Italians and Geese

13th August 2016

If only there were such thing as train miles. I am a Eurostar pro and my French is improving. More surprisingly so is my knowledge of geese.

But first, a Tuscan tale. There were 5 tutors and 35 (ish) students. I had 4 eager pupils, each creative and unique. The loose structure of the workshop gradually formed. We divided our time roaming local spots in the afternoon sun and then pouring over the images in the beautiful large commune centre the next morning. The week, as expected, provided highs and lows and each location brought with it fresh subjects and varied challenges.

Exhausted and overwhelmed on day 7 we whizzed through our edits brutally deciding on each students’ strongest images to present to the crowd that evening.

With the afternoon free we opted to use the stunning classroom setting for some informal portraits. The building oozed beauty and to waste a location like this would have been criminal. A kind subject was sourced and the students captured her and each other until the sunset.

The lone male in the group Luigi had began to form quite a reputation for his modelling skills, during the week offering himself up to the lens of other group members as well as my own. By day three we heard stories of him posing nude in the streets into the early hours for the fashion group. A lawyer by trade with a heart of gold his quirky character captured us all. I asked to take his portrait, he was a wonderful character but also rewardingly unpredictable.

This image is titled:”5 women, one man”.

And now, to the geese…

It would be challenging for me to explain to you a current assignment I am doing for a wonderful Hawaiian magazine. When the commission landed in my inbox I was surprised but delighted. A rare one. For the past 3 weeks I have been to Normandy, Brussels, Slimbridge and Surrey to capture the essence of a somewhat unobtainable and aloof character. Forever hard to pin down and shy in demeanour the Nene geese are the subjects of my story. Upon my quest one of the locations was a surreal theme park. After catching many a train, Juan and I eventually arrived in a remote village in Brussels. I can only describe it as a bird;Disney World ;meets a French zoo. Bustling with visitors this bizarre metropolis has to be seen to be believed. I’ll post a few pics once the piece is out; but for now I can only share with you an out-take. A portrait I took of a couple waiting in line to spot the sea the lions.

One last goose chase next week until I share with you my tips on how to catch a nine goose, both emotionally and visually.

OAO x