Launch: VICKI STILES photo + creative

Sery Kim in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico photographed by Stiles with Samsung Galaxy S10+

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

It all begins with an idea. We pull inspiration from many sources on a daily basis. Sometimes people, places, or things touch our souls and travel with us inside our minds for a lifetime.

This new chapter is inspired by many sources: places, people, and things.

September 22, 2016, I was hired by TIME Magazine to provide hair and makeup services for Leader Nancy Pelosi in her Capitol Hill office— yes, the one which was invaded this year, sadly. The photographer was a young lady by the name of Luisa Dorr, a Brazilian photographer who used iPhone products exclusively, at the time, for her published works.

After the shoot, I took a further look at her body of work, both on her website and Instagram. The way she could capture people’s expressions and thoughts with simply a smartphone was both intriguing and inspiring.

As a professional hair and makeup artist working behind the scenes for print publications, I’ve been around many photo production teams. I’ve always enjoyed dabbling in photography myself but, until now, never really took the leap into developing and promoting my craft.

Much like Luisa, I found my love of smartphone camera technology but, for me, it is within the Samsung family of products.

For the past few years, I’ve been building my portfolio utilizing Samsung Galaxy. I’ve had the opportunity to travel abroad and capture beautiful architecture, food, and scenery.

In 2019, I traveled with a friend of mine, Sery Kim, a correspondent on Newsmax, FOX Business, among other television news sources. We were hosted by the travel board of San Miguel de Allende, the heart of Mexico.

It was in San Miguel de Allende where my passion for photography really developed and came to fruition. The ease and comfort of traveling with only my smartphone as my main camera was life-changing. I was able to capture imagery from day to night, and then some.

Currently, my travel and food portfolio showcases many highlights from that excursion.

In the coming weeks, I look forward to sharing more behind the scenes, upcoming new collaborations, and projects with various people, places, and things!