#Leighton DaCosta Photographer

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Kho'dai's Headshot Session | Leighton DaCosta, San Diego Headshot Photographer

Hello everyone!

Recently I had the pleasure of photographing the beautiful and talented model, Kho'dai. It was an exciting session for me as I had the opportunity to showcase her unique and stunning beauty through my lens.

Kho'dai's beautiful brown skin glows in every shot. Her giant afro added an extra level of individuality and flair to her headshots. She made every shot dynamic and eye-catching.

During our session, Kho'dai posed for modeling and acting headshots and was natural in front of the camera. Her smile lit up the room. Her elegant poses were effortless, making my job as a photographer a breeze.

Kho'dai's headshots are going to be a great addition to her portfolio and I can't wait to see where her modeling and acting career takes her. Her unique beauty and talent make her stand out in the industry and I am confident that she will be a rising star in no time.

Thank you, Kho'dai, for choosing me as your photographer. It was a fantastic experience working with you and I am honored to have captured your beauty.

~LD

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RED Alert!

A few months ago, I booked a fashion shoot based upon the color RED with two amazing photographers, Leighton DaCosta and Geno Porter.

This shoot was perfectly planned. Despite having to arrive onset, before dawn, for hair and makeup, by the oh-so amazing Rosa Martinez - I had a blast! I look forward to working with the Leighton and Geno, and the beautiful models I met, again.

Photographers website:

Leighton DaCosta, http://www.leightond.com/

Geno Porter, https://www.airealphotographyllc.com/

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2023 Revisited | Leighton DaCosta, San Diego Photographer

HAPPY 123123 DAY!

2023 was an amazing year in San Diego. There were way more ups than downs and I am blessed to see another year! Thank you to all the clients and friends, and clients who became friends, and friends who became clients.

We had a blast in Jamaica during Carnival, LA Fashion Week work with BVFW was phenomenal, we went chasing waterfalls and bars in the middle of the ocean to capture some travel portraiture.

The portraits this year were widely varied, from influencer headshots, acting headshots, costume photography for international beauty queens, and beauty shots for music artists, along with some commercial work as well.

Let’s not forget the weddings in Vegas or the trips to the desert!

Cheers to the completion of 2023 and a new start in 2024. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AS ALWAYS!

LD

And here’s some quick shots from BVFW LA…

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Taiwan: A Photo Essay | Leighton DaCosta, San Diego Photographer

Location: Taiwan Photographer: Leighton DaCosta @LeightonDPhoto Camera: Nikon Df

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Eryn's Headshots | Leighton DaCosta, San Diego Headshot Photographer

Model: Eryn R. @erynalexa_ MUA: Jasmine Sanchez @transition_queen0626 Photographer: Leighton DaCosta @LeightonDPhoto Location: San Diego, California 92108

See more here: https://leightond.shootproof.com/gallery/22953786/

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Bovtiqve Fashion Week LA BVFW Day 1 | Leighton DaCosta Photographer

Bovtiqve Fashion Week (BVFW) Volume 7 has arrived in the City of Angels! A five-day event, BVFW uses a variety of locations and events to showcase the 5 (V) fundamentals of BVFW. What is BVFW? BVFW is partnership of independent fashion designers, boutique owners, merchandisers, producers, influencers, and models. Bovtiqve Fashion Week was created to establish a foundation of fashion and business trade, increase the economic and creative development in the areas of fashion design, clothing, merchandising, event production, and modeling. BVFW is held twice a year during the months of February and September. By rotating cities for every edition, BVFW provides a major American city the platform to make a significant impression on a critical sector of the fashion industry. It also highlights a city's capacity to thrive within the growth of one of the most profitable industries in the world.

High up in a high rise tower located at the corner of Sunset and Vine, Volume VII of BVFW kicked off. A great industry panel, band, and awesome venue served as the conduit for this industry mixer of professionals. BVFW continues until 10/1.

