When I first started photographing, everyone could see just how crazy I was about what I was doing. Besides photography, I also enjoyed drawing and writing, so I always kept brainstorming new ideas. Luckily for me, I was surrounded by like-minded people so my first models were close friends of mine. It's important to tell your friend that:

1. YOU WANT TO LEARN - To learn and improve your photography you need models to study the light and poses. If they say they're not photogenic, tell them it doesn't matter at all because you'll try to capture them the best you can!

2. YOU WON'T  PUBLISH THEIR PHOTOS ON THE INTERNET WITHOUT THEIR PERMISSION - I can't stress enough how important it is to discuss this before the day of the shoot! Not everyone wants to have their photos on the internet and you should always mention your intent to publish them. If your friend agrees - great! If she or he doesn't agree, you can either drop the shoot or you can take photos but keep your word and store them safely on your computer.

3. WHAT ABOUT A NEW PROFILE PHOTO? With social media being all the rage, many people want to have nice pictures to put on Facebook or Instagram.

3. HAVE FUN - Why should shooting be any different than, let's say, going to the cinema? Or taking a walk? The most important thing is to have mutual trust and to have fun!