I always shoot RAW because JPEG means data is thrown out and the more data you have the more dynamic range and color gradients and detail you get. In post that’s important. Don’t ever let someone tell you that JPEG is the same as RAW. Mexico is forgiving, JPEG is not. It has it’s place, but no software or wishing will restore information that has been thrown away.
This week we took a drive in the van up into the high mountains of La Huasteca Mexico. It’s a magical place in many ways but this time we headed up Hwy 120 towards the tree-line and the jungle of Pinal de Amoles, which sits at about 8000 ft. I took my new Fuji XT3 and a few compact prime lenses. In this case the 35mm f2. We headed up the San Juan side of the mountain which is a but dry dusty side this time of year leading to some dusty long distance views. But when the sun sets behind those, it’s impressive.
That sun was setting as we wound up the hairpins toward the jungle treeline and looking back over the valley above a small town called Carmango was the purest high gradient color sunset I could hope for. It actually reminded me a bit of the smokies back in the USA, but the color was stunning and alive. Just like Mexico.
I got the shot, but I found out after returning home that I accidentally switched the menus of my Fuji XT3 to JPEG. My editing flexibility was now limited and I was kicking myself. Sure the built in profiles from the Fuji look good, but it’s still a JPEG and especially in high dynamic range scenes like this, I want every ounce. With subtle smooth color gradients like this you have to be careful or you will get artifacts. The more you edit the more that can be a problem. Especially if you’re not in 16 bit.
So I started with the original untouched JPEG filer in Capture 1 (LR would also have worked fine). If you look at my our of camera file it’s nice but check out the tonal map from Lumist. It’s already pure clipping. Before anything else I did some brushing to recover a bit of shadow detail on the left foreground. Fully black there will be too much negative tone. After that I opened the file as a 16 bit TIFF in Photoshop. I can’t create more range out of nothing but by switching to 16 bit we get smoother colors and less artifacts as we edit. Here’s what I has our of camera. Not bad. But can we edit it.
The good thing was that I had a few image to choose from. I had taken a few frames and then realized it was beautiful and I should NOT be hand-holding at a higher ISO to make it fast. So I got the tripod and ended up at 1/2 sec, ISO400 f4. I did a bit of bracketing since I had little time to micro analyze the tone. This yielded me a sharp image in with balances zones. Even though I thought I was shooting RAW I kept the highlights down on this, not to compensate, I expose where I want. But because it was more about the color and contrast in the hills. I did not want a washed out sky. That paid off because had I needed to recover highlight from the JPEG, it would have been tough.
Here’s the tone values of that I took into PS and you can see those shadows really were lifted after that first shadow edit keeping some detail in my black. I didn’t want a lot of detail there so even on the JPEG, this did not introduce a lot of artifacts.
Looks decent. Now into Photoshop.
I used Lumist to examine the tones and see what to change. I wanted to boost thing a little but keep editing to a minimum. The next thing I did was some sky work using selection from Lumist, including a fire paint overlay. I enhanced the natural purple and the oranges of the sky and mountains a little using these. I finished by watching my tones and doing some burn and dodge. A little shadow burning in particulate helped me define the lines between the mountains.
Below you can see the tonal map of the fished image that’s at the top. I kept my sky fiery but with no tones above Zone 8, which is pretty dark for a sunset sky, at least for me. But because the shadows of the image go all the way to Zone 1, we still have rich contrast and a full 8 stops being in the tonal range of the image from Z0-Z8. No muddy crushing of everything into mid tones here.
So Can JPEG Work?
Yes the JPEG worked out and I have a printable image, this time. But this is a good lesson in paying attention. Images minutes before were in RAW and tinkering around in menus I switched over and din’t realize it. I exposed well, but had I shot like this all day at an important event I would have lost images due to highlight and shadows being thrown out. Even here a raw would have given me a tad more subtle quality and that does matter when printing.
Always shoot RAW for art images. The fact that the image was exposed well in camera like we talk about in the EXposed Workshop and processed carefully in post kept it looking good. JPEG’S can look great, but they can also fall apart when you push them hard and while I don’t always push a file hard. I always recommend the extra latitude of a RAW.
Jungle Camping with a trailer with my wife and 5 kids in Jalpan de Serra, Mexico.
This is not what they told me!
