A former model, Doria Anselmo quickly moved behind the lens, pursuing a photography education at UCLA, SMC and Julia Dean Photo Workshops. She now shoots portraiture, reportage and on-set production/publicity photos for TV commercials and volunteers with Outside the Lens, an organization that teaches literacy through the arts.

Anselmo recently implemented OTL’s “Picture Me, Picture You” program at the Tunahaki orphanage in Tanzania, Africa where she taught the children how to use cameras and write poems about themselves. For this issue, she shot the cover photo of Christi Given at Flake in Venice.

How did you get started taking pictures?

I’ve been taking pictures as long as I can remember. My first fascination was with a Polaroid camera. I was never really comfortable being in front of the lens. I was always the person taking pictures of everyone else and trying to direct the shoot! So I eventually made the transition from model to photographer.

What are your favorite things to take pictures of?

People. I find each and every person I meet interesting. Everyone has his or her own unique story. It doesn’t matter if I am shooting a celebrity like Josh Duhamel or Hugh Hefner, actress/model/musician or a local person you might find on the street. People are fascinating if you take the time to listen to their stories.

What are your favorite things to take pictures of in L.A.?

People, people, people, places to go and interesting things to do. Los Angeles has so much to offer – cool, hip, big city infused with the entertainment industry surrounded by oceans, mountains and desert. I have more photos of the love-of-my-life, my dog Romeo, than anything else; he is often my stand-in before a shoot!

For more information, visit www.photobyDORIA.com.