portraiture – Page 13 – Elena Arvasi Portrait Photographer

Portrait serie on the beach [Sangatte, 2012]

25 November 20236 July 2024Posted in Personal & others, portraitureLeave a comment

Whilst I was working on the campsite, one of my colleagues (his name was Denis) was also keen on his camera. More specifically he was into sports cars photography. I don’t remember whether I asked him to take some portraits of me OR whether he asked me to go on the beach for a couple of photos, and I accepted. The sure thing I recall is the place: it was the beach of Sangatte! It was a grey Sunday morning, with some sea breeze, but the pictures of this session came out well. You nailed it, Denis!

I love this close-up!

Don’t ask me why, but I am obsessed with this one…Is it for the symmetrical layout of the poles?!

Chin down and hair up!

Voilà, a classic shot to end this serie!

Pauline [Saint-Omer, 2012]

21 November 20236 July 2024Posted in portraitureLeave a comment

Although many years have passed since this shoot, I still vividly remember Pauline’s vivacity and ambition, her lust for life and a sort of an optimistic bubbliness. She also had beautiful blue eyes! When I offered to take some pictures of her, she accepted with enthusiasm, so we went for it without reservation!

Clelia [Parma, 2011]

11 November 202329 September 2024Posted in portraitureLeave a comment

Impossible not to remember this photo session that can be labeled as epic! Clelia is a powerful, expressive artist. More specifically, she is an actress. It was with immense pleasure that I took these portraits of her, in November 2011. The atmosphere was slightly surreal: it was a misty, cold morning and the location was a great fit for our purpose : an old furnace in the outskirts of Parma. Her red hat was outstanding as were her gesture and élan. I really hope you can get a glimpse of her willful and lively nature from these shots. The editing of some photos makes them look like images of the 1970s.

Diana [Parma, 2011]

2 November 202329 September 2024Posted in portraitureLeave a comment

I gave this shoot the title of: “Grace and her elegant morning”. How cute was that?! So the reality is that the name of the model is Diana, She is an extremely elegant and smart woman, she is powerful, a real no-nonsense woman and also so graceful! It was enchanting for me to work with her for a full hour at Parco ex Eridania I love Diana’s style of dress and movement! The picture of her wearing the hat reminds me of Jack Lemon in the film “Some like it hot” (same hat style!).

Dated 18/11/2011

Eleonora [Parma, 2011]

29 October 202329 September 2024Posted in portraitureLeave a comment

I met Eleonora through a mutual friend, in my University days. She was aware of my passion for photography, which she shared. So I took some portraits of her on a damp, gray autumn morning. The color of the flower she carried brightened the whole, as well as her sweet personality, her deep dark eyes and the beautiful, super-cozy coat she was wearing!The firs images were taken in a coffee shop, whilst the second location was ai Giardini di San Paolo. Enjoy this photo-memory dated 26/10/2011.

Below my favourite!

Matilde [Parma, 2011]

28 October 202329 September 2024Posted in portraitureTagged 2011, digital, matilde, october, parma, photographic blog, portraiture, teenagerLeave a comment

I took some shots of Matilde in October 2011. At that time she was 15 years old (not far from turning 16). When you are at that age, your life is busy: there’s school, there are friends (of all types!), sport activities, your mobile is always in your hands and you can be grumpy, especially with your parents and siblings.

I was a teenager a long time ago but I still remember feeling neither one thing nor the other. Everything seemed complicated. Adolescence is a strange, delicate turning point. Childhood is behind you but the future is ahead of you and you don’t know where you belong. Dualism is extremely accentuated and is a typical trait of this phase of life: on one hand, you are carefree but, on the other, you need to be serious. You are too young to be involved in certain things but too grown up for others.

Matilde has always looked more grown up that she actually was. She has always been responsible, sharp and with clarity in mind. I was very happy to spend an hour with her and her auntie!

Below, my favourite!

Francesca [Viadana, 2011]

21 October 202329 September 2024Posted in portraitureTagged 2011, adults portraiture, digital photography, elena arvasi, francesca, nature, photography portraiture, sabbioni del po, september, sonnentanzerin, sun dancerLeave a comment

I met Francesca at university, we were on the same German course and hung out together for a while. She is a sweet, sensible, playful and artistic soul and has always had a connection with dance. You can detect that, thanks to a couple of extra pictures (showing Francesca as a young dancer) that I have attached to this article with her permission!

