Friday, January 6, 2012

Vamptress LeeAnna, Model, Sister, Los Angeles, California, October, 2010

The new year begins with a sweet message from my dear sister, Vamptress LeeAnna.

People ask me about my trip out to Los Angeles: 'So what did you do out there, photograph models?'

There is a notion that perhaps models are different. While they may be so in certain instances, my experience out West taught me that they are very much like the women in my portfolio from Asia and Africa. They have their stories to tell, and can do so quite eloquently.

One such example is my creative sister, Vamptress LeeAnna. This young woman drove almost two hours just to meet me for an afternoon. She came out with an incredible man, and his support made this collaboration that much more meaningful.

The weather was misbehaving and rather than going along with the mood of the weather, they spoke only positive words and allowed me to lead them a bit further up the road, perhaps twenty minutes or so until we found an area full of sunshine just past the rim of the clouds. We exited the main road and then drove around looking for a spot, one that allowed for images made against a light wall and images made against the backdrop of the sky.

We found one, in the middle of a new development, and parked our cars. Vamptress took a few minutes to get ready while we set up for images against the yellow wall at first. The image above is from this series. The range of her expressions was indescribable, she went from the expression of a stranger to that of an old friend, within a few frames, from sultry to familiar within seconds.

Tomorrow will be spent in the darkroom printing these images, along with her selections. Rather than being photographed and walking away, this young woman has become my sister and continues to inspire me.

halim.ina@gmail.com
Halim Ina Photography

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