Be seeing you.

On a really hot Monday afternoon, myself, Mo, and Angelique set out to the Toronto Island ferry dock to board one of the boats setting out to Ward's Island for a shoot I had been working hard preparing for, for the past month. I was dying to get to the dock to meet up with our makeup artist, and my former intern colleague from our times at FLARE Magazine, Rebecca, as well as our Montreal beauty, Eve.

In grade 11, I took a film class (surprising for a high school with barely an art department) and quickly got hooked on a late 70's British television show we were analyzing. 'The Prisoner' drew me in instantly, and I think it's because of how well put together the show was, visually. I'm still awe-struck by the amount of brainstorming and planning that must have gone into the art direction, and even the set, prop, and costume design. The contents of the show are curated so beautifully that I could literally make a Pinterest board out of them (I might just do this...).

But not only was it the visuals that grew my obsession for the show, it was the story. And in the world of 'The Prisoner', also known as the 'Village', there is a strange white balloon called 'Rover' that attacks anyone at sea who tries to escape the Village (don't ask me how, just go watch it!). So after I had finished a model test shoot on the Toronto Beaches a few weeks prior the really hot Monday, I felt inspired to take my grade 11 obsession and turn it into a photoshoot. Next thing I knew, I was taking the train to Burlington to pick up 2 latex weather balloons from a Science Centre in the middle of nowhere (did I mention I picked them up from, not an office desk, but behind a bush? Long story..), and purchasing an electric air pump from Canadian Tire. 

I'm extremely happy to say that I couldn't be more proud of the final shots that came from what felt like a long journey rather than a test shoot. From ideation to planning, from gathering materials to shopping for clothes, from blowing up a 300g weather balloon in 30 degrees heat to almost stepping in a bird carcass to get a shot knee deep in Lake Ontario (yep..), I felt more passionate than I already did about what I do and what I hope to continue in the years to come. 

CREATIVE DIRECTION & PHOTOGRAPHY myself

HMU Rebecca Pilozo Melara

MODEL Eve, Dulcedo

ASSISTANT Mahmoud, Angelique

Check out the full sized images.