• Home
  • About Me
  • Press
  • F.A.Q.
  • Store
  • Contact

The Lady Nerd

Geek Made Chic

Archives for August 2018

Rey and Kylo Ren Photoshoot

August 31, 2018 by The Lady Nerd Leave a Comment

As the 2018 weekend of Dragoncon is upon us, I thought it’s high time I share another good cosplay shoot on here. One of the great things about being part of the geek community is, well,…the community! While there are certainly some negative gatekeepers and nasty folks on the fringes, they are not the norm. Most of the time we support each other, lift each other, and help each other with projects. So when my friend Stephanie told me her partner had just done his very first cosplay ever and wanted to do a photoshoot, I gladly jumped in.

Stephanie and Jeremy worked hard to create as screen accurate of a Kylo Ren as they could. We partnered up with David Leo and Patrick Sun for Jeremy’s very first photoshoot (so many firsts!), wandered on down to a local park, threw up some smoke bombs, and got to modeling!

“Forgive me, I feel it again…the pull to the light.“

Awkward Prom photo of Kylo Ren (Jeremy Berry) and Rey (The Lady Nerd). Photographed by David Leo Photography“You need a teacher. I can show you the ways of the Force.”

Show my the ways of the force. Kylo Ren by Jeremy Berry. Rey by The Lady Nerd. Picture by David Leo Photography.“Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.”

Kylo Ren (Jeremy Berry) and Rey (The Lady Nerd). Photography by David Leo.Kylo Ren and Rey fight. Kylo Ren by Jeremy Berry. Rey by The Lady Nerd. Photo by David LeoRey with Lightsaber. Rey by The Lady Nerd. Photography by David Leo“Madness is like gravity. All it takes a little push to ascend into darkness.”
(Sidenote: Many of you know of my bad complex about my jaw/profile. So you’ll understand why I flipped out over how amazing this picture is. Dramatic lighting FTW!)
To Have and to Hold. Rey by The Lady Nerd and Kylo Ren by jeremy Berry. Photography by Patrick Sun.“Where once was light, now darkness falls.
Where once was love, love is no more.”

Kylo Ren and Rey by Jeremy Berry and the Lady Nerd. Photography by David Leo

Filed Under: Costumes Tagged With: kylo ren, kylo ren cosplay, rey, rey and kylo ren, rey cosplay, star wars, star wars the force awakens, the force awakens

Scar Photoshoot – Contact Sheet

August 26, 2018 by The Lady Nerd 1 Comment

10877792_10152487742321402_959124691_n

My scar photoshoot, while originally inspired by an article on disabled models, was also inspired by Coco Rocha‘s book, Study of Pose. (Coco is one of my personal role models and utmost inspiration for modeling. It’s because of studying her growing up that I honed the craft of dynamic posing. She reigns supreme as the queen of dynamic models, in my humble (but accurate) opinion. It’s amazing to see the ways she poses in clothing and expressions, even characters she delivers while most models tend to have the same blank expression and wooden posing. She’s a good-natured soul to boot who actually cares about other folks, especially young girls in the fashion industry.)

61+PuSx+tULCoco-Rocha-《Study-of-Pose》

You can check out Coco Rocha’s book here – Study of Pose

You can check out my pictures here – Scar Photoshoot

Edit: I posted one of these pictures on my Instagram when I first launched it a few years and Coco responded! (Forgive me for the momentary fangirling as having someone I admire respond was, and still is, pretty rad. 🙂 ) 10407791_878049438914326_6605686856830486037_n

Filed Under: Modeling Tagged With: coco rocha, the lady nerd scar photoshoot

Scar Photoshoot

August 22, 2018 by The Lady Nerd 16 Comments

IMG_9501-Edit
Inspired by an article featuring disabled models, I set out to do my own photoshoot documenting the injury that almost cost me my life. my first photoshoot since the accident. It’s a deeply personal project, so it’s a bit different from my normal, fashion-esque or derp-faced costume shoots. I went out on a limb with this one, but tried my best to keep it thought-provoking, yet tasteful. It’s an artistic documentation of my accident scars, along with some of the emotions I’ve felt along the way. I dedicate this series to every one of you out there that has scars.

We survived.

(With this, I set out to create an evocative (but not sexy) photoshoot. It was quite a challenge.  Not to mention for mobility. These pictures were taken a few months after the accident. But I was determined to get these pictures and wasn’t going to let my disability stop me. It was a bit of a nervewracking process as I don’t tend to reveal much of my body on camera, but still needed to show the majority of the scar. I finally came up with the solution of wearing a long-sleeve, high-cut leotard from American Apparel to both cover and expose the right parts.)

