After having photographed a couple of times Giulio, I had the pleasure of taking a few shots of his mum Francesca, a long-time friend. I believe that her mental strength and her irony come through in the photos below. Enjoy these winter memories, taken in a freezing December morning!
I find that Laura’s beauty is algid and iconic. She likes fashion and knows how to dress with gusto, in all circumstances. I am always keen on working with her and she has always been happy to pose for me as a model, perhaps because we both feel like we are going back to the past, when we played together as children. These shots were taken in Carlo Urbani Foto Studio, in December 2014.
Carlo was the first to give me photography lessons in 2010 and he rented me several times his own space to take portraits. His studio has always been a pleasant and cosy gathering place, where apart from taking photos you could also have a chat. On this occasion, he was in charge and he who took the below portraits of me, which I then edited.
Nigel: “Excuse me, can we adjust the attitude? Don’t make me feed you to one of the models” – “The Devil wears Prada”
As a child, I was never a super girly girl: I did not crave for pink, purple, sparkly, shiny things, I didn’t use to play with little jewels nor looked for twirly dresses or tutus. I was more into pets, I loved to swing and to bike 💕 I began taking pleasure in dressing “in a certain way” in the high school, even though it took me a few more years to overcome my legendary shyness to pose in front of the camera.
What I have recognized, over time, is that there is a silent and vibrant beauty in me and that I know how to dress tastefully. All this can be a strength, a power which sometimes…freaks me out! Have you ever felt scared because you felt real pretty or real good at something? Uhm, you will say: “Elena, this is contradictory and sounds crazy”, and I cannot blame you! The other aspect of my personality that you might ignore, as it is quite underlaid, is the level of ambition and competitiveness that I can have: it’s like a driven force motivating through events and situations, pushing me towards goals achieving. Sometimes I feel it is a bit unbalanced and maybe insane 😅 Last but not least, I confess: in my no longer girlish fantasies, I have dreamt ending up on the cover of Vogue magazine! And there is photo evidence to prove that!!
At this point, as I have already opened up too much, I am finishing this article with a big Thanks to my friend Maria who is a talented artist, who patiently took these portraits of me in 2014!
Claudia was a colleague, we worked together for a few weeks on the construction site. I still remember her genuine laugh and her simplicity. When she knew that I was into photography, she asked me some questions about my activity, I asked her to pose for me, she accepted and…we met in Labenne-Océan, where I lived. My place was real close to the Ocean, one of my dreams that became true (even though for a short while)! It was an unusually hot October afternoon, we were not far from 30 degrees. The beach was beautiful and relatively quiet, and the golden hour was just around the corner…
Trying to get serious but, hey, a few photo-bombers dived in our shooting!
I still remember the uncertainties related to that period but also the enthusiasm for the untamed nature of those beautiful place and those beaches that had captured me for their vastness and wildness. I was impressed by the professionalism and the confidence shown by photographer Stéphane Amelinck. I cherish his images!
The change from photographing someone to being photographed as a model can be quick! Here I am, in these fancy pictures dated September 2014, taken by photographers Michele & Luciano Galloni. The difficult point for me it’s not choosing the smart outfit or having the hair in order as…showing up with a smile on my face, being convinced that I will make it! However, as they say: “It is hard, until it’s not!”, you just have to lean into it. Thanks, Michele, for these classy and sharp photos ❤️
I have only met Assunta a couple of times but “the thing” that I connect to her, it’s her smile. In the photos below, don’t you find that even when she is not smiling, she is actually…smiling?! I believe that this is a reflection of an inner, charismatic side of her personality. What also struck a cord with me about her, it’s her vitality, her lust for life. Enjoy these memories, dated September 2014!
Martina is a sales person who loves her job and is committed to it, she is good at it. However, shall something not work out any longer on this direction, I can tell that she could make a living as a model! She has beautiful features, a good body shape and she knows how to dress. She is also quite relaxed in front of the camera. In 2014 she happily agreed to pose for me as a model, while Alice was making a video advert to promote my photography activity. That evening of September we got a magic Golden Hour light! Enjoy the results…
Margot is my friend Claudia’s daughter and the first time I saw her she was an eight months old baby! Time passes for everyone (far too quick!) and so here we are at this photo shoot, dated 13/09/2014, when she was a teenager. I guess that from her look you can see her pleasure of being centre of the attention, her determination, sense of independence and likability! Margot, you are a star!!
Delphine is from Normandy and is a cousin of my friend Claudia and she visited her in Parma. We met for a quick portrait session in Marore (just outside of Parma) one morning in September. After getting over the “awkward phase” (aka the first 10, 15 minutes of the shoot are the most strange and uncomfortable for the subject), everything went according to plan and we managed to have some lovely portraits as final results. Her eyes were beautiful and there was so much in them!
“Humility is one of those virtues that if you have it, you think you do not have it“. The quote is from Italian writer Mario Soldati (1906-1999) and also applies to Maria. She is a humble, vibrant soul. She has a strong artistic talent flowing in her veins like torrens of rain pouring down from the sky. I am touched by the massive positive feedback we got from the pictures she took of me in Parma last week, and I feel grateful to her. It was not the first time we had worked together so, just for…“revenge”, please enjoy a couple of portraits I took of her back in Parma in 2014!
My favorite below
The time you spend with somebody you love and admire is never wasted. Laura and I are the same age, we met at high school, although we were not in the same class. Laura is a Doctor and loves her job, which is also a vocation, but she also has a strong artistic inclination. Can you believe that, during our teenage years, we were both part of the school’s drama group?! That was a lot of fun!
That morning of September 2014, I went to her house, we had coffee, chatted and went out in the park close by, where we took these pictures. The purpose was not to make some serious photography, rather to entertain each other and I hope that, as of today, she can confirm to you it was fun for her also! I love these images as she is spontaneous, being her lovely self and guys, have you noticed her mesmerizing deep-blue eyes😍?! This old memory is a form of joy and inspiration for me, and a form of life too. Enjoy!
Juan is Spanish and he was one of my colleagues during my year in England. I loved deeply the company’s international environment, so friendly and open. Juan was such a cutie and he was happily married to beautiful Maria 🙂 Below you can find some of his headshots, taken in August 2014. Juan, you really look good!
This is the second photo shooting I had with Sarah, Gina’s niece. Back in 2014 she wanted to be a model, and I vividly remember her determination, the pride in her eyes and her somewhat rebellious sense of independence. I hope she succeeded! She was certainly a natural in front of the camera and she felt no discomfort in posing. At moments she reminded me of Kate Moss. We took these shots in Windsor, in a green area during a sultry, overcast afternoon. I am in love with these shots, which reflect character and style!
Elena Arvasi Portrait Photographer 