Back to the Basics with JBell

Let's dust off this blog and put some modeling pics on it shall we?

I admit I love having stylists dress me up in fashionably ridiculous outfits and having makeup artists transform my face into a much more glamorous version of itself. It's like playing dress up and makes for some pretty cool photos.

But on the other hand it is so refreshing to grab a pile of my own clothes, do my hair and makeup how I normally would, and go shoot one on one with a photographer that will shoot me as myself. This was my fourth time shooting with Jonathan Bell and first time since I started traveling with my work.

This shoot was the simplest I had done in a long time. Two people, a car as a change room and a couple of outfits to style. And I couldn't be more in love with the outcome. As much as I love the glamorous shots, these photos are just more me. With a bit of JBell grittiness thrown in of course.

Sometimes you just have to go back to the basics.

At Least It's Sunny

What to do with all this free time..

My laptop battery finally powered its last session. After three replacement cords and months of having to position the cable in the exact right position, my laptop finally refused to accept any charge. This is after weeks of it prompting me with a message to consider replacing my battery. Well laptop, I'm definitely forced to consider it now aren't I? Since I have a somewhat uncommon Gateway brand laptop this meant ordering a replacement from the aptly named laptopbatteryexpress.com. Well express or not, I am still without a functioning laptop while my battery slowly makes its way towards me.

Anyways, that is my long winded excise for negleting my blog.

But in all honestly, I have haven't felt like posting. Not much has changed from my last post; I still miss Toronto entirely too much, I'm still planning a bridal shower and now also the dessert menu for the wedding itself, and I'm still not entirely used to the quiet.

But a few things have changed.

I have confirmed my move to Vancouver this September. I have been accepted into Kwantlen University's Fashion Marketing program after a year of being waitlisted and complete my registration next week. This means I'll be living in one city for the next two years and considering I have moved cities every 3-5 months since highschool, thats a big commitement. So I am in the market for a new apartment and a rooommate. So let me know if any of you know of anything; I bake and I clean, people!

I have also been trying to keep myself busy here on Vancouver Island. I worked for a day on a TV show set as a background perfomer, I shot once again with one of my favourite Island photographers, Jonathan Bell, I've helped in an opening soon restaurant that might lead to a job, I've picked up an actual job working at Aldo as well as agreeing to handle all Pure Life Paddle Boards' social media,  and I had an interview for yet another job yesterday. Anything to fill the void in me that comes with being back in the lull of my hometown.

Readjusting to the West Coast

 

Luckily, Vancouver Island is stunning

My lack of posts has not been because I don’t have anything to write about, but rather that I have too much. Between saying my goodbyes in Toronto, scrambling to replace a passport last minute - 48 hours to be exact, a trip to Manhattan, and readjusting to life on Vancouver Island, I just haven’t known what to say. How can I pick a topic to focus on much less condense it all into a blog post?

Being back in my hometown is surreal. Everything is so familiar and unchanged that it’s like I never left. Yet it is always an adjustment switching from the pace of the city to a quiet town. I went paddleboarding yesterday with my closest friend while the water was smooth as glass and everything was quiet and still. I didn’t realize how little quiet I had experienced being in the city until that moment. It’s moments like those mixed with the stunning scenery and noticeably fresher air that makes me appreciate being back in my home town. 

But other days the quiet gets to me. If you’re someone that needs a fan or sound machine to sleep, you know how suffocating complete silence can be. While I don’t miss the frequent sirens and car alarms, or the sound of garbage truck outside my window when I’m trying to sleep in; I miss the liveliness of it all. 

I miss Toronto. I feel like I’m in the midst of a breakup with the city. We had amazing times despite our frequent arguments over the weather. Now, since it looks like I’ll be living in Vancouver this fall, I have to get over the love I formed for the place. I distract myself with all that I love about the west coast and comfort myself with thoughts of rediscovering the passion I once felt for Vancouver. 

But for now, Vancouver Island is my recovery place. I have the summer to readjust and will do so while reconnecting with old friends, planning a bridal shower for my darling sister, hopefully starting yet another temporary job, and appreciating the nature that I missed while living amongst the concrete.

Feel free to come join me. Because it's not just the city I miss.

Chloe Magazine

The moment I no longer feel excitement in finding an editorial of mine in a magazine is probably when I should stop modeling. 

I still remember my very first tear sheet. It was for Charlie & Lee back in Victoria over two years ago now. It was in a local Victoria magazine that I had to write into the publisher to get a copy of since it was so selectively distributed. I was ecstatic nonetheless. I’ve since done over a dozen magazines in Asia but there is something exciting about having my first editorial in a Canada-wide distributed magazine. I like knowing that my mom can go to the local Chapters and pick up a copy. Which she did in fact do and then proceeded to tell everyone in the adjoining Starbucks that I was her daughter - Thanks for the adorable support mom! 
 
Arriving on location for this shoot was amazing. I had seen pictures of Casa Loma online but was still not expecting the gorgeous building that emerged as I walked up the snow covered steps from the street. Imagine thiscovered in a layer of white snow. Stunning, non? My camera was not working at the time so I unfortunately did not take any pictures that day. But these images shot by the talented Anthony Guira are more than enough.

Updating the Portfolio

 Updating the portfolio with a more "North American" approach

Shooting in Toronto is definitely different than anywhere in Asia. The most skin I ever showed in any country in Asia was the equivalent of wearing a modest bathing suit. There was also a lot more smiling in photos – especially in Bangkok. Fashion shoots here tend to venture into a more scantily clad area as you'll see in the photos below.

People ask me if it is weird to find topless photos of myself on Facebookbut really, with the amount I'm covering myself, I’m showing less cleavage than the average girl’s profile picture. But while one is deemed socially acceptable, the other is met with skepticism. I admit that I’ve withheld from uploading certain pictures on to my Facebook page. Not because I’m ashamed of my body but because of  the social stigma that would come with them. Maybe there is a time and place for certain images, and maybe Facebook isn’t always it. 

In my last post I mentioned that the questions of wearing fur or having tattoos are common ones for models. There are two more that appear commonly in contracts and on casting sheets: Will you pose nude, or in lingerie? It is always up to the model to do what she is comfortable with. When people talk about modeling taking away the innocence of young girls, I can’t say they are incorrect, but I would lay the blame more on the social life of a model rather than jobs. A model can always say no. I have been lucky that I have not been put in any uncomfortable situations, but I’ve always had bookers that assured me that I could call them if I was ever unsure about something on set. I won’t deny there aren’t sketchy situations in the industry, I’ve heard the stories, but I have always managed to stay out of them - in a professional capacity at least. Maybe I can credit that to working mostly in Asia where, like I said, there is much more modesty.

But to those questions, I usually answer no to the first and yes to the latter. Not because I am against nudity, but because I am cautious about how I do it. I don’t mind posing ‘nude’ if I am still covered where it matters. The pictures in this post are from a simple test shoot where I didn’t mind at all shedding my top at the reassurance that I could cover myself. I felt comfortable in the situation and with the photographer, who I have since worked with again.

Photos from a recent rest shoot with Anthony James Giura

 

Photography- Anthony James photography
Model- Therese MacCallum, Elite Model Management Toronto
Makeup & Hair- Samantha Pickles