I know I'm a bit late on the bandwagon with this topic, but I've been reading a lot of the other girls blogs like @sunshine and @rambo about their experiences on SG and I was inspired to write my own. I must admit I really enjoyed looking back on all the pics and I got rather nostalgic.
Where to start, at the beginning I suppose :P
I first found out about SG when I was living in Durban back in 2005, from a friend. I instantly fell in love with it. The girls were so unique and strong minded, and that was something I had always aspired to be. I was desperately jealous and I never thought in a million years that I could be an SG myself. I had always been insanely shy and had never thought of modelling until that moment. I met @Lumo while I was down in Durban, and discovered that she had very similar thoughts to me with regards to SG. We became good friends and longed to do something to express ourselves the way that these awesome girls did.
Nothing happened for a few years but as fate would have it I moved to Johannesburg a few years later, and met up with a school friend of @Lumo named @talamia . That meeting would end up changing my life. It was only then that I discovered that you could be a Suicide Girl no matter where in the world you lived, and @talamia was super keen to become a staff photographer. So we decided to make both our dreams come true and started shooting.
My very first shoot was memorable to say the least. I had shot with a few other photographers at that point, and done one or two naked shoots before, but when we arrived at the club we had organised to shoot at we discovered that the guys who worked at the said club had conveniently scheduled a staff meeting for the time I was supposed to shoot. I was a little flustered at first, but decided that if everyone on the internet was going to have the opportunity to see me naked then I should get used to having an audience. Needless to say we went ahead and shot and I actually really enjoyed it.
I will admit that I never dreamed my first set would get purchased. But it did! I can't describe how happy I was. @talamia messaged me at 6am to tell me I had gone pink and I have never been so happy to be woken up in my life. I literally danced around the house beaming from ear to ear. It was one of the most exhilarating moments of my life. I am also insanely proud of the fact that I managed to be the 3rd SG in South Africa and the first girl that @talamia made pink.
Since that day, I have been extremely lucky. I have had 12 sets bought over the years, and I adore every minute I've had shooting. I've been to countless SG events, represented SG and collaborated with a bunch of bands on live gigs and music videos, had the opportunity to be in magazines, been featured on countless sites, been to shoot fests, had the opportunity to travel, met the loveliest girls and made literally the best friends of my life. We have had so much fun over the years and laughed and cried together and I wouldn't change it for the world!
I have had the honour of meeting some truly amazing and inspiring ladies, both South African and internationally and I look forward to meeting many more. SG really is a sisterhood of like minded ladies.
Some of my favourite times are documented in pictures, and as I said I actually got really nostalgic looking at all the things we have done. We had some great events over the years with my South African girls @diaz @lynx @hadess @kohana @pyke @latara @skyla @livion including a fair few music festivals which were a blast!
I have been lucky enough to be in some music vids for some local South African bands like One Night Stands, Knave and Juggernaught.
We have had some unbelievably fun shoot fests all over the country. Places like Johannesburg, Cape Town, Limpopo, the Midlands. And there is never a dull moment. It was on my first Shoot fest to Cape Town that I became friends with the most perfect, funny, crazy little pixie who I literally could not live without, @Lunar . I had met her once or twice before through another friend and the first thing I thought when I saw her was, this girl is gorgeous enough to make me a lesbian and at the same time I want to be her! We got very drunk together that night and we were both so shy that it took all that alcohol to get us to talk to each other, but we ended up having the craziest most fun night. We didn't see each other again until the Cape Town shoot fest where I was very very happy to discover she wanted to shoot for SG. We hit it off immediately and since then we have been pretty much inseparable. I have been the envy of many a person because I've been naked with her more times than you know, and luckily for you there is evidence of this in our multi sets. She is my female soul mate :) We are even getting bro tats to make it official. hehe
Back to the shoot fests, where many a drunken night was spent supporting girls shooting sets, coming up with crazy set ideas, styling each other. shooting mostly successful, sometimes wildly unsuccessful sets. Being shouted at by @talamia for drinking a bit too much wine before attempting and failing miserably to shoot an SGZA group multi because we couldn't stop laughing and being silly @lunar @hadess @kohana @skylar @lumo and @pyke ... you know what I'm referring to :P
Then I got the most amazing opportunity!! I got to go with @Lumo to the UK Holiday Shoot fest in Norfolk. I couldn't believe it when @Missy said that they would love to have me along. It was not something I had ever anticipated happening. I will admit right from the start that I was absolutely terrified!! I was going to meet the most beautiful girls on the site, along with the people who owned SG! Now when I say I am shy, I'm not joking. I get loud around people that I know well, and usually if there is alcohol involved, but I was literally in awe of the girls that I met. They were all perfect! And thank god they all turned out to be the nicest girls ever! I spent 5 days with girls who I had admired on the site, some for years and some new. I got to party with girls like @luscious @Stellaris @sawa @radeo @vice @essence @frisky @cheri and I got to hang out with girls like @gogo @annalee @Katherine @Alissa @Cherry @Elliot @Waikiki @Mel @Chad @Arabella and best of all I got to share a bed with @Lass. Yes you are officially allowed to be jealous ;)
Meeting @Missy was a real highlight. She is quiet like me, and literally the sweetest person in the world. I've always admired her for starting SG and defying what was considered normal. It was not an opportunity I ever thought I would have. Also knowing that as much as she was missing her little boys, she was always happy and positive and brought sunshine to everything she did. We cooked together for the house one of the nights, and she was just so easy to interact with. We had so much fun.
I will of course mention the members as well. I have met some of the most awesome people on this site. People that I can have really in depth conversations with, who I learn a lot from, and who are really very interesting and enlighten me in many a topic. I have also been very touched at how much fan art I have received. You make me feel like a star, and the talent out there is unbelievable!! I save every single one, and smile whenever I look at them. You guys are amazing! If I could draw half as well as any of you I would be happy.
And finally, we all join SG for our own reasons and it fulfills a different need for all of us. I would be lying if I said that the love I get from the members wasn't a big part of that reason. Knowing that I worked hard to put out sets that I am proud of and love and seeing other people enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them :)
I must say a huge thank you to @talamia for all her hard work and dedication to me and SG over the years. I love you to death and I really appreciate everything you have done. You are one of my best friends and one of the most talented photographers I have ever met. xoxoxoxox
So I will leave you with a few of my favourite pictures from the various sets I've shot over the years ;)
xoxoxoxoxoxox
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