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She liked me. I could feel that. The way you feel when the cards are falling right for you, with a nice little pile of blue and yellow chips in the middle of the table. Only what I didn’t know then was that I wasn’t playing her. She was playing me, with a deck of marked cards and the stakes weren’t any blue and yellow chips. They were dynamite…

Not everyone loves classic old movies, and of those that do, not everyone gets excited about film noir, or even knows what it is.

But there’s no denying there are a lot of die-hard fans out there and I along with a my newest make-up artist become model become friend..happen to be just that.

We met months ago while working together at which time we discovered our shared passion for film-noir motion pictures, the lighting, cinematography and like so many others, we were inexplicably drawn to the psychologically dark world of film noir.

It was during those times of working together that we collaborated and shared ideas to finally setting up our very own film-noir series shoot. These are the results, hope you enjoy them.

Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood’s classic film noir period is generally regarded as stretching from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. Film noir of this era is associated with a low-key black-and-white visual style that has roots in German Expressionist cinematography. Many of the prototypical stories and much of the attitude of classic noir derive from the hardboiled school of crime fiction that emerged in the United States during the Depression.

The term film noir, French for “black film”, first applied to Hollywood films by French critic Nino Frank in 1946, was unknown to most American film industry professionals of the classic era.

It was 2008 when Elissa and I had first met. We had discussed the possibility of a shoot but never quite seemed to have the time to put it together.

Early in 2011 we were finally able to set-up the shoot. My idea was to stray from the usual lingerie and bikini poses that most models portfolios seem to be over-saturated with. It wasn’t until she showed up at my home studio to shoot that we discussed the idea to shoot a glamorous but mysterious Film-Noir type look.

Sometimes the most interesting shoots are created on “the fly”.

Here is the end result, a few hours of fine-tuning the lighting, a plethora of poses and a prop or two to come up with this, my favourite capture from the shoot -“the Money Shot”

You can follow Elissa in her travels here:

http://www.facebook.com/Miss.Elissa.Love

http://twitter.com/#!/ElissaLove

Like most photographers, and indeed make up artists and models, we invariably joined various social networking sites, where we network with others involved in the industry.

Through Model Mayhem, and another popular social networking site, I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Casey. When she moved from Peterborough, Onatrio to Barrie, we finally had the chance to meet up and discuss a collaboration for a themed shoot. In getting to know Casey throughout this meeting, I discovered not only had she a passion for music but that she also played the guitars I had seen in her portfolio. Casey had recently signed up for the South Simcoe Rebel Rollers, a local roller derby team to skate and duke it out with other girls.A sport that I haven’t seen in decades but definitely my kind of spectator sport.

Sugar and spice and everything nice are not the only things roller derby girls are made of. They also have skating skills, stirred in with attitude, a pinch of punk and a dash of humor. Roller derby originated in the 1930s and has reinvented itself over the decades. The contact sport is making a comeback in the form of amateur all-female flat-track roller derby. The sport is a combination of skill, attitude and fun and this beginner’s guide will help women become the roller derby girl they desire. Flat-track roller derby is growing in popularity and derby girls are wanted. Skating attitude, minimizing injury and having fun are key in making the team. **

Then it struck me…shooting a theme of Roller Girl!
I messaged her right away about the idea and she loved it and immediately sent me images and ideas she had seen that was the inspiration behind some of the images you see here in this post.
I got in touch with local make-up artist, Ashley Dinning, with whom I have worked with before to ask if she would be interested in collaborating on this shoot creating the looks for the pin-up style images as well as the bruises for the bruised but not beaten look. Ashely is a highly skilled artist, dedicated to her craft and a true professional.  More of her work can be seen on her website at  www.hollywoodnoirmakeup.com

** Hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed making them. Suite 101 article is used by the kind permission of the author, Jennifer Huber.
read more at Suite 101 Ingredients for Making a Roller Derby Girl: Skating Attitude, Minimizing Injury & Other Tips to Making the Team

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Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day, Armistice Day or Veterans Day) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries to remember the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War. This day, or alternative dates, are also recognized as special days for war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth countries.

Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November to recall the official end of World War I on that date in 1918, as the major hostilities of World War I were formally ended “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month” of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice. (Note that “at the 11th hour”, refers to the passing of the 11th hour, or 11:00 am.). The red poppy has become a familiar emblem of Remembrance Day due to the poem In Flanders Fields. These poppies bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I, their brilliant red colour an appropriate symbol for the blood spilled  in the war.

In Canada, Remembrance Day is a public holiday in all provinces and territories except Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba. Veterans Affairs Canada, a federal entity, states that the date is for “remembrance for the men and women who have served, and continue to serve our country during times of war, conflict and peace”; specifically, the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, and all conflicts since then in which members of the Canadian Forces have participated. The department runs a program called Canada Remembers with the mission of helping young and new Canadians, most of whom have never known war, “come to understand and appreciate what those who have served Canada in times of war, armed conflict and peace stand for and what they have sacrificed for their country.”

It is the VETERAN , not the preacher,

Who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the VETERAN , not the reporter,

Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the VETERAN , not the poet,

Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the VETERAN , not the campus organizer,

Who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is the VETERAN , not the lawyer,

Who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the VETERAN , not the politician,

Who has given us the right to vote.

It is the VETERAN ,

Who salutes the Flag,

It is the veteran ,

Who serves under the Flag,

Eternal rest grant them O Lord,  and let perpetual light shine upon them.

Hot Summer nights are made for showing off some of the most beautiful car designs ever to come out of Detroit and hot rods like these are a supreme blend of old school and new.

