What a whirlwind day it was down in Mississauga at Paul Buceta’s studio shooting for SAF with Jennifer Lambert Foster and Brigitte Dompierre! Between the three of us, we came up with some great ideas for the SAF "Summer 2012 Collection," and had an absolute blast working with the dream team that is Paul Buceta and Valeria Nova.

As you know, getting ready for a show requires weeks of training and dieting, as well as mental preparation – and a photoshoot is really no different. All three of us competed a week before, so all we had to do was keep up that momentum and stay tight for the camera. I continued to cycle my carbs and monitor my water intake so that I was in the best shape possible, and to prepare mentally, I researched and practiced my posing. That’s probably one of the most neglected parts of modeling for beginners – practicing modeling. Go figure! I hear from girls all the time that I look "natural" up onstage or at a shoot, but, trust me, it’s only through heaps and heaps of hard work and planning behind the scenes that I come off looking comfortable at showtime.

How do you practice modeling? For me, it means going through magazines and picking out poses that I think could work for my body type, and then spending time in front of a mirror practicing those poses again and again until my body pretty much automatically knows how to move into them. Finally, I get a friend to snap some photos of me going into the poses without the help of a mirror, so I can get a feel for doing it "blind." That way, I will at least have a few moves that I can pull off well for the photographer, and I’m not stuck for two hours looking stiff and awkward or, even worse, doing the same pose over and over again. Yikes! You’ll probably find that practicing for the camera will also help with your stage posing as well. The two can go hand-in-hand. So what are you waiting for? Start collecting poses and get to work!

All in all, we had a magical experience at the shoot. I suggested that we do an old-school, pin-up-style set, and I got to watch Jennifer and Paul hit that idea right out of the ball park. I can’t wait to see her shots go online! And Brigitte was a total rock star on her FIRST EVER BIG SHOOT! We were watching her photos come up on Buceta’s big computer screen, and it was really like watching a seasoned pro modeling, she looked that good. She and Paul totally clicked and captured her amazing spirit and energy. Again, I can’t wait to see those images go live.

I also had a wonderful time as usual, wishing I had more time to shoot all the images I had in my head. We ran through a summary pin-up set to start, and then moved to "Grandma’s Basement" for some fun, American Apparel-inspired images. Jen-Jen and Brigitte joined me at this point, and we did my group session "Tupperware Party” idea – so much fun – and then I finished off in the back studio for some athletic shots, which I hope you will enjoy.

It really is an amazing part of winning with SAF – to shoot with the other girls at Paul’s studio. I’ve been in several Oxygen issues already this summer because of this exposure, and for that I am very, very grateful. At 41 years of age, I still firmly believe that anything is possible, that everything can change for the better, and that hard work and optimism are rewarded in the end. Go ahead girls, never give up on your dreams – nobody knows what the future will hold for you!

Michelle

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