The Talent

I'm not sure I could ever get used to being called "The Talent." But, that's how the photography crew referred to me during my recent, brief career as a bike model for South Australia's Tourism Commission. SA wants to promote the southern Flinders area as a cycling destination, and apparently, the new thing in photography is to have people who actually do the activities you are photographing be your models, rather than hiring professional models. It's cheaper, and people who actually do these activities have all the gear that you would use to do these activities, unlike professional models. The photos supposedly end up looking more realistic to the people you're trying to attract, and normal people can be easier to work with than professional models (though I'm not so sure the photography crew thought that after spending the day with us!)

Whatever the case, that was the thinking behind the recent photo shoot in the southern Flinders. We got an email saying they were looking for cyclists for the photo shoot and we thought it would be a fun thing to do for a day. We couldn't make it to the 'try out', where they evaluated your clothes and physique (oh darn!), so we got demoted to the waiting list. For the day we were available, the only other woman who showed up at the tryout was 4'8" tall. They didn't think she would be a good match with Kev (6'2"), the guy who had come, so they asked me to come instead. That meant Dave couldn't go, but after all was said and done, I think he was happy to have avoided it!

Kev and I drove up to Jamestown on Monday afternoon, and met the photo crew for dinner that night. After dinner, they came around to each of our rooms to evaluate our clothing and select our outfits for the next day. It was really strange having 5 strangers come into my room and sort through my clothing -- not something I'd want to do on a regular basis! Also, it was a bit funny because the clothes they selected for certain activities, like kayaking, were clothes that I would never wear while doing those activities (so much for the concept of making it look more realistic by having people who actually do the activities be your models!)

Anyways, they told us that we should be ready to leave by 6:45am the next morning, and so we had an early night. The morning came, and Kev and I had loaded our bikes and were ready to roll by the designated time. Strangely, the crew was still eating breakfast at 6:45am. That should have been our first clue. Finally, about 30 minutes later, the team was finally ready to head off to Alligator Gorge for photos.

We spent the day at a number of scenic locations, posing in our biking and hiking gear for the photographer. Kev and I were matched up as partners, which was a bit weird since he's probably in his late 40s or early 50s. Usually we had on helmets or hats, so hopefully the age difference wasn't too noticeable! The photo shoots of us typically involved Kev laughing a lot, and saying how ridiculous he felt, and me trying to reassure him and tell him he was doing a good job.

I was so thankful that we were matched up as partners, because he was really easy-going and fun. The other 'talent' being photographed on the same day was a couple that looked like Ken and Barbie, except in their 50s. They had recently gotten into cycling and both had very nice new bikes. Amazingly, they had never been as far north in South Australia as the Flinders, even though one of them grew up in Adelaide! (This is a common trend amongst Australians--most of them have been to many other countries, but have seen very little of their own country. They generally seem to think that they can see Australia when they get old and become 'gray nomads'. It's sort of too bad because there are a lot of things to do in Australia that you wouldn't or couldn't do as a gray nomad. But, that's a subject for another blog...)

The photography crew (apart from the photographer) looked like they had never been outside before, which was a little odd, since we were taking photographs of outdoor activities. They wore tall boots, tight jeans and spent most of their time unsuccessfully trying to get reception on their iPhones and telling the 'talent' to suck in their guts. Way to build confidence, guys!

We did get to go to some beautiful spots, including Alligator Gorge and a winery near Melrose, SA. And, I had my makeup done for the first time ever! I was not exactly thrilled about having my makeup done because I was a mountain biker in the photos, and I would never put on makeup before going mountain biking. I suppose that's not saying much since I never wear makeup anywhere, but, it really seemed silly for a mountain biker to wear makeup. But, I did feel better about having my makeup done when I learned that Delta Goodrem's makeup artist was doing my makeup. Even if it was silly, at least I can now say that I've had my makeup done in the back of a car at a sheep station by Delta Goodrem's makeup artist! I have to admit that I actually didn't know who Delta Goodrem was (I've since looked her up on Wikipedia), but she's quite famous in Australia, and tours in the US. I guess we'll have to listen to some of her music...

We didn't end up eating lunch until about 4:30pm because we fell so far behind schedule. To be fair, it was the crew's first day of shooting, but I was shocked at the lack of time management skills (which began with the late start). I think it was a combination of the photographer getting lost in his work and losing track of time, and the crew paying more attention to their iPhones than the clock. Though I don't think I'd ever volunteer to be 'the talent' again, it was a fun experience, and I came out of it with a nice gift certificate to a local bike shop and a new riding friend (Kev). Not bad at all. And, maybe, I'll even make it into some of the tourism materials for SA cycling. I'll be sure to share them if I do!