I wanted to take portraits of her in the nature. I opted for an unusual location where I had never worked before, a poplar grove adjacent to the bank of the River near Viadana. We decided that the theme of this shooting would be “Sonnentanzerin” (meaning “Sun dancer” in German) and it was a fitting choice: we wanted to capture dance steps, free body movement in an open space and…Gosh! it was S U N N Y!

To be a late September day, it was hot and the light was overwhelmingly bright and sharp. Too much of a strong, whitish light, everywhere, to put it mildly. Back in these days, overexposure was my photographic signature (with a couple of other weird stuff, that I won’t be mentioning there 🙂 so honestly I don’t know how I managed to handle that!

Enjoy these memories that I am happy to share!

1st location: poplar grove

The photo below shows how bright and sharp the light was that morning

These 2 pearls say something about Francesca’s connection to dance (her gentle concession):

Medal winner, yep!

2nd location, the beach, also know as “i sabbioni”:

Mysterious and pretty!!

Roberto [Torrechiara, 2011]

18 October 202329 September 2024Posted in portraitureTagged 2011, digital photography, friend, portraiture, roberto, september, torrechiaraLeave a comment

Roberto (Robby to his friends!) is a nice guy, in fact, I’d rather say that he is handsome! He is tall, with a good body shape and has deep blue eyes! And girls, heads-up: he is not only handsome, he is also a real gentleman! It was with great pleasure that I took some portraits of him in the beautiful location of Torrechiara. It was a warmish late September afternoon and we got the right light. The editing of these old shots makes me smile: I find them quite creative, naive and multi-faceted! I have also included some of Robby’s favorite possessions: sunglasses and pc, that’s cool!

Angela [Paris, 2011]

14 October 202329 September 2024Posted in portraitureTagged 2011, angela, beauty shoot, montmartre, parisLeave a comment

Angela is from Naples but has lived in Paris for many, many years! She IS a beautiful woman: her features, her coloring, her physique but also her personality would strike anyone! She is positive, lively, curious, sociable, artist (she is involved in theatre) and she is always on the go!

She asked me to take some artsy shots of her at Montmartre cemetery, while she was dressed as an angel. Back in those days (it was September 2011), I too was living in Paris and we were introduced through a common friend, so we met up one afternoon and just let loose! Although it was the first time that we had met, I am delighted with the results, I believe that her beauty, the location and her expressive natures shone through!

My favorite below!

The best shot [2011]

8 September 20233 November 2025Posted in blog, Personal & others, portraitureTagged 2011, cousins, elisa, family, federico, granddaughter, grandmother, ines, love, parma, photography, silvia maria, weddingLeave a comment

I don’t know, maybe it’s the way Ines is leaning on Silvia, as if she was there to protect her, or maybe it’s the fact that Silvia is closing her eyes but she is smiling at the same time, seizing this loving moment, completely trusting her grandmother…For these reasons this is my favorite shot of that day, taken at Elisa and Federico’s wedding reception. As spectators, we enjoy admiring beautiful pictures, but we also need to connect to people, and photography allows that! I am proud of this shot, that technically is far away from being perfect, but when I look at it, a good feeling warms me up. And this is also what photography is about.

Merle [Parma, 2011]

2 September 202329 September 2024Posted in blog, portraitureTagged 2011, blog, friends, merle, parma, photographic blog, photography, photography portraitureLeave a comment

Merle is a German friend who came to visit me in Parma at the beginning of summer 2011. Back at those days, I considered the camera a toy, so we played with it! Two mini (relaxed!) portrait sessions emerged. I have attached some of her pictures. I think that she has a very sweet, delicate smile.

27/06/2011

Thank you Merle for this shot…I don’t know why I was hugging the tree!

Verena [Parma, 2011]

30 August 202329 September 2024Posted in portraitureTagged 2011, elena arvasi, parma, photographic blog, photography, photography portraitureLeave a comment

Here are some of Verena’s portraits taken by me. I have always been fascinated by big, blue eyes, possibly because they are the opposite of mine, which are tiny, almond shaped and deep brown. It was a lovely June afternoon (not too warm, if I recall correctly) and Parco Ferrari was the perfect location for this shoot.

“I should’ve known the eyes. Wide, bright blue, and something about the delicate arc of the lids: a cat’s slant, a pale jeweled girl in an old painting, a secret” – “The secret place” by Tana French