Within The Bamboo, Beauty Abounds
Story and Photography by Terry Check
After a long day of shooting, “Little Black Samantha”, an updated version of “Little Black Sambo”, the three Bengal tigers, joined me on a journey. It was an ordinary hot, muggy afternoon in Southern Georgia when we came upon an abandoned park, more like an overgrown bamboo jungle. Bamboo cane so tall, the sunshine barely touched the jungle floor. After parking the car, the sensuous tigers, Elle, Amanda and Katee, sprinted intotheir native jungle habitat.
Hoping to capture the tigers in the wild, I loaded my camera with a telephoto lens and made my way into the bush. As I entered, the birds were warbling, and two alligators were sunning themselves on the lagoon bank. Calling out the tigers’ names, I followed their reply. Along the path, I came across Amanda and Katee, playing back-to-back, a great shot that became the cover photo. Shortly afterward, Elle joined the other two tigers, playfully clawing each other.
The Hollywood actress, Elle, motioned to me to follow her as she made her way further into the jungle. In the sunlit background, she struck a few poses as I directed the shots, “Hands to the front, fingers open, shoulders back, head up, lips slightly parted ….. nice photo.”
Wanting to work solo, Katee, a Georgia Tech student working her way through college as a model, caught my attention. “Stand in front of the bamboo bushes, weight on the right hip, left shoulder higher than your right shoulder, fingers framing your eyes …. nice photo,” I called outas she posed for the shot.
Feeling left out of the action, Amanda, stretched down low and started pulling Katee’s blouse. The shot was natural and spontaneous.
Coming around again was Elle, claws stretched out sporting a facial expression of a tiger ready to attack. I took the shot and retreated quickly, only to come across Amanda purring like a kitten, a shot to complete our jungle experience.
The bamboo jungle is fictional, but the three tigers were quite real.
Masquerade Magazine wishes to thank:
Photographer and Art Director: Terry Check
Models: Katee Lee @Click Agency, Elle Sunkara@AMT Agency, Amanda Eden @SBT Agency
Makeup Artist: Isabelle Schreier,
Hair Stylist: Angela Moceri
Fashion Designers: Theary Sim, Tornesha Williams, Milton Aaron
Fashion Stylists: Tornesha Williams, Milton Aaron
Retouch Artist: Limitless Retouch
