Here is the January spread of the Money Shot.   As I mentioned  in my previous post “ MONEY SHOT “  is special blog post dedicated  to clients, partners collaborators who are pushing fearlessly in the direction of their dreams. Meet DOROTHY ALEXANDRE a young media mogul who is taking the social media world by storm this year.

Dorothy and I met when I received an email from her last fall where she stated that she had been following my work  for a while  and would like to have me on her radio show “en musique et en mots” to discuss my journey my passion and aspiration.

The experience was amazing and she told me that she would be commissioning me later in the year for her professional photography shoot. She was at a turning point and was looking to create a signature look for her new promotional tools ; website blogs etc.

This task was perfect for ML CREATIVES  who’s mission is  to partner with professionals & artists to provide a signature style for  a total make over. From meeting with Dorothy I got a sense of someone who was professional, poised, articulate sophisticated and very colorful. She is a true renaissance woman with quite a bit of facets to her personality. My visions was  to capture all over her.

I sent her a few thoughts and we kept exchanging ideas until we nailed our concept. Ellensstyles stylist extraordinaire that I will be blogging about later this year joined the team with amazing ideas to complete her look. Love is in the details and every single aspect of our color palette was chosen very carefully. I found the CHATEAU VERSAILLES HOTEL in downtown Montreal part of the Meridian group who provided the sophistication, charm and colors to enhance our concept.

On the day, Sylkie Makeup provided flawless and fresh look and Sess LadyBlu worked her magic touch on the natural hairstyles that were crucial to the shoot. Needless to say that it was a great experience with a great team. Special Shout out to Camille Brisson who provided a helping hand during the session.

Dorothy has set her sight on some breakthrough  projects for 2012 and will continue to rise and shine. Look out for her new blog coming up in the next few weeks in addition to the MAKING OF the Photo shoot captured by the talented Sandra Mathieu from Havilah Media.

“If Everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself” Henry Ford

This week I will be celebrating a very special anniversary. 1 year  commitment to Cross fit.

At the end of the 2010 I was contemplating a major lifetime change in the health and fitness area of my life.  I  was heavily invested in many areas of my life; career  etc..but had neglected OPTIMAL  HEALTH. I was not in was I would consider the best shape. In a culture where being voluptuous and round is revered the reality was that my work started to show me that I needed to get into much better shape. I was confronted with a question by one of my life coaches when he asked me if I was  willing to strive for  excellence in my career , but was willing to accept mediocre health and fitness …I was not ok with the sound of that however  I never really invested in that area. I had a hard time believing that I could invest in OPTIMAL HEALTH and FITNESS with my hectic lifestyle…

After quite a bit of soul searching and a reality check it was clear that I was avoiding some serious demons  and something had to be done.  When did I stop believing that I deserved the best health shape &  form?  I stopped looking for excuses but started to reach out to individual with very similar lifestyles as mine who were in optimal health  and asked  them about   the ingredients that made  them a success in that area. 

 A lot of people were involved in “temporary” programs and diets that were very inconsistent. Also I was not looking for casual gym goers  or  people who got in the P90X wagon to fit in a Bikini or Speedo for a few months. I looked for people who were GENUINE and PASSIONATE about health and fitness in general despite career, kids, busy schedules. In my research I found that PASSION DETERMINATION and most importantly COMMITMENT was what made these individuals so successful. They were not just looking to lose a few pounds or look good for aesthetics reason. They were truly committed to OPTIMAL HEALTH and FITNESS and made this their  #1 priority.

Many of them shared their before stories with me and I got pretty motivated .It seems like many of them had a combination of very specific lifestyle choices in nutrition but a very rigorous training regimen. Each had  a different practice. Some did Yoga , Pilates, Karate, Gym, Running …  the list could go on . Everyone found THEIR SPECIAL VENUE to exercise their commitment to lifelong health and fitness.  That was a crucial element. I have been a casual gym “goer”  for most of my adult life and this was clearly not the right model for me if I was truly looking to make a major lifestyle change I had to find MY THING.

