If you, like me, are constantly scrolling through TikTok, then you've more than likely seen a video of David teaching the internet how to pose in a multitude of hypothetical situations, like:
How to pose at the beach:
How to make your head look smaller (or booty look bigger):
How to thirst trap:
How to avoid a double chin:
How to pose plus-size women:
How to take better photos of your friends:
How to get a more masculine aesthetic:
And he even has posing tips for plant parents who want to show off their babies:
One Google search will reveal that in the age of photo-sharing apps and influencers, many are interested in nailing that perfect pic. But, once in front of the camera, it can sometimes be hard to figure out what to do next — whether that be with your hands, with a prop, or even with the person next to you.
"I serve the everyday people, mostly everyday women, and realize that they're coming in nervous and sometimes having no hope of seeing a beautiful photo of themselves," David told BuzzFeed. "I realized that I can't just throw them in the water without guidance or a safety vest. For my clients, and for myself, I learned how to pose."
In reality, David believes that no one is truly unphotogenic. Instead, us awkward souls just need to learn our angles and ~commit~. "The biggest mistake I see is [people] not believing in themselves," David said. "I've recently talked a lot about posing being like dancing. You can learn the movements, but if you don't have the soul or heart, it's going to look stiff and not like you're dancing. Part of dancing is feeling the music, space, sounds, the mood. You have to believe it!"
Whether in or out of the studio, David's tips find a way of attracting others through his empathy and patience. His assistant, 23-year-old Lucero, told BuzzFeed: "Posing isn't always the most comfortable thing. Things often feel unnatural, but David is willing to get in these awkward-feeling positions to showcase what it looks like," she said. "Clients aren't put in the position to guess if they're doing the pose correctly if David is walking them through each step of the way."
Lucero, who self-identifies as a shy type, attributes part of her own comfortability with taking photos and confidence to David's help.
"I never would have thought I'd be posting this many photos of just myself on Instagram until I met him," she shared. "He's consistently pushed me to post content online to showcase the growth I've made within the past couple of months. I still have a long way to go, but he reminds me of who I was when I joined his team and recognizes my accomplishments for what they are."
The same energy correlates between David and followers online. "I've seen countless people in my DMs or in my comments section saying, 'Hey, it took me a long time, but I finally took some photos that I like. And I'm going to keep trying,'" David shared. "That's the reason [why] I keep doing this. ... My simple goal is to help people see themselves as beautiful in photos, and in return, beautiful in life and as a person."
When one follower asked for tips on how to be more confident in front of a camera, David told them: "Whoever you think you are is not who's going to be at that photo shoot. ... At the photo shoot, you will be flawless and running the world like Beyoncé. Bitches better be getting your money like Rihanna. And you better be loving yourself like Kanye loves Kanye."
Since going viral for his empowering, energetic tips, the 26-year-old's team has grown, allowing him to take on bigger projects and work with more clients like Stitch Fix, LA's local KTLA news team, Pye Jirsa from SLR Lounge, and more.
Now, he's working on furthering his educational content for both models and photographers, nurturing his curious fanbase, and updating the studio so it can house all of these new developments.
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