Welcome

Sarah “Zairia” Cayson

When is Doubt…Just call her “Z”

Zairia – is an internationally published Pinup and Beauty photographer.

For her, the devil is in the detail. Zairia fully recognizes that a misplaced finger or an unflattering pose often spells the difference between a terrific or horrific final image — so getting everything right before the shutter is clicked is her main philosophy.

With her love for classic pinup, her creative use of wardrobe and styling, recreated lighting and spectacular direction of her subjects, it was only natural for her to enter into the pinup realm.

Zairia’s pinups have been described as timeless or old school, with sexy sophistication and a twist of sultry playfulness! She’s been inspired by the incredible artwork of several creators of the original pinup art and style…namely Alberto Vargas and Gil Elvgren.

Serving the Greater Metro St. Louis Area, Zairia is located with her husband in Belleville, IL, (Just a stone’s throw east of St. Louis).

All images are copyrighted and may not be used unless you get permission from me. Thank you for your cooperation.

More about her…

How long have you been shooting?

I’ve been shooting for 10+ years. While I am mainly self taught, I’ve had some amazing mentors.

What type of photography do you take?

I specialize in Beauty, Fashion, Portfolio, Conceptual and Pinup photography. I am primarily a studio shooter.

Price Range for Clients

My price range for private clients interested in Pinup or Beauty images for their personal use is generally $450.00. All packages include Makeup & Hair.

Do you like to talk about yourself or your pictures? If yes, about what aspects of photography? If not, why?

Generally I don’t like to talk about my personal life. I prefer to keep it separate from my business life. I love talking about my photos but I’d prefer to have others talk about them.

How would you describe your attention span?
When I’m behind the camera, very focused. My house could burn down around me and unless the fire showed up in front of my lens, I wouldn’t know it.

When did you decide to become a photographer?
Over 10+ years ago. When I picked up the camera, a whole new world opened up to me and I fell in love.

What does photography mean to you?
Photography is my passion and my joy. Remember what it was like when you were a kid Christmas Eve; The anticipation, the anxiety, the excitement? That is how I feel about a shoot. It’s how I feel when I’m putting entire concepts together, deciding on lighting, and contacting models and makeup artists. It’s how I feel when I’m shooting. The best shoots are when everything comes together. It like realizing that Santa actually brought you what you wanted for Christmas.

Can you recall the first photo you took that made you go WOW!?
It was a soft implied of my husband’s best friend’s wife. She looked beautiful.

Do you have any formal training regarding photography?
I’ve had no formal training but I’m uncomfortable using the phrase self taught because I’ve attended several workshops and have had a lot of outstanding mentors since I started.

How do you feel about cropping?
While I prefer to shoot directly out of camera and fill the frame, I don’t mind cropping when it’s needed or desired by a client.

How does your personality change when you look through the camera?
I become more focused and confident. I can be a little bossy and demanding. I want things done in camera verses doing it in Photoshop.

How do you feel about missed shots which cannot be recreated?
Extremely frustrated, sometimes angry and disappointed at myself.

Ever concerned about failure?
Always! Failure is a part of the learning process. It’s part of the business. You learn from it and move on.

What is your favorite image; either you’re own or someone else’s or both? Describe its creation or meaning to you?
It was at a workshop I attended. It was my first time using a wide angle lens. I told one of the mentors that I wanted to photograph the Harley Davidson male model. So I wasn’t shooting just to be shooting, he asked me what shots I wanted and helped me achieve my goal. I got all three shots I was striving for, ruined a t-shirt, had tar on my body, got my leg burned on the muffler of the bike, and felt like I had won the lottery. He made me think not only of the concept of the shoot, but the exact shot or shots I wanted to create and how I wanted them created. I now incorporate that lesson in almost all my shoots. It was a lesson learned and learned well.

In one word, how do you describe your photographic style?
A: Creative.

Is there anything unique about what you do? Being a conceptual shooter I plan each shoot. I generally do up a concept that shows how I want the makeup, hair, styling, lighting and posing. I send them off to my makeup artist and Hair Stylist and to the person I’ll be photographing. Generally my concepts are centered on the client or the clothing they will be wearing. It just depends on what is needed.

Have you had to change anything to adjust in current economic times?

Fortunately for me, I stay pretty busy. When I’m not busy with clients, I’m working on personal projects and updating my portfolio and my website.