I started looking at a few outlets and one of the trainers at the club I was training at mentioned Cross fit. I had never heard of it and he invited to try out a class. This was one of the most challenging workouts I have ever experienced. I went for a week but never completed the sets. How could I go from casual gym and now do 50  pushups 100 sit ups 200 squats.. .??? FOR REAL?? that was  just crazy!!! However that week, everyday  I did a little better than the previous day  and was motivated by the challenge. I had to leave for Toronto and my trainer gave me a list of 6 referrals of CROSSFIT BOX ES in Toronto and  I called each one. To make my choice I had to consider proximity as well as connection with the trainers as important criterion. The first 5 were ok and each provided an opportunity to come in and try a class on a specific date… I still called #6 TIDAL CROSSFIT and came across   Jeff Elliott I mentioned Jeff in a previous post … (who calls me:”the crazy French lady “) that 15 min conversation made TIDAL standout amongst all the other places I had called. I can’t really recall all the questions he asked me but it felt like they truly cared and Jeff shared his personal story his struggle with health and fitness before Cross fit and I was sold. I made an appointment!

 I showed up that day with a friend  and we went for it. It was HARD!!! I was barely able to complete STEP 1 ( and that was only the warm up set)  YIKES!!!! These guys were SERIOUS and there was no way I was leaving without completing the workout that was scaled to my level. I just could not believe what I had gotten myself into this Crossfit thing was just  too hard and impossible. It was pretty messy, when I was done with my last push up I nearly cried. But Jeff  and Larshy the 2 owners at the time were just soooooo encouraging and  chatting  with them made it clear that I was coming the next day, and the next one after that.  I shared this adventure with a few friends and some told me point blank that Crossfit  was  for athletes and I should consider something more entry level LOL! ok sorry to laugh  but they did say that… But while  they were saying this on the other side of the spectrum was a community filled with people from a variety of background and fitness levels. One of my sources of inspiration was Sue, Larshy’s mom who came in almost every day  for her workouts and she was lifting and did so well. I kept on meeting new people and their stories were encouraging me to stick with it. IF THEY COULD DO IT  I COULD  DO IT TOO!! And I simply  fell in love with  the community. Every completed WOD (work out of the day) was a personal victory  every PR (personal record) was a celebration. 1 rep  at a time …

I shared my fitness goal with the trainers and they provided structure, proper  form and a challenge every day. NEVER  ALLOWING ME TO GIVE UP!!!  Even when I could not squat with proper form they put plates under my heels or a box under me lol!  In 2  month I was able to  see a huge difference in my posture and overall strength and endurance.   6 months  later I could not believe what I was able to do . Then in the fall I started the strength training with Mags who joined the management and I saw NEW POSSIBILITIES!!! I dead lifted  230lbs  WOW!!! Everyone around me started noticing the cosmetics changes and kept on asking  for “THE TRICKS”  when I mentioned that in Crossfit  there was no tricks, that It was like interest to get it  you first  had to invest… and I INVESTED a lot considering a busy schedule. I made it a priority and kept my promise  to  OPTIMAL HEALTH.  Some of my pals decided to try it out …Others still think I am insane1 but I still love them J

Today, I  feel AMAZING!  This morning I completed a Team WOD with my friend Nicole and together we shared 2000meters row 100 pull-ups 200 pushups and 300squats that we completed in 31:47.  I never thought I could do this in a million years  a year ago. It sounds surreal at times  but it is MY REALITY. Am I in OPTIMAL SHAPE…? ABSOLUTELY NOT but I am in the best shape I have been in my adult life thus far. There is still a lot to do but I am now much more confident about what I can do and know in my heart that I DESERVE the best HEALTH.  I incorporated new lifestyle choices in terms of nutrition and continuously look for inspiration and resources to fuel myself.   This is my contribution I let life take care of the rest!

How will I celebrate this 1 year anniversary? Well, this week I will work EVEN HARDER!  Because now I am HUNGRY and know that I can take things up a notch this year with some new goals. I am still scared a some of the workouts but most of my psychological barriers have been put to rest.  Work in progress…

 Special  Thank you  my sisters, who have supported and encouraged me throughout the year   and helped me stick with it during challenging times  as they also have set some very specific HEALTH AND FITNESSS goals and we keep tabs on each other.This is amazing !! My dear (true) friends and family who cheer for me  unconditionally …And finally to my  Crossfit family at Tidal…  THANK YOU!!  All I can say is that with PASSION, DETERMINATION & COMMITMENT everything can be achieved but add a HEALTHY COMMUNITY OF SUPPORT to the equation SUCCESS IS SIMPLY GUARANTEED and that community is TIDAL !! 

NO EXCUSES  NO DELAYS  JUST DO IT TODAY!!!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

A few snapshots from my BBM  journal and personal diary logs  for 2011:).

