We shoot the final photo for the 2006 Breast of Canada Calendar today. I have eight volunteer models driving from various points outside of Guelph and congregating at 3pm. They are all strangers to me.
We were suppose to do this photo shoot last Saturday. Thankfully the photographer was ill and we postponed for a week. I say thankfully because the dramatic winter weather of last Saturday pretty much shut the city down. Today we have blue skies.
Last year, I received a photo submission from Olivia Brown that I loved the composition of but that had a technical glitch. Olivia is reproducing that shot today with a fresh batch of models. They will be building a topfree pyramid.
In preparation for today's experience, I sent the following email to the models. That's about as hands on as I get, leaving the rest of the experience up to the brave women who offer to participate and the photographer. I'll also mention, all eight of these women carry the BrCa 1 and/or BrCa 2 Gene. Some have had preventative mastectomies even though no breast cancer has been detected. I simply cannot fathom how difficult it would be to make such a life shifting decision, given there are no guarantees that cancer will not appear somewhere else.
Photo shoot Details:
You will be asked to sign a model release. This allows me to use the photo in the calendar and for publicity purposes. Please note: I never identify my models to anyone, the press included. If you choose to identify yourself, that is your choice. Some models do, some don't. Your faces will not be shown. That said, I'm a model in the calendar. One person identified me because she specifically was looking for me and she recognized my collar bone! Nothing I can do about that. But it didn't matter to me either.
You will also be asked to briefly write an explanation as to what motivated you to take part in the shoot. Please bring a pen.
Also, I like to list the models names, in alphabetical order, in the credits of the calendar.
When the calendar is published (May 2005) I will host a reception for all the models and give you a copy of the calendar....very hot off the press. I like the models to be among the first to see the finished project. So your contact info on the model release is important.
Attire:
no makeup required. Please wear pants that you can bend in. Please do not wear a bra for at least an hour before the shoot. We don't want visible marks on your skin.
BYO water and snacks if you're worried about getting hungry. There's a fabulous bakery/coffee cafe called With The Grain within a block and a half of the centre for a pre/post shoot tank up. Corner of London and Woolwich.
Other than that, rent Calendar Girls. Then prepare to laugh and have a very exciting, significant experience.
End of my instruction
SR
PS My other blog is called: Calendar Girl Blog
