Tag: Personal & others

What Social Medias I use

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When I started photography in 2009 it was a simple hobby without any expectations. I had no idea whether I would be good or not. I jumped into it with both feet because I liked taking pictures. After a few years, I had improved my techniques and equipment and I felt the need to get in touch with other photographers or photo-amateurs. I was looking for some inspiration and for their advice. I wanted to learn and grow and for other people to share our experiences and…the Internet was out there, calling for me!

However, narrating my photographic activity and documenting it on social media has been a long and nonlinear path…my hesitancy and perfectionism must have definitively kicked in the process!! Over 15 years I have been on the following platforms, with different outcomes:

  • 2007: I discovered Facebook
  • 2010: I created a WordPress blog which lasted 5 years. In that period I was also was using on a daily basis my Facebook page
  • 2015: I closed the blog (thinking it was something “out of date”) and opened an account on Flickr
  • 2019: Public profile on Instagram
  • 2021: Flickr being almost “dead” + got the feeling that just my Facebook page was not “enough”. Therefore, I went back to my first love, blogging!, as I was missing it and opened this website (that should be closed by the end of this year)… I am not convinced about its layout and navigability!
  • 2023: I opened this blog (the 3rd one) I am writing on now: https://elenaarvasi.com/ I am using and updating it as main tool for my photography

The platform I have loved most and that has given me the most satisfaction is WordPress. It challenges me to express myself, it pushes me to be active on the web and to consider myself as a conceptual artist. Social media has changed my attitude towards work and so many aspects of life. Now we are living and working, in most cases, inside of a technological bubble. Contacts are more frequent and it is easier to discover and follow somebody or something but these contacts can be very superficial. Creating a network on the web is almost essential but often lacks human connection and a deep interaction. A face-to-face exchange makes the difference.

I still believe that a blog is “your face” on the internet, is partly a reflection of your personality and choices and allows a fairly direct approach with the people who follow you. I am thankful to this platform for allowing me to achieve, through learning, developing and persevering, a personal fulfillment and demonstrating to myself that I am capable of reaching my goals, despite the obstacles that I have faced.

Thanks to Francesca for this lovely picture!!

Not a matter of age, a note about friendship [Edinburgh, 2020]

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I am turning 37 years old this week-end. I don’t believe that age is important in relationships and I am not ashamed to confess that I have had many friends who are over 60. Some of them are sadly no longer with us. They have a place in my heart.

I consider a part of myself an old, grumpy person. I can be a loner. Maybe also for these reasons I find it easy to establish a connection or a relationship with older folks.

The age gap can form a sort of a peaceful attachment. Older women especially have had a charismatic impact and a caring presence throughout my life. I have been guided and learnt and absorbed lessons like a sponge. There is no sort of competition or sense of judgement that can happen to people of my age.

Talking recently with a good friend (this week-end she will be 75!) she said: “What plans can you see for me at my age?”. When I hear this kind of sentiment, a part of me becomes grey and I feel sad but I got her point. Sometimes I also ask myself what is the purpose of my journey and what am I fighting for.

We are all human and I reckon that most of us can be frail at times. Age can allow us to see things in different perspectives and with more detachment.

What I have always appreciated in older friends is the fact of being a solid, experienced presence, with their feet planted firmely on the ground. They are like a reassuring oak tree in a society whose pieces are moving and dancing all the time. They are just there. Wise teachers. I am really thankful and I feel blessed for their friendship.

Breath of life, a powerful selfie [Parma, 2020]

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This is a selfie. My friend Francesca, the mum (aka the bump), took it a few days ago in the afternoon, while she was resting with her older daughter Irene (the little hand).

This image, in my opinion, could be suitable for an exhibition; even although it was taken with a mobile in an unplanned moment; even although it is a selfie; even although it is maybe a bit too dark ; even although the quality is not that high. Nothing is missing there. Everything is highlighted and concentrated. There is love, silence, darkness, waiting, hope. Three lives and three hearts close to one another, beating together in such a small, confined space. Everything is captured in this little square mobile upload but the three of them seem ready to jump out of the frame.

I asked Francesca if I could post it on my Facebook page and I hope that this intimate shot will be seen by many, otherwise it would be wasted because it is just perfect. She was delighted for me to do this.

