The other side of the picture is not always glorious. Especially when you go to Trouville for a photoshoot, hoping in vain that the marine breeze might make the boiling French heatwave tolerable.
Suffice it to say, it did not.
Taking pictures in a long dress on Trouville’s beach, drenched in sweat? Done.
Taking pictures in the Trouville port in this beautiful vintage Lanvin dress, which has two zippers and a plethora of small buttons? Done, and it should be noted that I was never able to close said dress because everything was swollen and sticky. I stuck my arm to the open side, in the vague hope that you wouldn’t notice.
Taking pictures on the Deauville beach in my swimsuit and risking a thermic chock by entering the water? Done too. I think the expression on my face says a lot.
There were other elements to battle with, including the wind. When the latter starts blowing when you are wearing a floppy hat with brims wide enough to shield two people, the risk is simply that of being blown away.
But of course, the element against which I must battle the most is inevitably myself: the infamous “make love to the camera” always triggers my “act silly” neurons.
The equally infamous “just a couple more, please” from the photographer who is scared of being short on photos, when the only thing I want to do is leave, triggers irritation, a slightly more aggressive attitude or the sudden appearance of my phone.
Otherwise, amongst all our wonderful ideas, the prizes go to the photos taken with the giant teddy bear (when it was the shop window that really interested me)…
my eyelashes getting stuck in the tulle…
and the mix of feathers and lace on my eyes creating a totally accidental Eyes Wide Shut effect…
What can I say, this isn’t my job, I’m a lawyer after all.
November 9, 2019
