flight attendants virgin molly choma
When Virgin Airlines flight attendant Molly Choma finds herself with a free moment on flights, she grabs her camera.
Her photo series, "The Secret Life of Virgins," shows a side of flight attendantsthat passengers don't usually see, highlighting their camaraderie, humor, and how they spend their downtime.
INSIDER spoke to Choma about how she combines flying and photography.
Molly Choma's mom was a flight attendant and always kept a camera around, which Choma would tinker with growing up.
Courtesy Molly Choma
She studied graphic design and graduated college with an art degree in 2008.
Courtesy Molly Choma
When she had difficulty finding a job after school, her mom suggested becoming a flight attendant.
Courtesy Molly Choma
For the first few monthsof the job, she was on "reserve," waiting at the airport to be assigned to a flight.
Courtesy Molly Choma
She began taking photos at the airport to pass the time.
Courtesy Molly Choma
TSA agents began recognizing her as "the girl with the camera."
Courtesy Molly Choma
As her passion for photography grew, she wanted to find models to build her portfolio.
Courtesy Molly Choma
"I was thinking 'Where can I find a bunch of really attractive people that won't charge me to take photos of them?'" she said.
Courtesy Molly Choma
Then it hit her: she could photograph her fellow Virgin Airlines flight attendants.
Courtesy Molly Choma
"It turned into this fun thing to do that wasn't serving drinks," she said of their impromptu photoshoots.
Courtesy Molly Choma
Choma sticks to photographing Virgin Airlines staff and not passengers.
Courtesy Molly Choma
"The highest priority is doing our jobs and making sure people are safe and happy and secure," she said. "But there can be a lot of downtime."
Courtesy Molly Choma
Some snapshots of her colleagues are posed, but her favorites capture candid moments.
Courtesy Molly Choma
"The posed ones are sort of a way to start the candid process, to warm them up to a camera being in their face," she said. "Because it's literally in their face, there's not a lot of space."
Courtesy Molly Choma
Aside from limited space, the lighting on planes isn't always ideal for photography.
Courtesy Molly Choma
Chomaisn't above using tin foil from first class trays to reflect light on people's faces.
Courtesy Molly Choma
"And when you're shooting in low light, your shutter is open for longer, so turbulence is the worst," she said.
Courtesy Molly Choma
Choma flies about 70 to 100 hours a month and works with different teams of flight attendants for three days at a time.
Courtesy Molly Choma
"I have three days with each group of people to build that trust and build their confidence, and make it more of a fun positive memory of their job, too. Not just something for me to have,but also for them to have, and for their kids to have," she said.
Courtesy Molly Choma
She enjoys the widerange of people that sheencounters on the job.
Courtesy Molly Choma
"There's such a spectrum of people who you work with, and getting to know people's personalities, and how they react to having a camera around inspires me as a photographer," she said.
Courtesy Molly Choma
Virgin Airlines was recently bought out by Alaska Airlines, so her series also preserves the culture of Virgin's planes and people for posterity.
Courtesy Molly Choma
Her ultimate goal, though, is for her photos to help people see themselvesin a new way.
Courtesy Molly Choma
"Learning how to take a photo of someone in a way that builds their confidence in themselves... that's the biggest motivation for me," she said.
Courtesy Molly Choma
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