I awoke this morning to the sound of my alarm clock… That quickly became muffled by my largest cat Lucifer in a vain attempt to stop the noise from coming out of my phone and awaking me from my slumber. Much to my youngest cats dismay, I was already awake, so I scratched his head and Shady’s head and said good morning to them both before hopping in the shower.
Upon entering the bathroom and looking at my morning reflection I noticed the one thing that every model dreads before a shoot. A zit. On my chin. Great.
Nothing I could do about it so I jumped in the shower, washed my hair and shaved my legs.

I got out of the shower and went to feed the cats, realized I had forgotten to go shopping this week and ran out of cat food, so I proceeded to feed them my last can of tuna …

I had a shoot today for LUXE by CALGARY BRIDE magazine, a luxury bridal magazine that makes every little girls dreams come true on each and every page, it showcases the most perfect weddings, the most beautiful brides. It was imperative I have my shit together today….
http://calgarybride.ca
http://www.calgarybrideluxe.com

I scrambled around my bachelor apartment trying to find my nude thong, bra, nylons and white shoes I borrowed from my friend prior. (LOL something old, something new, something BORROWED, I just need something blue). Nude underwear is essential on photo shoots.

I found everything… Except the thong. I tore my place apart trying to find it. It was nowhere to be found. It seemed to have gone to Narnia for tea with Mr. Tumnus. I would have to work with my nude. Seamless briefs instead and hope it worked.

I packed everything together, grabbed my coffee and rushed out the door. Halfway there I realized I left my nylons on the bed.

It was my first time at the location, and turns out it was bigger than I thought. I drove up to security and found out I was, in fact, going the correct way and needed to be let through the gate to get to the shoot. I thanked the guard for informing me and trotted outside as I was already 15mins late. Not paying attention, I ran straight into a thick wire fence and almost wiped right out, but my gumbi-like figure and sheer determination won over and instead of eating shit and messing up my face moments before a shoot, I literally folded in half at the waist as if I JUST HAD TO stop at the moment, commence yoga pose “downward facing dog” mid run…. Nice one carolynne…. I’m certain the guard saw me…

(this was taken in the bathroom shortly after injuring myself)

I got into my car in agony. My legs really hit that wire hard. My leg instantly started turning blue. (Lol there’s my something blue!) I had no to time to worry about that and just prayed for some reason I wasn’t wearing a short dress! I called the editors assistant to confirm I was there and inform her I forgot my nylons, and she assured me id be fine and that perhaps someone had an emergency kit on site.

I showed up and greeted the editor Lynn, (amazing woman! One of my inspirations) with a hug and cheek kisses, the standard fashion industry greeting. Said hello to everyone on set and jumped into hair and makeup. I met a lovely new stylist (well, new to me) named Trena, who’s also a kitty lover, so we regaled each other with kitty tales while she dolled me up. Right before shoot, the wonderful Catherine , who was my right hand woman and an absolutely necessity all day at the shoot, turned out to be my saviour. Catherine has quite the dance background (well quite the everything background this woman’s filled with knowledge and creativity) , so when she said “I have some spare nylons” I thought, “of course!!!! Catherine!!! Yes!!! Dancers always have nylons!” I didn’t think that she’d have a small bag with about ten pairs!! Brilliant! She also had nude shoes instead of the white ones my friend lent me. The nude matched the dresses better so I wore those. (These ladies I tell ya, they know exactly what needs to be done and when)

However, the nude shoes were a size 7.5 and I’m a 9-9.5… So I crammed my feet into the tiny nude shoes and gained a new respect for the poor Japanese women who used to cram their feet into little shoes.

It was drizzling when we started, and by the end of the shoot it was a “light rain” as we’d call it in England, however most models would’ve bailed as soon as the rain came, squealing “OMG! I’m cold now!”

I stayed out there for a good hour and a half, posing away, as though the rain was meant to be there.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t cold, but Catherine was an immense help, covering me in my jacket in between sets, holding up my train, and switching my shoes.
I rocked two different dresses on at least 6 different sets. I think I pulled it off ’cause the photographer kept complimenting me for moving and posing well, and even joked saying “I tried to pose her earlier but she was so good I just stopped and went with it.” So that was lovely to hear, I don’t usually give myself enough credit as a model, normally I consider myself a writer first and foremost.

We stopped mid way for a bite to eat and stomped out the last two sets. When we were done they sent me home with two beautiful flower arrangements for my home.

My leg is smashed up pretty good and I have a slight limp, but i couldn’t be happier at how the shoot went.

Sometimes I forget how lucky I am. I forget how blessed I am to wake up and do what I love for a living. I tell the awkward teenage girl inside me every time I have a moment like this, every time I get my photos back…
Look sweetie! You’re a model! You’re really a model now. I’m proud of you.

The magazine is out in December. I can’t wait to show you all!!! I wish I could tell you more, but in the fashion industry, timing is everything. I’d sooner wait a few months to take people’s breath away, than rush and receive a few “well that looked cool” comments.

To get a wedding setup like the pristine ones in LUXE magazine, contact Lynn Fletcher at: http://lynnfletcherweddings.com

So! Until the magazine is released in December, here’s another shot to satiate your appetite from Randy Porter and my photo shoot on Sunday

https://m.facebook.com/RandyPorterPhotography