Eleonore

Our paths crossed last year in a subway. I was going to meet my friends for the dinner and I took the subway line, I usually don't, to join them. She was sitting in the wagon just in front of me, the light was hitting her golden hair and her hypnotizing blue eyes, the saddest eyes I've ever seen. She looked like a fairy or some fragile magical creature trapped in the darkest place. The other thing that caught my eye, except her melancholic face, is the way she was dressed : girly doll like dress, heavy black boots and the backpack. There was something very special about her. So before I went out on my station I gave her my visit card telling that I was a photographer and was willing to make the pictures of her, she looked up on me with her big sparkling eyes and the brightest smile appeared on her face, she said something like : "oh thank you", and I stormed out of the train. I have to say it was a big step for me because it might look really creepy when strangers are showing that much of interest in someone, plus I'm pretty shy and unsure of myself. But I did it and was kind of proud.

She wrote me back few hours later, her name was Eleonore. We've decided to meet each other for a coffee. My intuition was right, she was an amazing creature : very sensitive, talented, beautiful, with an unusual past. It was very easy for us to bond. She moved out from Paris before I could take the pictures of her but we stayed in touch. And when about two weeks ago she told me she will be in Paris for few days I jumped on the occasion to make a quick photo-session with her.

It feels incredible to choose people you want to take pictures of, because usually I don't. I rarely make the pictures for myself lately because, I guess, I found it too egoistic and it seemed more appropriate to work for others. But this experience shows me that I'm wrong and that the personal work is as important as any other, or maybe even more, because it opens up your soul in a complete different way.