Shot on the shores of Rice Lake with the Praktica Pentor Super TL on a vintage Zeiss Jena Tessar 50mm F2.8, August 2022.
Ximena in Blue
Reply
Category Archives: Fashion
LUCIFER
4/10 Covid-19 Travel Diary: Paris, Feb. 24
Jake and I were delighted to be putting our bust of an evening in Prague behind us as we boarded yet another flight, to Paris this time, on the first day of Paris Fashion Week. The streets were vibrating with excitement as designers, photographers, models and celebrities descended upon the City of Love. Fashion Week is a bit like hunting season, except the hunters are shooting with cameras, not guns, and the pray are not wild animals, but wild young giraffes of the human sort with cheekbones that could cut glass. A model in the wild is an easy thing to spot. The six foot tall waifs in their Instagram-approved outfits stand out of the crowd like attention-hungry peacocks in mating season. Jake deftly observed that the paparazzi vying for their “street style’ photos were decked out in flashier garb than their lithe working prey. The streets are the runway during #PFW. All you have to do to get published on the international fashion media outlets is go for a stroll in your favourite haute couture. Jake and I were unprepared in the outfit area so we played ninja and stayed out of the limelight. We strolled around the city, pausing to act as voyeurs to the scattered fashion events popping up around town. One particular square was full of posing fashionistas and skaters. We posted up on the steps in the sun and soaked up the glorious scene.
Of course, we indulged in coq au vin, steak frites, and the finest, cheapest beaujolais in the world. I got so excited about finding one of my favourite wines for four euros that I dropped my bag full of wine bottles and smashed them all to bits, but that is neither here nor there. Jake cheered me up with a replacement bottle asap.
I wonder what the world of fashion will look like after this pandemic recedes. Will there still be room in the global economy for the frivolity of fashion? Germany has rolled out a staggering €50 billion aid package for small businesses that boosts artists and galleries. CBC had a two hour program on last week discussing how out-of-work artists should be bailed out by the government.
On the one hand, arts and culture bring an extremely important element of humanity to this strange time of social isolation, but on the other hand, you could say being an artist is a complete luxury undeserving of government funding that could be used more effectively in the social sectors. When you sign up to be an artist don’t you automatically agree to put the sharing of your work with the world first and hope to syphon a few dollars off the top to feed yourself and keep a roof over your head? Being an artist is risky business. Often we are working on a contract to contract basis without any safety net. We sink all our money into our work and then hope and pray people find it valuable. There are no guarantees. We must be creative in our work and also, in how we get paid for our work. Now that we are in this new era, it’s time to reassess our streams of revenue and use our creativity to imagine where we can go from here. I was flabbergasted that artists were getting so much airtime when it seems like our healthcare workers, government workers and grocery store employees should be getting our undivided attention. What do you think? Should the government put a special stimulus package together for the freelance artist community? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Dailytoole 2019 Highlights!!!!
I know. I know. It’s already January 8th! It has been a whirlwind holiday and New Year! I was on a deadline to finish my most recent directorial foray; an acid barbie music video for my friends in Mexico City who did ‘Pachanga.’ Look out for that video in the post to follow and take it as my excuse for the tardiness of my year-end wrap-up. 2019 was full of abundance on all fronts! And extremely busy. So let’s get to it. My top ten professional highlights of 2019:
Now, this was my #1 highlight last year in anticipation of publishing this book much earlier than October 2019. As it turns out, getting a book out into the world is a long and arduous process. I worked with the wonderful people at Bookart in Montreal and we brought the book to life. The final product ended up being 11″ by 16.5″ aka HUGE with 90 silk pages wrapped in a paperback cover. The book features the full photo series of The Goddess Array each accompanied by a sonnet detailing the myth of each Greek goddess. There is a perforated tear-out print of Nike Goddess of Victory in every copy numbered and signed in a very limited edition of 62. I am so pleased with the result. The presale saw half of the books go and the remaining half will be for sale at a proper book launch early February in Toronto. Keep an eye on this space for your invitation! The book is available for purchase at the following link as well: https://jennifertoole.com/Shop-2
2. Acceptance into the International Cinematographers Guild
The application process is long and the interview was stressful. I was sure I had bombed it when I got a call one day in April from the coordinator offering me acceptance! Then she said, “Are you available today?” And all of a sudden I was on the set of Titans! I worked on three big shows in 2019 which I will tell you about below. I have been a creative freelancer my entire working life and now, with a union behind me, I feel a new sense of support and security. It is blissful.
