In January of 2019 I had the amazing pleasure of getting to help out my two dear friends Taylor Blackwell and Harley Quinn Smith with their music video for their song I Saw A Ghost from their debut album Dunes ( out everywhere now). This was such an awesome shoot to be a part of.
Shout out to Director Meghan Marshal and DP Chase Cope for their amazing work.
In the group shot I am of course the one in the yellow striped shirt and overalls.
The Tenth Band – Lead Singer and Guitarist Taylor Blackwell, Singer and bass player Harley Quinn Smith, I Saw A Ghost Video its
Harley Quinn Smith ( The Tenth Band)
Harley Quinn Smith between takes on the I Saw A Ghost Music video – The Tenth Band
Taylor Blackwell of The Tenth Between shots
DP Chase Cope in between shots of the Tenth Band Music I saw A Ghost Directed by Meghan Marhsall
Drummer Kelly Cruz in-between takes of the I Saw A Ghost Music Video
Yesterday I had the wonderful pleasure of doing my first biggish photoshoot. Here are one batch of images from the shoot. These photos where inspired by 70s rock and boho goddesses like Stevie Nicks.
This was a lot of fun for me because as a model because I’ve never actually done a shoot with another model. I also loved this because the weather wasn’t sun or bright which was a nice change of pace.
Luckily for me Meyrick is one of my dearest friends and we had a blast. It was surprisingly easy for us to “vibe ” off of each other and creating different yet similar poses.
Also can we take a moment to talk about how amazing by brother is behind the camera.
Be sure to check out my brother Chase’s photography page on instagram and Meyrick’s page as well
Life or at least my life is always full of last minute surprises. And this is the story of one of those surprises.
One night I was checking my email and there was an email from a lady inviting me to be press at Each Mind Matters’ Directing Change awards.
At first I thought this has to be some kind of spam or prank. But after a lot of research I realized it wasn’t at all.
I had never been press at an event like this before and was there for pretty worried about it.
But I had nothing to worry about. Everyone at the event was deeply passionate about breaking the stigma around mental illness and helping raise suicide prevention awareness, and they were very easy to talk with.
For those of you who do not know let me quickly breakdown what Directing Changing is all about. It’s an annual contest for teens and young adults to make 60 second films either dealing with suicide prevention or raising mental health awareness. 1 in 5 people have a mental illness.
The event was kicked off with a red carpet – that included wonderful food and a chance to meet with both the student filmmakers and the celebrity guests that included,Keith Stanfield ( Actor, Straight out of Compton, Short Term 12) , Gavin MacIntosh ( Actor, The Fosters), Naomi Grossman ( Director, It’s Kind Of A Funny Story), Brett Davern ( Actor, Awkward) Gren Wells ( Director, The Road Within) and Meredith O’Conner ( Singer and Anti bullying activist).
Director Namoi Grossman after our interview
After the red carpet we all packed inside for the event to begin.
There were many wonderful films that so seamlessly captured life with a mental illness or the concern that friends and family feel when a loved one is not seeking help.
The show struck a very difficult balance of being entertaining and fun without ever losing sight of why we were all there.
Keith Stanfield brought an easy charm and gentle humor to the event when posing with the winners after sharing a heartfelt story of why this program matters.
Meredith O’Conner did a lovely job of performing her song Just A Thing which reminded all of us that we aren’t alone in our weirdness and that we can overcome struggles when we put our health (mental or psychical ) first. Her performance was lovely and uplifting with the crowd chanting for an encore.
Meredith O’Conner singing “Just A Thing” at Minds That Matter 2016
But the show stopping moment came with the Suicide Prevention category of short films. In the running for first place was an amazing animated film called ” The Guides Of Life“. The film was amazing. I could not believe a bunch of teenagers had animated something of that quality for this.
When “The Guides Of Life” rightfully won first place the whole event changed. It wasn’t a group of teenagers. But one lone animator named Ryan Santiago, who was so over come with emotion he could barely speak. He told us that he had worked on the film for six months. Story boarded all of it. He also shared with us why this film meant so much to him.
I doubt there was a dry eye in the room when he left the stage. People cheered for him shouting out ” bravo” “way to go” some even took to their feet give him a stand ovation when he left.
If you are from Disney or Dreamworks Animation or any arts college look up Ryan Santiago. There is serious talent here.
Closing thoughts : We are constantly told that mental illness because it is an invisible illness isn’t real. This discourages many people from reaching out to friends and family or seeking help.
For people like me who has many dear friends and family members that have mental health struggles this cause struck a deep cord.
But you don’t need to have a personal connection to mental illness to have been deeply touched by the films, filmmakers and personal stories of the celebrity guests.
My only wish is that next year the event organizers will give the press a quiet space for on camera interviews and get a few wranglers to allow for an efficient process.
For more information on Each Mind Matters click Here.
A while back I got an a message via model mayhem from a wonderful model by the name of Kiley Eberhandt.
We set up a photoshoot. I was very excited because I had been eyeing this location for a long time but had yet to shoot there. Still I was a little worried because I had never done a photoshoot outdoors in nature. I also wasn’t sure about how to set the mood for the shoot. So I used my handy tip from Emma and brought the music with me. I had a whole bunch of 70s inspired or 70s music to inspire us and ease the nerves.
Thank goodness I had nothing to worry about. Kiley was wonderful when it came to putting up wit all the surprises nature offered us. She also had a cheerful personality that made the whole thing fun.
Take a look below to see how our hard work payed off.
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If you would like to schedule a photoshoot click Here
For more information about my photography click Here
Today I had the wonderful pleasure of doing my first fitness photoshoot. I had the chance to work with Emma. A wonderful model and friend. Going into it I was really unsure of the shoot. Not feeling confident about how any of it would go or turn out. I knew the camera loved Emma but I was unsure of how to work with her.
I had nothing to worry about. Emma was beyond professional. Suddenly I see the real difference between a professional model and someone who is new.
Emma new about light, mode, poses and so much more. She had done her research on how to pose for a fitness shoot everything. She knew all of the tricks. It was a dream.
I also learned to be very careful of how a model poses when she has silver nail polish. As you can see there is lots of reflection from the nails.
I am looking forward to working with Emma again very soon.
Today I had the great pleasure of taking photos of Daniel. He is one of the most caring and fun kids I know. He is also full of energy.
As this was my first time really taking photos of kids ( aka not in a run and gun style) I was worried. To do headshot type photos one needs lots of good light. and a model who can hold a pose. Daniel did a great job and made my work easy . I’m looking forward to working with him again soon.
Also a big shout out to his mom for being such a big help and keeping fly away hairs in order.
Noelle Cope 