This was the first video portrait I ever shot. Pipa wanted a sexy video since all she had was photos. I shot it on a Canon 60D at 720p, all in 60fps, so it was purely slow-mo, and honestly didn’t really know what I was doing. No gimbal, just handheld, sweating, out of my comfort zone, but happy.

We rented out the W Miami, back then it was the Viceroy, and ran the whole thing in a couple of hours: this sportswear portrait (my first video portrait) and the red-lingerie video (my first lingerie video, same afternoon), every outfit, one rented suite.

It was at this moment I realized I needed to step away from photography and move into video, four years later I’d leave Canon for Sony. This was the first and last video portrait I ever shot on a Canon.

Here’s the part I don’t usually admit: this footage was shot back in 2016. It sat for years, it took me that long to figure out how the hell to edit it, and for the technology to catch up. I finally finished it. Turns out the imposter syndrome was just the work being patient with me.

The footage reminded me of the family home videos we used to shoot in the 90s, family, I guess, if your only family was a hot wife, but hopefully the vibe lands for anyone old enough to remember the Betamax vs VHS wars.

Thank you, Pipa, for your trust, your patience (forever waiting), and the confidence to shoot this. (And yes, the Japanese spells out Pipa, not bunda gostosa. I checked twice.)