10887932_10152487695091402_1010899680_n

Every scar I have makes me who I am. Imperfection is beauty.

That is, in fact, a scar on my left eyelid. My friends have been calling it my ‘superhero scar’ or my ‘chic/fashion scar’ due to it’s placement. In person, it looks like I’m wearing light red eyeliner fashionably on one eye. Fitting for The Lady Nerd, no? (As of right now, 4 years later, that scar is practically invisible minus a pimple-looking bump. Most annoying…this scar I rather wish had stayed!)

IMG_9741-Edit
From every wound there is a scar, and every scar tells a story. A story that says, “I survived.”

IMG_9782-Edit

“My scars tell a story. They are a reminder of times when life tried to break me, but failed. They are markings of where the structure of my character was welded.” – Steve Maraboli

IMG_9591-Edit

Our scars remind us of our past. They do not define our future. (I was determined to stand for this photoshoot on my own two feet. No walker, no crutches, no cane, no help. Just my own God-given strength.)

IMG_9765-Edit

“A famous explorer once said: The extraordinary is in what we do, not who we are.” – Tomb Raider

As the conclusion to my photoshoot, I leave you with one of the more daring things I did – to balance myself on my cane. I don’t know what on earth possessed me to try this, other than the sheer curiousity to see if I could. But I was able to hold it for the mere seconds long enough for the camera to capture it. Even though I’m only 4 months out from the accident, I’ve learned one very important truth – that the only disability in life is a bad attitude. My handicaps will not silence me.

Photographer: Trent Chau

Filed Under: Modeling Tagged With: accident, car accident, disabled model, injury, scar

Briana and The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

August 19, 2018 by The Lady Nerd 12 Comments

August 19, 2014.

The day started like any other.

I donned some snazzy work apparel set out the night before, checked my email over a steaming cup of mint tea, and then set out to go to work. I was only a couple miles from the office when everything came to a very sudden and violent stop.

In a perfectly-timed collision of mangled metal, my left turn met with a fast Mercedes and my body was torn asunder. In an accident that should have killed me, I miraculously survived. Although I did not come away from the incident unscathed. The accident landed me with 3 pelvic fractures, fractured femur, eyelid laceration, traumatic brain injury (diffuse axonal injury to my right frontal lobe with loss of consciousness, brain parenchyma, and brain bleeds) and bone bruises. Still enough to qualify for lifelong injuries, but nowhere near what could have been. By all accounts I should have been dead or sustained far worse injuries. They said the only reason I survived was because my car didn’t have a middle console so I simply shifted over to the passenger’s seat. Had there been a middle console, I would have been dead on impact. (The driver’s side was completely obliterated, with the door smashed in to where the radio console started.)

10574429_10153117302663662_7293518822343220559_n
But the time since that has been no cakewalk. From the three weeks I spent at the hospital to subsequent months of recovery, it’s been a hard road. After arriving a broken mess at Grady Hospital, it was two days before I had surgery. My hip was crushed far enough in that my leg was twisted. Thus, it had to be put in traction (which involved the squeamish detail of having a 12 inch spike drilled with a Dewalt Power Drill through my knee). I was awake for the ordeal as only local anesthetic could be applied. (Thank goodness I have no memory of it. The brain has an amazing capacity to protect itself, so I don’t remember the first few days after the accident.)

As one might expect from hospital stays, mine was a harrowing one. While I was admitting on August 19, surgery didn’t occur until August 21st. There was a lot of concern that the surgery would take countless hours, they might have to rebuild my left hip entirely, and I could bleed out to potential death as can be common with severe pelvic fractures. Thankfully, once the surgeon got in there, they found that I had one massive, but clean break of my pelvis and they were able to put it back together with pins, screws, and a titanium plate in 2 hours. The trauma team at Grady is really top notch, so my hat is off to them. The recovery ward was not so nice…but that’s a different story.

After surgery, I endured emergency blood transfusions, a plethora of IVs, ever-present excruciating pain like nothing I’ve ever felt, energy crashes, intense swelling, and a huge dose of humility at how little I could do. (Example: In the hospital, they spent 6 hours trying to find a way to lay me in the bed without me screaming in pain. It’s amazing how much you take some things for granted like being able to move off of a crease in a bedsheet without wanting to pass out from pain.)

