I Hug 2013 Goodbye... by Montreal portrait photographer Hera Bell

"A hug is like a boomerang - you get it back right away."
by Bil Keane

I shot this image years ago in Rome.

Winner of 5th. place of Split Second Impulse Exhibition in Rome Italy.

A hug can heal all wounds. It can scream out loud without any words all the silent love you have towards someone. A hug is electrifying.

Stop a minute and give a hug to someone today, the last day of 2013.

With this act you will give something which can't be purchased in a store and it has high value which can't be measured by monetary means.

I now hug goodbye 2013 and let it go.

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Inspired by Man Ray.. My Way... by Montreal fine art portrait photographer Hera Bell

We all get inspired as artists.

"Eve's Apple" is a limited edition printed on brushed metal print. It was exhibited and later on sold at Centaur's Seagram Art Gallery in 2012.

You can see the audio visual which was a part of the exhibit press release gives glimpses from this heavily mediatized exhibit by clicking on this text.


Inspired  by Man Ray's legendary photo. However my way... The person in this image  was a client. A leading scientist on microbes.

That day I applied black eye liner on her body. It was shot with film. Later on I added the apple digitally.

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Holiday Season 2013 by Montreal Photographer Hera Bell

Time flies by.
Another year has come to an end.
I am thankful to God,
For giving me life,
An amazing husband,
A loving supportive family,
And true friends that I can count on.

Past will always become a past,
Today is today, which we should embrace
And future is unknown, yet we should look forward to.

Happy Holidays to everyone who visit my blog.
Near and far.

May your heart be filled with joy instead of anger.
May your pathway be bright and open.

PS: Eastern Townships Quebec at a snowy day.

The frost below was photographed with my Android cell phone from my parent's window. Then turned into an animated gif.

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Photographing Vittorio Rossi by Montreal Portrait Photographer Hera Bell

When someone like Vittorio Rossi contacts you to do an "actor's head shot" session with you, you know that as a photographer you have to go beyond a simple head shot session.

To give you a little bit idea of who Vittorio Rossi is just take your time and read his biography which will shed some light later on why I shot his portraits the way I ended up shooting.

" Vittorio Rossi is a playwright, actor, director and screenwriter born in Montréal, Canada. He grew up in the district of Ville Emard. He graduated from Concordia University in 1985 with a B.F.A. specializing in theatre performance. Rossi has earned the respect of the national theatre community with his award winning plays. Mr. Rossi stormed the Montréal theatre scene with two consecutive Best New Play Awards at the Quebec Drama Festival with Little Blood Brother in 1986 and Backstreets in 1987. His plays have been produced in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, New York City, Boston, Syracuse and The Stratford Festival in Ontario.

In 1987 Rossi became Playwright-in-Residence at Montréal’s prestigious Centaur Theatre, during which time he wrote his first full length play, The Chain, which opened Centaur’s 20th anniversary season in October 1988. The show was then produced at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. Other plays include: Scarpone, In Pursuit Of A Cow, The Last Adam, (winner of the Canadian Authors Association Literary Award for Drama in 1996), Love and Other Games, Filumena (Translation), Paradise By The River. His latest work may be his most ambitious work to date, a collection of three plays inspired by the life of his late father entitled A Carpenter’s Trilogy. The three plays include Hellfire Pass (winner of the MECCA Award for Best New Text in 2006), Carmela’s Table (winner of the MECCA Award for Best New Text in 2007), and The Carpenter.

Rossi was Writer-in-Residence at Concordia University in 1990-91 where he also taught playwriting. He is also the recipient of the 1994 Premio Award given by CIBPA (Canadian Italian Business Professionals Association) in the field of Creativity for bringing honour and distinction to the Italian-Canadian community with his body of work. In 2003 Mr. Rossi taught screenwriting at the University of Sherbrooke.

As an actor, Rossi appeared as a regular as Dino Marrone on Urban Angel and as Detective Tom Celano in the award-winning French-language television series Omertá. His film credits include performances in the CBS Emmy Award-winning Day One, and the critically acclaimed feature Malarek. Rossi was also a co-star in Le Sphinx and played the lead in the film Canvas starring opposite Gary Busey and John Rhys-Davies. His most recent work was co-starring in the feature film The Timekeeper. He has written several screenplays and has directed a film version of Little Blood Brother. His plays are published by TalonBooks."

So  that day I had in front of me a prolific, intense yet a friendly, demanding yet kind actor to photograph. After our session, I offered him a glass of port and some small munches. He sat down next to me and watched me edit his photos. We talked and laughed as I continued doing my job as a photographer which was the second part of my job, editing the photos,. Which I think by the way is among the second most important part of the job.

