Working Woman to Glamour Goddess!

I recently attended a photography seminar in which the photographer told us that she has a Before & After gallery…and I immediately thought, ‘amazing idea!’

You may wonder why I think this is such a great idea…

One of the reasons I find myself so drawn to working with women is because I personally know how incredibly empowering the experience of a glamour/boudoir/fine art nude shoot can and should be.  Most of us live our lives at a relatively quick pace: rushing from work to home, squeezing in getting groceries, remembering that it’s pajama day at ballet (comes to mind because I forgot this year :(  ), keeping the kids/dogs/husbands fed and in clean clothes, staying in touch with friends and family, and the list goes on and on.  Many of my friends are able to fit in a trip to the salon once in a while and maybe even a workout or two a week, but most are busy enough that the time they spend on themselves is very limited.  <Enter Bella Faccia!>  Imagine showing up for your session, in your jeans and tee, un-styled hair, no makeup…and then being pampered as the hair and makeup artist helps accentuate your inherent beauty followed by a session of us capturing you at your most glamorous!  This experience, in my opinion, has very little to do with ego (although, being honest, what woman doesn't secretly want a shot where she looks smokin' hot!) and everything to do with re-establishing your belief that you are important, beautiful, valued, and worth time and effort toward feeling healthy and strong on a daily basis.

Bella Faccia Studio...chilled champagne and fresh strawberries awaiting my client's arrival

The other reason I believe this gallery is important is because I think many of you may look at images on my site, and others', and think: ‘that is an unattainable goal’, or ‘they must be models’, or ‘I live in Lulu Lemon, I don’t ‘fit’ the part’…enter the Before & After gallery in which you will see women who could be your neighbour, your co-worker, your best friend, your sister, your mother, your xyz!  The Before & After gallery is where you will see women who are just like you! 

It is my intention, with the ‘Before & After’ gallery, to show my clients, who arrive in their daily uniform and from their hectic lives, and who then leave as the sexy, strong, independent, and empowered women they always were but may have neglected or forgotten amidst all of life’s other commitments.  This experience should be fun and relaxing; and, I hope, it also provides a deeper sense of self-worth and a reminder that we must stop putting ourselves at the bottom of the list.

Note: participation in the Before & After gallery is something I request; it is not obligatory in any way!  That said, most of my clients are pretty thrilled with their transformations and are happy to share so that other women will see how amazing the experience will be!

Life is beautiful!

Lori

Opportunities

When I was 15 I had the opportunity to participate in an exchange program to Natal, Brazil.  It was the beginning of what has been a lifelong love affair…with the country, its culture, and, ESPECIALLY, its people!

I have now had the absolute privilege of travelling to Brazil three times, with a cumulative time spent there of about a year and a half.  Even though it has been years since my last adventure to this colorful, vivacious, and welcoming land; the memories and my friendships made on all three trips continue to be as cherished today as they were 20 odd years ago (no need for detailed math here I figure! ;) !).

That first trip, before I’d even turned 16, planted a seed for me: that worldly experiences benefit young people in ways that are hard to quantify or qualify, but that undoubtedly have lifelong impacts on how we view the world and its inhabitants; regardless of colour, religion, or culture.  I believe that if every young person were given the opportunity to live, learn, and love in another country, our global society would be much healthier, more forgiving, and more accepting resulting in an even more wonderful world. 

Tomorrow my family will welcome Joao Paulo Gil Cavalcanti to our home for the coming few months.  Joao Paulo is my Brazilian nephew, by way of being grandson of the wonderful couple who hosted me for nearly all my time in Brazil, and he is now 19 (gasp, time flies!).  JP will be attending an intensive English course while here, amidst having the adventure of being an international traveler, as he prepares to begin his University career.

Photos 1 & 2: Me & JP at my farewell party in 1994
Photo 3: JP & Vovo Teca (his Great Grandma & a woman who
showed me consistent kindness)

While this post isn’t photography related; it does speak to what I hope for Bella Faccia to represent: admiration of beauty in its myriad forms, love of life, fun, music, memories, commitment, trust, family, and friendship. Brazil will always be an important part of who I am and I sincerely hope to provide a similar learning/growing opportunity to Joao Paulo.

Life is beautiful!