HAPPPY NEW YEAR 2012!! Last month I was invited to be a guest lecturer at another SR INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP in the Bahamas this time. I will be blogging soon about that experience. In the meantime I wanted to share a concept I shot on our last night when we were sneaking in the boat every nooks and crannies, around 1 am I got inspired by one of our models and experimented with OBSESSION. A  glimpse at a woman who becomes obsess with her own reflection that even her alter ego get jealous and tries to compete for attention. We had a blast!! To my beautiful Muse Cindy Prado who simply was pure delight to work with. You just caught the vibe and did not miss a beat mamacita . My favorite part was the “happy dance” which I did not capture unfortunately. Special thank to the gorgeous and feisty Ella Poz  who joined as  her alter ego and spiced things up! And last but not needless my devoted and great assistant Joseph who just joined in while I was experimenting and assisted me with lighting. Here are some of my favorite shots from that segment. Stay tuned for more from that trip …   

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Here I am writing my last blog post of the year… seems like yesterday where I was writing my first blog post of 2011. The year flew by. ..A  year marked by so many extremes, challenges and set backs a times  but also amazing precious moments and miracles were abundant.  My heart  is filled with gratitude regardless so many things to be grateful for…FAMILY HEALTH LOVE  HAPPINESS PEACE  LIFE!. 

I am looking forward to 2012 ,  within the things I can control I will continue to challenge myself to be the best that I can be on so many levels of  my life’s journey  for the rest I leave everything else to the faith that has carried me to this point.  I thank you all for your encouragment and support in good and in more challenging times. I wish you HEALTH WISDOM  LOVE SUCCESS and PEACE  and all should follow

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!!!!!

I leave you with  the GEISHA AFRICANA SPREAD  Shot last fall during  the 1st edition of  my storytelling workshop see u in 2012!!

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www.mlcreatives.com

www.mlexpressions.com

.. .. Yesterday with 3 of my photography community friends, we had walked half and hour to check out PETER LIK’s gallery in Southbeach Miami to find out that it was closed for renovation when we arrived … We decided to hang  around for a bit and sit by the fountain in the square. I started checking my emails … and saw “Your WPPI Second Half Competition Results”.. I quickly opened it and  read the WPPI  blurb; “… thank you for entering the WPPI Second Half Competition. We had an overwhelming response to our call for entries and we appreciate your support. Below you will find your image entry number and score…if you did not score an 80 or above, you may want to consider the following: With 3200 image entries, the competition for imaging excellence was fierce in this round of the WPPI Second Half Competition. If your images did not score well, consider…..”

 With such an overwhelming participation I guess they had to set the stage for some reality check…last time I entered there was 1900 entries and it was fierce… 3200 entries WOW! As I read these lines my expectations were in check but  I still hoped to score at least 80 on 1 or 2! As Iscrolled down,  next to an image, I see  1st place… I had to read it over 100 times to make sure lol!!  I just could not believe it!

I first started entering  photography competitions  in 2009 as my mentor SCOTT ROBERT LIM  encouraged  all of us to get our work critiqued at the highest level in the game. Like everyone else attending  the Annual WPPI ANNUAL CONVENTION AWARD ceremony,  I looked up to the winners for  being  recognized for excellence  in their work at that level and hoped to be up there one day.  Last year while in attendance during the awards ceremony, Scott whispered in my ear and said you are going to be there. My goal was definitely to get my work to a world class status no matter what  with consistent growth along the way. I did not expect this to be in play right now.

I cannot wait to head to Vegas this year with my community and receive this award.  Especially with the peeps who have been with me from the 1st milestone I experience in Paris in 2008.  Many warm thoughts to my family  and intimate friends who sometimes don’t get to see me as much as  they wish. I hope that you see that this is all worth it in the end and that we have a lot more to share and celebrate together I DO THIS TO INSPIRE YOU  TO GO FOR IT…..!!!

      Thanks to my amazing SR community … I spent the last 4 days as a guest lecturer speaking about  my appproach to life  & photography in addition to my artistic journey at the SR INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP  BAHAMAS CRUISE.  I cannot think of a better way to wrap this amazing experience and  to basically end the  year and set the stage for an AMAZING 2012. Special Shoutout to Zabrina  & Jeremy from JEZA who were relentless in pushing me to submit images to the competition despite  having  NO TIME …  Love you guys! See you all in Vegas and congrats to all the winners!!!