10469768_10153121899638662_1067414650981594799_n
For all of the cries against the darker side of social media, I was lucky enough to witness social media in its most beautiful form – connection of loved ones. Within hours of my accident, word spread all over friends and family’s pages of what had happened, prayers were written, encouragement sent, friends dispersed to the hospital to and fro, updates posted, and a community held together by a singular little brunette gal, waiting in anticipation of the next post.

In an odd turn, the timing of the accident was rather impeccable as I was at Grady Hospital right near Dragoncon. So I had lots of visitors who came both in and out of costume. It became a running joke with the nursing staff if they saw anyone in costume looking lost, “She’s in room 6B35.” Needless to say, it got me through many a hard day. There would be times where I would almost collapse from the sheer volume of pain or exhaustion. Then a new message would pop up of a video from a friend or cosplay buddy giving well wishes at Dragoncon, or posting ridiculously funny pictures to make me laugh. They worked. For a moment, I’d forget the pain.

1544459_10153144330608662_7703282264367930409_n PhotoGrid_1411071500748
But then came the journey of adjusting to this ‘new reality’. I had to relearn so much that we take for granted every day; such as walking, going to the bathroom, being able to roll over, standing up, stretching, etc. There is nothing more mortifying than not being able to go to the bathroom on your own. It took me a month or so to be able to hobble far enough to get to the bathroom without any accidents, so I lived with a bedside toilet for a while. (That’s a great conversation piece when your friends come over to visit…NOT!) It was a glorious day a few months in, when I discovered I was healed enough to use a regular toilet. Never thought I’d almost cry over a piece of porcelain.

Then there was the shower. Oh, that blessed, steaming liquid gloriousness. It was over a month from the accident when I was finally cleared to take a shower. A real, glorious, hot shower! I took full advantage of the experience by putting on the spa music, lavender essential oil in the water, and recreated an Herbal Essence commercial by getting to wash my own hair. I felt like a new person! Before that, female friends were literally bathing me. You want to talk about a humbling experience…

As with most recoveries, mine has been a gradual progression of strength. I started out in a wheelchair, then progressed to a walker (which I used for months until I was cleared to put weight on my injured side), then to crutches, and then a cane. I’ve learned so much about being disabled that it’s staggering. While technically, I was disabled before as I’m half deaf, but it doesn’t come anywhere near being mobiley disabled. There’s no fight to figure out if you can fit into spaces with your wheelchair or feeling panic-ridden at being in peoples’ way in stores. There’s no struggle to get to the bathroom in time because you can’t move at a normal person’s speed, no needing to ask friends to carry things for you because you can’t move a glass of water from one side of the room to the other. I had to learn to think differently to overcome these restrictions. (For instance, because of using a walker, I couldn’t carry anything (and there was no basket on my walker), which became real problem with water as it was crucial that with all the medication I was on, to stay hydrated. Thankfully I had some smart friends who hooked me up with a Camelbak so I could have a water carrier strapped to my back wherever I went.)

FB_IMG_142030769879710574395_10153296955873662_9201585520882681090_n
I’m normally a very active person (former martial artist, fencer, dancer, hooper)  even if it’s just the manner in which I get up or bounce around a room with enough energy to power a small nuclear reactor. To go from that to taking a full minute just to shakily stand up was severely frustrating. But I wasn’t going to let it hold me down.

I had a plan.

Coupled with massage therapy to break up the scar tissue on my hip, bum, and knee, I threw myself headlong into physical therapy. My therapist found out quickly that I’m an overachiever type and got to work pushing me as far as was reasonable (The other therapists joked that I was the “ballet torture victim” due to the large amount of reps as well as the ballet-based exercises given). I even experimented with hooping to see how far I could push things (safely, of course). It was no easy task. I had a pretty nasty concussion so I can only focus for a little bit at a time and my energy levels were quite low in the beginning. Getting up and down stairs was a Herculean effort. I either had to have to have someone carry me or two people to wrap my arms around and hop on my good leg up the stairs. By the time I reach the top, I’d be completely spent.

But I was determined.

10426247_10153214725963662_6965209694509701431_n
Life got infinitely easier when I moved to crutches as I no longer had to deal with the constant stop-&-go motion of the walker. But I’ll never forget my time before as it’s made me so much more aware and sympathetic to anyone I see who’s physically disabled. I’d like to think I was kind about it before, but now I KNOW their pain. I know what it’s like to feel like you’re getting in the way, slowing people down, or just plain being frustrated at your condition, taking every fiber of your being to not break down crying at the fact that your legs are useless or being permanently disabled and wishing for differently.