Lori

TomAto / Tom-ah-to

Over the past few months, as I’ve contemplated Bella Faccia’s move to specialize in women, I have been a little overwhelmed with what terminology to use.  For some the word ‘boudoir’ has significant connotations (not all good!), for others ‘glamour’ spurs thoughts of the’80s, and then there is ‘contemporary portraiture’, which I love but seems to leave people perplexed with what it actually means.

Whatever words you or I choose; I hope that you will see Bella Faccia’s portraits of women and girls as: beautiful, strong, elegant, alluring, fun, sweet, sexy (when appropriate!), and a visual testament to how amazing my subjects truly are. 

My absolute goal is to provide stunning images from a wonderful, empowering, and memorable shoot with Bella Faccia – no matter what ya’ call it!

Life is beautiful!

Lori

HMUA & Modelling: Talyn Stone

My Girly Favourites: Old & New

One of the things I most enjoy about being a girl is the multitude of great products on the market; however, the sheer volume of choices is a little daunting…that’s where girlfriends come in!  These are a few favourites of mine that help me feel a little more beautiful, a little more ‘put-together’, and even a little sexier!

Hanky Panky…my girlfriend introduced me to this line of intimates about 6 years ago and I’ve never looked back!  They are pricey, but SO WORTH IT!  No panty lines, heck, it doesn’t even feel like you have underwear on at all!  This is my all time fave girly product, no question!

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion…in fairness I haven’t given many others a try, but why would I when this primer is amazing!  Your eye shadows will be more vibrant and will have better staying power…your eyes will still look picture perfect long after your day (or shoot!) is done!

St Tropez Bronzing Mousse…love, love, love this self-tanning mousse!  It's easy to apply - no streaks and no mess (just make sure to exfoliate well first and do buy the application glove, it really helps and washes well for use again & again).  This product will leave you looking that beautiful golden-brown that we crave without the risks associated with lying in the sun (and us gals in the colder climates can have a subtle glow ALL YEAR LONG – hooray!)

BB Cream…my newest find and I’m pretty impressed so far!  I will say that, although it’s on this list, it isn’t a fave yet as it is still too new to me; however, I am really likin’ it and wanted to let you know about this huge trend that is just now arriving in North America.  Depending on the source, BB either means Blemish Balm or Beauty Balm; the trend started in Asia, where they are widely referred to as Blemish Balms but it would seem that the European & N.A. marketing agencies have creatively changed that first "B" to “Beauty”!  Wikipedia has this to say, “...and some newer ones are advertised as having functions of primer, foundation, moisturizer, sun block, pore minimization and skin refining together, making them an economic skin care solution”.  I’ve never worn foundation as an everyday product, but BB cream gives you that terrific base while being really light. 

Life is beautiful! 

Lori

What do you 'Major' in?

Do you remember when you were finishing high school and the whole world seemed open to you?  I remember feeling such power and excitement with the tremendous opportunities that I knew were out there waiting for me!  I also remember feeling utter fear and anxiety knowing how many opportunities were out there, waiting for me.  How does a person know what the right path is?  How can you know, deep in your soul, that you have a calling to do one, very specific thing?  Truth is I think the majority can relate to my experience and a very lucky few know exactly what they want.

I’ve always known that I wanted to be in a service oriented role…that is the schooling I pursued, and every job I’ve ever had has centered around it.  I’ve enjoyed every employ I’ve had, but they’ve never felt like ‘me’.  I never was passionate about admin, or HR, or sound masking.  I liked my roles but they didn’t fulfill me on a deeper level.

Photography has been a love of mine for nearly my entire life; it was such an early interest that my pop, whom also loved taking pictures, gifted me with an Ansco Kadet camera when I was 6 or 7.  I’ve always been drawn to photography but I lacked the confidence, in myself and in my creativity, to truly pursue it.

After I’d had my two children, I slowly started to care less about failing and more about pursuing my interests and dreams.  My husband surprised me with my first digital SLR in October of 2007, and I knew it was time to get serious about learning the art and technical aspects of good photography.  I had cute babies to practice on and a yearning to find something of my own, amidst the chaos of motherhood and homemaking.

In 2009 I started Bella Faccia Photography (‘Bella Faccia’ is ‘Beautiful Face’ in Italian) and, with my stomach in knots, I told people that I was going to pursue photography professionally.  GULP.  Over the past four years I have completed my Certificate of Photography at SAIT, I’ve attended multiple workshops, seminars, lectures, and I’ve shot almost every type of portraiture job you can imagine.  It has been an amazing three years and I feel utterly blessed! 

