Creative Shoot | Troy Hoskins

by Troy Hoskins

Troy Hoskins Photography

Troy Hoskins Photography

I purchased my first DSLR just over two years ago when my wife was pregnant with our second child. We wanted maternity pictures, but everywhere we looked was just so highly priced that I decided I would buy a camera and do them myself. I bought my first DSLR (a t1i) and I took the photos. They turned out quite badly, but we got lots of them! Haha! I knew I had to get better, so I got to work finding friends and family I could experiment on. The biggest thing I learned was that every single time I looked at my photos, I had to find something wrong with what I did and then fix it. So each and every shoot I do, I find (at least) one thing I did wrong, and then during the next shoot I try not to repeat the same mistake.

Troy Hoskins Photography

Troy Hoskins Photography

After about a year of taking pictures, my family and friends told me I needed to stop taking and providing photos for free and that I needed to start charging. Charging has been one of the hardest things for me because taking photos brings me so much joy and I want so bad to just give it to everyone. I started charging and things picked up, and before I knew it I found I needed to take time from my normal job to make time for photo shoots. Soon thereafter I found myself just taking pictures and attending school, and the photography had kind of become a full time job.

Troy Hoskins Photography

Troy Hoskins Photography

Troy Hoskins Photography

After awhile, the passion I had for photography started to fade when I found myself having to pull myself away from my family to shoot paid jobs. Over the last few months I sometimes contemplated selling my equipment, but then there were always those moments I found where taking pictures brought me that joy again, and I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

Troy Hoskins Photography

 Since I started doing photography I have always jotted down ideas I come up with that I would like to shoot with my camera, but never felt I had the skill or knowledge to try anything. With myself getting bored I knew I needed to just go for it and try something new. I needed to pick an idea and just go for it. So I picked an idea (spring in this case) and started looking around for people I thought could help me accomplish the look I wanted so badly. I had a hard time finding anyone and was ready to give up when I remembered a site I had found a few months back by accident. After looking around and searching the Internet I found Model Mayhem. What a wonderful tool in this day and age! I made an account and posted what few photos I had that I felt related to the modeling industry. I started searching for models and sending out messages to people. I really didn’t get a lot of response at first and I know that was mainly because of my lack of profile.
 

Troy Hoskins Photography

It happened to be that same week when I had two very unique photo shoots that were new to me. One was with a girl I had met through one of my jobs as a photographer, and the other was a photo shoot with Alana Lee, Miss Nevada. WOW! Both shoots turned out just amazing! Miss Nevada is so full of personality, and combined with her amazing wardrobe she made for beautiful photos which turned a few heads. Melissa Kahanu, the ring girl I met doing a promotional shoot, worked with me to do a bikini shoot (my first) and it turned out absolutely beautiful. After adding a few photos from these shoots to my profile I started to get replies to my messages on Model Mayhem.

Troy Hoskins Photography

Troy Hoskins Photography

 With models on board I started searching for a makeup artist (and in Saint George that was not easy). I found some who were a little unsure as well as some who wanted to be paid (a lot). I was unable to work with either of these types of artists. Finally, through one of my models, I found Kali Hughes. When she and I met up for the first time it was like baking soda and vinegar! We had so many ideas, and I knew we were ready. I shared my vision for this Spring-themed shoot with Kali and not only did she nail it, but she made it so much better than I had ever envisioned! The day of the shoot Kali brought her friend Leeann Kozel in to help, and between the two of them they did an amazing job. After working with Melissa Kahanu on the bikini shoot, I knew she would be amazing for this. The other models (Megan Brockway, Jasmine Lynch and Hanna Byuuna Aboussou) were found on Model Mayhem. Just like the make-up artists, the models all performed like professionals.

Troy Hoskins Photography

•  I use Paul C Buff lighting. I used 2 Einstein 640’s in combination with the cyber commander wireless system. I used 2 large softboxes to light this shoot over and under in front of a white seamless backdrop.

• For behind the scenes photos, I shot with my Canon 7d attached to my Canon 70-200mm 2.8 L II lens
• For the headshots I used my 5d mark II with my Canon 24-70mm 2.8 lens. I shot this shoot at f8 1/125sec iso 100

After this shoot I felt like photography was exciting again, and since then I have been shooting these kinds of shoots as often as my time allows.

I’m currently going to school to become a teacher. My long term goal used to be to get into school administration, but with my passion being behind the lens, I now want to teach photography some day.

Troy Hoskins Photography