Photographer Laretta Houston Shares Throwback to ‘One of the Greatest Moments’ in Her Career With Tyra Banks

She shot the mogul model for the 2019 SI Swimsuit Issue cover.

Tyra Banks and Laretta Houston.Noam Galai/Getty Images (left); John Parra/Getty Images

It’s no surprise that everyone who works with Tyra Banks automatically becomes a fan; she’s a total legend.

Photographer Laretta Houston shared an adorable  behind-the-scenes pic of herself and Banks at a beach photo shoot. The two were standing side by side, holding each other. Banks, who was dressed in a red one-piece swimsuit that read “supermodel,” held up a peace sign and made a surprised face while Houston pointed at Banks and smiled.

“One of the greatest moment in my career,” Houston wrote. “Love me some Trya (sic)! 📸 @larettahouston #photooftheday #photography #photographer #canonphotography #siswimsuit.”

The photographer worked with Banks when the former Victoria’s Secret angel “broke the internet” by coming out of retirement for the 2019 SI Swimsuit cover.

Not long before that moment, Houston was a web designer and developer who took photos for pleasure. One day a client noticed her “potential” and donated her camera to Houston.

“She said, ‘I know you can do something with this,’” Houston explained. “And that was my start as a photographer.”

Shortly after, Houston ended up on the radar of SI Swimsuit editor in chief MJ Day.

“It just seems like yesterday, that first phone call I got from MJ saying, ‘We’d like you to join our team to shoot for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit,’” Houston said earlier this year. “I was excited and nervous at the same time, because this was big. This is everybody’s dream.”

Houston had no idea Banks was the star of that shoot in the Bahamas. She headed up to Day’s villa under the impression that they were going to talk about shoot logistics. Instead, the SI Swimsuit team spilled the exciting news to Houston.

“I was in a bit of shock,” Houston recalled. “And then I happened to look at everybody and I cried because it was a moment in my life that I didn’t think I was able to get. A lot of people dream of things that they want to do, but some of them are unattainable and I actually attained it.”

Banks and Houston formed a professional relationship as well as a friendship after that. It was the 48-year-old model who got Houston signed to her first agency, Exclusive Artists.

“[Tyra] wanted to elevate me,” Houston added. “She wanted to use her platform to elevate me and other Black women. That was life-changing.”

Houston returned to the SI Swimsuit fold this year, photographing WNBA players Nneka Ogwumike, Breanna Stewart, Sue Bird, DiDi Richards and Te’a Cooper in St. Thomas for the 2022 issue. She doesn’t take her quick rise to success for granted.

“I am now one of the Black women—and there’s plenty of talented Black photographers out there—to pave the way for others to come in, someone who looks like them,” Houston continued. “And so even for little girls, I am someone they inspire to be. I want people to look at my photos and take away that they know we’re strong. We’re bold. We’re Black. We’re beautiful, confident.”