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Phee Visits Charleston! | Leighton DaCosta, Charleston Lifestyle Photographer

So a year or so ago, I was traveling to Jamaica and while in the Norman Manley International Airport terminal in Kingston, waiting to clear customs and passport control; I randomly met an amazing young lady. She was a flight attendant with a great personality. After a little small talk, and learning about her love for fashion and that she designed her own outfits, I gave her one of my cards and suggested that if she ever had an extended stay in Charleston, that she should give me a call.

So today we met by none other than the iconic Pineapple Fountain (what better place to welcome someone). Phee was wearing a personally handmade, pastel blue skirt which provided for an awesome contrast against the historical Charleston backdrop.

We walked the streets of the Historic French Quarter and I shared just a tiny snippet of Charleston’s rich history. We strolled a few places such as the Old Exchange, The Customs House, and then we went down Market Street and told of its history.

But of course… when you are in a beautiful city, with beautiful light, and a beautiful subject… you can’t help but to capture a few shots!

Even though it was only a couple of hours, I hope Phee enjoyed Charleston enough to come again, and I hope she loves the images captured!

Have you ever thought about hiring a photographer for your traveling escapades?

LD

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Back To Business Basics Workshop Recap & 3 quick lessons | Leighton DaCosta, Charleston Photography Instructor

Let me start off by saying THANK YOU to all those who attended the Back to Business Basics (B3) workshop this past weekend. I was honored by your presence. To those who were unable to attend, I look forward to you attending future business workshops.

I have always believed in “Community over Competition” when it comes to the photography industry, because on the business side, I feel our responsibility is to serve the market and the market is HUGE! By aligning our individual reasons of why we do this, it helps us persevere in serving clients who share our love in what we photograph!

Lesson #1: Don’t try and do it all by yourself!

Back in December, during a networking event, several photographers reached out to me about doing a workshop. Fellow Photographer, Geno Porter (AirReal Photography) had been encouraging me to do just that for the longest. If it wasn’t for his encouragement and shared financial backing, this workshop might never have happened.

This was one of the lessons that I shared when starting out and you have limited resources. Find someone or a group of individuals who are willing to share the responsibilities and work together for a common good. You’d be surprised how much lighter the burdens are.

Lesson #2: Provide value by solving problems

Many photographers face the challenges of doing things the “right” way. By that, I mean, legal hurdles such as going through the business license process. Having the right permits at the right locations. Whether or not to have a studio or not, even down to insurance requirements, and lets not get started on what gear we need and how to get it!

Similar in my quest to help photographers solve these problems, we learned that we have to do more than just take “pretty pictures” for clients but solve their core problems, wants, desires, and needs while always striving to provide additional value.

Sometimes that value is additional time. Other times that value is access to a location that a client ordinarily wouldn’t be able to go to. We learned how our pricing is not about just what we charge, but is based on our economic philosophy as well. Making a choice to provide premium products to offer premium quality, or the choice to offer different levels of quality in products and services in order to serve a wider client base. Finding the solutions to problem and knowing WHY you want to solve that problem is critical to finding the people who want YOU to solve that problem.

Lesson #3: Continuously Improve

As expressed in the portion of learning about finding out the unknown unknowns, we learned that no one person has all the answers. Not even myself, but we should continuously strive to find the answers. Challenges arise and change everyday, as well as the solutions to them. The importance is understanding and being prepared for those changes. Our presentation, service/product offerings, workflows can all be continuously improved, but need to have a solid foundation.

A distinctive “Why.”

Special Thanks to:

Maple Street Biscuit Company - James Island

The Restoration Hotel

Mellow Mushroom on King

…and all the attendees!

To find out about future training events, please visit HERE

The next Charleston workshop is scheduled for Sunday, June 30th 2019 and tickets can be found HERE

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843 Collective Beauty Shoot | Leighton DaCosta, Charleston Hair & Beauty Photographer

Models: Miranda Phillips, Alexa Walter

H/MUA: Laura Fraizer, Justine Green

Photographer: Leighton DaCosta

Photographer's Assistant: Tonya Brisson

Stylist: 843 Beauty Collective

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#TBT Real Bride: Ebony | Leighton DaCosta, Savannah Wedding Photographer

Autumn 2010, a few months before her wedding, one of my brides, Ebony, decided to take part in a formal bridal dress session. I've always loved seeing large, fine art prints of brides. There was just something majestic and regal about it. 