For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully

made; your works are wonderful,

I know that full well – Psalm 138 (139) : 13-14

About team work & relationships [Edinburgh, 2020]

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To me the basis of a good relationship and what makes it last is…that I have nothing to lose in it! I know, even although this sounds dry and cynical, it is not too far from the truth. I firmly believe that mutual esteem is the deepest form of love and respect towards somebody else. If you think somebody is important to you, it means that you have a good opinion of this person who is valuable, just because of the way he or she is and for the inner characteristics of his / her personality. A healthy relationship relies on the “good image” you have of the other.

This must be reciprocated. If this process doesn’t work both ways, there is no growth for the people who are involved, and no matter the kind of relationship we are talking about : it can be marriage, friendship, work etc.

I am usually attracted to somebody, when I have something to learn, when I receive a positive lesson. There must be an exchange, both on the mental and emotional plan. This is enriching and allows me to make steps forward. I want to grow and develop my inner self and I don’t have time to lose.

Maybe overrated to say, but true, unconditional, reciprocal love is rare. Most of the interactions are superficial and I accept that but I do take out the best of myself when I feel loved (aka esteemed) by the other. I have loved in depth only a few people till now. Honestly, only a few relationships can be life-lasting. When it happens, I don’t let them go. I want them to stay with me, by my side.

I have always prayed to the Lord to help me encounter and keep close to me people who would love, encourage, strengthen, inspire and teach me something good. People who wouldn’t be jealous when I achieve something, when I manage to get to the top of the hill (and trust me, I know what it means to struggle in daily life!). People who can reassure my insecurity, my anxiety. In exchange, I would commit to do the same to them, in a loyal way, the best way I can and in this case I can be generous because I like to give to others.

For this reason when somebody I love achieves success, this is also my success. The joy is mutual. I love to work on projects with others : subjects, photo-amateurs, photographers. I can learn from them. I can teach them. I can upgrade myself.

For me behind a project, I would dare to say, behind my life there is an ideology. I need to excel and realise something good. I strive to achieve a result and need to demonstrate to myself that I am able to make it, that I won’t be broken by the events. I don’t want to fight by myself, I hope that somebody is fighting with me. This makes me feel stronger.

What I find is quite sad and poor in our society (but I guess this is part of the history of the human kind) is this sort of parochialism that is the result of a jealous competition between individuals. I mean, if somebody is good, you acknowledge it. There is no need to make any polemics about a more than deserved success. Why shouldn’t I encourage people who have talents?

In photography, as in many other fields, we would really need to exchange ideas and stand together, to encourage one another, to bring things together when it is about achieving success or growth. We need to know how to work as a team. One is big only when there are people behind. Unity versus jealousy and competition. This is greatness.

One of my obsessions, Oliviero Toscani [Edinburgh, 2020]

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It’s the moment to confess it : he has been one of my secret obsessions and a model to follow for so many years and he still is! He has inspired me, a lot. Why’s that ?

As a creative, a front-runner he was able to foresee new perspectives in the photography industry and to preceed many others in the development of new schemes and themes. He has been able to mix old with new communication vectors, capturing immediately, sometimes harshly the attention of the spectators.

He has broken up with the iconic figure of the traditional photographer and has created a multi-purposed and nuanced one. An marketing strategist, a communicator, a photographer and a teacher, he has made his fortune creating a new, polyvalent role.

He has played, tried and explored in his curiosity several options, making some conflictual choices but he has always kept his feet firmly on the ground. He has wisely combined commercial to social projects and in his work there has been a consequential and logical evolution.

The key behind is success ? His open-mindedness, his audacity, the capacity to decide and to astonish, the timing and the focus, the opposition of the contrasts and the rules and a powerful imaginery. The idea that the concept, the project, come before the techniques and prevail on the subjects. These become one piece, they are a “detail” in the composition of the artistic masterpiece.

In most of his studio’s portraits, the background made of one solid, single color, can be flat, boring even although this is irrilevant since it has been put in place to allow the subject to empower the scene.

I have always loved his work and I believe he has deserved the succes. I am also proud that an Italian photographer had such a global impact on the western society. To me he represents commitment apart from being driven by an idea that he is capable to develop in a clear, unconventional form.

My golden years [Edinburgh, 2020]

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Cliché to say but still true, every year and every life’s season is different for each of us. Our life is changing due also to the fact that we are evolving. Depending on different factors, feelings, moods, meetings and events that we are experiencing, we react in distinct ways since we are in different stages of our life. We try to keep our equilibrium and take some advantage from our experience, sometimes willing to find a new vision or goal.

