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Many years ago -- while casting for a Reader's Digest Magazine cover I was shooting -- I met Canadian model, Lisa Crosswhite.  We chatted as I flipped through her portfolio, and I quickly realized that Lisa was an extremely talented and creative young woman with an entrepreneurial spirit.  Although we didn't work together on that specific shoot, we did stay in touch.

Since then Lisa (the model) has starred in many of my images.  From advertisements for GlaxoSmithKline and Meritus Hotels & Resorts, to editorial work for Condé Nast Traveller, to personal creative projects such as "Orphan", I have photographed Lisa numerous times over the years, and we have become close friends as a result.

But when Lisa (the entrepreneur) recently launched Gnossem -- a Singapore-based online fashion retailer -- and asked me to shoot the brand's launch campaign, I was excited for the opportunity for our friendship to grow into a creative partnership.

Lisa wanted the imagery for her inaugural Gnossem campaign to convey a strong sense female empowerment, yet maintain soft, romantic undertones.  Together we chose to shoot the photographic collection at Ku De Ta restaurant and lounge.  Perched atop Marina Bay Sands, teetering 56

stories in the sky, Ku De Ta offers one of Singapore's most spectacular vistas, providing us with a backdrop Lisa felt would "enhance the feeling of celebration and ownership of one’s being."

Featuring fashion artisanship from a handful of independent designers from across Asia-Pacific, including Pepsi Herrera (Philippines), Trioon (Singapore), and Fang Fong Projects (Hong Kong), it was a fantastic day of aesthetic collaboration with Lisa and another fellow Canadian, hair and make-up stylist Andrea Claire.

Watch a Gnossem-produced behind-the-scenes video here and browse more of my advertising photography portfolio here.