Mantova, città dei Gonzaga, di Rigoletto, patria della torta Sbrisolona e come patrimonio dell’umanità, nella lista Unesco. Sarà anche perché mia madre ha origini mantovane, ma ho sempre avuto un debole per questa perla, piantata al centro della pianura Padana. Di inverno, nella nebbia, ed in bianco e nero, è ancora di più se stessa, con tutto il suo charme…Scatti datati dicembre 2012, da una veloce escursione pomeridiana.
A black & white serie (which I cherish!) taken in Parma by Ph. Carlo Urbani on 28/11/2012
Verona puts finely together history, elegance and romance. It was indeed a romantic, misty but warmish week-end of late November that I had the chance to spend in such a beautiful location. Enjoy these photo memories!
Based on my experience, I can say that if children don’t want to do something, it’s better not to insist and keep asking them. That November afternoon of 2012, Adele and Cloe, the daughters of Alice (a dear friend and a videographer), were not in the right mood to pose in front of the camera. At the beginning, fairly for shyness, it seemed to me that they did not want it but also that…they did want it, just for a short time! So I had to adapt to their wishes, and chased them around Parco Ducale for an hour or so! They both ARE beautiful but not only that, they are clever with many talents. On the other hand, having a super mum, the result could only be astonishing! Adele was a beautiful, elegant, calm but also very quick observer whilst Cloe was the smiley rebel who would forcefully lead and engage you in her games. And still has today this buoyant optimism! Enjoy these memories!
During a portrait session, we normally get the best shots at the end of the shooting, as the beginning represents the awkward phase. The selection is a struggle for me and I don’t enjoy that part of the work. I never had the habit of culling backwards and I still don’t do that today however, for once, I have forced myself to go against my natural instinct of visually narrating Francesca’s session from start to finish and uploaded the tail end of our shoot. Enjoy these memories dated November 2012 and her beautiful face features!
This shooting started in a professional way (corporate style) but then, towards the end, we added some magic to it! It was lovely to have sinuous and elegant Francesca as a model in the studio for an hour or so. When I look back at portraits taken in the studio, I realise how much I love shooting indoors, having the power to control the lighting. Enjoy these memories!
I really love the 2 shots below, Francesca your smile is gorgeous!
Giving a different orientation to this one…
Butterfly!
It flew around!
In October 2012 I flew to Hamburg to catch up with friends. This was also an occasion to spend some time with the family I had been Au Pair girl. The father of the little one shares a passion for photography and he created his own little studio in the living room (a principle which I cherish and is one of my plans in a near future). He offered to take some portraits of me. Find below the results, yes, it went a bit crazy with the very wide angle lens!
Laura Fabiano has been in women’s clothing business since 2009. She still is into it, which is really remarkable. You can find her shop in via Nazario Sauro 35/A in Parma. Having a sales activity nowadays is a tough reality, however Laura manages to do what she does in her own business thanks to her proverbial tenacity and passion. She really goes “above” the business, putting her heart into the choice of clothes and accessories. I had the pleasure to take some portraits of her 2012/2013 collection in Cittadella, back in September 2012. With the involvement of two beautiful models (Thanks, Francesca and Viorica!) the shooting was a success.
Gorgeous Laura, your smile comes before you!
I met Sandra via a mutual friend and I had the pleasure to take some portraits of her, in September 2012, in Jardin du Luxembourg. What impressed me most were her inner driven energy and her pride: she was fearless. I was interested to discover that she she is now a full time dancer. Unusually enough, the light that morning was harsh, with lots of contrast but that did not prevent us from taking some remarkable shots!
Madly in love with these two portraits:
My favorite is below
I love this one 🙂
and to finish, just a smile!
Séance photos avec le danseur Mikaël Cerop Ohannessian, Paris, Septembre 2012.
I had the pleasure to meet Mikaël as he was the husband of my friend Angela. Back in 2012, he was deeply into dance and he managed, a few years later, to make his own living with this passion. I have always loved dance (ballet too), even though I cannot really dance 🙂 The movements, the rhythm, the ownership of the space that a dancer has, are fascinating to me. As Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche wrote: “We should consider every day lost, when we have not danced at least once”. Enjoy this photo memory!
The owner of the house where I lived in Saint-Omer had two passions: vintage cars and…the aéroclub de Saint Omer! Luckily, I have never suffered from vertigo, so when he offered to take me out, on a ride on his microlight, I accepted without hesitation. Actually I was really excited about that! Don’t ask me how I managed to take pictures while we were flying over the countryside (without letting the camera drop!). Whilst we were up (it was a glorious summer evening), I wasn’t scared but I still remember the very strong impact of the air on our bodies.
Powerful bodies
That was ours!
Ready, steady…fly!
Sunset was approaching
Safely back to the ground, we are almost there!
This is the photo that struck me most of these sisters shooting. It will be because of its taste of a time gone, which is not so far away, it will because of Sara’s liveliness, of her spontaneous expression, of her curls flying in the air, of the speed that this imae generates, yes, well, the girls seem two fairies. Its title will be “Long live childhood”!
I had the pleasure of taking some portraits of this family back in July 2012. We had the chance to meet up on a beach. The kids, Clara and Adam, were both photogenic. Clara was so outgoing, lively and a bit of a show-off while Adam was as sweet as any almost 1 year old could be! Enjoy this memory!
Her tv advert smile!!
I loved her pink dress
SO cute that it hurts!
Free and light like a butterfly
I don’t really have a lot to say about this shoot, as I can sum it up in one sentence: I loved EVERY SINGLE THING OF IT! I loved them, their love, their passion for life, artistic side, the details at their flat, I loved Paris, the weather of that day, that summer season…There’s just one question I don’t have an answer to, when I look at their shots, will I also experience such passion? Enjoy this loving and lovely memory!
The fact of working in Pas de Calais gave me the opportunity to partially explore the Flemish coast, Belgium being a country that has always attracted me. During a daily trip, I reached by car Ostend, a city “of water and on the water”. The large seafront made me think of a modern metropolis: I had never seen such large, modern buildings overlooking the beach! Ostend is modern but it has an history. The wooden staves supporting pieces of art, the outline of lighthouses like Lange Nelle, plus Sint-Petrus-en-Pauluskerk were stunning. Following the water, the canals creeped into the city, through dykes giving access to the boats. I was impressed by imposing French-style buildings in the city center and in front of the drawbridge road, that interrupted the car traffic as boats were passing. The weather was gorgeous, as a warm summer day and the sky was blue for most of the time.
No idea who these guys are / were but they posed!
Elena Arvasi Portrait Photographer 