7th Anniversary

Today marks the completion of mine and Philippe's 7th year together. We had a lovely day filled with many fun activities and moments. One, being that we took turns painting on the other. I've painted on nude bodies before, and have been painted on nude as well, but this was different; simultaneously sensual and soothing.

From the get-go our relationship has been so incredibly special and unique. We share so much love, affection, and trust; have inspired and learned from one another; matured and created a home and new family together. It's mind-boggling to look back and see how much we've affected each other, and helped to make the other a better person.

Many people have asked if we will get married. I honestly don't think that marriage -- or in our non-religious situation -- a civil union could possibly make what we share any more significant. We are incredibly affectionate, but we like to keep it to a minimum when we are in the presence of family or friends. I think that a large aspect of a marriage is to be showy, or the nicer term "to celebrate" what we have with others. The mere fact that we are confident enough in our bond to not feel like we have to continually display it and seek validation from others confirms to me that our feelings run true and are deeply rooted. Even if our relationship doesn't last until the end of our days, I will always share something inimitable with this boy.

As Phil and I enter our 8th year together I wish for our hearts to grow impossibly larger, and for us to share in even more experiences and adventures together.

Hun, you are simply explosive. And yes, I know, I am a dear. ;)

Blood Berries: Ode to Summer

I had this stubborn concept for a makeup shoot where I wanted to get a monochromatic colour scheme (with red as the only colour) but without actually making it monochromatic in Photoshop. I say 'stubborn' because I quickly discovered that this involves a lot of effort; a ton of white makeup, and because white flattens everything, a lot of re-defining my contours with black powder. I also went so far as to dye my hair a natural black for this specific concept. Oh, and careful white balancing was also a must. Though it's still not completely monochromatic (you can see some brown in my hair) I'm fairly happy with the results. Though I must admit that being the makeup artist, photographer, model and photo editor is completely exhausting, especially for the labor intensiveness that was required for this makeup application.

For larger versions of these, please feel free to visit my FLICKR account!

Junkie Jessie

Near the end of June, my friend Jessie was between apartments, and kind of enough to let me take advantage of the fact that her room was almost completely barren. She was also kind enough to model for me as a cute little Asian junkie. The shoot didn't turn out as great as I would have liked, and I think that's partly because I was super hungry while doing the makeup and photo shoot. Lame, I know, but I get seriously distracted when hunger calls. Still, some images turned out quite interesting, such as these two. The photos aren't meant to mean anything, I really just wanted to practice special FX, which I have been been neglecting.