Most summer nights you’ll find me walking around the parking lots that the local car clubs use to hold their “Cruise Nights” where they get a chance to display these pristine rides and meet & greet with the other enthusiasts.

It was at the cruise night in Wasaga Beach that I discovered this gorgeous Sunset Pearl coloured ’35 Ford Slantback.

After several minutes of talking with Brian he told me his son Keith also had a rod that I might be interested in photographing.
Most guys are lucky if they own one really cool car but to find a father & son that each owned one and was given the green light to shoot them both was fantastic.

For this shoot I wanted to shoot against contrasting background to really make the cars pop, and I just happened to know of such a place.
It’s an old factory building that was likely in full production around the time these cars first rolled off the assembly line but today has a nice grunge look to it.

I think the shots turned out well and I’m having them printed for display at my booth at the Barrie Thunder Classics Fourth Annual Shine and Show taking place August 22, 2010 at the Bayfield Mall lot in Barrie, Ontario.

About the Rods:

Brian’s 1935 Ford Slantback named “Radicool”
Sunset Pearl Paint
350ci. Chevy Small Block
Chopped 5-1/2″ with Steel Headliner
Electric Powered Hood , Cowl vent and Trunk.
Interior also painted same colour with flames on inside door panels, matching carpet with beige leather seats.

Keiths’s 1938 Ford 2-Door Coach named “SnotRod”
Viper Snakeskin Green Paint
350ci. Chevy Small Block
Chopped 5″ with Steel Headliner
Electric Powered Hood, Cowl vent and Trunk.
Interior is also painted same colour with matching green seats, carpet and seatbelts.
American Racing wheels

I was contacted in early June by friend and Alternative Model & Owner of Entity Models International TaylorMarie and asked if I would be interested in doing a cross promo for INKSOUL Tattoo Studio owner Jay Wells of Barrie,ON.

We had worked together in the past but the idea of capturing Taylor’s beauty again combined with the impressive new work that Jay Wells was creating inspired a bunch of new ideas for creatives that I just had to shoot, so we started with this simple portrait that I shot in my home studio so we would have an image for our promotional material.

About a week later she attended a tattoo convention in Toronto, ON with INKSoul and handed out her personal modeling compcards I created for her with this and a few other selected images and the folowing week recieved an email from H20cean asking if she would be interested in being a calendar model.

I have known Taylor for about four years now and watched her devote so much of herself into this modeling passion and so deserving of recognition that when i heard the news I was flat out excited for her!

Several days later I get another message telling me that she had submitted the same picture to Inked magazine online and was chosen as the Inked Girl of the Day for June 2/2010. Certainly not a cover (yet) but still a boost to moral and more recognition which brings me to my latest update. Inked magazine emailed Taylor asking if she would be interested in modeling for them to send more images.

As of yesterday the latest news is after Taylor had submitted her pictures to GlamRock magazine she received yet another email requesting more images for a feature they want to do on this stunning alternative model. Make me proud to say I’m her friend and was a part of her growing success.
http://www.myspace.com/entityalternativemodels
http://www.facebook.com/theeTaylorMarie

http://h2oceanmodels.com/
http://www.glamrockmagazine.com/
http://www.inksoulstudio.com/

Had a great shoot over the weekend with a new friend Stephanii.  Before this weekend we have discussed some creative ideas for our first shoot but we ran into a snag acquiring the needed wardrobe to put it together. No problem, we thought. “We’ll just shoot some swimsuit and anything else we can come up with and do the creative shoot another time.

The day we were to shoot we met other small challenges that made it seem like this wasn’t going to be easy. I planned on bringing along my power-pack to power my lights but this was still in getting repaired so I thought we would have to pull this off with natural light, reflectors and speedlights if needed. No big deal, I knew we would get some great images and without the added effort in setting up.

All day before and in the morning  I watched the weather news and saw there was a 70% chance of rain with possible thunderstorms….which really meant, we had a 30% chance of great weather!  As it turned out the weatherman was wrong. It was clear and sunny for the most part but clouded over in the afternoon. I really dislike overcast skies because of the generally flat lighting.

We drove to our secret location and managed to shoot for a couple of hours in and around the place then packed up and left with some great images. She has already messaged me asking when we can shoot again. Honestly we got so many nice images but I’ve only selected a few to post.

Stephanii has a great attitude and personality and easy to work with for a model with limited experience and look forward to our next creative endeavor.

Sometimes challenges create better results.

I also want to thank our assistant on the shoot, Steven Mifsud who held reflectors, diffusers and captured these (BTS) behind the scenes shots.

Well another month gone by and finally have time to catch up with whats new.

Myself and a friend attended a Pin-up photography workshop in Toronto held by our new friend Frank Fiumara of the “Pin-Up Parlour”. It was a great way to try this vintage art form with some hands-on experience while learning from some very talented people in the field. Here are a couple of samples frrom the shoot, with a newly styled watermark with the soon to be finished website url.

The reason for the title is, somehow during my eagerness to add updates and modify, I managed to totally screwup my blog and had to start all over

Well, I think I have a handle on things now and have to give all the credit to a good  friend Chris O’Driscoll who happens to be better experienced with these interweb things.

So now you’re asking yourself, How in the heck does anyone screwup something as simple as a wordpress blog?  Well let’s just say it was easy, just a click or two and voila! That being said, To error is human, to really mess things up, takes a computer.

So from now on, it’s small steps in relearning this thing and hope to keep updating on a regular basis,until i finish the reconstruction of my website.

Until then I’ll leave you with this quote.

”Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.” –Oscar Wilde