.
The day of the shoot presented a number of challenges. First being on location with the every changing light required the use of at least off camera light all of the time. Second, the home owner wanted to make sure we did not scratch the floors so the entire crew (and all of the light stands) were equipped with booties to help protect the floor.
The location was beautiful and our crew of eight quickly settled into a rhythm of dressing, posing and photographing the models and then moving on to the next location.
I have a tendency sometimes to over shoot a particular shot. Call it insecurity but I want to KNOW that we got it. Today I committed to being more disciplined in my shot choices and keeping things moving along. I didn’t want overstay our welcome with the family that had been so generous to open up their home.
With that in mind I tried hard to keep the pace moving along. If something was not working, I didn’t spend a lot of time trying to fix a bad shot, instead I tried find a better location.
Things went well and I really enjoyed the day and the final outcome of the photos.
Crew Credits:
Models: Charia Underwood and Natasha Marie Rogerson
Hair & Makeup: Kristopher Osuna, Perfection Artistry
Wardrobe & Styling: Laura Tanzer with Abbey Gatlin
Clothing Designer: Laura Tanzer
Assisting Photographers: Joshua Reed Photography and Kalei Harmon Photography

Paul Davis
Paul Davis is a commercial and portrait photographer based out of Tucson, Arizona.