3. Suits: The Final Season
I guess I can spill the beans now that it’s all over Netflix. Mike comes back! 🙂 Working on the camera team of Suits was an incredible challenge for me as it was my first big show stint. I had a real learning curve to overcome. It was also my first foray into the lengthy hours film people work. 14 hour days are considered “not bad.” I was curious if I could muster the stamina and I did. It was a joy to work with Katherine Heigl, Gabriel Macht, Sarah Rafferty, Amanda Schull and Dule Hill. They are all seasoned pros and made the work easy. Rick Hoffman, however, is such a delight to be around and had me and the rest of the crew in stitches laughing all the time, which is the best medicine. He made the days shorter, that angel.
4. Tiny Pretty Things: Season 1
“Black Swan meets Pretty Little Liars in this soapy, drama-packed series featuring diverse characters who will do anything to be the prima at their elite ballet school.” – Google Reads
This series is going to be FIRE! I can’t talk about it as it isn’t out until Autumn of 2020, but be sure to watch it on Netflix when it does come out. The scandal! The drama! The dancing! I’m excited to watch. The Tiny Pretty Things set was a dream to work on and the camera team became my family for a couple of months. It was an experience I will never forget. Here’s a pic of me slating:
5. Good Witch: Season 6
Now, I’m not a big fan of the show or the Hallmark channel in general, but it is the top rated station in the U.S.A. so millions of people love and appreciate it. Personal opinions aside, this show was a joy to work on. It’s a well-oiled machine being in its sixth season and the camera team members were relaxed and eager to teach, which was awesome. As my third show of 2019 it was eye-opening to witness and compare the wide variety of styles of lighting and shooting from three different DOPs. As I watch, I learn and soak it all up like a sponge.
6. Blenders Pride Fashion Tour
I got the awesome opportunity to work with the elegant and hilarious Priyanka Chopra on this Blenders Pride commercial last winter. It was shot by the legendary DOP Robert Richardson, who’s CV includes all your favourite films like both Kill Bills, Platoon, The Doors, Natural Born Killers, JFK, Aviator, Inglorious Bastards, Casino, Django Unchained, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood etc. If you don’t know of him look up his catalogue and be entertained for days. It was quite the experience hanging out with Richardson for the week. He is one of Hollywood’s elite. If you buy me a glass of wine I’ll tell you the whole story. 🙂 Amber Fairlie of The Manor Salon in Toronto came through in a hair emergency and saved the day. Many thanks to P.M. Lisa Ericsson for giving me this opportunity. It was a blast! xo
7. Vogue Italia
The fashion bible published two of my submissions in 2019 to PhotoVogue.
The first photo features jewellery by Mindham Jewellers on model Teesh. It’s called “Still Life w. Canary Diamonds” and was styled by Asia Vickovic.
The second image is a black and white 35mm still of my little brother River Rae and his snake at an abandoned women’s penitentiary in Davie, Florida.
8. Poppies to Remember
To commemorate Remembrance Day, the team at The Manor Salon put together a beautiful shoot featuring gorgeous headpieces by Fresh Floral Creations with an emphasis on the poppy. The photos turned out to be quite regal as the models balanced their enormous crowns while teetering on the side of a highrise. We added some couture into the mix and got some powerful photos. Take a look:
Photography: Jennifer Toole // Hair: The Manor Salon // Make-Up: Estelle Phillips // Models: Brianna J. Wood, Beatrix & McKenna Nahaiowski
9. I AM IN THE WORLD AS FREE AND SLENDER AS A DEER ON A PLAIN
I received my first camera credit on the big screen for this sensitive look at the cold, dry experience of coming of age in the era of online dating.
“A young woman (Micaela Robertson) begins to figure out what she does and doesn’t want from the men in her life in this evocative piece from Toronto writer/director Sofia Banzhaf…” – NOW Magazine
After discovering the pleasure a CBD massage candle can bring to aches and pains, I decided to make a bunch so that all my friends could have the same experience. Then I thought I would test my marketing skills with a commercial for the product starring dancer Alison Keery, and much to my suprise, the Goddess Massage Candles infused with CBD were a hit! I sold out and even had them carried in a store on my block. I had to put a stop to the whole thing as my focus is on filmmaking not candle making, although now I have something to fall back on if times get tough. 🙂 Here’s the ad campaign:
I am currently developing my first dramatic short. I wrote the script when I was 20-years-old and thought I would bring it to life on screen. It is a dark, abstract exploration of a young woman’s sexual perversions and their roots in her childhood trauma. Should be uplifting! I am excited to share it with you.
