29-Year-Old TikTok Photographer Admitted To Soliciting Nudes From Fans
Multiple women have accused him.
Instagram Photographer Bryant Eslava, who has worked with and is close friends with many TikTok stars and influencers, including the Hype House, was previously accused of soliciting nude photos from young fans.
The accusations against Eslava have resurfaced as he continues to gain followers on social media thanks to his viral "photo booth" trend.
Eslava, who gained notoriety for photographing the internet's biggest stars, including Addison Rae, Charli D'Amelio, and Chase Hudson, was called out in June 2020 by 27-year-old model Sam Rogers.
What is Bryant Eslava accused of?
Eslava was accused of asking fans to send nude photos of themselves via Tumblr.
Rogers detailed a disturbing encounter she had with Eslava, 29, back in 2012. At the time, Rogers had been following Eslava on Tumblr, and was a huge fan of his photography and work with high-profile brands, such as American Apparel.
"In 2012, he exploited me making me believe it would help me in my career," Rogers wrote in a now-deleted Twitter thread, explaining that she had wanted to be "a cool [American Apparel] model."
Rogers explained that she communicated with Eslava on Tumblr before they started texting and emailing. In the Twitter thread, Rogers explained that the conversation was sparked after Eslava expressed interest in taking pictures of some of his followers. According to Rogers, Bryant "was just starting to get recognized" back then, so "it was easy to contact him."
Eslava replied to Rogers by saying he would love to take photos of her, and called her height "amazing" before asking her to send "some photos" of herself in "a simple black bra and black underwear: front, side, back photos."
"I'm not wearing anything extravagant, I just feel a little uneasy about sending photos like that," she replied. "If it is absolutely necessary I will do what I can! I appreciate the offer so much, thank you!"
Despite Rogers' hesitancy, Eslava told her: "Agencies typically want to see photos like these because they want to see your body figure and height. At this point it is necessary, but yes of course do what you can. You deserve to be signed!"
"I guess I trusted him because he seemed to have a reasonable following and to me, that type of power meant something (at the time.)," Rogers told Insider.
"I wanted to believe that yes, agencies needed to see me be able to be butt naked at a whim. It sounds crazy, and dumb, and naive. I get it. I'm just a person. I believed him because he wasn't just some neighbor boy who was trying to be a photographer."
It wasn't long before Eslava was asking Rogers to send him nude photos under the guise that "agencies expect you to." Once Rogers sent Eslava the photos, she "never heard back from him, regarding modeling or anything at all."
After Rogers told her story, other women quickly came forward with similar stories about Eslava, prompting the photographer to issue an apology.
Bryant admitted to soliciting nudes.
In a now-deleted message on social media, Eslava admitted to asking fans for nude photos and apologized for the incident. Rogers also admitted that she had received her own private, personal apology from him as well.
"I want to apologize to the girls I was in contact with for making them feel uncomfortable or hurt by asking them for these photos. I'm very sorry. I'm not proud to admit it, but it took me a few years to realize how inappropriate and wrong this behavior is," Eslava wrote, adding that his "past actions" don't reflect who he is today.
However, Eslava didn't issue apologies to the other women who had come forward with similar stories as Rogers, which was noted by a woman named Sarah, who spoke about her own experience with the photographer in a recent TikTok video.
In her video, Sarah revealed that Eslava had done the same thing to her as he did to Rogers in 2012. "He must've missed the memo where he still owed me an apology," she said.
"If you go through his social media, if you go through his TikTok, if you go through his Instagram, you can see that he is still taking photographs of young women influencers," Sarah continued. "That's really scary to think about."
She went on to say that she didn't make her video in an attempt to cancel Eslava, or to receive an apology after a decade, but instead to warn people on social media who they choose to follow.
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.