This was my first time working with the amazingly talented, Timothy Cabell, of Savannah, GA. Timothy is an award winning and internationally competitive Hair and Makeup Artist. The session took place at the SCAD stables, located just outside of Savannah on the South Carolina side of the border. My wonderful lighting assistant was Hair stylist and educator, Shameka LeCounte, of Jacksonville Florida. Dress and accessories provided by David's Bridal Savannah.

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Karmen | Leighton DaCosta, Charleston Lifestyle Photographer

I had a great time working with Karmen this past year as we did a quick shoot in the Avondale area of Charleston, SC. Coming down on a Sunday all the way from Gaffney, SC, I was assisted with the great help of her parents while capturing Karmen. As she continues to build her portfolio during her senior year of high school, I wish Karmen continued success. Until next time.

LD

Model: Karmen Location: Gaffney, SC Photographer: Leighton DaCosta Photographer’s Assistant: Bernard Foster Retouched by Picsera

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'Rights vs. Reputation | Leighton DaCosta, Charleston Photographer

I remember hearing the phrase, "Photographers may own the copyrights, but our clients own our reputations."

Sometimes in the world of photography, we photographers can get caught up in our artistic abilities to create great images. Many photographers, myself included, participate in many photo shoots where our subjects are upcoming models building a portfolio. Sometimes these sessions fall into a more informal arrangement between photographer and model, collaborating on different themes and looks. These sessions can be for monetary compensation, but often they are for a trade of image usage to prints, or model/photographer time, for the use of images (TFP). 

In these TFP situations, it seems that we often forget that there is still a client/service provider relationship. Both the model and the photographer are clients and providers. For the focus of this post, I will direct this to photographers.  

The reality is that regardless of the compensation currency, the person that is in front of the camera is either the client, or a potential future client. With many photographers being on the similar skill levels, and even having similar equipment, what often separates us from each other is the commitment to service. That's right, customer service.

Keeping the client in mind, we need to understand that everyone on our sets are the foundation of our reputations. Do people like working with you? Do they feel challenged? Respected? Valued? What about if they feel marginalized, threatened, or unsafe? 

Recently, a local photographer had some damning allegations levied towards him. Some of the accusations were inappropriate conversations during late hours, unwanted touching, and even unwanted undressing during photo sessions. Charges continued along the lines of the photographer threatening to post images online that were not intended to be for public viewing. So what do you do if you are a photographer and true, or not, find yourself in a similar predicament? Personally, I feel that you have two choices. 

IGNORE IT. That's right. Do not dignify an allegation with a response. This is a tactic that many companies, politicians, and businesses take, because saying nothing is better than saying the wrong thing. The challenge with this strategy is it does not allow you to take accountability for wrong doing or a misunderstanding.

OWN UP TO IT. Sometimes a misunderstanding is just that. Hiding from it may make a photographer seem guilty or "creepy." When the person might have just a different personality than others. Owning up to it keeps a lot of the rumors at bay, and lets you set the narrative. The challenge with owning up to it, is that the rumors might be true, and liability can be attached. While this can be a hit on business, clients will still often maintain your trust.  Don't believe me? Look at all the blunders by companies like United Airlines, Starbucks, Denny's, Delta, and other companies, yet we still patronize them. 

Its about integrity, not perfection.

LD

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Ankara Swim 2017: Fabian and Mom | Leighton DaCosta Miami Fashion Photographer

Website: www.fabianandmom.com

Facebook  

Instagram

The wonderful showcase of Fabian and Mom during Ankara Swim 2017 in Miami Florida. July 22, 2017

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Model Session: Shante | Leighton DaCosta, Charleston Fine Art Photographer

CONFESSION: I don't usually post nude/fine art work online. But since it is a blue moon, why not? 

