Gigi Hadid Reflects on the Stress of Getting This ‘Perfect’ SI Swimsuit Photo

The supermodel described the energy around capturing those ‘magic moments.’

Gigi Hadid was photographed by Yu Tsai in Tahiti.Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

Supermodel Gigi Hadid has graced the pages of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit on three occasions. Her SI Swimsuit debut came in 2014 during the early stages of her career, and she returned as a fan favorite for the following two years.

View the whole Tahiti photo shoot.

Since then, Hadid has risen to become a supermodel mogul, featuring on countless magazine covers and walking the runways of the biggest names in fashion. Alongside her modeling career, she has also founded her own businesses, including her role as creative director of knitwear brand Guest in Residence, which launched to much fanfare in September.

In an interview with SI Swimsuit during her photo shoot in 2016 in Tahiti, Hadid shared that she can be a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to her modeling. “I’m really hard on myself,” she said. “You only have a certain amount of time with the perfect light, and you only have a certain amount of time until the tide goes up and then you’re too deep in the water. I was like, ‘I have to get this right. I have to get this right or the moment is going to pass.’”

MJ Day, the editor-in-chief of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, added, “That’s why getting a perfect picture is so special, and it can’t happen all the time.”

Gigi Hadid was photographed by Yu Tsai in Tahiti.

Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

During the shoot, photographer Yu Tsai, known for his energy and positivity, could be heard saying on set, “MJ, this is really good right now. The hip is perfect. The water is perfect. Gigi is perfect.”

Many models have tried to describe the magical feeling of being on set for their SI Swimsuit photo shoot. Hadid explained, "You kind of had to be here to feel the energy of how everyone felt that magic moment."

Gigi Hadid was photographed by Yu Tsai in Tahiti.

Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrated

View the whole Tahiti photo shoot.