Yerba Buena ("good herb") Model Photography is a project initiated in 2013 at San Francisco before moving to Paris in 2024. For two decades before expanding my repertoire to include models, I had been photographing many things, from insects to flowers, wildlife, performers, and glimpses of foreign cultures. Working with various models has taught me respect for them as individuals and their work represented here.

The 174 models (7420 images divided into 210 galleries within 9 broadly-themed categories: Editorial, Editorial II, Themed, Dance, Fitness, Beach, Lingerie, Couples, Nude I, Nude II, and Alternative represented here possess a fascinating diversity not often found in other parts of the world. One model, for example, is a first-generation Nigerian, another's parents are from the Azores, while a third is Guatemalan- and Chinese-American. While some work in front of a camera full-time, many of the models appearing here are students or are employed variously as a pot club receptionist, barista, retail sales workers, pizza chef, go-go dancer, physical trainer, professional dancer and dance teacher, engineer, coder for websites via work as a lawyer, and there's even a classically-trained opera singer.

The galleries are a very rough way to classify the images. I've often shot specific models in multiple genres so when it came to place them in a gallery I did so based on a best fit of the images. Please note that the lingerie section includes implied nudity and some nudes. New galleries and existing galleries with new images are denoted in each gallery with a * name. Come back and see how galleries with your favorite models grow or new models appear in additional galleries.

Legal notices: all images on this site are copyrighted, and displayed here in the context of a portfolio with model galleries. These images may not be reused or distributed without express, written consent of the owner. All models in lingerie, implied nudity or nude photos are at least 18-years old, proof of which along with a model release for all models are maintained by the copyright holder. Individual prints and limited rights are available for sale. Just send us a query.

~John O'Donnell