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 never stop being amazed by the facial power of expression of children and how suddenly it can change. This little girl, who had just turned 2 at the time of this photo shoot, said very few words but made herself understood clearly with her gaze! Her grandmother is a friend of my mother’s, so I offered to take some photos of her grand-daughter and we met in a park close by our neighborhood. The hour we spent together passed real quick, and after a short while, I noticed that the little one began to gain confidence and started to play freely with granny and Max (the smartest, kindest and most patient Poodle I have ever met), looking a bit mischievous but also as an accomplice! Enjoy these lovely memories.
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!
Before reading the article, you can find just below the Vimeo web link of a SUPER CUTE video advert made 10 years ago by brilliant film-maker Alice Carcelli, who is a friend mine. EAP stands for Elena Arvasi Photography and I am pretty sure that nowadays, this ad could pass for a “vintage” thing 🤪 Oh man, I still love so much that tune! My Italian accent whilst speaking English a bit less!! In your place, I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to watch it!
Between 2012 and 2014 I seriously considered working as a freelance photographer. At the time this thought caressed my mind on several occasions! However, after careful reflection, I realized that this wouldn’t be an appropriate or fitting choice for me, on a long term basis. I believe that being a freelance is a matter of character. When you do this kind of job, you need to have the ability to financially support yourself. You have to be willing but also naturally predisposed to fight all the time, and this is a constant. You must be driven and an inner energy is pushing you towards reaching your goals. You need to establish a solid business mindset to deal wisely with numbers and pricing. You have to believe firmly in yourself but you also have be lucky when it comes about making good encounters and establishing purposeful connections (people or customers).
In hindsight, I do not regret my choice of keeping photography as a side hustle whilst my first income comes from a stable office job. I no longer feel the bitterness and the sense of frustration that hurt me years ago about the fact that my life’s purpose was not matching with my dream job. Over the last decade I have evolved, I have become more aware of myself and I have even discovered other passions! Don’t get me wrong, a big part of my heart is in photography and this activity gives me a purposes, it is a devotion, a kind of “service” that I am doing to other people. I have understood and accepted that the fact of not earning my life by “living the dream” doesn’t diminish my qualities or my talent nor label myself. Most of us, we have some form of artistic talent or skills, the important thing is to bring it out, somehow, to make an enriching experience it, to share it and to let it enlighten us.
Young freelancers, please note that this article doesn’t mean to discourage any of you from embarking on a beautiful and challenging career’s type. On the contrary, I admire, respect and cheer for some of you, but at the same time this is a realistic invitation to reflect on your character and needs, as life’s call demands us to discover ourselves and to open up to the world, to understand who we are and what our deepest, truest meaning is, staying honest and loyal to ourselves.
About the photo below, although you cannot see Alice’s face, hidden behind the camera, you can tell you that she was smiling!!
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!
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!
“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
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!
Gina had asked me to take her a series of head shots that she could add onto her resumé, so the results are below. I remember that, even though she tried real hard to keep a straight face, she was laughing. I miss her smile, her big heart and the sound of her laugh!
One of Gina’s nieces had had a baby girl in August. As I had never taken photos of a newborn before, I volunteered to take some shots of her. Gina’s niece, Emma, and her partner agreed, so not only I had the chance to meet 2 weeks old Brooke, but also to work for her 🙂 No matter how many babies I have seen in my life, every time I see one I find it hard to believe that we were all like that: vulnerable, with wrinkly skin, but at the same time, super alert when awake! Brooke, on her side, also had a lot of rebel blonde hair and the fortune to have a big sister who literally adored her: editing their pictures (that are the sweetest and the most meaningful of the whole photo session), I noticed how enthralled she was with baby Brooke!
Maria was a friend and Juan’s wife. In her I saw in herself not only beauty but also strength and endurance. These street shots are dated August 2014 and were taken in Reading, in a gorgeous late afternoon light. Enjoy these memories!
In July summer 2014 I took the Eurotunnel, crossed the Channel and found myself off for a couple of days in Paris as I was hired for a wedding there!! This was also the occasion to catch up with friends who lived in La Capitale and I had the honor to take some portraits of dancer Mikaël. Taking photographs of dancers is easier on one hand, in the sense that there is no ‘direct’ interaction during the photo session. As a photographer, you stay silent, observing them and capturing their poses in pictures, even though your physical involvement is perhaps stronger, than in other types of photo shoots, as well as your inner focus (your concentration is extremely high). It is pleasing to observe Mikaël’s motivation, his passion towards this discipline and it is remarkable that he has managed to make his passion his work. Enjoy these memories!
Time ago, I heard somebody say: “When you are curious, you find plenty of interesting things to do”…. and this statement still makes sense to me, as these portraits of a very young Dario (who was 3 years old when they were taken) clearly support this thesis. I met him at the park with his momma, a longtime friend, on a hot summer afternoon. We had a chat and I got the chance to take some candid shots of this young explorer who is now a 13 years old! Enjoy these beautiful memories!
Elena Arvasi Portrait Photographer 