I often think about what I have accomplished or achieved in the past. So just to recap “what” and “when” I have practiced and learnt during my photography activity, I can label some years as brilliant as well as others less rosy.

Talking strictly about the progression and structure of my hobby, I started to take a serious interest in photography in 2009 : this was my “initiation year”. My mother knew that I liked to take pictures so she gave me, as a present, a Canon EOS 500D (using her Esselunga’s clubcard points). In 2012 I realised that even although I had started covering different subjects such as architecture, street photography, landscape and still life, I preferred portraiture. In 2017 following the advise of some friends, I evolved mainly into working with children and their families.

I believe that the development of some of my ideas and the artistic quality of my work, so far, produced my golden-years between 2015 and 2018.

And talking about my personal life, my “golden years” coincide, so far, with the decade between 1999 and 2009!

Defining success [Edinburgh, 2020]

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I have often reflected on the meaning of success. The first point that comes straight to my mind (on which we all probably agree) is that this is a subjective concept. What each of us means by “success”? We would ultimately provide different replies to this question. Also, there are different spheres to which this concept can be applied (business, career, wealth, fame, couple / family happiness, self-development…).

The concept of success has evolved in me, over the years. When I was younger, I would stick it to being considered cool, getting the attention and becoming famous. However, over the past decade, I realised that success is not strictly related to professional life or to making a fortune.

Success, to me, is related to a decisional factor or power. It means to figure out who you are, what you thrive for. It means to find your path and to decide what & who you want in your life (and very often this doesn’t come natural to me!!). I am not implying that the financial asset is irrelevant but I would highlight that also our impact on the social sphere is key, aka the capacity of establishing healthy, inspiring and useful relations (in work, as in private life) are reflections of achievement & realisation. Persevering is also a powerful tool that can grant us success.

Photography has always been a passion and never a profession for me, however I consider myself a photographer. I am not powerful under a financial point of view, as I am not a sales person and I have never pushed into that direction, of making profits thanks to my photography. I believe that God gave me this talent as a purpose and also as a tool to serve others, and that this gift has allowed me to be more self-aware and confident, opening me up to life. Photography has really linked me to other people!

To sum it up, “my success”, regarding my photo activity, relies in:

– having defined the subjects I want to work with (specialising in a photography type);

– having developed my own style (this took quite a long time!);

– having drastically improved the quality of my shots.

– last but not least, a very outstanding factor is shown by the fact that people chose me, they still prefer to work with me, even after many years and considering the huge available competition! At the end of the day, a photo session is not just a question of taking good pictures, it is also a human exchange & experience!

All these factors have been developed over time as success is, very often, a long & hidden path!!

The first photo I remember being part of

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My parents flat is loaded with photos. On the walls and on the furniture, there are framed portraits showing the different stages of my childhood. Photos of their youth & wedding, and there are also images of old members of our family, who are no longer with us. I have always seen pictures floating around me, since I have memory. They were something that was impressed in my mind while I was growing up. As of today, when I go to somebody’s house, if I don’t see pictures around, for me there is a “hole”, a sort of “empty” place where somebody or something is missing. In the late 80’s, early 90’s, when I was a child, my dad would enjoy playing with the camera in his hands, more to play with me rather than taking pictures, and my mother was committed to document and to keep our family memory alive.

Have you ever asked yourself : “Which is the first photo that I remember being part of? Which is the first portrait where I was aware being the protagonist?”. In my case, it is a shot dated late spring 1988, I was almost five years old at that time. My mother had asked her boss, Franco, who was a passionate amateur photographer, to take some portraits of me. For the first 5 years of my life, he was my “official” photographer.

I can’t recall the whole afternoon but I have recalled some details of it :

– I remember it was a sunny afternoon and that our gathering was at a park close to our home ;

– My mother made me wear a dress that she loved ;

– We went to the park by bike and I was sitting behind of her ;

– I remember feeling observed, running, jumping and going on the swing ;

– He asked me to look into the camera.

It is strange. Somehow I am surprised at having a partial memory of that episode that happened when I was such a tender age… but other times I ask myself how is it possible that I don’t remember pictures that were taken previously to this one, when I was even younger?