Today I would like to share with you some of the results. Voila, Mr Rossi as the actor, as the  playwright, the man behind his legendary persona in print.

And this what his comments were about my work:

"Hera is more than a photographer, she is an artist. She knows how to capture the essence of your personality. Her lighting is like a piece of sculpture fitted around your face and body.
She is capable of making you come alive in ways you did not think were possible."

Thank you Vito...

 

The shot above was chosen as the official head shot for the recent play St Leonard Chronicles at Centaur Theater of Montreal.

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Telling A Story Through One Single Photo by Montreal Fine Art Portrait Photographer Hera Bell

"The Temptation" was nominated for the 4th. International B&W Spider Awards in 2008. Most people who see this image can't stay indifferent. I hope you will enjoy looking at it and creating your own version of the story about it.

4th Annual International B&W Spider Awards

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One Bed And Many Stories by Montreal Glamor Boudoir Photographer Hera Bell

We all have a bed to sleep in. In there we live and create our own stories and dreams.

With me, I take that concept a bit further.

Since I have moved my Montreal downtown photo studio where I have operated from 10 years, in my new space this bed has been witnessing and caressing many beautiful people's skin. It is not a hotel room bed where I take my clients to create luxurious boudoir photography sessions. This is a bed that I can call my own.

Each person who lyes down on this bed has a story to tell. Their secrets will stay safe with me.

May your  One Thousand And One Nights   be prosperous and fine. Sweet dreams everyone.

From my studio to yours, Have a wonderful day.

PS: I have full permission to showcase these images.

 

 



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Ilhan Karabacak & Hera Bell. The Infumous Duo Of Creativity... 7 Years After

Seven years later. Voila... The fruits of my reunion with infamous Cirque Du Soleil dancer Ilhan Karabacak. When we get together we create fire. Because we are both highly passionate about what we do.

Warning: The images are highly powerful. Follow the red link below to your own risk...

Ode To Innocence By Hera Bell Copyright 2013


Ode To Innocence by Montreal Portrait Photographer Hera Bell from Montreal Photographer Hera Bell on Vimeo.



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Cropping Or Not Cropping by Montreal Glamour Boudoir Portrait Photographer Hera Bell

I rarely crop any of my images. I come from the old school of compose everything in your camera.

However I got tempted to crop this actual image.

It was shot with a Canon 5D Mark III. A 22 MPG full frame camera.

 

And voila, the cropped version. I see the room's and my reflection in her eyes.

 

 

 

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Modern Version Of Adam & Eve by Montreal Portrait Photographer Hera Bell

Everything has a symbolic reason to be in this image.

Adam has an apple iphone in his hands. There is a red apple sitting next to him on the steps.
The red apple's color is reflected on Eve's red corset representing the sin.
The door number on the building is 666 which the devil's resident.
Eve has the allure of a seductive street worker.
Adam is pensive. Did he bite the apple already? Or what is he thinking?

My version of the situation of male and female relationships which originates from Adam & Eve.

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Old But Classic Boudoir... by Montreal glamour boudoir portrait photographer Hera Bell

 

From my B&W negative photography era. It was shot at available light with Kodak 3200 ISO.  Negative was sandwiched under the enlarger with lens cloth and exposed in my old wet darkroom. Scanned later.

 From my very early photography, 1998 about.  Anyone who had visited my old studio had seen a canvas print of it as a 20"x30" on the wall. Classic boudoir in its purest form. No bra and panties posing on a hotel bed. She was a well known sommeliers wife.

 

 

 I had created an AV depicting my first contact print and some of the stories behind my images. If you are curious to see and read please visit the AV located on YouTube.

 My Very Early Photography from 1997

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Creating A Scary Character Happy Halloween by Montreal portrait photographer Hera Bell

It is easy to turn anyone into a scary ugly character   as it is easy to make everyone look beautiful.

It is your personal artistic vision as a photographer that will make it happen.

I usually see and portray the beauty in all my portraits.

But in the past I had played with the idea also creating not so pretty portraits of some very handsome men.

Voila. Danis who was body painted by me few years ago.

I will show you today the evolution of our session.

Thinker Of Rodin A La Picasso... You Are Being Watched

Oedipus Complex. The Third Eye

Unleash That Monster Within

Photographing The Broadway Star Terra C Macleod by Montreal Portrait Photographer Hera bell

When you receive a note such as this one,   you only feel content and  happy  as a  portrait photographer. Nothing else counts.

" I have worked with photographers around the world and it is Hera's eye for detail, clarity and artistry that makes her stand out above the rest. I am simply floored by her talent behind the lens. Beautiful work.! Thank you "

Terra c Macleod (Broadway Lead Actress in Chicago the musical)
 

It was a great privilege to photograph you Terra. You are beautiful inside out.