Prior to a shoot, there is a tension dwelling inside me. I ask myself : “Will it be a good one? Will I be able to get a winning shot?”. I always have high expectations when I take the camera in my hands and start to work with somebody, even when I don’t want to admit it to myself. I feel thrilled but at the same time I am under pressure of what I call the “achievement factor”. I am really committed to be successful, to reach a satisfactory quality level and am always looking for some stunning shots from each session.
I guess this is normal, it stimulates and motivates me, pushes me to be pro-active and to develop my strenghts. However I realise that it is important to keep this winning tendency under control : all the elements have to be balanced (expectations & fears, reality vs ideas, projects vs eventual unexpected events) and I need to make the scales stable. What I find helpful, is to understand what project I am working on, who are the people I am working with and then let this process slide in the smoothest way.
I remember having a good feeling before meeting Ross & Lynsey’s family. I did not know them but wanted to give them a good impression and I really hoped they would like and trust me. The shoot had been planned a few months earlier. Heading back from a week-end trip with a friend on the west coast, we stopped in Lochgilphead and met Lynsey, Ross and their three beautiful girls : Milly, Ella and Pippa. We only had a couple of hours to spare and I wanted to make the most of it. I knew that they had a garden and it was a beautiful spring May day, sunny and warm, with a blue sky. I thought we could take the pictures outside, since the girls would have been freer and be at their ease. Once I got to know them, after a chat and a drink of coffee, my hopes and expectations came to reality. They were welcoming, uncomplicated and genuine people. The two older girls (the little one was 7 months old at that time) were well behaved, respectful, lively and spontaneous in their enthusiasm. They were excited about the idea that somebody would “officially” take their portraits. I felt like a truly “important” person, having the role of being their photographer. I asked the girls to pose for a couple of shots but most of the time I was following them, the camera in my hands, while they were having fun and playing with each other.
After editing the photos throughout the following days, I saw my work through different eyes. Instinctively there were some photos that captured my attention, they looked really alive, natural and unplanned and I saw the girls characters shine through. Two photos were accepted for publication on PhotoVogue’s website and when this happens, to me it feels like winning the lottery! I recently asked Lynsey which picture from the shoot she cherished most and she chose the one below I have attached, including her message.
At the start I felt hopeful of successful images, together with some tension. At the end, and this happens to me all the time, I experienced a beautiful and peaceful sense of accomplishment. And then I can tell myself : “It’s done, chapter closed. The people you have worked with and for, are happy. You handled it pretty well. Hopefully there will be an other shoot coming soon”.
Elena Arvasi Portrait Photographer 