Some sessions come together so easily you wish you could bottle the conditions. Anna flew in from Pennsylvania to compete in an IFBB pro show here in Texas, and the morning before she stepped on stage, we shot at a pool in Dallas — clear blue skies, warm morning light, and not a cloud to work around.
Anna is an IFBB bikini pro, and it shows in the best way: she arrived ready, knew her angles, and made every setup easy. The images below are the ones she picked as her favorites from the session — the set I delivered to her.
Shot the Morning Before the Show
Timing a photo session the day before a pro competition is a balancing act. An athlete that close to the stage is at her leanest and most polished — but also deep in prep, with a show to save herself for. So we kept the morning relaxed and efficient: three bikinis, a handful of setups around the pool, and no rushing.
It's honestly my favorite time to photograph a competitor. The work of an entire prep is right there on the surface, and Anna brought it — frame after frame looked like it could have come straight off the stage.
Under the palapa — one of Anna's picks from the session.
Three Looks, One Pool
We worked three bikinis through the morning — teal, white, and red — and let the location do the rest. The pool gave us everything from clean full-length frames under the palapa to the water wall, where Anna laughed her way through take after take as the water came down.
Morning light is underrated for swimsuit work. Before the Texas sun gets harsh, the color pops, skin tones stay clean, and a sky like this needs no help in editing.
The water wall — worth every soaked take.
Her Favorites
After the session, Anna went through the proofs and chose her favorites — and her eye is as good as her posing. She leaned toward the strong, clean frames, and the in-pool portrait below is the one neither of us hesitated on.
Sessions like this are why I love photographing competitors when they come to Texas: a great athlete, a great attitude, and a morning that made all of it easy.
The frame we both picked first.
Anna — thank you for trusting me with the morning before your show. I had a great time, and I'm looking forward to the next session whenever you're back in Texas.
If you're a competitor coming to Texas for a show, or you're local and want this look for yourself, I'd love to plan a session with you.