Here are they:  1st place “UNTITLED” in PHOTOJOURNALISM CATEGORY an image caught in broad daylight in HAVANA , CUBA while on location to shoot an MMY COORDINATED Wedding in VARADERO CUBA – PATRICIA & SACHA  THANK YOU GUYS!!!  To my MMY family  Marilyn,Yveline and crew  thank you…   I wish you guys the very best and cannot wait to share this with you in person when I go home for the NEW YEARS PARTY!!  This image spoke to me in a million words and I just had to capture it !!

The 2nd image SOULMATES (ACCOLADE OF EXCELLENCE) is  an image from a special series I am working on. I shot this in JAMAICA   while  I was on location to shoot  the stunning wedding of SANDY & MARTIN thank you:-). After Partying all night in Negril I had set up a shoot with my muses at sunrise. MANY THANKS to Nedge and Dazl for allowing me to execute  my vision via your magnificent energy and majestic bodies. The judges comments:“OMG this has such sensual energy and impact! The focus being on the arms gives us a voyeuristic look. Absolutely stunning!”  I share this honor with you both and will in person when I go back to MTL next week!! My thoughts are with you xoxo

This year, several clients have given me the “creative carte blanche” to communicate  an idea or a concept via imagery. This is definitely one of these times when actor Benz Antoine who had seen my work and got the MLD experience in a previous shoot, contacted me to create the visuals for his new event promo group . While most event promoters  use generic or stock images for their party flyer’s/invitation,he and partner “celebrity reporter and producer” Malik Shaheed wanted images that were different. Their goals was to showcase “their new brand of lifestyle entertainment”: ”THE PRIVATE PARTY” an organization dedicated to hosting high end events for an exclusive clientele; urban professionals, socialites, celebrities  individuals looking  for a unique experience in a diverse, sexy, eclectic and relaxed atmosphere. January 1st would mark the launch of their 1st event.  

In addition to their imagery they wanted to leverage ML CREATIVES multimedia services by adding a promotional video to their arsenal. With a few weeks to prepare this adventure had it share of great challenges. It was quite an experience and a lot of learning  in working with 2 clients, aligning  visions, expectations and communications styles. In addition to direct  a  relatively big set in a very short amount of time WOW! Overall a very rich experience.  I could not have done it without my amazing team of collaborators and assistants; Cam,Rosanita,Ralph,Osbert, Chilandre and Carol thank you! Our team of designers, stylist and MUA were fabulous.  Shout out, to our beautiful patient and fearless models & actors who  gave us their best and kept going with so much enthusiasm. Congratulations & Thanks to Benz and Malik  wishing you the very best in your venture.

Below a selection of my fav pix from the shoot
If u r interested in the event here is the link to get more details and your tickets http://www.theprivateparty.ca/

ML

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PROMOTIONAL VIDEO

PHOTOGRAPHY

Through out this  year, I have been asked by a few photography enthusiasts to demo & share tips  on my photographic techniques. Since teaching was not my focus  I kept these in the back burner  for a bit  and planned something  a little different   that would combine  me sharing  my approach but would also be a great opportunity to experience a creative shoot with ML  from the front row.

I came up with a PHOTOGRAPHY STORYTELLING WORKSHOP SERIES – This 1st session took place a few weeks ago in old Montreal. The workshop was held over 2 days. In  the 1st day I shared my personal approach to photography via cinematic storytelling. We spend the day breaking down the story  from lighting to motion/emotion  and color pallette study. Lots of case studies were presented and everyone got an opportunity to test and practice with their equipment and  variety of lighting equipment I brought with me. My SR killer video lights were definitely the most popular ones. Day #2  was spent on additional case practices and  a big creative shoot prep and storyboarding… Needless to say the week-end went pretty  fast with very minimal time to sleep.

Each of the student had an opportunity to direct their own segment and shoot our subjects (2 african geishas and their “androgyne” business man ). I provided guidance and  helped everyone bring  their own personal visions to life.. It was amazing to watch since most just started  their photographic adventure and had no real baseline. Sharing what I LOVE was pure bliss!  Below is the behind the scenes footage I shot and edited with some of the highlights while they were hard at work.. Needless to say that there will be a lot more of these in the future with a cool party concept!

Big Thanks to Joelle and the  STAFF OF  LE PETIT HOTEL IN OLD MONTREAL  always so welcoming  basically a second home.

Special Shout out and Many Thanks to an A+++ team:

Lady  Blue Sessina who blessed us with  the hair styling & design

Vicky Coiffure for all the hair braiding

Our lovely Stylist Béatrice Cornet-Guillaume

Our patient and stunning talents:Geishas: Mirkessa & Sylvie  -Androgyne: G’nee 

The workshop participants who totally blew me away with  their willingness to explore and experiment and for making  an investments in themselves to attend this workshop with me.

