Gosh, to be a July morning, it was chilly! I had the pleasure to take some portraits of this sporty and young gentleman in a field near Saint-Omer and to chat with him. The sky was grey and the rain was on and off but the result the result was gratifying. Enjoy this photo memory!
Angela, Angela, what can I say about her…Photographs tell more than words! Angela is from Naples but has lived in Paris for two decades now. I met her through mutual friends while I was having an internship there and we did a couple of shoots over the years. These are the very first photos I took of her, dated early July 2012. Angela is beautiful, her sparkling soul is all in her eyes! She is alive, she is always on the go and is surrounded by a genuine enthusiasm that involves other people. The theme of the shoot was “Charleston dancer” of the Roaring Twenties.
We were hosted by a friend (Thanks, Francesca!) who lived in an evocative, very Parisian flat in Montmartre. There were also Francesca’s lovely cats roaming around (who got extra cuddles)! Back then, I realised how vital can be the pictures of the details, taken during the preparation phase. Enjoy this visual memory!
The cats in the bathroom ♡
WOW, charmers!
Angela’s joie de vivre!
You, beauty!!
My favorite below
Impossible NOT to finish this serie if not with this one…
That I worked for a few months as a secretary, on a construction site in northern France, you are already aware of that. But you might not remember that one day the guys took me to the construction site, in the phase where they were laying the gas pipes. The muddy, dusty, noisy pathways gave me a different perspective from the daily routine in the office which I enjoyed!
I met Katell in 2010, whilst doing an internship in Paris. We kept in touch since then, even although we haven’t met for several years now. I took these portraits of her in the spring of 2012. We were in a park in Paris (but I don’t remember which one!). Katell is a warm and welcoming person, open to others, with a hint of shyness so I really appreciated her willingness to pose for me as a model and a muse! What did these images reveal? Herself! : her unveiled spontaneity, her sweetness, a radiant, artistic side of her personality and… also a sensual one!
And now folks, the crazy part of the shoot…the lake with the swim fins!! She didn’t dive into it, though.
I love this one!
It was late April 2012 and a long weekend was ahead of me. Together with a friend, we decided to go to Rotterdam for a 3 days trip, as it was super easy to reach by train and relatively cheap. As my first time in the NL, it was a success: we got there right in time to celebrate Koniginnensdag (27/4)! I always heard of their open-minded and tolerant culture, however being there allowed me to fully acknowledge the uncomplicated, practical attitude and the steadfast, positive thinking of Dutch people. Throughout history, they have been able to merge the traditions of their past with the modern needs of the present, looking forward to ambitious goals of the future. We could admire an “oranje” triumph of shirts, hats, crowns and every sort of gadgets!
Even though I am not interested in modern architecture, I enjoyed the modern buildings and skyscrapers. Rotterdam was clean and tidy and I could notice a precise order, based on a simple, schematic disposition of many lines.
In April, on a Saturday morning, my friend Caroline drove me to Berck-sur-Mer and then to Étaples military cemetery. I left a piece of my heart on that insanely vast, light beige sanded beach. Berck is famous for its kites competition and, as there was one, I took some shots of these flying sheet 🙂 Many children had fun that day. In the afternoon, we headed to Étaples Military Cemetery. I love those commemorative places for their very simple and squared architecture. Also, I have always enjoyed history and remembering and honoring the past, and the people who fought and died for our own freedom, it is righteous.
A close-up of Caro!
Étaples cemetery
Because of my Italian heritage, I have always known the principles of Carnival. I remember lovely, fancy dresses that my mum would buy me on that occasion, to go to a children’s party (see the last picture of this article!). I stopped dressing-up when I was a teenager. However, when in Rome, do as Romans do! So, while I was in Saint-Omer, I could experience the craziness of the Carnaval of Dunquerque (to remember their dead fisherman, throughout the years), which I thought brought these principles to the “really next level”! It was a triumph of a very specific libertine style, it was noisy, had even too much colour, and people were uncomplicated, and delighted to have their picture taken! Even though colour was one of the main characters of this parade, I find that the most powerful shots, below, are possibly the ones in B&W. Enjoy these pictures dated March 2012!
Getting to the party! February 1992…
Elena Arvasi Portrait Photographer 