I took some portraits of this lovely family last weekend and I’ve been on tenterhooks for a week… I used two analogue cameras, the Canon EOS 850 and the AT-1. I’d already used the EOS 850 (which is fully automatic) with good results, whereas the AT-1 was a complete unknown to me. To be frank, I’d NEVER used a fully manual film camera before! So before I started, I was quite nervous…Luckily, the girls were two natural models; the older one was spontaneous and calm, and I loved the way the little one posed in front of the camera, she was so at ease, you can tell that she enjoyed it, just like a real actress!
Cristiano and Maria, thank you for the trust you’ve given me, and see you soon for a summer series of shots!
The sensation of being stuck persists. You know when a photo seems to capture your state of mind? The one below (taken yesterday with my IPhone) sums up pretty well this period: finding myself in a tough time, with signs of hope and improvement on the horizon!
I am focusing on rebuilding skills, trying to be practical whilst taking decisions. I want to be more consistent in my daily routine.
I had an afternoon of shopping last Saturday and came back to buying jeans again (gently but firmly pushed by Raffaella!)
The furry babies (hidden by momma’s body in the foto, and close to their aunt), who should join me at home in June, seem determined to grow up healthy and really sweet, as their brilliant breeder is confirming!
We are being blessed by an incredibly beautiful spring time, with crystal blu skies often peaking out over the Cathedral. The flowering season is in full swing and the shades of green on the meadows are stunning!
I’d been wanting to record a conversation about my photography for a long time. It’s something I labeled as a “personal project to empower me to express myself”. Coming from a background of thick shyness, I’ve always acted more as a careful listener than a talkative chatterbox. I feel extreeemely uncomfortable about being filmed, which is why I’ve always opted for writing. However, I believe that “some kind of a chat/interview made with friends” might be a suitable form of expression for me and who knows, I might I might get started with podcasts😝
Alice and I met at the park yesterday: we hadn’t prepped for this talk, she didn’t have a list of questions, I hadn’t any reply ready on my end. Before diving into it, we had a long chat about our lives in this very moment (it’s a messy time for both of us, for different reasons). We laughed in front of the iPhone, little pause, then we went through it and…I discovered that I liked it! I hope I’ve been brief and clear and that the outcome we got is a deep, enjoyable conversation, maybe even too deep😅? Now, I am seriously tempted to add in the next days some photos of Alice’s daughters to this article…
P.S. EN speakers, feel free to activate the subtitles using the platform’s automatic tools
On Friday morning, I was captured by the intensity of the colours of dawn, it was a quick escalation of deep, glowy yellows, oranges and reds. It felt like I was in the desert, and yet I was in Via Mazzini!
That same day, I received tarot cards from my friend Daria, premises of good tidings (underneath the video).
Cards drawn: • Three of Pentacles • Temperance • Four of Swords (reversed)
These form a very clear pattern: cooperation → balance → recovery from strain.
General reading (overall direction): this is a repair phase for Elena, not a resolution phase yet. The foundation is being rebuilt. The main dominant card is Temperance which is one of the strongest cards for stabilization and healing.
Overall meaning in the coming weeks: • Emotional balance returning • Situations improving slowly but steadily • Conflicts cooling down • Recovery from a stressful period • Rebuilding strength in multiple areas of life
This is not a chaotic or destructive period. It is a controlled healing phase.
I am late in publishing this post, which marks the end of 2025. I feel like I am into a slow phase, even though it is the contrary indeed as a lot of stuff is happening.
2025 was a year of action and turning points. It was relentless, fast, hard but good. I believe I reached a wider maturity and self-awareness. Some of the blessings were a renewed courage and the enormous and uplifting love and support received from many friends throughout this season. On many occasions I felt accepted and cherished, I could also express a part of my inner-self while working with kids, with a positive team’s impact.
At moments I felt stuck, however there was always something, there was always a chance around the corner and something was about to happen. I spent most of this year trying to treat an inflammation (which has not yet completely gone away), taking cortisone and experiencing blurred vision in my itchy left eye, thanks to the after-effects of a nasty viral infection of the cornea. Let’s just say that I can now ask to 2026: “Please, give me the boring!!”