And last but not least…

Sylkie Smooth Sylvie who did the gorgeous makeup  and  aho also takes  anything I say  so seriously that she actually   BROUGHT THE AFRICAN GEISHAS to me  lol Thanks SYL! BTW  once the students  were done  I  shot until 4am .. story coming soon.

 ML

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 Here is the  breakdown

This is  the main area for Marie Lyssa Studio: www.marielyssa.com

ML Sessions

ML Creatives ( photography & videography)-www.mlcreatives.com. Director/DOP/Video demo reel to be released later this year. 

ML Expressions: www.mlexpressions.com

A new addition, truly a labor of love. I started working on this concept in late 2009. As an artist on a quest to tell stories visually. ML EXPRESSIONS was the answer.  A personal space where I can let go and set my creativity on auto pilot.  No deadlines, No clients simply me musing in my playground. I am launching the site with 6 series preview. A description for each will be provided in future blog. Also info on events and showcases coming soon!! OH BTW be careful some series are rated (R)

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Back in March   I traveled to Paris for a week to be a guest speaker at Scott Robert Lim International workshop.   I realized that this would be a great opportunity to shoot some personal projects and started brainstorming about  potential ideas .  We  secured  access  for  1 afternoon to the magnificent  CHATEAU  DE MAISONS LAFFITTE  in one of Paris suburbs  and  I thought  that  this would be the  perfect location  for a very special story … I  had 2 initial ideas one of which I  put  on a back burner  and I began to think about doing a “Black Swan” inspired  photography story with an “unusual”  Ballerina. I connected with  Malenty Balde that I had  met a few  years earlier  in Montreal who now lived in Paris and shared some of my original concepts.  As she worked in the entertainment industry I knew that she was very well connected and could guide me to find “talent” and  creative resources on location.. She got back to me immediately sharing that she has been dancing ballet all her life and would love  to work with me …  she actually toured with the “ LION KING” production for a few years. I was intrigued and trusted that nothing never happened randomly. I started sharing images sketches anything that I had come up with to articulate my vision … showing her hairstyles and looks that I would  love to explore. She obviously connected with the vision because she got back to me in record time stating that she had assembled the perfect  team for this and sent  me  images  of everyone’s portfolio etc. I was very excited and a bit  nervous.. I knew Malenty but  since we only had a few hours to get this done I knew  that it gave a small margin of error  for  miscommunication.  I kept connecting with Malenty  via email and sent her  notes about  the concepts  and we went deep into the details; wardrobe  jewellery it was great to see how quickly all this came together.

 The day finally came and  I was introduced to the  “ dream team”.We quickly  connected. Malenty had done such an amazing job in sharing all the ideas  we had talked  about and  conveyed  every single note.  Samantha superstar makeup artist and Steffy Stef on the hair design’s attention to detail were so captivating. I brought my laptop and shared the storyboard 1 last time with everyone and then we got to work . For this shoot the ratio would was 90% prep 10 % shoot … this is how tight the window to shoot  was we had less than 3 hours to do the entire story including the wardrobe change  OUF !! Nevertheless it was an amazing afternoon everyone was in sync Mandy and Yann who also filmed the making of assisted me   and helped in keeping a tight schedule.  I appointed this first as I know I can go wild and lose track of time. A lot of laughter and fun times were on the menu. And it was great to build new connections in the process + get some good insights into other visions and approach to workflow.

I knew I had shot something truly special and over the past few months I took a step back to revisit my storyboard  and  dig a little deeper going back to my original inspiration. …the appetite to explore archetypes and truly reveal “THE SPIRIT  OF MALENTY” which I got to know  pretty well  on this journey.  Personal projects are the ultimate growth opportunity; outlets to relax explore and connect with my creative spirit.  I thought of this idea on my couch one evening and brought this vision to life with an amazing team  in Paris.. UNREAL!!  Well I guess this is only the beginning as I have so many other ideas I would love to explore.. in the meantime here is the story …  You can also watch the MAKING OF HERE. A special thank you to Scott Robert one of my mentors who gave me the opportunity to join him in Paris for this wonderful workshop. 

Many thanks to my team: The feisty Mandy for all her hard work , Yann  for assisting and shooting the making of , the stunning  Samantha and  Sassy Steffy Stef for your artistry, dedication and attention  to details  and  to you my dear  Malenty  I can’t find the words  I guess L.O.V.E. will do for  now :-) xoxo

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