Here is a photo of me for good measure, taken after the Good Witch camera wrap dinner a couple of weeks back:
Shot by George Vale
Here’s to an abundant and fabulous 2020! Thanks for reading. xo
Brianna x Moschino
Looking like a 90’s supermodel, Brianna works the patio furniture in new a Moschino full-length leather coat dress. VaVaVoom! xo
Photography: Jennifer Toole // Hair: The Manor Salon // Make-Up: Estelle Phillips // Model: Brianna J. Wood
Poppies to Remember
To commemorate Remembrance Day, the team at The Manor Salon put together a beautiful shoot featuring gorgeous headpieces by Fresh Floral Creations with an emphasis on the poppy. The photos turned out to be quite regal as the models balanced their enormous crowns while teetering on the side of a highrise. I do love a bit of danger. xo
Photography: Jennifer Toole // Hair: The Manor Salon // Make-Up: Estelle Phillips // Models: Brianna J. Wood, Beatrix & McKenna Nahaiowski
Blenders Pride Fashion Tour
I got the awesome opportunity to work with the elegant and hilarious Priyanka Chopra on this Blenders Pride commercial a few months back. It was shot by the legendary DOP Robert Richardson, who’s CV includes all your favourite films like both Kill Bills, Platoon, The Doors, Natural Born Killers, JFK, Aviator, Inglorious Bastards, Casino, Django Unchained etc. If you don’t know of him look up his catalogue and be entertained for days. Amber Fairlie of The Manor Salon in Toronto came through in a hair emergency and saved the day. Many thanks to P.M. Lisa Ericsson for giving me this opportunity. It was a blast! xo
Candice
Here are a few outtakes from a recent shoot for The Goddess Array featuring Miss Candice as Kakia, Goddess of Vice. The selected image will be featured in the full series in The Goddess Array coffee table book coming soon. Copies are available at a discounted rate for presale at https://jennifertoole.com/Shop-2. The print run will be a limited edition of 100 signed copies. Here is a bit more about Kakia:
“Kakia (Vice) is adorned with #gold and necklaces, and her cheeks are painted and her hair delicately plaited and her eyes underlined with #henna; and she also wears golden slippers, for she is pictured strutting about in these; but Arete (Virtue) in the picture resembles a woman worn out with toil, with a pinched look; and she has chosen for her adornment rough squalor, and she goes without shoes in the plainest of raiment, and she would have appeared naked if she had not too much regard for feminine decency . . . imagine that you hear the one telling you how she will strew flowers under you and you lie down to sleep, yes, and by #Heaven, how she will regale you upon milk and #nourish you with honey-comb, and how she will supply you with #nectar and wings, whenever you want them; and how she will wheel in tripods, whenever you drink, and golden #thrones; and you shall have no hard work to do, but everything will be flung unsought into your lap. But the other #disciplineinsists that you must lie on the bare ground in squalor, and be seen to toil naked like ourselves; and that you must not find dear or sweet anything which you have not won by hard work; and that you must not be boastful, nor hunt after #vanities and pursue #pride; and that you must be on your guard against all #dreams and #visions which lift you off the earth.”
Which would you choose? 💋🍷💄👠🍇🥊🚨💰💰💰💰
Perola
The Brazilian beauty glows after the wrap of our Goddess Array shoot. She embodied Mnemosyne, Goddess of Memory. Here are two details of the piece:
‘The Goddess Array: Fertilize My Thoughts’ coffee table book is on presale now HERE. It includes all forty goddesses, each photo accompanied by a biographical sonnet. The book is 9″ x 12″, linen embossed hardcover with coated silk pages. They are 25% off now on presale. Thank you in advance for your support. xo
‘Still Life w. Canary Diamonds’ in Vogue Italia
Vogue.it deemed another one of my images worthy of publication today. ‘Still Life w. Canary Diamonds’ was part of a jewelry shoot for Mindham Fine Jewelers featuring Teesh as the model and Asia Vickovic styling the set. We wanted to create a landscape of sensuality for the jewels. We wanted the viewer to smell and feel the jewels as they take in the image. I submit to Vogue Italia constantly and am always pleasantly surprised by the images they select. Thanks, Vogue! xo
dailytoole 