In spring I moved to Parma, where I stayed for 6 months, then left for Bristol and returned to Parma by the end of the year. Not having found my way yet, and dealing with my mother’s concerning symptoms, memory wise (now also under a physical stand point, as she broke her femur in December) were painful mark points that led me to take practical decisions “under fire”.
The end of the year came with a busy schedule and I had to manage my emotions whilst handling obligations. The past weeks were mentally noisy and emotionally tense. I lived this period with a sense of strain, worry, unclearness. But I believe that this situation is temporary and NOT a catastrophe!
In this very moment progress is slower than I want. I am juggling more demands and I am not having a clear mind to be able to think about myself. I need to give myself priorities, balancing support for my mother and with my own life, without feeling overwhelmed, lost, empty. I want to trust my instincts, not letting fear distorting my daily life. And I believe that I can stay on top of things, even when overwhelmed!!
Earlier on today I spoke on the phone with a friend who said to me: “What do you plan to do with your life? You are meant for great things, but at the moment you are not building anything”. And I replied to her : “You’re right”. And I don’t love that, over the past 10 years, I haven’t carefully worked out myself and that I have lost time in projects that I haven’t fulfilled but it is a privilege to BE HERE NOW. I hope that the “dark ages” of my life are finally gone and I know God has good plans for me and I trust that whole heartedly.
Now it is the moment to pause and to chose a direction. It is rather about planning than acting. I need to weigh options carefully and to look beyond the current mess. May 2026 be to me a year in pursuit of significance, a call for stability and of a time of positive encounters! I pray that I will have the courage to choose something (and someone) that is suitable for me and that I will commit to last.
We decided to organise a photo shooting early on Sunday morning, hoping that the summer heat would be bearable. Well, we were running late and it was hot as hell! Also, there were plenty of bugs in the green area where we met up!! Despite that, the photo session was pleasant, we managed to chat and Claudia was relaxed. She proved herself a brilliant model! I gather that from these images you can notice some aspects of her personality: her inner strength, her pride and a certain level of independence. Claudia, you are such an attractive warrior!!
Over the years, I have realised that the photographer becomes “invisible”. It is the she subject to emerge from the shots, whilst the camera can be a medium and an alibi for the photographer to “hide”. However, my theory is that although the photographer is not seen, he emerges from the photographs, not only for his style, but also for the ‘content’, the colours, the ideas behind a project and for what he choses to emphasise and the way he communicates it.
I am very happy that I was not afraid to show myself and that I had the honour of being photographed by such a powerful, resourceful, perfectionist, well organised and determined artist as Martina Biasetti! Thank you, Martina, for these candid portraits, as I cherish them!!
I hadn’t been taking pictures for 9 months. I believe I had a creative block. Or maybe I was just stuck, generally speaking, in my life. This situation, especially when prolonged, is usually considered as bad. However, the unraveling of this process, let me realise that the deepest growth is highly LIKELY TO HAPPEN during our pauses. We believe that we are stagnant and we well might feel that nothing is happening, whilst we are silently moving onwards instead.
As I wanted to put myself back into the game gently, I asked Laura and Filippo, two longtime friends (who are both super cute, they are high school sweethearts, and in case you wonder, Yes, we all were in the same high school in Parma!) to pose for me and they accepted. We found a quiet field in Marore to have an undisturbed photo-shooting and the weather was enviable: at 6:30 pm we got 28 degrees Celsius with low humidity, there was a pleasant breeze, and…the glowy golden hour light was just around the corner!
Before getting started, I was really nervous, and I asked myself: “Am I still able to do that?”, “What if these pictures will not be of good quality?” But then, ONCE we started and actually the more we were into it, it was flawless! Not only their session went as smooth as silk, but it was such GOOD FUN! I am delighted with the outcome of these shots because they are candid and effectively bring out traits of Laura and Philip’s personalities in a spontaneous way. Also, their bond and love is worthy of admiration!
