“What day is it today again?” was my thought at the end of this shoot. These days I get lost in time after a long day of work. Being tired is beside the point. I get lost in a world that we have created as a team. A world that existed for a short moment in time. A bubble that has been invented by a team of passionate and inventive people. Each shoot is different from any other because each one has a different team who brings different ideas and contributions to the work, and each shoot has a different concept and feel to it. This shoot was a little eerie and yet magical at the same time. These two words just don’t seem like they go together but that’s just the beauty of art. Art can often capture such paradoxical moments.

Imagine a forrest. Imagine rays of sunlight shining down onto that forrest, creating depths of shadows, light and dark, twinkles and sparkles. A slight breeze blowing a girl’s soft, brown, toussled hair gently. Her face, strong and deep and captivating. The garment she is wearing matches perfectly with her makeup, rosy and romantic. Each time the camera starts rolling and Melina begins her modelling, I can’t bear to take my eyes off her nor the scenery. It’s like magic just happens. She is telling a story with just her eyes, her walk and her posture. No words said yet there is a whole story that is being told. And the story…it’s being told differently depending on the beholder. Art is supposed to stir a reaction, and each reaction varies.

Isn’t it amazing how one still image can say so much, and a video clip can tell a whole story even without words? I could write and write and write but it cannot ever compare to the real stuff. Sometimes I can spend hours writing and still can’t capture what I’m trying to describe. Sometimes I spend days trying to put something across but yet I still can’t convey what it is that I’m trying to show you. Sometimes, all you need is a single, silent look from a girl in a motion picture that lasts no longer than a few seconds. Or simply a model from a still image, stirring your thoughts. I think this is why Art is my best friend. I know I am so cheap with the amount of words I use sometimes, as I have been told so many times. I see it more as a lack of ability to express myself and an inability to connect with the world. But when I get angry with myself for my lack of verbal expression and connection, I just need to remember that Art is here to save the day. The art of language is sometimes not enough. Sometimes you need to go beyond…

Art Director/Set Designer: Joanna Rutherford
Photographer: Rebecca Hawkes
Model: Melina, First Model Management
Makeup & Hair: Tammi Nguyen