Secret Sessions At The Hive

It’s 2am, on a Saturday morning. Working late at the office — can be kind of boring. OH. Your cute friend also has the night off from work and is bored too? Fabulous. Let’s do this.

Secret Sessions at The Hive was simply an act of spontaneity, mixed with my work-day anxiety. My gorgeous model Erika, my #1 Mixsterista, bumbled her way over to the Hive, (my awesome, urban co-working space and home to TheMixster.com headquarters) we called our good friend, Leetal, told her to grab her camera, a Red Bull, and to be here in one hour. And so it began:

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Leetal Elmaleh is the eye behind this sexy shoot. This pocket-sized bubbly persona is a highly fascinating creature to say the least: Originally from South Africa, by some stroke of luck Leetal has decided to call San Diego her home, and she is ready to take this city by storm. Leetal’s enthusiasm seems to beam across the room and her positivity is certainly infectious — this cute-as-a-button, bursting-bundle of energy is already starting to cause quite the stir within the “scene”.

While other photographers seem to capture what feels like a pause in time, Leetal’s photos constantly have a sense of movement. I believe Leetal has an extremely personal understanding with each of her subjects: Not just merely bodies in motion, but in the way, she seems to capture their persona as well. Leetal certainly captured Erika’s natural essence- her charm, eccentric personality, and obviously her sexy minx disposition. Don’t you think?

I have to say, despite the limitations, lack of sleep, the totally inappropriate notice, and the irrational call time we gave her, Leetal captured some polished yet playful shots of Miss Erika; and she successfully utilized the Hive’s uniquely-intricate and beautiful nuances in each photo. Personally, I’m pretty impressed.

Want to see more from Leetal’s portfolio? Here’s a special link I am so stoked to turn you onto: Israel through my Eyes.

Her photo-journal she created during her time spent in Israel is absolutely stunning; and I would recommend checking it out right now. The photos, the commentary; all totally mind-blowing. She captures a side of Tel Aviv you would never know existed. You’ll just have to see it for yourself. Wow.

Get in touch with Leetal @ LeetalE@gmail.com