The morning started with us tiptoeing down the stairs of the bed and breakfast. It was 6 am as we loaded up the Mermobile and headed a short distance around the bay in Twillingate.
First stop of the day was Twillingate Adventure Tours. Chris, the owner was kind enough to give us access to his boat and dock for whatever we needed. The previous day we had tried in vain to think of a safe way to tie a merb'y to the front of his boat (almost Titanic style) but soon realized it was not possible.
Plan B was to photograph two Merb'ys on the rocks with the bay and town in the background. The morning light cooperated and the shots turned out beautiful. After breakfast, we photographed a clothesline and then we packed up and headed southwest to Springdale.
After our mandatory car nap we learned more about the
Beard and Moustache Club of Newfoundland and Labrador
. Hasan Hai is the president and founder of the club. It is open to everyone, including those without facial hair and women. It's basically a social club to meet people and share experiences and to do good things in the community.
Last year Hasan and friends came up with the idea of photographing members of the club in mermaid tails and produce a calendar. They started in September and by Christmas time they had their first ever Merb'y Calendar. The money from the sale of the calendars went to a local charity (Spirit Horse NL). They were hoping to sell 500 copies but ended up selling 14,000 calendars worldwide and raise over $300,000. This year the charity is Violence Prevention Newfoundland and Labrador. The cause was a perfect fit as the goal of the charity is not only to stop violence against women, but all violence, whether against LGBQT or minorities, etc. The idea of big, burly men in mermaid tails helps break down the stereotypes and we are so honoured to be a part of this whole project.
We arrived at Springdale and hiked down to Glassy Beach (a beach where an incredible amount of sea glass has gathered). Jack and Jeff our models were stellar as they were in some pretty uncomfortable positions. Wind whipping and waves crashing made the shoot a bit trickier but we managed to pull it off. Afterwards we headed to Indian Falls Chalet where the owners gave us two beautiful chalets to stay for the night. The rum was opened and drinks flowed as we enjoyed our bbq dinner cooked by Hasan. Tomorrow we get up and head out to Gros Morne, stay tuned.