As amazing as the past few years have been; I did feel a little lost.  Each client and job presented new challenges, which is great, but I tended to feel a little behind the eight ball.  I spent hours (days probably) agonizing over where to shoot the engagement pics, how to light the newborn, or how to eliminate the specular highlights on a ceramic apple…it’s been fun and I’ve learned A LOT, but I also felt like I was becoming a jack of all trades and master of none.  This isn’t to say that a person can’t be good at multiple genres, of course there are people who blow me away…but I have come to realize that I like feeling really well prepared.  I couldn’t put my finger on it but, in hindsight, I was ready to get out of General Studies and start Majoring in something.

In October of 2010, I shot a job that I then referred to as a ‘form shoot’ – it wasn’t boudoir, but I wasn’t sure exactly what it should be called.  I really enjoyed the process of working with one person, a woman, with whom I could direct, collaborate, laugh, joke, encourage…it was an amazing experience and what really solidified things for me was how happy my client was.  She ended up purchasing a 30x40 acrylic-mounted piece for her home…AWESOME!  I went on to shoot a few nude/nearly nude maternity sessions and was even more drawn to this genre, and this clientele.

In the fall of 2011 I began the process of building a home studio.  I wanted to have my own space: to shoot in, to practice in, to have a little gallery in, etc.  During this same time I really started to think seriously about shooting more women and then, recently, it dawned on me: I don’t have to be a generalist, I can pursue what I feel the most connected to.  I love every aspect of working one on one with women.  I love collaborating and I love the excitement in the room.  I love that there is music playing. I love that my client is feeling her most glamorous with her hair and makeup done.  I love that she is as committed as I am to getting GREAT shots.  I love that she has invested in herself for that day – no laundry, no fighting kids, just HER looking beautiful, playing 'cover girl' for the day! I just love the whole thing! 

I’ve blogged about my own experience posing for a nude shoot and how incredibly empowering the experience was – not just that day, but in a profound, life altering way.  I simply can’t imagine a better, more uplifting experience for a woman than to invest in herself…to beautify (spray tans are a pain in the ass but MAN do they make you feel like a million bucks), to feel encouraged to drink a little more water, to treat her skin a little better, to hold her shoulders back a little more and her head a little higher, to recognize that it’s a good thing to celebrate the ‘here and now’, and to know that the day, the experience, and the result are all about her innate beauty and strength.   Ladies, I am speaking to you and it ain’t about my own marketing…this is a tremendous gift to yourself and, whether it’s with me or another, you should do this for yourself, right now.

 HMUA: Jyoti Purba, BLUSH                          Copyright Bella Faccia Inc. 2012

This past Friday was my inaugural shoot in the studio.  It was a thrill for me on so many levels but this blog post is already long enough!  Sufficed to say that I was elated, this morning, to receive this text from my studio’s inaugural client after she’d viewed her private, on-line gallery:

“…Who is that girl?  Those pictures are awesome!!!  Thank you for making me look ‘hot’.  There are so many that shocked me (in a good way!).  I’ll have a hard time picking.  The poses were awesome, the lighting was perfect and the fan had high impact.  You are very talented.  I’m so thankful you were there with me during the entire process from idea inception to the shoot.  I’m so glad I did it!”

So, here we are…I have officially announced my ‘Major’ and I couldn’t feel any more delighted.

Life is beautiful!

Lori    

PPSOP Newsletter Featuring Yours Truly!

Late this week I received an email from Chris Hurtt, over at PPSOP (Perfect Picture School of Photography), saying that they wanted to include me as their featured photographer/student in their weekly mail out!  Super exciting, humbling, nerve wracking...

Anyone can sign up for PPSOP's weekly newsletter at their home page, www.ppsop.com, which includes photography tips and tricks from the varied and talented photogs teaching at PPSOP (if you like photography at all I would highly recommend this newsletter!).  Because I have a number of people in my life who are interested in me and my career but who aren't that into photography; I thought I would post what was included in the PPSOP email here... 

Open Quote:

"As we do every Friday...it is time for a look at some student work and share some of their words about PPSOP.  This week we look at the work of Lori Maloney.  Lori started out as a workshop student and then stepped into PPSOP classes from there. To be honest, her energy level was hard to keep up with...but the great thing about it was that it was contagious in the classroom!  We have been thrilled to watch Lori grow her business (www.bellafaccia.ca ) and humbled that she counts PPSOP as part of her growth.   Lori's business is based in Calgary, Canada."