Seriously, I don't like posting nude work and projects online. One, because of privacy and discretion, but two because I honestly feel that fine art work should be printed, savored, and enjoyed. It is intended to live longer than a snap or a gram, but for many years. 

So I guess I'll let the cat out the bag. I've been working for the past few months with a model from Jacksonville, Florida. Shante has been a blast to work with as we work through this project, but recently while reviewing the images from a session, one image jumped right out at me. 

The call time was 5 am, where I met Shante at her hotel that she was staying in for her weekend in Charleston, SC, along with fellow photographer, Jerrica Smith-McKune of Jerrica SM Photography. We ventured out to an area of Edisto Beach that is well known for its driftwood beach. I was extremely nervous about coming out to this beach, because I had not been since the summer before the hurricanes. I heard there was bad erosion, and the beach was closed. Came to find out that the beach is only closed for the 2 hours before and after high tide. 

So with an overcast sky, and temperatures in the 50's, we set out to do an outdoor shoot consisting of fine art nudes, along with a little editorial fashion. Shante and Jerrica were great to work with, and proved to be the ideal team to try new concepts of lighting and looks with. 

About a half-mile away from our "camp site," we decided to get a little bohemian type look going. While shooting, I must have made a joke that was so funny that Shante laughed out loud. Reviewing the look on her face in the image below, reminded me on how liberating a shoot like this can be. You're out in the public. Bare for all to see. Cold. Yet you are having fun without a care in the world. 

After the boho look, the shoot started to warm up, even with the cold temperatures. We did a few other looks before going to a fully nude bodyscape.  I really have to give Shante a lot of credit for she was willing to stand in very cold water, in the brisk air to get the shot.

The experience was great for all, and I can't wait to finish the collection of fine art work. 

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2019 Reflected: The Top 10 Sessions Part 2. 5-2 | Leighton DaCosta, Tampa Bay Photographer

The continuation of 2019’s Top 10 Sessions!

As always, feel free to comment, subscribe, and if so inclined, inquire about future bookings. All model work is available for museum-quality printing and mounting.

LD

5. Seattle @cityofseattle

The only city to make the list, Seattle is a majestic subject to capture any day. While returning from the WPPI convention, I decided to do a 23 1/2 layover to get a little sight seeing and to meet up with an old Navy friend, that I had not seen since flight school! All the images were captured with a Nikon Df and a near 60 year old 85mm manual focus lens which was impressively sharp!

4. Aiden @Crunkham

I met Aiden on Model Mayhem, shortly before attending WPPI and we decided to do a shoot in the downtown/Freemont area of Las Vegas. Tagging along with two other photographers proved to be a great experience as the sun began to go down and the lights began to shine. Working with blue gels and only speedlights was very rewarding.

3. Kyra @kyra_anais

I fell in love with Kyra from the moment I laid eyes on her beautiful face and amazing hair. A true sweetheart and professional, she was early and prompt for a session we had scheduled earlier that week. This shoot was scheduled to happen right after a very painful mishap, which made mobility limited, but Kyra more than made up for it!

2. DeWayne @kmd89con

I met Dewayne through the local chamber of commerce in Riverview and helped him get new headshots for his website and multimedia presentations. Dewayne is an Army veteran who has founded a consulting firm helping veterans obtain disability compensation benefits. Because of his busy schedule, we decided to set up the studio on location at his home. I always suggest to clients to get TWO headshots. One business professional, the other business casual. Doing so allows flexibility that still comes across as professional and approachable.

Stay tuned tomorrow for my number one session of 2019

LD

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2019 Reflected: The Top 10 Sessions; Part 1. 10-6 | Leighton DaCosta, Tampa Bay Photographer

For 2019, I wanted to share something a little different. This year has been very special for me and allowed me to work with many clients and models that have meant a lot to me in my development as a photographer and as a business member of the community. When it came to selection, there were different criteria used. Some were based on technique, others were based on location, and some were just based on being just plain cool!

