They say that a super mum and a super dad will pave your way and I cannot disagree with that! It was a lovely experience for me to take some portraits of this well-knit family. Elisa and Vittorio are amazingly caring and attentive parents and their two little princesses adored them! Both Livia and Amelia displayed enchanting, bubbly and strong personalities, apart from being extremely cute!
I had almost forgotten these shots of my aunt taken at her home. At the time I used to compulsively browse on the internet and when I saw whatever I thought would be appropriate for a photoshoot or would inspire me, I would buy it. I had put my hands on this black velvet hat, which reminded me of the Amish. My Aunt Angela had beautiful eyes and a wrinkled skin. That day (we were at hers for lunch) I had asked her to pose for me, for a couple of quick shots. Overcoming her usual shyness, she had accepted to play the role and this is the memory we have.
God could not be everywhere, therefore He made mothers ~ Jewish Proverb
I babysat Alessia and her brother Marco for 5 years. And when I first saw her, she was 5 years old. Once I remember holding her in my arms to a doctor’s visit. Time has passed but I kept in touch with her parents as we became friends. It was a pleasure for me to take some photos of her and her mum Raffaella one evening in September 2014. They had recently moved house and there was plenty of free space near their new home and this is where we met. I really fancy the black and white shots!
When I arrived in Newbury, in July 2013, Gina was really the first person I spoke to and who welcomed me. I rented a room at her place between 2013 and 2014. I still remember with delight her warmth and friendliness. In July 2014 I had the pleasure of taking some shots of her together with her husband John and one of their nieces in Victoria Park. Unfortunately, we lost touch over the last few years and it’s a real shame, because I really miss her smile and her laugh!
My first shoot of 2014 shows a family that I love! Even though we are not blood related, I consider them as part of my family. Chiara and Pietro, I have “known” them since they were in the belly of their mum, yes, they are our neighbors! Throughout the years I have also met more times Lisa and Margherita, their first cousins who live just out of Parma. We met at their grandparents house and they posed for me.
In case you wonder whether they are twins, they are not: they were born 3 months apart!
Don’t ask my why this happened…
Sara and Martina are the daughters of my cousin’s husband from an earlier marriage and are, in an extended way, part of my family. In the summer of 2012, they were respectively 9 and 13 years old. I was struck by their liveliness, friendliness and their acrobatics skills: it seemed to me that they had NO limits in their flexibility! Sara was extremely lively, Martina was very sensible and was teaching her sister artistic gymnastics. Enjoy their photos, and copy them if you can!
Excuse me, what’s that?!
Daddy’s girls!
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
A wedding bay between Parma & Livorno, 3/09/2011.
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!
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.
Looking at these pictures (dated July 2011), makes me feel that I would like to go back, just to spend a few hours surrounded by nature and good company!
Chiara, Pietro, Lisa, Margherita, Mara, Cris and Romy, thanks for welcoming me to your special place! Enjoy this lovely photo-memory!
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.
It feels strange to look back at these photos and realise that they were taken 12 years ago! It was the 30th May 2011 and my grandmother passed away a year and a half ago and in these snapshots she was celebrating her 80th birthday (well, as you see, chocolate cake has always been a big family hit!). Still, it’s reassuring to see that Grandma had fun (yes, she always loved dressing up and taking the role of an actress!).
I am very happy to have kept these visual memories and I know that she would be glad to see them posted on my blog!
Elena Arvasi Portrait Photographer 