Model: Taylor Oakes / The Internet CreatureLocation: Neon Demon StudiosNot much to write in regards to this shoot aside from it was fucking awesome to let loose inside a studio full of neon lights and fun shit with Taylor head to toe in glittery outfits.
For Her, It Is Always ~ Winnipeg Intimate Portrait Photographer
TRIGGER WARNING: SELF HARM
I found ms. Chloe on the Instagram when I was scrolling through #therealcatwalk images, images taken during the Fashion Week in whatever city is hosting it (London, in this case) and I saw one of the other amazing models I follow: Khrystyana (from the latest season of America's Next Top Model) with this beautiful girl with a lion's mane of beautiful curls. #therealcatwalk is an event that happens to bring awareness to the "other" bodies that exist in the world and are just as worthy of strutting their stuff during Fashion Week! There are babes with disabilities, babes with body image issues, babes with bellies, and babes who self harm/ed...Chloe falls into the last category. I reached out to her and let her know that I would be coming to London and on a long shot, if she was free, would she want to collaborate and do a shoot with me. Within minutes I heard back. I was so pumped to meet this girl I literally knew nothing about. Fast forward to the day of our shoot and she met me at my teeny tiny little hotel room where we improvised and used strategic lighting to make the room look significantly bigger than it was (I could spin around in one spot and almost touch every wall). While shooting we chatted a wee bit about her modeling career (which started VERY young and was interrupted by her self harm) and we chatted about her favorite musicians and both of our loves for Primark. While we didn't get into the specifics of Chloe's self harm with her, it was evident that she had been through a lot in her young life, but the fact that she was there, on the other side of all of that darkness and ready to give life another go was very inspiring. I asked Chloe to write a bit about her life and she gave me a poem which she created during her treatment when she was diagnosed as Bi-Polar and it is her expression of BPD and how she experienced it. During the shoot, Chloe was extremely professional, amazingly open to creative collaboration with me, and I think she had a good time.
bpd issitting in the freezing cold for hours on end smoking countless cigarettes not knowing where you are or why you're there.bpd isfeeling so empty and emotionless that it's an emotion within itself, the numbness over takes your whole being clouding you're every move with a smoky veil of nothing.bpd isnot wanting to get out of bed because your scared of what you're going to feel today and how many different emotions are coming your way.bpd isnauseating anxiety growling in the pit of your stomach, catching you out at all the wrong times forcing you to retreat into yourself with clammy hands and a heightened heartbeat.bpd isfeeling ecstatic half an hour later, re- downloading tinder for the 30th time even though each time you have it and don't get a quick fuck soon enough, you get bored and scrap the idea leaving you feeling unloveable and dirty.bpd isNothing,And everything.It's tiring and exhausting.It's buying your friends gifts at every opportunity to make sure they don't hate you.It's hating the shell you reside in so much you slice it open just to see there's something actually inside of you.It's paralysing.It's constant.It's always.
Girls Gone Floral Pt II: Winnipeg Boudoir Photographer
Last year, I did a creative shoot called Girls Gone Floral featuring the beautiful Chloe Giesbrecht & Jade Michael and if you follow me, you know my taste in imagery ranges from pastel pretties to dark and ominous and everything in between. Well, I wanted to recreate a similar shoot this year featuring 2 babes that I love dearly: Micah Anne Park & Brooke Van Ryssel (owner of My Body Fitness & Nutrition) Paired with the beautiful makeup and hair by Nicole Velasquez, some vintage floral sheets, and a darker, moodier vibe I created Girls Gone Floral Pt II. This one came out much darker than the first time I created it and I think part of that is just kind of where part of my mind has been this year....with extreme highs and lows and perhaps I was editing and shooting this during one of my low times and therefore, it took on more of an ominous tone. When I go through my images there are some where I tried to "force" the softer, more romantic look from the previous year's shoot, but it just looked out of place, so I stopped fighting with what my heart wanted and gave in to creating a darker series. In either case, creatives and art are designed to be therapeutic, so whatever it was that I had to get out, I did and for that I am thankful. Micah's lingerie set is from Adoreme.com and Brooke's is from Forever 21!
Just Pictures ~ Editorial Sessions
A creative thrown together with my talented makeup artist: Kylie Smith and Boudy Muse: Jade Michael
This shoot is a fab example of how you need to roll with it when shit goes sideways. For this particular day, we were supposed to do a summery shoot featuring bright colors, poppy prints, and a vintage flair. However, everything that was planned went in another direction: the sky was less than stellar due to the smoke from the wildfires, Kylie accidentally brought her wrong color kit, and Jade was feeling less than zippy for the shoot. So, we took what we had and ran with it. I grabbed a pair of culottes that I had wanted to shoot in Vegas this year, paired it with a with a basic white crop top and then went for an incredibly minimalist, moody af vibe. Then, I had this sweater that I had bought for camp that I didn't end up shooting, so we tossed it on Jade for some beautiful portraits in the late evening sun as it filtered into my studio. Sometimes, things don't go as planned....we could have fought everything and ended up creating work that wasn't meant to be created that day, OR we could go with the flow and quickly change direction of the shoot and make something epic. In fact, I am so in love with these shots because of their simplistic, editorial feel that it was nice to do something different. Also, working with Kylie & Jade I am NEVER disappointed in what we create together.
Howdy {Las Vegas Diaries} ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photographer
As I started planning my shoots for Vegas next year, I was reminded that I never ended up blogging my shoots from Vegas THIS year and that had to be fixed immediately! I brought Nicole to Mexico with me for some workshop fun and photoshoots! Well, we ended up doing a few shoots, but the main one for me was when we drove out to the dry lake bed at dusk and did this shoot in like 20 minutes. I was inspired by the harness set from Little Black Diamond and scoured the internet looking for a denim bikini (which apparently is in fashion now....)! I had found some thrifted western shirts and cowboy boots and we kicked up some dust! I hope you enjoy scrolling through this editorial session that we had so much fun creating![audio mp3="https://www.terihoffordphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Rollin-In-The-Dirt.mp3"][/audio]