I have had a life long passion for photography, but it was in 2007 that I began to truly dedicate myself to understanding photography.  This was around the time that I purchased “Understanding Exposure” by Bryan Peterson.  This book taught me more than any other sole resource to that point (and I believe this still to be true if you don’t count being on a workshop with him!) and I was, as most people are, rather in awe of Mr. Peterson and his manner of making the technical seem easy!

In October of 2009 I decided to ‘hang a shingle’ and Bella Faccia Photography was born!  I love working with people and so I knew that providing portrait photography would be a perfect fit!  In the spring of 2010 I discovered that Bryan would be teaching a workshop in Edmonton, which is only a few hours drive away for me.  Due to an unforeseen set of circumstances Bryan was unable to teach the first two days of the workshop and so asked Chris Hurtt to attend in his place and then also extended the workshop by a day.  So, four days with two AMAZING and GIFTED instructors of photography…it was the best and most valuable workshop I’ve ever attended! 

Two of the things that I most appreciate, both in the workshops and in the PPSOP classes, are the camaraderie and learning you share with the other students.  It feels like a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience, only it needn’t be…I love attending Bryan’s workshops and the variety and depth of the PPSOP classes all contribute to strengthening the foundation I’ve put so much effort into building over the past 5 years.

Through Bella Faccia I have shot: engagements, weddings, maternity, newborns, babies, toddlers, families, a product shoot for a friend/entrepreneur, boudoir, fine art nude, and last month I was the chosen photographer for a charity calendar featuring fitness models and Harley Davidson motorcycles!  I have also sold my fine art pieces, landscape and abstract, for people to hang in their homes and offices (a huge compliment and thrill!). 

Flash forward to today when I am in the midst of building a studio in our home so that I may more easily pursue my love of portraiture AND studio lighting!  I feel so lucky to be where I am, and even more fortunate that my two young children are witnessing their mom not only pursue her dreams but also that they are privy to the effort and commitment it takes to build a business and provide, what I hope is, exemplary customer service.

I am continually challenged: to better my knowledge of my gear and the art of photography; of how to offer and package my services; and to better understand ‘where I fit’ in the world of professional photography.  I am also continually amazed at the inspiration and support from the PPSOP family; I read the PPSOP weekly tips as soon as they arrive in my in box and they provide an immeasurable amount of creative ideas coupled with technical skill.

I so appreciate and am humbled by the decision to feature my work here…I owe Bryan, Chris, and all the PPSOP instructors for being such gracious and talented teachers and artists!"


: End Quote

I tell ya' the last few years have been one helluva ride and it just keeps getting better!

Life is great!

Lori

Having Fun Requires Trust

This post, to be the last installment in this series of “Going Beyond Code”, centres on something I’ve written about in earlier blog entries...trust.

It is my firm belief that trust forms not only one aspect of a professional being able to go ‘beyond meeting code’, it, in fact, may be the most important aspect.  As a photographer I have worked with brand new babies who are only days old, I have photographed conservative and modest women with nothing between their natural beauty and my lens, and I have been given the opportunity to document “I do’s”…none of these projects would have been possible without my clients’ trust in me:  trust that I could ‘deliver’ as a photographer, as a professional, and as a human being.  I take great pride in my client’s trust in me, and I also place a heavy weight on said trust – I promise to always do my best in my preparation for the shoot, in my gear choices, in my attitude toward my subjects, in my commitment to getting great images, in my delivery of the proof gallery and the retouching of subsequent prints, and in everything in between. 

If you are looking for a professional photographer I encourage you to find someone who has a photographic eye that appeals to you; I hope you will meet with them to determine if you share a rapport (photo shoots are a lot of fun, you should be able to laugh and feel at ease while ‘under the lights’!); and find a professional whom you believe will deliver to you the experience you are looking for (hiring a great shooter who notoriously takes forever to return phone calls or provide your order may or may not fit the bill for you – hey, we all have our own pet peeves and expectations!)

I truly believe that every aspect I’ve written about over these past few weeks is important in the services I am offering; however, I think that trust is likely the pinnacle of what is required in exceeding expectations – in life and business.

© Bella Faccia 2011

So, make an investment in yourself and your family…document this special time in your life, and it is special as you will never be ‘here’ again; go outside your comfort zone and be rewarded with a truly liberating gift to yourself; and, above all else, HAVE FUN! 

Life is great!

Lori