For the top 10, I did not include any weddings or events, because I personally don’t think one person’s significant milestone should be ranked by someone else’s opinion. These moments are special and unique on their own.

I want to share stories, and maybe even a few behind the scenes shots and/or commentary, to explain why each of these sessions are special to me. DISCLAIMER: There are some nude shots in this count down and any nudity posted are of hired models and NOT clients. So for those boudoir and fine are nude clients who might be thinking, “Where am I?” Rest assured, it’s because of my commitment to your privacy, why your images are not on this list.

As always, feel free to comment, subscribe, and if so inclined, inquire about future bookings. All model work is available for museum-quality printing and mounting.

LD

10. Chey @cheya1exandria (NSFW)

This shoot with Chey was amazing! A little bit of fine art, a little bit of fashion, a little bit of glamour, and a whole lot of FIRE! We finally got a chance to work in Charleston at Pixel Studios, in an event hosted by Charleston Photographer, Leroy Mazick, and owner of Pixel Studios.

In this very intimate session, we were joined by legendary Charleston photographer, Erick Lamar. The great environment with little distraction allowed both of us to capture Chey exactly how envisioned without stepping on each others toes.

What I really loved about Chey is that she will do anything to get the shot, whether it is wardrobe, hair, and definitely her posing. All of these allowed me to experiment with shadows, lighting, and even a little silhouette action.

9. TJ @tarlettashavonn

I loved working with TJ. This session was in St. Pete and was officially my first model session since relocating to the Tampa Bay area. We worked in a little town called Gulfport and did a quick test shoot along the sidewalks by the Gulfport beach.

When shooting in public, I am always intrigued by the cool people I meet. During this session, we met Wyte, the innkeeper at the Sea Breeze Manor Inn Bed & Breakfast. The inside courtyard provided a great spot to capture some nice action shots which were really interesting.

I wanted to work on some lighting solutions during this test session. Besides the use of an off-camera flash, we experimented with reflecting light off of the inn’s walls and even used the reflected light of a STOP sign as the sun was setting (last two images in the gallery below). The focus was to maintain the beauty of TJ’s dark skin and keep it authentic.

8. Phee Comes to Charleston @missphee31

I met Phee as a matter of luck while traveling to Jamaica. While she was on vacation as a flight attendant, visiting family for the holidays, I came to learn that she was a model and fashion designer as well. Almost a year later, she happened to have an overnight stay in Charleston and we linked up for a quick photo shoot in an outfit that she put together. It had rained all day, but the cleared afternoon sky proved to be just what we needed to give us a great perspective of Charleston.

This session was also captured with the my trusty old Nikon Df, which still proves to be one of the most “fun” cameras I have ever owned. The smaller size and simpler function allows me to engage more with the subject to bring out the best expressions. Another thing I love about this camera is that it is seasoned to my color preferences as shown by the out of camera images in the gallery below.

7. Demi @demidabaddie (NSFW)

I first worked with Demi about 10 years ago in Jacksonville, Florida. I was thrilled to get a chance to work with her on some fine art and erotica themed shots. Working in early February, while it was cold outside, the shots were hot on the inside. The above image was captured in-camera with the use of colored speedlights and adjusted color temperatures. We are still currently finishing the work from this collection and expect to have on display in the Spring of 2020.

6. Taylor @Misfit.tay

Who would have thought that I would be in a Waffle House parking lot doing a photoshoot, but there I was…

I loved this test session with Taylor. Using one light with a modifier, we were able to capture some great shots while in a simple Waffle House parking lot in Lithonia, Georgia. The setting sun behind the rain clouds provided a visually dramatic backdrop, while the black and yellow-leafed, sleeveless outfit, showcasing Taylor’s impressive physique, provided a very interesting subject to look upon.

I am thankful that Taylor was so dedicated, with it being as cold as it was, she still was able to stay focused and capture amazing shots. At just a breath under 6’ she is someone that I would recommend for anyone’s runway or signature fashion line.

Stay tuned for part 2 and sessions 5-2!

LD