Is this paradise of natural beauty, friendly people, amazing food and street photography? Or is this a place where cartels sell me to the highest bidder? I’ve been in Mexico for months and I’ve camped in beaches, at resorts, in parking lots and gravel pits. What I learned is that if you want to expand your photography and your sense of adventure, Mexico might be the best road trip you’ve taken yet. Be ready to bring a home amazing photos of incredible places you probably never knew existed.
We’ve spent hundreds of days camping in the last 5 years. But the USA is less than half of America. So now we’re in Mexico, past the border town and beautiful deserts that many think Mexico is made entirely of. We’ve towed our RV all over Mexico with our van and met many amazing people. On the coast, we found beautiful warm beaches in near peaceful fishing towns. Speaking of fishing towns, Yavaro is about 10 minutes from this spot and as you come into town there a little restaurant on the right with the most AMAZING shrimp platter you have ever had for about 5 bucks.
Heading inland we discovered everything from Jungles to mountains to water parks filled by hot springs. We found climates that are friendly year around and culture that is just as warm to our large family. I’ve heard lots of terrible things about Mexico while seeing them downplay the terrible things happening in my own country. What I did not hear, is what Mexico is really like.
El Trampoline, San Luis Potosi, Mexico. 21.953459, -99.392477. There is camping 50 feet from where I took this photo.
I think I better put the coffee on.
We’ve traveled to about 10 States, including some of the ones our government says NEVER visit. Obviously, you should be careful, but that goes for the USA as well (here’s looking at you Chicago). I learned that propaganda is controlling us too much. Mexico is an amazing country with great people and a lot of freedom. In the USA there’s always a park ranger to harass us, or someone to bully for holding a camera. In Mexico, you just do your thing. If you are respectful, they are respectful. There are also far fewer rules in just about every area of life. Meaning if you can find an empty place, you can probably camp there.
If you’re uncertain about safety, find a campground or use an app like iOverlander for suggestions of safe places to stop.
But the violence Gavin? This is what we from the USA hear every freaking day. Less so if you live in other countries. Yes, there problems. But most of what you see about Mexico is propaganda meant to keep you in fear. Don’t join a cartel and you’re not likely to have trouble. In fact, us gringos are LESS likely to be murdered in Mexico than in the USA. Use your head just like you would boondocking it of the US.
The photo at the top might be a good starting trip. There’s beach access here at coordinates: 26.69624 -109.60719. We got stuck trying to camp on the landward side of these dunes and some locals helped us out. Super nice people for the 4×4 club. They suggested camping on the seaside and interior side has scorpions. If you want a little more security about 200 yards up the beach is the Hotel Miarador Campground. That’s where this photo was taken. Though we also boon-docked on the beach with no problems.
A new country with a new culture and a different language takes some getting used to. But what does not take long is realizing what a beautiful place this is to visit. You might even decide to stay.
Gavin Seim
Here we are in Playa Huatabampito in Sonora Mexico with our 4×4 converted Express van and a Tepui RTT.
The van’s tuned Duramax will also tow our beast of an RV up the mountain pass at 70MPH
Street photography in Real de Catorce Mexico.I hired some models for a photo shoot in central Mexico. More about that in this post.
Here’s how I learned to find amazing models in Mexico for my projects and what you should know if you need a model or want to do modeling in Mexico. by Gavin Seim, effects@seimstudios.com
Need a model in Mexico? or want to do modeling in Mexico?
I’m Gavin, a bilingual photographer, filmmaker, and consultant living in Central Mexico. I’ve been a photographer for 20+ years and I’ve lived in Mexico full-time after moving from the USA. There’s a lack of information about working with models in Mexico. I made this so you don’t get scammed as you learn how to navigate being or working with models in Mexico for creative or commercial projects.
The first time I booked a model in Mexico it was intimidating.
You’re not alone here. I learned a lot since then living in Mexico as a professional Photographer. I’ve also discovered a lot of new models in Mexico with my own projects and I’ve updated this for 2023.
Whether you have a large-scale project on a budget, need an ongoing stream of modeling for your clothing line, or need to shoot a music video. Mexico has great creative people and amazing locations.
You can see many of the models I’ve worked with and trained on my Instagram and my gallery. But today I thought I’d share some tips on finding and photographing Models in Mexico.
