Singapore La!

Ah Singapore, what fond memories I (mostly) have of you! I first went to Singapore when I was 17 years old for fashion week. There were around 12 of us from Vivien’s modelling agency in Perth that went there together…we had a blast!

The following year when I was 18, I decided to do a 3 month stint in Singapore to hopefully land some editorial print work to help build my modelling portfolio. I had dreams of moving to the big smoke – Sydney – and pursuing a modelling/acting career there, and needed some work behind me!

Cleo Magazine

Below are my very first magazine photo shoots I did! Both editorials were for Singapore Cleo Magazine. The first 3 pics are my favourite ones from the first spread I did. I remember my booker from my agency calling me to tell me I had been booked for the job and that I needed to have lots of energy and to laugh and smile for the camera. If you told me that today, I wouldn’t blink an eye lid, but I was absolutely petrified of laughing for the camera! Every shoot I had done so far, and I was a novice at this early stage of my career, were very ‘modelly’…i.e. serious Zoolander poses! Lol. You know the typical model face 😉

About a month after I shot my first editorial I got booked to shoot for Cleo again…and in Hawaii!!! I was soooo excited, and called my family straight away to tell them the good news.

Bitter Sweet

Then…

Exactly 9 days before we were due to leave, an American model arrived in town and they dumped me last minute and chose to take her instead! I was completely devastated. The worst part of it was having to call my Mum who was so excited and happy for me, to tell her I wasn’t going anymore.

That was my first real taste of rejection that this industry so bitterly dishes out.

But…

At the very end of my 3 month trip which had been very successful, Cleo booked me again. And the pics from this editorial stayed in my portfolio for years and years! The very last photo is my all time favourite. Every where I went in the world, this photo was used for the cover of my composite card. It was timeless. And would you believe it was in my portfolio for 11 years until I finally said, “I’m not 18 years old anymore…it’s got to go!” Haha.

Now that I’m a blondie, I look at these pics and think how much I’ve changed! Although I’ve had lots of different looks over the years. Looking at these pics now it’s hard to imagine it’s the same girl in the pics from the model shoot I did last year…I wrote a post about how I prepared for this shoot here.

I’ve had many ups and downs in this industry that I’m not really apart of now…but I still have lots of fond memories, and it makes me smile having these old pics to reflect back on 🙂