STRUT 4 Hope

"We stand strong together in support of every person’s right to love who we are meant to, be who they want to be without fear of prejudice. Join us and walk a mile in high-heels to fight for LGBTQ+ people around the world."
~ Foundation of Hope.
100's of folks strutted their stuff at Sunset Beach June 6th to raise funds and awareness for LGBTQ refugees. The newly founded Foundation of Hope’s first fundraiser was a walkathon with participants walking a mile in high heels! An amazing $45,000+ was raised at the fabulously successful event.
Every day I wake up grateful for the privilege to be my authentic self in this beautiful city and country. It was wonderful to be a part of raising funds and awareness for folks who do not live with those same privileges.
Thank you to the Foundation of Hope for existing and assisting LGBTQ refugees, asylum seekers and newcomers.
Click this LINK to see the full album on Facebook. 

  

Please visit my personal work website for more LGBT portraits. belleancell.com

  

Feast your eyes on Cor Flammae

100 metres of fabric, 25 fabulously draped singers, 4 hair stylists, 7 makeup artists, 4 set stylists, 2 shoot assistants and one photographer. That is what it took to create this incredible 2015 promo image of Vancouver's classically trained Choir Cor Flammae.


Wardrobe/Set Styling:
Adam Dickson (Concept)
Jenny Gagne / Shelayne Mulholland
Movement Consultant: MaryAnne Wong

Makeup:
Belinda Sui (Team Lead)
Andi Alexander / Kasey Chen / Bingjie Dai / Raven Dickhout / Mei Lin / Oscar Xu

Hair:
Missy Clarkson (Concept)
Hair by Soo (Team Lead) / Jenny Lynn Goodwin / Katrina Shelast

Photographer/Lighting: belle ancell
Lighting Assistants: Maylies Lang / Debbie Pipe
Colour Treatment/Retouching: belle ancell / Reem Abdel-Jabbar

Please visit my personal work website for more LGBT portraits. belleancell.com

  

The Unstoppable Conni Smudge

And she is. She literally stops traffic!!
The West End BIA asked me to share what I love about the West End on their Instagram account for a week.
I'm a Main Street girl but I spend a lot of time over there. It's always fun to have company on an outing so I asked my friend Conni Smudge along after her regular Hott Smudge Sunday Brunch at the Junction.
Here are some of my favorite moments from our adventures together. Thank you Conni. XoXo
Follow me on Instagram @belleancell for more images from my wonderful LGBTQ community and my Vancouver life.

'Unveiled' Photo Exhibit and Celebration

Thanks to Graham Spence, Debbie Pipe and Jason Husmillo for capturing all the fun at my first solo photo show and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence 5th Anniversary party.
I feel so grateful to the Sisters for this wee photo project that somehow took on a life of it's own and brought the community together in love and celebration.
I look forward to watching the Abbey grow and photographing more beautiful Sisters !!!

Outlook TV's coverage of the evening. Story begins at 9:09 minutes.

'Unveiled' - The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are a 21st Century order of Queer nuns.
They believe in spreading universal joy and expiating stigmatic guilt.
‘Unveiled' is a series of 10 portraits of the Sisters ‘in face’ and also without their facial makeup, or in ‘Boy Drag’ as they call it. I photographed them on an ethereal white background, as if they were walking through heaven’s door.
I find the Sisters beautiful. The designs and vibrant colours they choose for their faces and the playful, sexy outfits they create themselves express their individuality. I am intrigued with how they express their masculine and feminine sides. They are masculine in appearance, but to me when they are ‘in face’, they transform into beautiful feminine Deities.
Perhaps that is why I feel reverence in their presence.

  

Please visit my personal work website for more LGBT portraits. belleancell.com

  

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

I have been spending a lot of time with these stunning creatures creating beautiful portraits in preparation for their 5th Anniversary celebration.
Are they Queer Nuns? Are they Glorious Clowns? Are you curious?
GayVancouver.net, B.C.'s online magazine wrote an article about the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and the photo project we collaborated together on. You can read that story HERE

Sister Merry Q. Contrary, Founder and former Mother Superior of the Vancouver Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

Check out more of my LGBT portraiture at belleancell.com