The Focal Points Team
Whitney
Photographer
Whitney established Focal Points in mid-2018 and soon after teamed up with Kim to become the dynamic duo they are today! Whitney has been shooting portraits for over 15 years. Her work has been internationally published in numerous magazines, including several covers. She loves shooting creative, outside-the-box concepts and collaborating with her models to bring a collective vision to life. She also prides herself on her cosmetic editing skills in Photoshop, despite being completely self-taught. In addition to her work behind the lens with Focal Points, she also works full time as an editor.
Whitney's passion for vintage aesthetics heavily influences her style as a photographer. She is never happier than when she's scouring a good estate sale, flea market, or antique mall with Kim!
Kim
Set Designer, Posing Coach
Kim makes the magic happen behind the scenes! She handles client communications and scheduling, coordinates wardrobe, and coaches our clients on posing during their shoot. With the help of her obliging husband John, Kim also designs and builds the themed sets Focal Points has come to be known for. Her many years of past experience designing window displays for Ralph Lauren well prepared her for designing photo sets, and she has special expertise in the genres of film noir, tiki, and horror.
Kim is also a title-holding veteran of the pinup scene and a former burlesque performer, and her thorough knowledge of pinup and burlesque enables her to expertly pose our clients to showcase their most flattering angles.
Kim is a mother of two teenagers and two chickens. When she's not building photo sets or keeping Whitney on task, she enjoys expanding her collection of vintage sci fi and horror, listening to 1940s murder mystery podcasts, and tacos.
Our Makeup & Hair Team
Drop Dead Red
Makeup & Hair
Drop Dead Red is a woman of many trades, being the co-owner of an eclectic vintage and handmade shop (Abernathy's in Davenport, Iowa), as well as a mom, burlesque performer, and hair stylist. She loves to craft unique vintage looks and create art through costumes, dance, and hair.
​
Red has been a licensed cosmetologist since 2009. No longer in the salon, she has focused her talent in the realm of pinup photography and traveling for pinup contests/events. Red has styled clients from all over the country, and her work has been featured in numerous publications, including Bombshell, Pinup Kulture, Ink'd Magazine, and Godiva.
Kat
Makeup
Kat loves working with the Focal Points team alongside Hannah, whom she teasingly refers to as the little sister she never wanted. Kat spent over 5 years as an assistant to a makeup artist before branching out on her own in 2019. She has been honing her craft not only with photography but on film sets as well, and she has expanded her arsenal of makeup skills to include special effects and tattoo cover-up.
​
Known on the pinup stage as Holly Rose, Kat has been around the block a few times and has earned 18 contest titles, including Miss Retro Rewind, Maiden of Iron, Miss Legacy, Miss Groovy Baby, Miss Mayhem, and Miss Northern Roundup. Now she has switched gears and is focusing on running and emceeing pinup contests.
In her spare time, Kat enjoys stretching her creative muscles and can often be found designing, sewing, painting, stitching, or wielding a hot-glue gun for her latest creation. She is also a total foodie who loves to cook, and she enjoys working on her 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 with her husband.
Hannah
Hair
Hannah, or HannahBelle as she is known in the pinup scene, is a pro at vintage hairstyling! She has had a love for vintage since the first time she watched Grease as a kid. Later on, she did her first shoot in 2013 and fell in love with pinup. It wasn't until about 2 years later that she did her first pinup contest, but she was hooked! Since then, she has gone on to win numerous titles and has been published as a model many times.
​
Hannah's passion for hair started long before she fell in love with pinup, but it wasn't until 2018 that she decided to make cosmetology her career and entered beauty school. She graduated in 2020 and has been a licensed full-time hair stylist since.
Hannah is passionate about continuing education and keeps up with the latest techniques to be able to work with all hair types. She also styles wigs, and she adores working alongside Kat with Focal Points. She loves seeing the spark of joy in the eyes of every happy client who leaves her chair!
Crystal
Hair & Makeup
Crystal has been a hair stylist for almost 20 years. She loves the challenge of vintage and special occasion styles and finds immense satisfaction in creating something extraordinary! She enjoys recreating specific looks for clients and creating customized looks to go with a certain wardrobe choice. Crystal is also a master colorist with a gift for vivid colors—the more colorful, the better!
​
In her personal life, Crystal loves spending time with her family and pursuing her hobbies such as caring for her horses, gardening, and art of all kinds. She is forever grateful for her career, which has given her an amazing outlet to create art, and she loves collaborating with the Focal Points team!
Jaleisa
Makeup
Jaleisa Senter is a freelance travel makeup artist from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She loves to create beautiful makeup styles for any occasion. Jaleisa offers traditional or airbrush makeup services with the option of false lashes, a must for any photoshoot! As a professional makeup artist, one of her favorite moments is seeing the transformation when the hair, makeup, and wardrobe all come together to create something truly magical!
Jaleisa’s education background is in Esthetics. She worked for one of the Ultimate beauty department stores in America where she gained even more experience working on all different skin tones and types.
She loves spending her free time with her adorable nieces and nephews, and they have a blast singing, dancing, cooking, and spending time outdoors together! Jaleisa also enjoys doing her nieces’ makeup for their dance recitals. Family will always remain the most important part of her life! She also enjoys the simple things in life like aromatherapy and going out for coffee, dinner, or manicures with friends. She is so excited to be part of the Focal Points MUAH team!
Corey
Body Painting, Special Effects
Corey is a self-taught FX artist and body painter from Davenport, Iowa. Born and raised on a deep-rooted love for scary movies, Corey spent most of his young adult life drawing and painting before pursuing a career in film work. He began working as a professional FX artist in the film industry in 2011 and has worked on multiple films (including To Hell and Gone, Slice, and The Rake), commercials, and music videos (including "The Devil in Our Wake" by Shaman's Harvest and "Decay" by Sevendust).
​
Corey began body painting in 2018 as a way to expand into a new creative direction during his downtime between film projects. He combines hand brush painting with airbrushing to help create seamless designs. Corey is assisted in the studio by Mandy Bauswell.
Mandy
Body Painting Assistant, Hair
Mandy has been licensed in cosmetology arts and sciences since 2012. She works independently and loves to tackle multi-process fashion colors and alternative haircuts. She hails from the little town of Keokuk, IA, but currently resides in Davenport with her two dogs, Stark and Duke.
Mandy has also began apprenticing with our body painter Corey in 2021, and she often assists with body paint application and finesses hair for clients before they go in front of the camera. Mandy is no stranger to creative mediums. In her spare time she likes to paint, craft, and also restore wood furniture. She’s always on the hunt for other outlets to tango with her artistic abilities.
