Coreen’s Photoshoot – Women’s Expressions 2013 Calendar

Behind the Scene

It was Sunday, October 1st, 2011 when we had our fourth photo shoot with Coreen. Coreen is a very beautiful person who has been blessed with the most amazing deep blue eyes so we wanted to put the accent on them by having her wear a mask. Although she is a very quiet person; and shy in some ways, that never stopped her from giving her best for the calendar. She is proud to be a part of this new initiative and contribute to helping women and children in need.

Those present on the set included:

  • Marc Dumontier, photographe
  • Amélie Deschenes, make-up artist
  • Ginette Peterson, assistant to the photograph
  • Chantal Tremblay, assisting the model, and
  • Jo-Anne Landriault, founder

Everyone arrived prepared and energized; anticipating a great shoot.

The preparation beforehand was a little more challenging than usual because of our set requirements. The chosen theme was that of a masquerade, and the shoot was to occur in front of a fireplace with the model wearing a classy and sophisticated mask. We had envisioned a warm and luxurious ambiance just like the princes and queens of long ago would have enjoyed. So, we had to find the perfect fireplace for this vision. We wanted an oversized stone fireplace; the kind you would find in a castle long ago. This type of fireplace proved very difficult to find in Canada, a young country that has only one castle, which is not that old compared to European castles. Of course, we could count the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec, but unfortunately, we didn’t have the luxury of bringing the team to Quebec City. So we looked around for real fireplaces, and with no success, we opted for a gas fireplace; not the same, but it would have to do. We had to get permission from someone who owned a condominium with the perfect fireplace. We approached the tenant who was more than pleased to give us his place for a few hours as he happened to be leaving for the weekend. Being curious, however, he stayed for a few minutes to check out the model and the photo shoot.

Coreen arrived looking very elegant with her hair styled to perfection by her daughter, a hairdresser. Her regal appearance was perfect for our vision! She came prepared with some truly beautiful garments and shoes. She had five different short dresses (two black, one burgundy, a blue and a red), two masks and two pairs of shoes. As we fussed with the model, the photographer prepared the set and performed many lighting tests. He expressed that he really liked the room and that the fireplace was quite impressive. When lit up, it looked like a real fireplace even though there was no wood burning. We had brought some props with us: two plants, a chair, a painting and candles just in case we needed to change or adjust the mood.

So we started the session using the fireplace but looking at the photos, we had to admit that we were not impressed with the outcome. So we deviated from the theme and went for different poses in front of a neutral wall, using a couch and without a mask. This was a big change of plans at the last moment. But it paid off. The next poses really captured Coreen’s spirit; with different sophisticated poses, yet very unique and distinct. We had captured the look that we wanted for the calendar!

A couple of things distinguished this photoshoot from the others. The first was the abandonment of our initial plan. We really had to be flexible and innovative when we discovered that our first idea just wasn’t working. The photographer also demonstrated tremendous creativity and flexibility in dealing with last-minute changes. The second was the photographer’s enthusiasm and energy. He was very expressive and shared his satisfaction each time he captured a perfect shot. He was just like a kid discovering a new toy. We could definitely see that he was passionate about his work and moved by the outcome of this photo shoot. In seeing this, I realized that we have been fortunate to have had such talented photographers as part of our team for the making of this calendar. Their passion for photography and for the project contributes to the magic of each photo shoot.

Article by Joanne
Edited by Lee-Anne C.

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