THE POETRY OF PORTRAITURE

THE POETRY OF PORTRAITURE

By Anita Rachelle Roe

Welcome to the final edition of EYS Magazine for 2021. At this exact moment, I am asking myself where the year has gone, and what a year it has been!

I am so fortunate that the light restrictions here in Queensland haven’t had much of an impact on day to day life, however it has been a trying time for small businesses with most of us experiencing a massive drop in sales over the last eighteen months or so.

Saying that, it has been an intensely creative time for me personally and creatively. I have released some new jewellery collections that truly absorbed my heart and enjoyed extra photo shoot sessions with creatives and like-minded people.

In particular, my recent home studio portrait session with a dear friend and her sister, may just be my favourite so far. Utilising another of my latest backdrops and jewellery collections for a glamour style studio shoot was refreshing and I absolutely love the results. When your contributors share the same passion, it truly is reflected in the results. I felt so passionate about this last collaboration that it led me to invite my model sisters Kaitlin Lee and Bianca Hall to be paid ambassadors for my brand. I tuned in to a recent podcast for jewellery designers which suggested involving real women to represent your brand and it truly made sense. Sometimes a vision can seem too unrealistic.

Working with Kaitlin and Bianca is an absolute dream. We have best friends, an aspiring model and a beautiful Mother of two with realistic lives and dreams of their own. There are seventeen years of friendship between us and I never thought I would see the day that we would be creatively working together, growing our confidence and reaching for our personal goals. It really doesn’t get any better than this and I cannot wait to see where our journey takes us.

Rachel’s Beauty provided glamorous style make-up once again and I love the contrast and unique style she creates for each individual.

The handcrafted jewellery featured in my home studio shoot consists of a very unique new beaded fringe collection as well as some incredible sparkling Aurora and Swarovski crystal pieces. I have teamed up with a family owned handcrafted jewellery business in Israel who makes the bases for my latest rings and bracelets.

The beaded fringe collection is an exciting new range that has absorbed most of my free time of late. Once I started, I simply could not stop. About seven years ago, I ordered a huge spool of rhinestone cup chain and never knew what to do with it. Ideas came and went, but did not eventuate into anything. I had been staring at that spool for so long, then the ideas came out of nowhere and kept flowing.

I particularly love my “Sahara Collection” which incorporates the sparkling rhinestones, feature crystals, gold findings, silk tassels and neutral toned beading. The mixed media works well together. I took Samantha Wills novel, “of gold and dust” along with me to a recent photo shoot as a support of my newfound inspiration for this collection. I do believe that reading Samantha’s journey inspired me to get out of my own way and focus on my passion.

Each piece of jewellery is a unique, original piece of wearable art and no two pieces are identical. I Love the idea that my latest jewellery is uniquely mine. There are no ready made pendants or factory mass produced elements. Even the ring bases are handcrafted and take several weeks to complete. I hand pick the genuine crystals and embed them with care. It is nice to collaborate with other passionate handcrafters who believe in quality pieces.

As ambassadors, Kaitlin and Bianca will road test various jewellery for quality and endurance, providing me with feedback along the way so that I can ensure my clients will be happy with their purchase.

I am extremely honoured to combine my love for portrait photography and jewellery designing. There is something truly magical about photographing my jewellery and beautiful friends at the same time and it gives us the opportunity to catch up with each other, share our latest news, have a laugh and a glass of bubbly to celebrate whatever takes our fancy. Seeing their beautiful smiles down the lens and capturing their spirit and personality is priceless, then I get to live it all over again as I work on the images from our sessions. I used to wonder what it meant to “live your dream” and now I know. I have a fulfilling part-time job which provides me with time to devote to my personal passions and goals.

As this is the last edition of EYS for 2021, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a joyous Christmas and New Year. May health and happiness bless your doorstep and keep you safe.

Thank you for supporting this incredible magazine and my journey. See you in 2022.

Models: Kaitlin Lee and Bianca Hall

Make-up: Rachel Dodt - Rachel’s Beauty Toowoomba

Jewellery: Rachelle Roe Studio - Jewellery Designer

Photography: Rachelle Roe Studio - Photographer

Novel: “of gold and dust” - Samantha Wills

Website: www.rachelleroe.com.au

Anita Rachelle Roe