health initiative for men 'outside in' campaign

This campaign for Vancouver's Health Initiative for Men strives to provide resources for men who have sex with other men and are not out in their lives.

“We live in a world where others make assumptions about who we are. They assume we’re straight unless we tell them otherwise. They assume we’re gay because we’ve had sex with other guys. We know it’s not so simple.”

Photographing this campaign was interesting as they needed studio portraits of the models and on location group candid portraits for the ‘Outside In’ WEBSITE.

Health Inititative for Men Outside In_03.jpg
Health Inititative for Men Outside In_02.jpg
Health Inititative for Men Outside In_01.jpg

New YVR Sisters Portraits

In 2014, I was honoured with the title of 'Angel' by the Vancouver Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence for my 'Unveiled' photo project, which honours the Sisters and their devotion to the Vancouver LGBT Community. The photo project is ongoing and will culminate with a 10 year anniversary book entitled 'Sistory' to be published in 2020.
Sister Fancy Pants became a fully professed member of the Sisters in November 2016.
Sister Ethica Slut co-founded the Vancouver Sisters of Indulgence with Sister Merry Q. Contrary in 2010.
To view the entire Unveiled Photo Project click HERE.

Sister Fancy Pants

Sister Fancy Pants

Sister Ethica Slüt

Sister Ethica Slüt

'You Belong in Vancouver' Vancouver Tourism

As a queer identified photographer it was emotional and empowering to be involved in a project that honours my LGBTQ community.
I am proud to have been chosen as the photographer to create portraits for Vancouver Tourism's 'You Belong in Vancouver' LGBTQ campaign.
It was two full days of photography and video with an incredible team who deeply cared about telling these individuals stories with respect and dignity.

DJ O Show is a dynamic speaker and this video of her describing her heritage and what music means to her is powerful.

Danny Ramadan is an inspiring individual who has overcome great hardship to start a new life in Vancouver, Canada.

Videography:  Barbershop Films
Makeup & Hair:  Tasha Vu
Photography:  Belle Ancell
Digi-Tech:  Maylies Lang

Existing and Thriving

In their own words, "It is my hope, through workshops and consulting services, that organizations will become allies to the Black community and work towards a world in which Black and racialized communities can freely and safely participate, exist and thrive."
Cicely-Belle is co-founder of Black Lives Matter and we created these awesome portraits together for their Xtra Vancouver column and new personal consulting website.
Cicely-Belle was recently featured on the Coolest People in Vancouver list published by Huffington Post.

Analog Dreams

The digital photo medium triggers my insatiable need for perfection. I have to control the scene, the light, the outcome. As expected, this need can sometimes stifle creativity and spontaneity.
I truly long to be an artist. I feel that digital doesn't afford me that luxury.
I realized that fact recently when I was gifted an old analog cameraand loaded it with expired film.
I am just learning this medium and using expired film is a good practice in impermanence and letting go. Letting go of what the outcome will look like or if there even will be one. I can't control the outcome because I can't see it on the back of my camera and perfect it, over and over and over again.
I have to click the shutter, let go, and trust.
The ritual of film is fulfilling.
The anticipation of the film being processed and then that satisfying tangible moment of holding a print in my hands.
I am infatuated.
This is a scene I captured at a nude photo workshop I attended.
It is far from technical perfection, and yet, I find it truly beautiful.

New additions to the YVR Sisters

In 2014, I was honoured with the title of 'Angel' by the Vancouver Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence for my 'Unveiled' photo project, which honours the Sisters and their devotion to the Vancouver LGBT Community. The photo project is ongoing and will culminate with a 10 year anniversary book entitled 'Sistory' to be published in 2020. 
In 2016 these beautiful people became the newest members of the Vancouver Abbey.
Sister Bodice Rippa is the second cis-gender female fully professed member of the Vancouver Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
L'il Randy is a Paladin. The primary role of the Paladins are to support the work of the Sisters through protection and service.
To view the entire Unveiled Photo Project click HERE.

Sister Bodice Rippa - Fully Professed Member October 2016

Sister Bodice Rippa - Fully Professed Member October 2016

Paladin L'il Randy - Fully Professed Member September 2016

Paladin L'il Randy - Fully Professed Member September 2016

Queens Care IX Vancouver

Xtra Vancouver hired me to photograph Queens Care IX and I was blown away by the Drag talent in the Vancouver LGBTQ community!!
The ninth annual fundraising event was created by Drag Queen Joan-E as a memorial to honour Drag icon Diana Rose and DJ Jules.
Diana Rose and DJ Jules were well loved philanthropists in the LGBTQ community.
Co-hosted by Carlotta Gurl and Joan-E, proceeds raised were donated to Out in Schools, Health Initiative for Men and Rainbow Refugees.
It was sexy. It was nasty. It was a blast!!
Enjoy the video below of Xtra Vancouver's coverage of the fabulous evening.

Sister Festivus Illuminata

The Vancouver Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are a 21st Century order of Queer Nuns who believe in spreading universal joy and expiating stigmatic guilt.

Sister Festivus Illuminata is an ordained Minister and sanctioned to perform and solemnize marriages in Canada.

