It is not a given to take pictures of kids in studio, partly because their expansiveness does not fit well in an enclosed space that tends to be shaded, and partly because indoors it can be more difficult for them to comply with the photographer’s instructions😁 Besides that, Giulio’s shots that follow below were taken in December 2014: they are colorful and funny, and reflect his spontaneous, lively and strong-willed personality. Enjoy these photo-memories!
Now back to Memory Lane in December 2014, with these archive photos of Silvia, taken at Carlo Urbani Foto Studio, whilst she was expecting her first girl. I love when photography shows aspects of the personality of the subjects. Reviewing some of these images, I smile observing Silvia’s lively wit, her enthusiasm and excitement about upcoming baby Matilde!
“Girls will be girls, boys will be boys”, exactly as the song says! It was a real delight to capture some spontaneous moments of playful and affectionate connection between these cousins, both lively and determined in mastering their activities! Also, their mommas are 2 stars 🌟🤩
Nigel: “Excuse me, can we adjust the attitude? Don’t make me feed you to one of the models” – “The Devil wears Prada”
As a child, I was never a super girly girl: I did not crave for pink, purple, sparkly, shiny things, I didn’t use to play with little jewels nor looked for twirly dresses or tutus. I was more into pets, I loved to swing and to bike 💕 I began taking pleasure in dressing “in a certain way” in the high school, even though it took me a few more years to overcome my legendary shyness to pose in front of the camera.
What I have recognized, over time, is that there is a silent and vibrant beauty in me and that I know how to dress tastefully. All this can be a strength, a power which sometimes…freaks me out! Have you ever felt scared because you felt real pretty or real good at something? Uhm, you will say: “Elena, this is contradictory and sounds crazy”, and I cannot blame you! The other aspect of my personality that you might ignore, as it is quite underlaid, is the level of ambition and competitiveness that I can have: it’s like a driven force motivating through events and situations, pushing me towards goals achieving. Sometimes I feel it is a bit unbalanced and maybe insane 😅 Last but not least, I confess: in my no longer girlish fantasies, I have dreamt ending up on the cover of Vogue magazine! And there is photo evidence to prove that!!
At this point, as I have already opened up too much, I am finishing this article with a big Thanks to my friend Maria who is a talented artist, who patiently took these portraits of me in 2014!
“If you want something done, do it yourself”…How many times have I heard this phrase in my life? Luckily for me, I have never lacked of good ideas, as well as the ability to ask for help in case of need, so in November 2014 I hired my neighbours, who are friends, to help me promote my photography business. The pictures below can prove our motivation…Hip hip hooray, teamwork!
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!
Martina is a sales person who loves her job and is committed to it, she is good at it. However, shall something not work out any longer on this direction, I can tell that she could make a living as a model! She has beautiful features, a good body shape and she knows how to dress. She is also quite relaxed in front of the camera. In 2014 she happily agreed to pose for me as a model, while Alice was making a video advert to promote my photography activity. That evening of September we got a magic Golden Hour light! Enjoy the results…
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
The time you spend with somebody you love and admire is never wasted. Laura and I are the same age, we met at high school, although we were not in the same class. Laura is a Doctor and loves her job, which is also a vocation, but she also has a strong artistic inclination. Can you believe that, during our teenage years, we were both part of the school’s drama group?! That was a lot of fun!
That morning of September 2014, I went to her house, we had coffee, chatted and went out in the park close by, where we took these pictures. The purpose was not to make some serious photography, rather to entertain each other and I hope that, as of today, she can confirm to you it was fun for her also! I love these images as she is spontaneous, being her lovely self and guys, have you noticed her mesmerizing deep-blue eyes😍?! This old memory is a form of joy and inspiration for me, and a form of life too. Enjoy!
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 