I met 3 year old Vianey “Lilly” Salazar back in December. She won the photo contest KidFash Magazine did in order to select 6 models to be photographed by me for my very first fashion editorial that debuted in Issue 5!
Lilly was so much fun to work with that I decided I wanted to do a private photo shoot with her.
I am pretty sure Lilly enjoyed the photo shoot just as much as I did. As a ten year old photographer, it’s easy for me to relate to and connect with children, because, well, I am a child too! I make a point to play with my clients and have fun; this makes the photo shoot a memorable one. My clients often say, it feels more like a “playdate” than a photoshoot.
Lilly is bilingual, has the biggest, most beautiful smile and started modeling just a few weeks after her third birthday. While most kids are playing in the sandbox, Lilly spends a lot of her time modeling for clothing brands like Izzy Be Clothing out of California. Lilly has also been featured by other brands such as Osh Kosh and Tooby Doo.
LillyCurls, as she’s known on social media got the name because of the big, beautiful, natural curls she rocks. If you don’t believe me, check out Carol’s Daughter and Monaco 24k. She’s been featured on both their sites!
Lilly’s personality is as BRIGHT as the colors she wears! She is a very happy little girl with parents that not only love and adore her, but they are very instrumental in the success she’s had so far. When Lilly is not modeling, she loves playing with her Barbie dolls. That’s something we definitely have in common. Another thing we have in common is our love for Laya Deleon Hayes, the voice of Disney’s Doc McStuffins! Lilly recently met Laya in LA at the KIDFASH FASHION SHOW, where she was a runway model and Laya was the host! Lilly has been obsessed with DocMcStuffins, so to meet her was SUPER AWESOME!
I had the pleasure of interviewing Laya while I was in LA working for Mr. Steve Harvey on the red carpet of Tyler Perry’s movie, “BOO! A Madea Halloween”. Laya and I immediately hit it off. She is really beautiful inside and out and of course, very talented. I am glad that there are young people in the industry for Lilly and I to look up to! CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE INTERVIEW
During my photo shoots, I like to stop and show my clients some of the photos I’ve taken just to see their reaction. I often find, with children, they tend to be really intrigued when looking at the photos. When I asked Lilly’s mom, what does Lilly love most about modeling, she said, “The pictures! She loves to take pictures and she loves to see herself in the pictures!” It’s my hope that the entire experience will inspire her to believe in herself and follow her dreams. I am so happy that she started already! Why wait?
I was Lilly’s age when I picked up the camera for the very first time. I was 7 years old when I started my photography business. Before I turned 9 years old, I photographed three weddings, several runway fashion events, numerous private clients and the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama. Even though I still enjoy photographing adults, flowers and landscapes, my focus is on children.
Lilly did a really good job, especially for a three year old child model! We shot for almost 2 hours and Lilly NEVER got tired! There were a few times near the end we had to bribe her with ice cream, but she really did well. After the shoot, her parents took her to have her favorite, rocky road!
Although Lilly has BIG DREAMS of becoming a pediatrician, we know that she definitely has a future in modeling and acting. We cannot wait to see what’s in store for this beauty. She is definitely one to look out for! Big things are in store for this talented little girl and I am so honored that I had the opportunity to photograph her.
You can find @LillysCurls on Instagram.
Originally published at medium.com