I love Puerto Rico because of the convenience of the island, which I think plays a major factor in deciding which island to visit, because in the end, they are all the same sand and palm trees. I am a lot more familiar with parts of Puerto Rico the more I visit, and this was my second trip back to Luquillo Beach for a model shoot. It’s about a 40 minute drive from San Juan which means less tourists and more locals and less crowded. The second location was in Hotel El Convento in Old San Juan.

This was my first shoot with my Pocket Wizard Plus II and Canon Speedlite, which was setup on the beach with a small light stand. I only used the fill flash for the black swimwear, as I still do not like artificial light. The beach shots were shot with a Canon 24-70mm with a circular polarizer to darken the sky and minimize water reflection.

Jestina is one of the easiest models to work with and has a lot of experience. My style for the beach shoot was a mix of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit and black & white glamour nudes. She had no problems running around splashing in the water completely bare in front of local people. That’s what I call professional.

I met Denise at my Hoboken studio opening party over two years ago, shortly after we had a test photo session at the studio. I lost touch with her until recently, and of course I was surprised she was interested in working with me again. I booked the room shown in the previous post from Hotel on Rivington, and hired the wonderful Jennifer Kang as the makeup artist. It was anyone’s guess how the shoot would unfold or how the results would turn out, but when you put three dirty minds together (third being Denise’s girl friend) for no other purpose than to have fun and make sexy photos, you are sure to get something enticing. I couldn’t have gotten these results without her friend who kept yelling “Bitch, take it off!”

All photos are lit with the Alien Bees, either modeling lamp only, or flash with umbrella, or bare bulb flash.

I heart hotels. The crux of my travels is deciding what hotels I will be staying at for photography purposes. For that, I have to thank Tablet Hotels and Trip Advisor and their members for contributing photos. I always enjoy the service and secludedness of staying away at a hotel, though I usually stay by myself which is only half the fun.

Hotel on Rivington, New York, NY

One of my favorite spots in New York is Hotel on Rivington, which I’ve been to at least five times, and every time, the floor plan is different and the bathroom is different. The bed feels luxurious because the mattress is memory foam, I haven’t found any other hotels that uses the same. This hotel is one of the few that has floor to ceiling windows, which is amazing for natural light photos during the day. Of course the higher the floor, the better the results. While all the beds are the same in every room, the bathrooms are all different. The tiles range from small black squares, to bright yellow, to gray concrete slabs. Some bathrooms have one shower head, dual shower heads, Japanese soaking tubs, or even a stand alone egg-shaped tub. The color theme of the room is pretty much always white and black, with the only hint of color from the dark wooden closet doors and possibly the bathroom tiles. Almost every luxury hotel room nowadays has an iPod player/alarm clock.

Luxe Hotel, Los Angeles, CA

The red and gray Asian theme of the Vista Suite at the Luxe Hotel immediately drew my attention. I’ve booked my rooms with modern theme or a vintage theme, but nothing like this. In fact, there are 5 different seating types just in that suite alone. The bed has an adjustable canopy which is huge on sexy points, as well as an outdoor balcony, and a jacuzzi bath tub. The bath tub however would seem difficult for anyone shorter than 5 feet 6 inches to climb in. The suites are separated from the regular rooms higher up on the cliff, where you have to drive uphill, and adds to the secluded ambiance and a better overall view. I enjoy details in the room such as the fabric texture lining the entire wall of the suite. Needless to say, the suite is absolutely huge and I wish I could have thrown a model party in there.

Mondrian Hotel, West Hollywood, CA

I could never get sick of white, especially when combined with an entire wall of windows. I chose this hotel because of the modern-Victorian style of the headboard and oversized sofa. My theory is, if I can get the perfect shot with that as a background, then the room will be worth it. The wall is also textured which reminds me of a wedding cake. A gimmicky feature of this hotel is the seamless TV hidden behind a swivel mirror. The LCD TV screen seamlessly merges with the mirror and is a neat trick, but can be annoying if you’re also staring at the reflection of the room and yourself while watching a show. The shower stall has a great adjustable/detachable shower head. It can be set to any height and angle. You can also switch to the ceiling shower, though not nearly as powerful as the main shower head. The ceramic like tiles give the shower stall a roomy reverb sound, which I can only imagine would be amazing for singing.

While the mirror wall makes the room look larger, mirrors are always annoying in photography, especially when using flash. Mirrors reflect lights all over the place and also reflect your equipment if you’re not careful. The sheer curtains help with softening up the natural light, which will always provide the most flattering lighting conditions.