writing – Elena Arvasi Portrait Photographer

I don’t celebrate many anniversaries but I decided that this one was worth not ending up under the door! Yes, I entered the world of photography 15 years ago! I also wanted to share some photos of my first real camera, a Lumix…I still have its battery!

f I had to describe myself with positive adjectives, I would pick: artistic, dreamer, idealist, open minded, communicative, relational, socially aware, cooperative, genuine, reserved. Now I can confirm that “artistic, communicative and relational” have been substantially enforced thanks to my photographic adventure.

Quite often big things start small, in a quiet, unplanned way and this was my case…Photography was and is a journey. When I started in early May 2009, I was taking architecture and street photography snapshots during my spare time. I was unstructured and NAIVE but I still believe that being naive to high possibility of failure is what pushed me forward. Honestly, I feel more nervous and fearful before portrait sessions now than I was years ago! I did not stick with a plan nor did I had a vision. I did not hope for success and I never imagined that I might be THAT successful one day. However, I was dreaming of producing pictures that gave me goosebumps. Photography was a pastime that became an increasingly valuable hobby. It made me feel less lonely and more fulfilled. It pulled out of me an acting capacity. It contributed to reinforce my self-confidence and it allowed me to open up more and to discover a RADIANT side I was unaware of. It is a platform that still CONNECTS me with other people.

It took me TIME to realise that what fired me up most are people, especially family dynamics. Even though it has never been a profession for me and I doubt that it will ever become one day as, from my character point of view, I have always felt the need of financial certainty and economic cornerstones that a freelance activity would not give me, this activity takes a big part of my heart and makes me thrive as I feel myself fully into it.

Photography taught me:

1. To overcome the fear of making mistakes and to learn by experience. I took a photography course in 2010 and, since then, I have exchanged with many photographers, but I don’t hold a photography degree. I learnt more and way faster “on the field” trying and making mistakes, especially by shooting manually. Photographers are the ones who do the work and shoot manually…. not the camera.

2. Quality wins. It is priceless to give someone beautiful images that they will cherish for a lifetime.

3. As photographers, we will use our personality to SERVE clients. I have received a lot of appreciation, affection, good marketing 🤗 from people I have been working with in the past 15 years, but I have also GIVEN them a lot in terms of time, commitment, vision, adaptability, understanding their needs, putting them as 1st during the shoot, willingness to improve.

4. THRIVING in what you do is a game changer. Hey, there must be joy and a funny factor! It is not only a question of delivering good pictures, it is the whole experience that matters and the positive impact and connection you can establish with people!

5. Last but not least, DEDICATION is prized…always!

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!!

Tag: writing

My first 15 years into Photography! [Parma, 2024]