I have known Lisa and her family since she was 7 or 8 years old. I’ve always liked her personality and, even though we didn’t hang out that much over the years, we’ve never lost sight of each other. I was pleased to discover that she was expecting a baby and, when she asked me to take her maternity photo shoot, as she “felt comfortable with me”, I had one of those happy moments! One piece of information you might need to know about Lisa is that she has clear idea and she comes straight to the point: she is aware of her expectations and says it to your face. I had ideas on how to organise the shoot, she had some too, but apart from an initial disagreement about removing her glasses (I said to her: “You have beautiful eyes, show them!”), everything went smoothly. Lisa, you are blessed: your family is so loving and tight, Mirko adores you and thank God, we had beautiful summer weather that night! I can’t wait to meet your little prince Edoardo!!
Federico is my second cousin and, although we don’t see each other often, when we do, it’s a real pleasure! He and his beautiful wife Elisa share a deep passion for rock music and are profound and interesting people, and the same goes for their two kids who, besides being extremely polite, are clever, sensitive and artsy: I can tell that a vein of genius runs in this family! Also, they are both fond and proud of their parents.
We met in Marore on a Sunday morning and the spring weather was acting crazy: from bad to good and back again in the space of a short time. I placed them in the shade and focused on the composition. I am pleased with these results and I find that the white sheet was not bad idea at all, especially on the edited in black and white! Last point, their dog Perla turned out to be a rebel super star: not only did she not obey anyone’s commands but she was also extremely photogenic!
I have taken photos of this family since their wedding day (even though I wasn’t their official photographer!) and portraits of Arianna since she was in Diletta’s belly 🥰 I have known Diletta since we were kids (we went to the same church and were in class together in the high school) so when she started dating Davide, he too officially became part of our long-time-friends group. Said that, I find that shooting with friends is even more difficult as you are personally connected with them and don’t want to disappoint them, you want to be fun! The bright side is that they trust you and are comfortable with you and, based on my experience, people look GREAT when they feel GOOD in front of the camera! On this occasion my goal was to focus on the composition during the shooting and on the layout in the editing phase. We got a nice spot in an urban area, the good light and we even managed to have a few shots in front of the white sheet that was hanging from the tree 😆
When I think my life is busy these days, I forget to imagine what it would be like if I had a child! Last weekend I had the pleasure of taking some shots of Ludovica’s kiddo, who is a bright, cheeky and wonderful, little “earthquake”. He definitively had a blast in his natural environment, the garden, under the protective eyes of his momma! It seemed to me that he would never run out of his energy 🙂 The time flew by in a pleasant way: it was great to see the strong bond between the little one and his super momma and it was almost sad for me, at the end of the afternoon, to carry back to my car the photo equipment! Enjoy these shots!
I would define film photography as grainy and raw. Some of Yasaman and Giacomo’s photos taste old and new at the same time. Anyway, the golden hour light of that day was breath-taking! I am overall pleased with these results, considering that it was my 1st experiment with the eos 850. Enjoy!
A couple of weekends ago, I had the real pleasure to take some portraits of this gorgeous newlywed couple. Yasaman is Iranian whilst Giacomo is from Parma: granted to say, they are both beautiful! Working with them, at one point, I had the feeling that I was photographing two professional models😚 Their love is genuine and well-grounded. I wish them both that their bound can grow more and more and strengthen them! Enjoy their JOY!
We met 1 hour and a half before sunset in a urban area in Parma and took advantage of a stunning golden hour light. I am now becoming increasingly confident with my R6 Mark II, even though I did not renounce to try a new acquisition, a Canon EOS 850 film camera, hence 2 different photographic moments within the same shooting session.
During the last week-end I took some portraits of my dear friend Laura and her beautiful toddler Ludovica in a field in Marore. As the light was intense, we shot in the shade. Having worked with the new Canon R6 Mark II a very few times (this was actually the 1st time I used it outdoors), I was not super confident and this was actually a test session for me. Anyway, I am impressed by the capabilities and potential of this mirrorless camera! I like these shots because they are candid, spontaneous and neat. A tenderness, a tranquillity and a sense of ‘discovery’ emerge from them. Ludovica is an independent, silent and keen observer and is very attached to her great momma!
Elena Arvasi Portrait Photographer 