In August 2016 she married 6 couples on stage at the Vancouver Pride celebrations. You can watch the video here of Sister Festivus singing 'One World - One Hope' before the ceremonies.

Take Time for Your Mind

Vancouver's Health Initiative for Men is working to make information about Gay men's mental health accessible with their 'Take Time for Your Mind' online resource.
Photographing this project was technically challenging AND fun, consisting of a 10 hour shoot day at 2 locations with 6 wonderful models.

River 'The Fox' Tucker wins Bronze at Nationals

Out and about last night at a fundraiser for my friend River 'The Fox' Tucker.
River brought home a black eye and a bronze medal from the Canadian National Boxing Championships.
I felt prideFULL seeing all the images we created together printed larger than life as posters at her fundraiser to fight at the World Championships in Kazakhstan.
Check out the River's full kick ass shoot HERE.
 

River-the-Fox-Tucker-Canadian-boxer

New additions to the YVR Sisters

In 2014, I was honoured with the title of 'Angel' by the Vancouver Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence for my 'Unveiled' photo project, which honours the Sisters and their life long devotion to the Vancouver LGBT Community. The photo project is ongoing and will culminate with
a 10 year anniversary book entitled 'Sistory' to be published in 2020. 
In 2015 these wonderful creatures became the newest members of the Vancouver Abbey.
To view the entire Unveiled Photo Project click HERE.
 

Sister Lois Price - Fully Professed Member February 2015

Sister Lois Price - Fully Professed Member February 2015

Sister Koo-Koo Kachoo - Fully Professed Member March 2015

Sister Koo-Koo Kachoo - Fully Professed Member March 2015

Sister Visa DeKline - Fully Professed Member May 2015

Sister Visa DeKline - Fully Professed Member May 2015

Sister Festivus Illuminata - Fully Professed Member July 2015

Sister Festivus Illuminata - Fully Professed Member July 2015

Sister Diversity Rains - Fully Professed Member November 2015

Sister Diversity Rains - Fully Professed Member November 2015

My Summer Holiday....by belle ancell

Actually, there wasn't a summer holiday. However, there was a lot of love beginning with my first wedding of the season officiated by Vancouver Sister of Perpetual Indulgence Sister Festivus Illuminata (pictured below).
The intimate wedding of Jennifer & Jocelyn was the first wedding ceremony ever performed in Canada by a Sister of Perpetual Indulgence. The Sisters are a worldwide 21st Century order of Queer Nuns who's lifelong vow is to spread universal joy and erase stigmatic guilt.
Please visit my portraiture website to see more LGBT folks in love.

Cor Flammae Fallen Angels

100 metres of fabric, 25 fabulously draped singers, 4 hair stylists, 7 makeup artists, 4 set stylists, 2 shoot assistants and one photographer. That is what it took to create this incredible 2015 promo image of Vancouver's classically trained Choir Cor Flammae.

Wardrobe/Set Styling:
Adam Dickson (Concept)
Jenny Gagne / Shelayne Mulholland
Movement Consultant: MaryAnne Wong

Makeup:
Belinda Sui (Team Lead)
Andi Alexander / Kasey Chen / Bingjie Dai / Raven Dickhout / Mei Lin / Oscar Xu

Hair:
Missy Clarkson (Concept)
Hair by Soo (Team Lead) / Jenny Lynn Goodwin / Katrina Shelast

Photographer/Lighting: belle ancell
Lighting Assistants: Maylies Lang / Debbie Pipe
Colour Treatment/Retouching: belle ancell / Reem Abdel-Jabbar

WeARTS Profile

I'm a Mount Pleasant girl but I spend a lot of time in Vancouver's West End, so I was so excited when WeARTS (West End ARTS) contacted me to be featured in the inaugural issue of their magazine.
My friend Annie Reid wrote the article and she asked me some thought provoking questions.
It was a positive process for me as it forced me to dig deep about who, what and why in regards to my artistic practice.

XTRA: The Final Issue Community Leaders Portrait

On Wednesday, February 11th the last print issue of Xtra Vancouver was published.
I am so grateful to Editor Robin Perelle and Xtra for taking a chance on an emerging photographer with no editorial shooting experience.
The day Robin asked me into her office to invite me to shoot for Xtra I said yes, but I was terrified!! So terrified of failing that I turned down my first cover shoot with them. But I didn’t turn down the next one.
It was a shoot with the Little Sisters Bookstore family for their 30th Anniversary story.
I will always have that wonderful memory of working with them and with Jim Deva before his tragic death.
I will have many wonderful memories from the shoots I did, the fabulous people I was privileged to photograph, and the pride I felt at seeing my he{art} work in print on the newsstands.
Thank you Xtra for believing in me. Thank you for honouring me with the task of photographing this incredible group of community leaders for your last print issue.

Read the full story HERE about the individuals honoured in this commemorative portrait.

Read the full story HERE about the individuals honoured in this commemorative portrait.

Behind the scenes of the Xtrafinal print edition photo shoot with Vancouver LGBT community leaders. Video by: Tony James dreamfixation@gmail.com