Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriel Ayala.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Gabriel. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
A dear friend of mine who was just getting into photography asked me to model for him to help build his portfolio. I agreed to do a shoot and when him and I both posted the images on social media, I was receiving messages from other photographers inquiring about a photoshoot with them. I began scheduling shoots and after two months of getting into it, the friend that got me started sadly passed away. I continue this journey in remembrance of him.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road has been smooth as far as working well with photographers and/or other models. It is important to have a good attitude in any business.
The struggle has been in terms of diet/exercise, taking time away from family/friends and finances.
I basically have to live in the gym. Improve my body as much as possible to make the next shoot better than the last. Diet falls into play if I have a photo shoot scheduled at 6 in the evening so I’d have to eat light throughout the day to be ready for that appointment.
I was doing shoots on weekends which takes away time from family and friends which includes missing out on events and telling loved ones that I won’t be able to attend. Although shoots are typically 2-3 hours long, there’s a lot of preparation that goes along with it. Clothing, pedi, haircut, etc.
Being a model isn’t what people think it is as far as the big pay rate, especially when you’re starting off. Many of the shoots I have scheduled would require me to invest in clothes and/or materials for that particular concept. Money that you hope comes in return is the chances of being discovered.
Please tell us about your work.
I am a Safety Coordinator by trade. The company I work for is a contracting company that specializes in building refineries.
I am known for conducting safety meetings with Comedy, real-life scenarios, and delivery the message with heart and sincerity. I use the comedy to grasp their attention and a hard-hitting reality to deliver the message.
What makes me proud is when an employee comes up to me and tells me that they enjoyed my safety meeting and thank me for not making it boring like many other safety meetings they have sat through in the past.
Which also makes me different from others.
In terms of modeling, I’ve been told I can play several different roles. From a bad boy to a good guy. Photographers seem to love my diversity
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason so it’s very difficult to say what I would change in the past.
Living the street life developed my street smarts. Living a player life allowed me to learn how to respect Karma in terms of love and also wouldn’t have created my kids I have today.
If anything stands out as far as doing something differently, it would be to take care of my teeth. Also something I tell my kids every day.
Pricing:
- $50 an hour clothed or shirtless
- $100 an hour if nude (as long as it’s tasteful)
- Promotional video skits depend on details and/or product
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gabrielwiththebeard.com/
- Phone: 713-298-4097
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/ayalagabriel80?r=nametag
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/gabriel.ayala.148
Image Credit:
Joseph Ojeda, Ty Pickett, Justin O’keith Higgs, Tony Phan, Jean Brager, Alberto Rodriguez
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