Feel free to contact me about Mexico models or modleing in Mexico. I offer consulataions, photography and filming services. I sometimes do collab sessions as well for models wanting to shoot in Mexico – Reach me via email – effects@seimstudios.com
Most of my 20-year career was commission sessions. I used my daily work to earn international image merits to get my master’s degree in Photography But working with models is different. The poses and setups are often easier, but finding the right people can be a chore.
Melena – Model in Queretaro City Mexico, a session with Gavin Seim
1. Shooting models whether for paid projects or for practice is good for your creativity.
Others might feel intimidated by the pressure of hiring a model in Mexico where it can be hard to find companies that are not seedy and that are actually responsive. Doing so with a language barrier is even more intimidating.
If you’re not a Spanish speaker You probably want someone along that speaks some English, because most of the models won’t unless you get a pricey agency from Mexico City and they will usually charge you way above normal Mexico rates, give a small portion to models and pocket the rest.
Yara, Model in Pachuca Mexico
Cisla, Veracruz Beach Session with Gavin Seim
I worked with my first models through an Edecan agency.
Edcans book models for projects and most work in events and in stores for weekend promotion etc. Yes, like vegas booth babes. But it’s not only women. It’s a big business here in Latin America because stores want attractive people presenting their products. If you’re a reputable photographer looking for a project, most of them will be glad to be doing modeling rather than just handing out brochures in the hot sun.
Here in Mexico, we paid about $250 US dollars for two models for about 4 hours of shooting and including travel costs of a few hours.
We contacted an agency and worked through the fact that things are different here. In Mexico, people are more laid back and even companies don’t always respond fast. Sometimes they are downright disorganized by the standards we’re used to from the USA and beyond.
Our models showed up on time along with a representative/security guard. We are after all gringos 😉 — In seriousness, though everyone was chill and the representative was there to take the money and keep an eye on things. But it was all a little stiff feeling. These models are more often than not handing out flyers or looking attractive in front of a cell phone store but they did well.
We had them sign model releases (I use the Easy Release app which has multiple languages) and off we went to make this video and photo project I was working on at the time.
“I want to do modeling in Mexico”
Ok. If you are a model and want to shoot in the exotic beauty of Mexico. Plan a trip first to work with people you trust. There are larger agencies in Mexico City you could contact. But don’t expect to get paid any rates that you expect in most countries unless you’re already well known.
Don’t rush to meet up with just anyone you meet online as you might in the USA or Europe. While many of the things you see in the news about Mexico are sensationalized, there are shady deals at times and it’s still a culture and likely a language you are unfamiliar with.
If you want to be a part of the modeling in Mexico, I suggest starting with people you trust. You don’t have to go to a tourist resort for this. Get in a car and take a road trip. Head inland like to the beautiful jungles in San Luis Potosi. A town like Xilitla, or Tamasopo is stunning, welcoming of full of incredible locations. You can drive to these places from the Texas border in about 15 hours.
Once you start getting a portfolio here, you can use that to further your work and do more modeling in Mexico with these examples and connections you make.
Cassi, Modleing Sesison in Hidalgo State Mexico
Getting models. An agency can be a start for models in Mexico.
But there are frustrations as business culture tends to be less responsive here and the service in these types of places can lack especially if they don’t fully understand you. There are agencies that cater to English speakers and commercial projects, but they tend to charge way over the market rate and take advantage of your ignorance. So do your homework.
Avoid scams by asking for references from your market, looking only for reviews can also be useful, and NEVER pay in full before the project. A small retainer is normal, but no one should be asking for full payment here until you all arrive on-site. It is NOT normal to pay in full in advance in Mexico as people are very wary of scams. For the same reason, you need to be very transparent with the agency/models about what you need and what you are willing to pay. Don’t assume the price they6 quote is set in stone. It’s not!
Couple model in Mexico – Gavin Seim
We did most of this shoot with natural light and a single strobe. I’ll show you hands-on in the coming PhotoKit videos.
2. Finding great models that simply want to collaborate in Mexico.
So you can hire models for a one-off project from these Edecan agencies. But most of my photos were done with aspiring models who may or may not be with an agency but if they trust you they are happy to go and create amazing sessions in trade for photos. In this type of session, it’s often their first time doing real modeling so come prepared to know and demonstrate poses.
For just exploring light this is my favorite way to find models. I usually buy clothes from Shein or a site like that so they have lots to try and let them pick their theme.
Mexico is a very different culture. How do you find these models?
