In 2009, I had a magical fashion shoot in Paris. Everything was just about perfect: the model (blond, blue eyes, and a figure to die for), the city (Paris – mon amour), the clothes (everything from Chanel, Pucci to Missoni), the weather (spring, sunny and not too cold), the food (self-explanatory), the hotel (with a view on the Eiffel Tour).
The pictures, to be expected with these perfect conditions, turned out lovely. As I looked at them, I began to wonder how it would be doing the exact same thing with a model who had a little extra in her chromosomal make-up. The more I thought about it, the more excited I got about this idea
Yes, you can! And that is where the whole story begins.
One year later, in 2010, during a time when I felt totally worn out from too many shooting assignments, I was more than ready for this „dream shoot“ to come to reality and nourish my soul. It didn’t take me long to find the perfect model. I knew that my 14-year-old friend Tamara loves fashion, loves taking photos, and loves having fun. So she, her Mom Antje, and her little brother Kai hopped onto the train and rode to Paris.
The evening before our trip I began to get cold feet. I remembered that our kids with a little extra can be very stubborn at times and it is almost impossible to persuade them to do something against their will. My imagination spun out the worst case scenarios: what if Tamara thinks she’s too tired, too hungry, the subway is too crowded, the weather is too rainy, the shoes are too tight, the dress is too short, the coat is too warm … and with these thoughts I adjusted my ‘expectations’ of the photo shoot.
Paris exists to remind you that your dreams are real.
However, my expectations were wildly exceeded, exceeded happily and heavenly! Tamara was in a very good mood the entire day. And although she had to get up at 5 a.m. to catch the early-morning train to Paris, she didn’t seem tired at any moment during the day. After a grueling day of walking through the entire city of Paris, we arrived at the hotel at 11 pm and I immediately fell into bed in total exhaustion. Tamara, very impressively and maturely, redid her beauty ritual from that morning … the Parisian rain had ruined her gorgeously styled hair, so she showered and photo shoot prepped to get up again at 7.00 am the next day and walk all the way to Montmartre/Sacré Coeur! What a star!
I had so much enjoyed our trip to Paris that I knew that we will one day do it again. Tamara is not only my incredibly wonderful friend, but also became my darling muse. She is such an inspiration on so many levels. She had beautifully shown me the road less traveled, and I fell in love with it. There is beauty in everything and anything is possible.
With love,