Cor Flammae

21 fabulously attired singers, 3 hair stylists, 3 makeup artists, 2 wardrobe stylists, 2 set stylists, 3 shoot assistants and one photographer. That is what it took to create this image of Vancouver's classically trained Choir Cor Flammae.
This shoot was a milestone for me as it was the most people I've ever photographed in one sitting!! 
What a wonderful experience it was to be a member of Team Flammae.

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Go Team Flammae !!
Wardrobe Styling:  Adam Dickson (lead) and Jennifer Gagne
Hair:  Missy Clarkson, Soo Jeong and Shea April
Make-up:  Andi Alexander, Sande Rees and Belinda Siu
Shoot Assistants:  Reem Abdel-Jabbar, Lindy Cairns and Robin Toma
Photographer: belle ancell
 

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QUEERISTERS http://www.corflammae.com Photo: http://www.belleancellphotography.com/ Wardrobe Styling: Adam Dickson (lead) Jennifer Gagne Hair: Missy Clarkson Soo Jeong Shea April Make-up: Andi Alexander Sande Rees Belinda Siu Photo Assistants: Reem Abdel-Jabbar Lindy Carins Robin Toma

Check out more of my LGBT portraiture at belleancell.com

Capture . Connect . Contribute

Contributing to our community with our photography is important to us. So, when my friend Robin Toma Photography and I were asked to collaborate to create this group portrait for the Vancouver Trans and Gender-Variant Working Group, we were honoured to say YES!!

READ THE FULL XTRA NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ON THE GROUP HERE.

UPDATE April 28th, 2014:  Parks Board unanimously approves the Group's recommendations to make Vancouver Parks & Rec facilities safer for trans and gender-variant folks.
Read the full Xtra article HERE.

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The Lowest Common Denominator

These folks from playwright  Dave Deveau's new play 'The Lowest Common Denominator' were such fun. I wish I had more than 20 minutes with them to create these images for Xtra Vancouver. We could have gotten into some trouble!!

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Pictured: Shawn Macdonald (bearded), Dallas Sauer (brown t-shirt), Deborah Williams (striped shirt).

Check out more of my LGBT portraiture at belleancell.com

There goes the Octegenarian Club

I always say each new photo shoot is the funnest shoot ever, but this one really was, when I photographed the ever so lovely and naughty Linda Fillmore for her 80th birthday feature in Xtra newspaper.

Linda is the Matriarch of the Fillmore Family Foundation. The Family is a non-profit foundation that raises money for organizations such as Out in Schools, A Loving Spoonful, Camp Out and McLaren Housing Society. I posted last month about the raucous Prairie Fairy Fowl Supper event the Family puts on each fall to raise these funds.

This was an amazing experience as it was the first time I 'pitched' a cover and story idea to Xtra and they accepted. I wanted to honour all that Linda Fillmore and her Family have done for our Community and create some beautiful images for her. We all had a blast in the studio and even did a 'Commando' run out to the Bull Statue downtown.

You're in good hands Linda Fillmore.

I'm aging myself, but does anyone remember the series Dallas?

Such wonderful folks to play with.

It takes a TEAM:

Assistant: Robin Toma
Assistant: Jason Blais
Stylist: Stephen Fahlman
James Goranko (dark beard)
Shayne Forster (red beard)

Check out more of my LGBT portraiture at belleancell.com

Cover #4 for Xtra !!!

Top 30 Under 30

My Freelance job at Xtra Vancouver permits me to meet such amazing people.
Case in point when Xtra hired me to shoot 7 of the 30 folks honoured in their 'Top 30 Under 30' List of B.C.'s brightest young Queer leaders. Meet the Top 7!!

#7 Carven Li

#6 Ander Gates

#5 Paige Frewer

#4: John Kuipers

#3: Melanie Matining

#2 Dave Deveau

#1: Justin Saint

Check out more of my LGBT portraiture at belleancell.com

Xtra! COVER #2

I LOVE WEDNESDAYS!!

My 2nd cover for Xtra! and I am so proud and honoured that it is the cast of Canada's 1st Lesbian Opera. Opening on August 5th at the Queer Arts Festival in Vancouver.

When the Sun Comes Out

I never thought I would utter these words. I loved this Opera. I saw the workshop last summer at the Queer Arts Festival in Vancouver. Well, I had to see it. I was photographing it for them. Seriously, it was not what I expected. First of all, I developed an instant crush on the lead soprano. Secondly, the male role broke my heart. Like tears in my eyes and heart crushing compassion for his story, that kind of broke my heart.

This was the largest, longest and most elaborate photo shoot I've ever done and involved the collaborative efforts of 12 people to pull it off. It was so worth it. We created some awesome images for the Opera. The Georgia Straight, Xtra and the Courier all featured the images which had enormous impact in its promotion.

The Opera is so poignant today in a 2013 world where we can still be tortured and murdered for simply being who we are.

From the Queer Arts Festival website - "When the Sun Comes Out is the world premiere of Canada’s first lesbian opera, commissioned by QAF. This ground-breaking new work is written by composer Leslie Uyeda and poet Rachel Rose, and directed by James Fagan Tait.

A story of forbidden love, divided loyalties and culture clash, the opera explores the oppression that queers face, and the risks they take, in nations where homosexuality is illegal."

From left to right: Aaron Durand, Teiya Kasahara, Julia Morgan, and Leslie Uyeda (with baton).

Check out more of my LGBT portraiture at belleancell.com