Rex Jones

A swimsuit photo gets about one second.

A swimsuit photo gets about one second to stop a thumb, and most of them waste it. Same hip pop, same sunset, same smile held so long it could be waiting for a bus. Scroll through any swimwear feed and the whole category blurs into one long beige smoothie.

Good swimwear photography does the opposite. The fabric looks worn, not posed. The light does some of the work, and the person in it looks like they're having a better day than you are. That's the whole trick, and it takes far more planning than it looks like.

I shoot on location, because a suit behaves differently in real wind, real sand and real sun than it does against a gray backdrop. A pool photoshoot, a lagoon beach, red rock, dunes, rivers. The suit, the setting and the person all have to agree, and when they do, the photo feels like a day you wish you'd had.

Most of a good swimsuit photo is decided before the shoot.

It starts with a conversation, before anyone picks a location. What do you want captured, how do you want it captured, and what are the photos for? A brand needs a lookbook, a model needs range, and a creator needs a month of content that doesn't look like last month's.

Those are three different shoots, so they get three different plans. Once we know the job, we choose the location, the time of day and the looks together. Swimwear is brutally honest about light (harsh noon sun flatters nobody), so the time on the call sheet matters more than almost anything else.

Then we shoot, and you get finished photos built for where they'll run. That might be your website, a lookbook, social feeds, print or a portfolio book.

Most of my time goes into editing, not the shoot, and that is where a swimsuit photo is won or lost. Skin, fabric and color all have to hold up. That's why I deliver fewer photos than a bulk shoot would, and why every one of them is finished.

A pool is easy. Making it look like a vacation is the job.

Sand gets into everything. I've stopped fighting it.

Wherever the light and the suit agree, I'll go.

My swimwear photography is shot on location: lagoon beaches and pool decks, red rock country, desert dunes, rivers and lakes. I'm a Colorado Springs swimwear photographer, and if you're covering travel, I'll go anywhere in the world. The right location for a swimsuit photoshoot depends on your brand, your look and the season, and we settle that before anyone packs a bag.

Brown river, red rock, and the light did the rest.

Questions

Fair questions, short answers.

What does a swimwear shoot cost?

Brand campaigns, model portfolios and swimwear content are quoted by inquiry. The day depends on the locations, the number of looks and where the photos will run. Individual portrait sessions have listed prices on the pricing page.

Where do you shoot?

On location, mostly outdoors: lagoons and beaches, red rock, dunes and rivers. I'm based in Colorado Springs and I travel anywhere, as long as travel is covered.

How do I prepare?

We plan wardrobe, location and timing together in a conversation before the shoot, so there is nothing to guess. Bring the suits, the goal and a few photos you love.

Do you photograph swimwear for brands?

Yes. I photograph swimwear campaigns and lookbooks, planned around your colorways, your customer and where the photos will run.

What if I don't know which kind of shoot I need?

Tell me what the photos are for and I'll tell you which kind of shoot fits. That conversation is how every project here starts.

Who it's for

Brands, and the people who wear them.

Swimwear brands

Campaign and lookbook imagery planned around your colorways, your customer and where the photos will run.

Models and athletes

A portfolio that shows range, fitness and personality, not one pose in five suits.

Creators

A set of beach and pool photos that look like a person, with enough variety to keep posting.