Olivia Ponton Gives Behind-the-Scenes Look at Her SI Swimsuit Shoot

Olivia Ponton made quite a splash in the 2022 SI Swimsuit Issue. While you may have already seen her official rookie photo shoot from Montenegro and plenty of video, you haven’t gotten the behind-the-scenes perspective. Until now. Turns out, Ponton shot her own footage of her journey to her first SI Swimsuit assignment. In a charming video, Ponton shows herself packing for the trip, traveling to the airport, arriving in Montenegro and experiencing the journey.

After packing her makeup, Nintendo Switch and clothes, Ponton arrives at an almost empty airport to catch her flight. The SI Swimsuit social media editor-at-large lands in Montenegro and takes a moment for herself to take in the scenery. “I just can’t believe I’m here,” says a teary Ponton. “Like, what? I still don’t know how I ended up here.”

Ponton’s Montenegro adventure included paragliding and canyoneering as well as the photo shoot with photographer James Macari. “I keep forgetting that this is literally for Sports Illustrated [Swimsuit]. This is literally a dream,” she says.

Ponton then showed herself wearing her favorite swimsuit from the shoot pictured below.