About portraits & the connection line between model & photographer

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To pose, or not to pose? That is the question. To this hamletic doubt, my opinion is that it is better to pose and, when in front of the camera, you need to know how to pose. A portrait photo session can be a pleasant treat that we can give ourselves and it can produce rewarding shots, but from my experience, this can be comparable to living a trauma. It may not be so easy or it may not come so natural to feel comfortable in front of the camera. This can be even harder if the session is taken in a studio : usually the room is not big, you are put under the lights and around you everything is dark…all this can be really intimidating.

As I have recently read on the web, posing is marketing. I agree with that. The way you pose, how you look into the camera, how you are dressed, your make-up and gestures : all those factors are transfered, viewers are registering and codifying them. You are sharing a message about yourself and who you are.

If you have a public profile on social media or just if you want people to know you, you need to present yourself visually, this becomes your signature, it is like a business card. You are how you show yourself and how you choose to appear.

To see the procedure from the photographer’s perspective, there are two possible scenarios : 1) taking spontaneous pictures ; 2) taking “posed” shots. It all depends on what your models or customers are asking, what kind of images they are looking for.

I frequently receive most requests from the first category. People prefer to be taken in a spontaneous, non-intrusive way, usually outdoors or in familiar surroundings where they feel more secure and relaxed. However if I could choose, the second category is my favorite. I love working in the studio because I have so much to learn while at the same time most things are under my control, such as the lighting, the setting, the posture, the expressions and the concept. It is usually up to the photographer to direct the subject(s) but prior to that, you might need to establish a connection with the model(s), otherwise it is unlikely to work. The “human touch” is key as well as communication.

The pictures I have added to this article were taken in Parma, back in 2015. It was the first time that Massimo came to the studio. He is shy. The most difficult piece of the journey is the start of any shoot and Massimo was feeling awkward. However after a short settling-in period (inclusive of a chat and a few jokes), he switched, and actually began to enjoy the whole experience and he became the protagonist.

I cherish these photos because I find them elegant and classy and he looks really good. I didn’t expect him to take the stage in the role of an actor! The results were unexpected & rewarding for both of us.

The invisible line between past & present

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To start in a biblical way : in the beginning (of my photographic journey), there was…me and a lot of mess bubbling around.

The other day I rediscovered this video while surfing the web (it is a succession of pictures from my early portfolio). I remembered it, although I hadn’t seen it for ages.

When I came to photography, I was moved by good intentions and was stubbornly determined to achieve decent results. However it can be said that, at that time, my ideas were totally unclear. Lots of grey clouds were running around in my head. I enjoyed hanging around, carrying the camera in my hands but had no clue what subjects to choose and to work on or with & what direction and shape should be given to my work.

Comparing past & present, inevitably reveals a quick self-assesment and after that, I see myself as I am now. And I whisper : “Oooh”. This “Oooh” implies both positive & negative feelings & prerogatives. Looking back at my early work stage, the first photos I took, make me smile (this is a positive, tender feeling) because I realise the improvements, the step-forwards that have been made, both from a technical & knowledeagble point of view, but also considering the development of a vision, of a more stable, defined and consistent line of approach to photography.

On the other side, I almost feel “embarassed” with these shots. They seem so naive, unprepared, unspecial. Like thrown out by accident. Luckily I have understood that these kind of thoughts are self-defeating.

I am a strict judge of myself and my work. I am my own worst enemy. But I have learnt from experience. This tells me that persevering is positive, only if it is of help to develop our self-consciousness. We need to be self-conscious, this is fundamental to our growth and is the key to self-confidence, this can make us stronger. After this step, my true values are humility and the will to act in a honest way, to express a concept about myself that is true.

We are the result of genes, upbringing and what we have experienced. We are a “line”, a connection between past and present. But I would add that we are also a series of elaborations, tries and processes that we imposed on ourselves. We did it because we wanted to grow and to improve. We are a living process, we are a stream. We cannot deny ourselves and our past expressions.

In all that I do, there is a search for love. Photography has, for me, been a healing process and a blessing, it has rescued me in so many ways. It has encouraged, strenghtened and fired me up to do something that I love. It has opened doors by exchanging ideas with other people. It is a great form of communication..

Watching this video, brings back memories of those who encouraged me in my quest and I have included below (see pictures!) some of those who helped me through my initial struggles. They are a part of my journey and my life. I thank them all dearly!

To where is our visual intelligence moving?

