Who she is: A Dunnville native, Bell is a steady, practiced hand in the disciplines of graphic arts, web design and photography. After working several years as the in-house graphic designer for Sonic Unyon records, Bell formed her own company, Emerging Design & Photography to focus on her first artistic love behind the lens. Voted “Best Photographer” by View Magazine’s Readers Poll in 2007 and 2008; won a Hamilton Music Award for her work with Teenage Head (Best Website/Online Publication) and is the co-founder of Absorb, an annual mini-arts festival in Hamilton, Bell has emerged as one of the city’s most gifted media artists.
On her aesthetic: Browsing through Bell’s work, her affinity for music and stylized faces and places comes to light. Not unlike Jill Greenberg, one of her favourite photographers, many of Bell’s photographs appear to bleed between the line of the real and the illustrated. Says Bell: “I love to sculpt the light in crazy ways and adjust the photos in the editing process. A lot of people have said that some of my photos look paintings, and they’re right.”
On her subjects: Bell’s subject matter glides seamlessly from high-fashion and rock n’ roll to landscapes and portraiture, commanding her composition with luminous colour, playful surrealism and elegant plays of light. “Part of what Emerging is [to me], and what I go after is bringing forth the darker, hidden elements of a subject or a place,” says Bell, citing as an example one of her better-known photos, ‘The Longing, the Letting Go and the Memory That Remains,’ a tribute to the ill-fated hatchlings of her pet birds. “My best projects usually stem from an idea that’s been brewing for months, and I try to capture a feeling or a memory in the photo.”
What’s next: The road for any freelance artist is a rocky one, but Bell’s devotion to her craft is unwavering. Projects in the works include a possible gallery showing of her work, and expanding her portfolio to include other kinds of photography. “It’s tough; sometimes I take work that’s not the most interesting to do but that will pay the bills, like any freelancer,” says Bell with a smile. “My list of projects keeps getting longer, but I just keep going and keep working.”
