Oceanic

Contact sheets from my shoot with Zenaida Kwong

I recently had the pleasure of shooting with fashion photographer Zenaida Kwong. These are my contact sheets and I 'm to chose 5 looks for commercial work. I have a hard time looking at photos of myself so I was hoping to put it out there to my friends in the hopes you guys could help me chose?

FROM THE RESTLESS KITCHEN

I like to cook when time allows and I have a lot of organic ingredients on hand. This summer we moved into a new house and the kitchen has a view of the ocean. Needless to say it's my favorite room in the house and it has inspired me to cook. My friends have been asking me for recipes so I thought I would write it as a blog post and then I could extend it to my larger social network.

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Rip Curl Stew

The top surfers from across Canada and the Pacific North West will descend on Tofino, B.C., this weekend for The Rip Curl Stew
 Canada's highest level surfing competition. Squeezed between consistent swell, spectacular beaches, lush rainforest and a huge surfing culture, Tofino, on Vancouver Island's west coast, is the preeminent location for a contest pitting man against nature. The two day, elimination ladder style contest ensures the top surfer on the weekend will land on top. Past champs like Noah Cohen and Sepp and Raph Bruhwiler will be out to take down multi-time winner and local boy, Peter Devries.

Devries will be the best surfer in the contest, so the pressure rests on him, leaving the rest of the field gunning for an upset. Will an youngster rise to the challenge? Or will the willy vet beat the field on his home waves? This weekend it will all play out.

The Art of the Selfie

I heard a program on the CBC yesterday about the culture of narcissism. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest - all the social media web-sites are set up to create a personal brand that shines brighter than the real human behind it.

I remember when I first started my narcissistic voyage into video blogging; I was apologetic and shy. No so for long, Restless Josie quickly became an extension of my self expression and a projection of how I saw the world. It wasn't about my personal life but it was an expression of my ego. I enjoyed showing and telling people what I thought was cool and why. I also enjoyed looking good doing it. Looking back on old episodes is much like perusing your mothers old photo albums when you visit at Christmas. "Did I really wear that?" often comes up, as well as other negative self talk.

The truth is I continue to participate in an industry that I know is fraught with narcissism and worse. But, film is also full of very talented artists who are expresing beauty and creating work well worth enjoying and, ultimately, a great form of entertainment. I love it. When the record light flashes I'm transported. Everything else melts away and I'm totally focused and truly present. So, what's my point?

While I may have a job in television that requires me to constantly promote myself, almost all of us participate in social media in some form. That's stroking our ego. If we are going to be part of pop culture, how can we do it well and leave a legacy we can be proud of?

The easiest tip I can give is taking good self portraits or "the selfie". Everyone owns a cell phone with a camera. Who hasn't taken a self portrait? Well I'm hear to tell you how to take a what I perceive is a good one. Come on ladies, no more duck face please:)

I think the key is angle and lighting. Don't hold your camera below the chin and don't use flash - you're way too close for the flash to work properly. It's always best to ask someone close by to take the photo and tell them "it's for my boyfriend", or, failing that, push the camera out to full arm's length.

Now when your posing try to look as natural as possible. Using a mirror is a very good way to get this accomplished. Always take multiples. Please remember the internet is forever and future children or employers might see these photos so keep your cloths on and don't suck in your cheeks and push out your lips. No one thinks Ducks are sexy, people. Hopefully reading this blog today has made you laugh or I've been just stoking my already inflated ego for nothing;)

                                                    the art of the non-narcissistic selfie?

Family Vacations

I have always been anti-all inclusive resort. Mostly because I travel versus vacation, meaning I enjoy meeting the people who live in the country that I'm visiting. The locals are the spice of travel and without them it all seems a little bland.

That being said I have an eight year old daughter named Paige who was very excited about a recent Christmas Family trip to JAMAICA. With four families and 5 children an all inclusive called "Beaches" was chosen for our family Christmas. It was amazing! The holiday was not spent deciding who will cook the turkey and what the best gift was but more importantly, who built the best sand castle!

 I held Paige's hand as we snorkeled on a reef full of colorful parrot fish and I promised not let go when she got out of her depth. We also bonded over getting her first set of cornrows. After 1.5 hrs having her hair braided she almost couldn't handle it and it reminded me of times at the dentist when I've begged for a break. After a little breather and some fast talking by the beautiful Jamaican women Paige finished her whole head. Paige can't wait for the first day of school so she can show all her friends her new look.

The staff at the resort were definitely picked for there hospitality and personality because they where very warm and awesome. Every evening there was entertainment and the dancing was especially impressive with a combination of old school break dance and hip hop moves. I was reminded of a childhood trip to Club Med in Ixtapa where the staff would be constantly trying to include you in the antics. It 's hard to poo-poo a trip like that no matter how cool you think you are. If you don't crack a grin when you find yourself performing on stage with a live reggae band then you seriously need to adjust your meds. I will continue to travel but if someone asks me to join them on holiday I will most certainly say yes.

This is a link to Beaches Negril