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One of the questions I asked myself, when I first started photography, was : “Why do some pictures easily capture our attention and stay in our mind while others are just labelled as banal and dull?”.

I realised that a photo is a relationship between the subject(s) and the surrounding space. The unicity of an image, apart from what can be its meaning or the sentimental value carried in it, is based on the spatial disposition of the subject(s) and how they appear in space. Maybe even more than the “What” is important the “How”.

I never liked maths as a subject at school. It has always been ditchwater for me. As my mother would say with regret, I am a “literate spirit”, without doubt. I knew that in photography the setting of the subject(s) is a vital element because our attention needs to be brought to a specific point. So when I started taking pictures, I feared that a lack of “geometrical sense” might be a handicap or a devalue when it comes about to prepare a shot and to take a portrait, for instance. But I eventually understood that I had confused “numerical” with “geometrical” and the two things are not the same.

In photography as well as in other fields, I consider myself a traditionalist but on the other hand I am not scared to experiment and I don’t dislike the lopsided, the wonky, the asymmetrical and the unbalanced.

The key is that our eyesight is selective in the way it sees what is around us and photography has rules that are quite clear about symmetry and geometry in a composition (for instance the rule of thirds, the positioning of the subject, the use & choice of light) and you can get yourself into trouble when you break the rules or take “extreme” shots. You can have fun and achieve success taking unbalanced shots but you will raise lots of criticism and somehow the eyes may not agree on the final results. Our visual pleasure needs to be satisfied by what is perceived as a positive equilibrium of the elements.

It shall also be added that we constantly live under rules of fashion that are changing. Talking specifically about portraits, I remember about 10-15 years ago, there was this tendency to cut the lines in a picture obliquely, to give a different shape to the subject, to look for a new perspective. At that time this looked so innovative and energetic. Now this trend is almost over. We are trying now new dirtections.

Having an original approach to the form to be given to the image is appreciable but, at the end of the day, our eyes are looking for a “peace of the senses” when we look at something. There are rules that need to be respected, a logical sense and discipline, in order to avoid to be kicked out of the game.

To finish this article, I am attaching below a beautiful, classic and symmetrical picture of one of my favorite photographers, Horst Horst (1906-1999), as well as some snap shots I took randomly with my mobile a few days ago in Edinburgh…

Remote photography [Parma > Edinburgh, 2020]

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This is the story. There is a corner of my room that receives a beautiful contrasted light during bright mornings. Interesting shadows are created here and I can admire them for hours till the sun moves away.I already wanted to take a few photos here by myself.

Then I spoke with Maria and she mentioned having recently taken pictures remotely using her mobile. So I asked her if she wished to take my portrait and we gave life to a Parma / Edinburgh FaceTime photo session! It was not meant to be a highly professional or a “serious” experience but she had clear ideas on what she wanted and directed me well. At the end we were quite impressed by some good shots that were taken. It was weird to work together at a distance but was worth it!

Ph. Maria Buttafoco

FaceTime Photo

Roots-images: why old photos are very much “alive” and give us strenght

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I find that pictures have a huge emotional power. I like to carry photographs of myself and my family when I travel, I call them “roots-images” and am staunchly attached to them. When I look at pictures that I love, this gives me an immediate strength. It is a powerful mechanism that releases such a positive feeling. Certainly for me, images speak more than words. I prefer prints because I have them to hand and have the pleasure of touching them. I like to have them on my desk or on the wall.

I confess that one of my passions is old, vintage pictures and family photos. There is life and vibrancy emanating from them. Not only are they a bridge between the past and the present, between our ancestors and us, they also invite me to persevere on the path. At the moment I don’t have any of these type of photos with me and I thought: “How do others relate to these pictures?” So I asked some friends if they were attached to family photographs and how do they affect their everyday life. Do they have pictures that have an emotional impact on them, that may have a reassuring effect or give them strength? These replies have been received by emails, mobile messages or vocal notes…

Elena seen by Maria Buttafoco [Parma, 2020]

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This time it was my turn to be in front of the camera…Having had my hair drastically restyled (great job Immagine Hair Creative Lab!), I asked an old friend, Maria to take my photograph. IIt was important to me to mark this occasion with relaxed, natural shots which I will be able to look back on later in life and reminisce. As Maria and I have known one other for over a decade, I felt at ease standing in front of her and her camera. It felt great to be able to leave the worries of the outside world behind and just be myself. And I believe this reflects in the quality of her images.