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!
Sometimes things start one way and then the lead goes in another direction. This was the case! It had to be a “solo” portrait session that turned up into a group shooting! My idea was to take some shots of Margot (daughter of my friend Claudia), a sprint 8-year-old, sports enthusiast, in her after school, but unexpectedly a small, compact group of kids (who were on the playground) joined us! One point that fascinates me about working with kids, is that they are natural. Even when they are not laughing or playing, they usually have a catching, spontaneous expression. These images are dated 4/10/2011, it was a warmish late afternoon and the light was gorgeous. Enjoy these memories!
Bats-position, hanging upside down!
I have NO clue about how & why we skipped to this “shoes-off-show” part of the shooting! Whose idea was that?!
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”:
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!
I had an internship in Paris in 2010 and I had the chance to travel back in 2011 for a catch-up session with friends. This was a good time of my life and I am a bit nostalgic of “la Capitale”, even though a thing that I don’t really miss is that life there was frantic and tiring: more than once I got the feeling that time never stops in Paris!
And to finish, a beautiful memory of the “Maurini”, the 2 cats owned by my friend Francesca who, at that time, was living in Montmartre!
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!
We jumped on a coach (filled with colors!) on Parma and headed to Livorno. The bride and the groom (my cousin Lara and her husband Sandro) hired a small coach for their guests! I have taken pictures to 5 weddings and I couldn’t miss this one, which actually was my first one as photographer!
Even though she doesn’t live from her art, Lara is a deeply talented artist (poetry!); she has a generous heart and has always been the beauty of our family! Sandro is from Tuscany so, by saying this, I have said it all about him!! He is funny, clever, open, friendly, active, ironic! And he loves Lara to pieces. Their wedding was a joyful gathering, intimate and simple, their guests being mostly friends, with just a few family members (granny included)! It was the only ceremony I have been to, where the guests asked the bride & groom…whether they could dress up, just for fun!! Once they changed their suits, they got really colourful indeed, each of them chose a mono-colour! As Lara told me years later: ” We wanted that day to be a party for everybody, we wanted each of us to feel important”.
Enjoy this beautiful memory!
Little tiger…tiny but roaring!
Now let’s add some color to the day! Jader: travestimento mode is ON!
Would that be a direct message?!
An happy couple
and the husband in color!
Germana, Lara’s mom!
Silvia before…
and after!
How did I manage to make this picture so cool?!
Unforgettable details
Sebastiano!
Two of the flower girls were the daughters of Sandro, the third one was his niece. They were STUNNING! So well behaved!
One of the shots that I cherish more: she is just perfect!
A very smiling wedding officiant
Nailed it!
Seconds after the ceremony
Let’s skip to colors again!
Love is in the air!
Portraits at the seafront
Kids randomly crossed along the seaside…and the posed! This one was selected by PhotoVogue, can you believe it?
The newlyweds and the stunning flower girls
Martina!
Lara, you are beautiful!
Sara!
I can see THEIR LOVE here
I love this photo pretty M U C H !
A delighted groom, convertible into flower man 🙂
Cute wedding favor
Happy Marisa
How could we possibly get that on the dancing floor?!
Happily blurry!
To finish, the fancy blue shoes of the flower girls!
Simple gadgets can offer satisfying results without much of an effort. In fact, it can be difficult to think of anything simpler than balloons and soap bubbles! I am very proud of these photos, taken of my friends Laura & Filippo in August 2011!! Yet the simplicity that shines through is quite disarming! A field in Marore, one summer evening, soap bubbles, balloons, a poster with LOVE cut out (one I made earlier :-). You’ll think that I am crazy…Well this was fun and I take full responsibility for them!
a bit of a poser!!
and now let’s skip to the “serious” part of the shoot!
It was a summer evening (pictures show 27/08/2011) and I had been invited to a concert as 2 friends were part of the group. I have random memories related to that event however, I recall that it was a success, fans were enjoyably entertained! I like the very colorful editing of some of these images without being too ashamed of my primitive technique 🙂
I spent my Erasmus year (back in 2004/2005) in France. I shared a flat with Carlotta & Martina. During that year, we spent a lot of time together, but it was not just related to the fact that we were living in the same place: we went to events and parties together, we traveled together, we helped each other whilst writing our essays, we grew up a lot and learnt to be more patient and understanding one with the other and to see our differences as funny and stimulating. That unique experience created a bond that, I like to believe, will last in time.
In august 2011, Carlotta invited Martina, with her family, and me to her beautiful family compound in Cozzano, in the hills south of Parma. Martina’s eldest son was a toddler, while Carlotta had welcomed her first born weeks before. It was a pleasure for me to “spy” with my camera Giona’s curious and busy activities and to admire the peaceful and defenseless cuteness of baby Dario, well protected in the arms of his mum.
I like his profile, below, and the light contrast, even though you cannot see his face…
Uhm, somebody is running late with the grocery shopping…Luckily Lafayette (the basset hound!) doesn’t seem worried!
Elena is a family friend who has 5 gorgeous boys. In July 2011, she invited my parents and me to spend a few hours at their house in the outskirts of Parma. At that time she (only!) had 4 kids, however when we arrived, there were also young friends of her 2 eldest children. The boys were just…boys in the summer! Lots of lively water games and fun, some fresh drinks and a few tantrums from the youngest one. A most enjoyable afternoon with my camera!
The one below is my favorite, the editing makes me just think of the 1970s. Also, I like the way Emanuele is eying up the camera!
Father Luciano spent many of his parish years defending and hosting immigrants. In Parma he was considered an outsider but he never really cared. In late July 2011 I asked him whether I could take some pictures during the Sunday service. He asked me what the purpose was. I explained that I wanted to document a community, of different cultural backgrounds, coming together during the service and that this would be for my blog, a personal use. He agreed. I was positively impressed by that community that was small but quite tight. There seemed to be a silent harmony. I never saw him after that and, a few years later, I was saddened to acknowledge that he passed away.
“It is better to die for an idea that will live, than to live for an idea that will die” Steve Biko.
In memory of Father Luciano Scaccaglia (1936-2016), priest and non-violent activist.
Many years have passed since Giorgia’s graduation, that was a lovely aperitivo night! There were many friends and I remember that she received lovely and practical presents!
The best shot, from Casalbaroncolo’s session, is in my opinion this portrait of Margherita. I cherish it because…it is a fresh and pure moment of happiness, frozen in time by the camera. Margherita’s proverbial good character is echoed in the picture. Her laughter, even though you cannot hear her, is incredibly loud! This image passes on to me a feeling of wellbeing.
Elena Arvasi Portrait Photographer 