A Tale of a Tail
Forward by Zaina Hart
I have seen mermaids on TV, in the movies,
cartoons, and of course at Disneyland - all fantasy. THEN, I saw these pictures and those past versions paled in
comparison to Omaris - - whose exotic, natural beauty breathes life into a
creature we have believed to be mere fantasy. Had I walked onto the beach the day of this shoot, I would
have been calling National Geographic or one of the Cousteau family, believing the
tales of mermaids sailors have shared over the centuries were actually true and
that there before our eyes, the find of the century was unfolding (unfurling)
right there, in Florida, on a quiet beach.
As I looked through the photos that day, not only was I
stunned by Omaris completely becoming the character who I have started referring
to as Omarisea, but it seemed a tale was unfolding. It appears as though our lovely creature has made her way
onto he beach, perhaps getting stranded when a handsome man walking along the
beach sees her. He is of course
totally smitten by her exotic beauty and believes he has found he great love of
his life - - so he picks her up and carries her away . . . . (Okay, okay - - too many romance novels
has Zaina been reading - - but you look at these pictures and tell me that is
not what you see!)
So, here, in December as so many of us are surrounded by
freezing weather, snow and/or ice, I share with you Omarisea’s Tale of a Tail
to Tell!
Omaris
shares “One day as a Mermaid”
One day, I got a message from Shawna from Pixelated Productionz, asking me if I
would like to pose for a Photo shoot as a Mermaid explaining “Fishbone
Restaurant would like to have a Mermaid for it’s new billboard”. I couldn’t
believe she was asking me…because I am not a model and I don’t have what I
thought to be the common characteristic of a mermaid look. You know - -
mermaids usually have blond or red hair…and super, natural good looking. I was
a little bit scared to say yes… but I love to pose and so I took the risk and
said “yes”! Then I got an email from Shawna, (who I know as Sumayah, her
artistic name) and she mentioned that I would have to model with lobsters…dead
lobsters, and that I would have to hold them. Well, I am someone who is very, very scared of any kind of
animal…. even if they are dead! I hesitated, so scared at the thought of it
that I said to her I couldn’t do it even suggesting other friends to do the
photos instead of me. But she insisted, and said that she really wanted me.
Finally, I got up enough courage and decided to do it.
The day of the shoot provided very nice weather at the beach. We have a very
good team: the make up artist: Vanessa, the Mertailor Eric Ducharme, his
assistant Linda Hines, the representative of FishBone, the photographer Kristen
Wheeler and of course, Sumayah from Pixelated Productionz AND in a big ice
cooler, my friends…the lobsters. It was hot, with a very bright sun outside.
When I was “backstage” preparing, before getting ready with
the tail and rest of the costume, a kind man asked me what I was going to do at
the beach because my make up was pretty… I think he saw Kristen with her
camera, and all the movement around… and I proudly said: “Oh..! I will be a
mermaid!”- He said with a firm voice: “Oh!!! They don’t know what they are
doing! Mermaids are not with dark hair, they always have red hair!”- I laughed
and said softly: “ YES, they maybe don’t know that….so we cannot tell them”- I
told him with a mischievous smile on my face. I told the team what he had said
to me and one of the answers was enough for me: “You are our exotic mermaid”! That answer was enough for me to keep
going.
Vanessa did natural make up and hair. Eric and his
assistant Linda helped put me into the heavy and stunning mermaid tail –not an
easy task. I had to lie down on the floor and needed all the help I could
because the tail was very heavy and also very tight so it is able to look as a
second skin on the body. They chose the tail with the brown color or earthy
tones to match with the tone of my skin and hair. It was a beautiful tail, an
exquisite wok of art. And it
proved to be an adventure to get that tail on me; I had to make sure that my
feet were in a kind of “shoe” inside of the tail… so it fits better and I
wouldn’t break it. It was an amazing experience….(I think, I was more excited
to be a mermaid for a day than being on a billboard).
I was very comfortable with Kristen the photographer,
because we already knew each other and she has taken pictures of me before. I
love her work. She also took
a lot of "behind the scenes
photos" that many people LOVE!
Some of the pictures with Eric look like they were planned – like the
photo where Eric is holding me so he could move me from one pose to another - -
you can see the sea as a background and we are facing the horizon. It looks
like a very romantic picture... but the truth was that he was just moving me
from one place to another because I couldn't walk – TAIL.
Everything was so perfect - I felt so “pampered”. Everyone contributed to make a great
photo shoot without any inconvenience. And, I even feel proud of myself that I
could grab the lobsters and pose with them! It was the kind of experience you
would like to repeat all over again… even with the lobsters!
THE TAIL’S
CAST/CREDITS
The
Mermaid, Omaris
Originally from the Dominican Republic, Omaris is an
award-winning Belly Dancer performing in the Tampa Bay Area. She currently teaches at Hip
Expressions Dance Studio and with her background in advertising and
professional photography, she has also become the studio’s principal graphic
designer. Currently, she is one of the featured dancers at the Mythos Greek Taverna
in Clearwater, Florida. She is also one of the hostesses and co-creators of
Harem Hafla, a belly dance show that is held every last Wednesday of the month
at the same restaurant. Omaris continues to further her study of the dance by
attending workshops around the United States with recognized instructors and
has kept improving herself through observation and practice. She is
acknowledged for her teaching method, her passion and greatly admired by her
students and peers. “Omaris is a natural born dancer who always dances from the
heart”.
