Emily DiDonato Dished on Her Journey to Greater Confidence During SI Swimsuit Photo Shoot in Wyoming

The six-time brand model is always pushing herself out of her comfort zone to build self-assurance.

Emily DiDonato was photographed by Ruven Afanador in Saratoga, Wyo. / Ruven Afanador/Sports Illustrated

Emily DiDonato may be more accustomed to the spotlight than the rest of us, but that doesn’t mean her confidence never falters. By the time she made her SI Swimsuit debut in 2016, she had posed for dozens of ad campaigns and magazine editorials. She had walked the runway for Victoria’s Secret, among others, and become the face of a Giorgio Armani fragrance, too. However, stepping onto the set of her first brand photo shoot in Namibia, she felt the nerves bubbling up.

DiDonato was seasoned, but it was her first experience with the brand. In those early years, she “didn’t feel very secure or ready for it,” she explained to SI Swimsuit years later. From the looks of those early photos of the model—the ones from 2013 and 2014—you wouldn’t know that she was experiencing a lack of confidence. The snapshots from those early features were just as stunning as those from her later photo shoots.

It was in those later features that she really got into her stride. “With age, I feel more confident,” she remarked on the set of her 2020 photo shoot in Wyoming. It wasn’t simply a product of being older, though. Gaining confidence took a lot of hard work on DiDonato’s part, too. “I constantly try to force myself to try new things and push myself out of my comfort zone,” the model explained. “That’s what makes life interesting.”

That tendency to push the boundaries of her own comfort paid dividends for the model. Though we don’t think she looked anything other than confident in those early years with us, she certainly had an added aura of composure and assurance in the latter years.

Take her trip to Wyoming, for example. It had been four years since her last SI Swimsuit photo shoot (her first four took place in the four consecutive years from 2013 to 2016). But she walked onto the set as if she had only just been there. DiDonato was evidently confident and at ease—and the resulting photos are a testament to that.

Her powerful poses, combined with the stunning landscape and glamorous western-themed looks, made for a handful of really powerful photos. And while we would never go so far as to declare one of her photo shoots our absolute favorite (they’re all just too good to do that), we will say that the Wyoming feature is a memorable one for us.

Here are a few of the incredible photos from the trip.

Emily DiDonato was photographed by Ruven Afanador in Saratoga, Wyo. Swimsuit by Naked Wardrobe. Shirt by SCHOTT NYC. Belt by Lovestrength. / Ruven Afanador/Sports Illustrated

Emily DiDonato was photographed by Ruven Afanador in Saratoga, Wyo. Swimsuit by DION LEE. Shorts by Momokrom. Hat by Eric Javits. Belt by Isabel Marant. / Ruven Afanador/Sports Illustrated

Emily DiDonato was photographed by Ruven Afanador in Saratoga, Wyo. Swimsuit by Rudi Gernreich. Jacket by Patagonia. Hat by Ruslan Baginskiy. Boots by Charles David. / Ruven Afanador/Sports Illustrated