I often share sad smiles with elderly folks with walkers or young ones in wheelchairs when we pass each other in the store. Sometimes it’s a sad camaraderie, but other times there’s a spark of something else there. A fight. Someone who refuses to give up or let their disability dictate their life. I’ve gotten to know some pretty amazing people with physical handicaps that have been truly inspiring. Because of them, I can stand up a little taller.

Now, here I am. My case is closed and the massive medical debt I incurred from the hospital has been miraculously resolved. I can walk. I can even do yoga a little. I walked down the aisle at my close friends’ wedding. My injured left leg is getting stronger. I can even walk in heels now.

I’m overwhelmed with gratefulness. I keep finding out another wrinkle in the story from my car, my injuries, the other driver, etc. of just HOW lucky I am to even be alive, and the amount of damage I suffered could have been catastrophically greater. I should have died in that accident. But it wasn’t my time yet. Not only did God save my life, but He spared my body from extreme harm.

So as the sun pours into my window, I am reminded that every minute I have is special and sacred. To feel the wind on my skin or the sun in my hair, to dine with friends over tasty dinners, or watch a sunset, knowing that I was this close to losing it all. But it wasn’t my time to go. There is still work to do. Still lives to be affected, change to be made, and people to put smiles on. So even if I’m feeling melancholy at times, frustrated, or overwhelmed, one truth is still evident…

I am ALIVE.

IMG_9765-EditPhoto by Trent Chau

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: car accident, disabled model, the lady nerd car accident

En Garde

August 9, 2018 by The Lady Nerd Leave a Comment

Swordsman with katana by Bang NguyenThe most dangerous woman of all is the one who refuses to rely on your sword to save her because she carries her own.
~ R.H. Sin

I’ve always grown up around swords, moreso than any other weapon. Sometimes that comes in handy when I get to model with props I’m actually familiar with! My mother was an incredibly talented fencer who trained under Ralph Faulkner (some of you might know him as the master who trained Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone). Alas a nasty injury kept her from ever fencing again right before training for the 1984 Olympics. Even though that happened before I was born, swords still had a strong place in my household.

Fencing foil by Bang NguyenI picked up my first epee in my college’s fencing club, then dabbled in foil and saber overseas where I competed in the New Zealand Uni Games (Boy was that a humbling experience…this padawan still had much to learn). Then, in 2007, I was trained in SAFD (Society of American Fight Directors) stage combat with rapier, whip, and various props.  Alas, I gave up fencing due to it being one seriously expensive hobby and a wish to return to my first love (and better skillset) – Kung Fu. There are times where I can be a paradox with the body of a dancer, the mind of a martial artist, and the heart of a fencer. Certainly makes workouts interesting!

Fencing foil by Bang NguyenAnd each man stands with his face in the light. Of his own drawn sword, ready to do what a hero can.
– Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Swordsman by Bang Nguyen(And yes, I am aware that is not how a katana is properly held. But fashion is not known for it’s love of technique.)
Swordsman with katana by Bang NguyenNever give a sword to a man who cannot dance.
– Confucius

Swordsman by Bang NguyenThere are only two forces in this world, the sword and the spirit. In the long run the sword will always be conquered by the spirit.
– Napoleon Bonaparte

This was a test shoot with local Georgia photographer, Bang Nguyen, who’s gone on to become quite the professional fashion photographer (and now budding fashion film videographer). Rather than do just straight-up portraiture, we decided to add in a little edginess with expensive fashion (the black leather jacket alone was $1,000, though the brand name escapes me) and a sharpened katana. The real trick was trying to keep the look fashion and not costumer-y. There is still some debate whether or not I succeeded in doing that. But if nothing else, it was definitely a fun learning experience!

Photographer: Bang Nguyen
Hair/makeup: Veronica Hernandez-Zapata

Jacket:
Skirt: Forever 21
Leggings: Forever 21
Boots: Guess Maeve boots via Ebay
Katana: Borrowed from a friend

Filed Under: Modeling Tagged With: fencing, fencing fashion, fencing photoshoot, model with a sword, sword


Greetings programs! I'm Briana - artist, model, and avid costumer. Welcome to my little corner of the blogosphere.
  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Categories

  • Art
  • Costumes
  • Geek Couture
  • Modeling
  • Outfits
  • Uncategorized

Archives

  • April 2020
  • November 2019
  • July 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • August 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
The Lady Nerd
IFB

Copyright 2018. Briana Lamb. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2023 · Caroline Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in