Kristen Wheeler,
The Photographer
KHphotographics is a boutique photography & art studio
located in the Central Florida area but available for travel all over the
globe, offering unique, timeless, and artistic imagery. Kristen has been all
over the world to places such as Mexico, the Cayman Islands, Italy, and Africa
to photograph.
Specializing in weddings, dance and theater photography as well as professional
model portfolios. We are also available for family portraits, children, pets,
architecture and interiors, fine art, commercial, and photo-restoration.
Pin-Up and Boudoir photography is also our specialty!
Photographer Comment: The mermaid billboard
shoot has to be one of my favorite shoots of all time!! Thanks to Shawnna of
Pixelated Produtions for asking me to photograph for this project, we were able
to create some beautiful imagery and work with a great team of people! Omaris
and I have worked together many times before so we already had an established connection,
and that is important in a complicated shoot such as this one (especially when
it involves dead lobsters....LOL). I remember her saying to me “Kristen, I am
scared of the lobsters" and after we started shooting and got comfortable
again I asked her if we could put them in the shots now and she warmed right up
to it.
Eric, the Mertailor was absolutely amazing! He had several tails to
choose from and we picked the one closest to Omaris' skin tone so she looked
more "real" and I have to say I think it worked! Shawnna put everyone
at ease and took the director position over the shoot, which made it much less
stressful for me. With a creative team such as the one we established, the
possibilities were endless. We watched as people from all over the beach came
to look at the "mermaid" in awe of what we were doing. The day was
perfect, the weather, the setting, the team - even the lobsters cooperated with
us. As we were taking the last shots the dark clouds started rolling in and
immediately started to downpour – the weather waited for us to finish. It was
the perfect end to a perfect day!
www.khphotographics.com
Shawna,
The Producer - Pixelated Productionz
Pixelated Productionz was forged in the fire of passion and inspiration when
Shawnna Savani and Ian Tracy decided to combine their creative talents. As
individuals they are welcome additions to any team. Together they are the team.
Born in the harsh economic climate of 2008 America, they worked hard toward
their respective BFA’s at The Art Institute of Tampa. She was furthering her
knowledge in Graphic Design and he was turning his love of cinema into a
career. Ian’s graduation in the fall of 2010 marks the end of their college
lives and sparks the beginning of their professional existence.
Pixelated Productionz prides themselves in offering the personalized attention
of a small company with the quality of larger firms. Their goal is not to
simply have a list of satisfied clients, but a community of friends and
professionals. Pixelated itself grows and evolves alongside this community ever
increasing the scale and power of their services. It takes many pixels to
produce an image, just like it takes many talents to create a production.
Harnessing the power of multiple artists Pixelated Productionz will become a
full-service film and design company.
Their personal philosophy centers on the belief that there is absolutely no
excuse for poor design or lackluster film. Having both a Designer and
Videographer under one roof gives Pixelated Productionz a creative advantage.
From businesses looking to brand and market themselves to individuals wishing
to capture those precious moments, Pixelated Productionz will provide their
clients with unprecedented cohesion from drawing board to creation. Through
careful planning, precise execution and collaborating with other skilled
professionals, Pixelated exists to eradicate bad design one webpage, business
card, billboard, and film at a time. If you are in need of a small army of
creative professionals, Pixelated Productionz is thrilled to be of service.
Eric
Ducharme, Mertailer
Here are a few things to consider...without water in the mermaid tail, it weighs
approximately 25 pounds. The mermaid tail that was used was made from silicone
and wetsuit materials. When we got to the shoot, we had two tails with us; one
was metallic green and the other is copper and gold. I had no idea what the
model was going to look like until the day of the shoot. We decided to use the
copper/gold tail, which looked the best with her skin color and darker
features. She was a beautiful exotic mermaid model when the makeup artist and
myself had finished dressing her. My assistant Linda Hines, was right next to
me assisting the model - helping her put on the tail. From time to time tugging
and wiggling is required to get the model into the tail. This was the case
during this photo shoot. Mermaid tails are made tightly to fit like a second
skin. Going back and forth with the different tops, I decided to use some
seashells and seaweed I picked up along the beach to use as a top. Sometimes less is more. I used a body
safe adhesive to attach the scallop shells onto the model’s breasts and
finished by draping fish netting around her shoulders.
For more info about Eric, visit: http://www.themertailor.com/
Fishbone
Restaurant
With a menu as unique as its
name, FishBones offers the freshest just-caught seafood, aged steaks and prime
rib. A local favorite, FishBones
is listed as one of America’s Top Ten Seafood Restaurants.
talkofthetownrestaurants.com/fishbones_orlando.html