The problem is the girls are pretty used to men being creepy here. So when they get an Instagram message saying… “Hey you’re really pretty I would like to take photos of you” what they actually hear is, how much do you charge to go to a motel with me? Yes, it sucks, but it’s true. Men will be slightly less suspicious, but folks are very cautious with new people here.
Even if you have a great Instagram and social proof with photos (you should), don’t expect models in Mexico to simply come and meet you for a session just because you sent a message. They will assume you’re just a creep. In fact, I NEVER found a model by using Instagram messages.
A mixed modeling session in San Jan Del Rio QRO Mexico
I find models by referral of friends who know women that want great photos or by promoting the collab on Facebook links to my page with lots of details to help them know I’m legit, not a creeper.
Even then only about 50% of the models that scheduled a session with me showed up. Some of them literally said they changed their mind because they were afraid despite me having credentials. That was after many messages, having them tell me what kind of clothes they felt comfortable in, etc.
Be very open, honest, and transparent. I’ve had women in their mid 20’s that asked to bring their dad to a swimsuit shoot. Yes, many new models will jump at free (collab) photos if you are a good photographer, but not everyone is ready to be a model. So be understanding of the culture here, but also use how they respond as a filter. They have to respect your time also.
When I’m working with models in Mexico for the first time I always meet them in a public place like a cafe and have them sign a model release. Then we go take photos, usually with my wife or one of their friends. With women, I generally say no to them bringing male friends because the men tend to leer or take their own photos the entire time. But I encourage them to bring a female friend to help them with clothes and help them relax. A friend like this actually becomes a session assistant.
You can set your own boundaries, just ensure you protect yourself and your models and be very honest and considerate of their needs. Avoid going out alone with new models. That’s good practice anywhere.
Do these things and you will gain a reputation and soon have more models than you need wanting photos, referring friends, etc. This is amazing for portraits and lighting experiences.
Ivanna – Model QRO Mexico
3. Find amazing locations to work with models in Mexico!
There are beautiful people everywhere, but the exotic nature of those from other cultures makes it easy to get that creative energy. You could rent a studio or building depending on your needs but theirs a lot of outdoor scenes and urban places that are really eye-catching for projects.
The land is beautiful in Mexico also and there’s so much color in the trees. So even if you don’t have a studio, you’re fine. It’s good to know the area you are in and whether it’s calm (most are). You can legally take photos in pretty much any public space and I’ve never had a problem after many sessions on streets and in parks. It’s normal here.
Let models be themselves. Photographing beautiful people is easy; sort of. You still have to stay on top of things. Pay attention to your lights and setups and detail and do not get pressured by the fact that you’re working with experienced models and feel like the shutter needs to be clicking at all times to prove yourself. Like any portrait session, take charge, take a breath and make a plan.
Yara and Evaristo did a great job. We loaded up and headed out to some epic outdoor locations like an old mine, the bus stop, and the forested roadsides of beautiful Mexico. But that was just the start and since then I’ve started building my own list of models for when I have projects so I don’t have to use a middleman and we can collaborate as equals.
But it’s Mexico, Gavin, surely I’ll be robbed. Don’t believe the hype so easily. I’ve roamed Mexico for months. Just like any country, there are bad parts of town, but most areas of Mexico are perfectly safe and wandering around to cool locations is no problem. We were in Querétaro and Hidalgo State which in most areas have less crime than many States in the US.
Hidalgo Mexico. One of my favorite Riverside modeling locations with Ivanna
There are talented undiscovered models of Mexico. Treat them with respect and everyone will leave happy!
Unless you’re shooting a movie, you probably don’t need fancy models that are promoted in US agencies. If it’s a commercial project you can find models from an Edecan like I did my first time or you can scout out your own. It’s a warm culture full of beautiful people.
Get out there and take some photos and then go edit them with some of my presets 😉
I also do session directing and consulting for projects in Mexico so you are welcome to send me a message if you need some help with your upcoming project.
This week we took a drive in the van up into the high mountains of La Huasteca Mexico. It’s a magical place in many ways but this time we headed up Hwy 120 towards the tree-line and the jungle of Pinal de Amoles, which sits at about 8000 ft. I took my new Fuji XT3 and a few compact prime lenses. In this case the 35mm f2. We headed up the San Juan side of the mountain which is a but dry dusty side this time of year leading to some dusty long distance views. But when the sun sets behind those, it’s impressive.
