I woke up around 9h00 this morning for a shoot that I was asked to join. I don't know why I even said yes because each model had to pay 30 euro for participation. Everything is totally backwards in France. In the states, I was the one being paid for the photos! And my portfolio back home is much better than anyone in France could dream of. The only talented photographer I've found here is Andréa but now that he's my boyfriend, I can't work with him. Ooh, the irony...
I normally spend my Sundays with Andréa but he decided to humor me today and drive me to the shoot. Finding a parking spot was absolute hell as it normally is when you try to park in any populated french city. We showed up to the shoot an hour late along with three other models. Andréa left me in studio Hell. There were only three photographers for 10 models. In the U.S. there is never more than two models at each shoot unless it's an overall group shoot--which I've never been a part of.
The studio apartment was super hot and overly crowded with a ton of girls that thought they were real-life princesses. Good Lord! I was in Hell. There was one young girl that said to her mom "This dress looks really good on me." The other models and I gasped in horror as we all just looked at one another. It's one thing to think to yourself that you look good at a certain moment, but it's something completely different when people are watching you admire yourself in a mirror and you say it out loud...The other girls and I mingled and got to know each other while the young girl kept to herself and her mom. I really hate gossip like this but Noëlle--of of the girls I had kind of gotten close to told me that she had been to shoots with the young girl before and that she had never been a fan. I can understand why. I hate conceited girls but I tried to talk to her anyway. Not that I had much of a choice, we were changing at the same time in the back room so I couldn't exactly sit there in silence.
All 10 of us models had our make-up done by this really amazing make-up artist Sherazada. I haven't seen talent like hers in France before and I would recommend her to anyone! We all got suited up in our dresses and Jenny, the designer decided to offer me a Vietnamese gown. Oh, the horror!!! I looked like an absolute idiot but I decided to make the best of the situation and sit pretty for the pictures. I couldn't really think of many ways to accentuate the dress for the photos though so as soon as the photographers decided to take a break, I told them I was done. My second dress was a nice bridal gown, it was very elegant and something I love to model but the studio was so small and my only prop was a feather. I could have done more with a shawl. I don't know what it is about French photographers but they really don't know how to direct. Sure, I can constantly move and pose but I tried that in the beginning and the photographers didn't know when to take the picture. It was pointless!
Andréa had been texting me throughout the entire day saying that he missed me and wanted to spend the last day of his vacation with me so I really didn't want to be at the shoot. At one point, he decided to ignore the fact that I was working and told me he was coming to get me. He arrived during my second session and as soon as I thought the photographers looked satisfied, I decided I was ready to leave. I immediately changed, said goodbye to everyone, and we were on our way out. Caty, the event planner, seemed really disappointed but there was no freakin' way I was going to sit there for another four hours. Besides, I had already had two sessions before half of the girls got any. It was so exhausting to sit there and have my make-up done so intricately, and then to sit and wait for a photographer to be ready for me, pose for the pictures, and then do it all over again. You wouldn't think it'd be tiring, but trust me, it is.
On our way back to Aix, Andréa and I talked about the shoot. He was a part of the same photographer/model alliance so I asked him if he knew any of the people there today. He said that as far as models, he only knew one, Pauline. When he told me this, I immediately told him what the other girls said about her--leaving out the fact that she made a completely narcissistic comment about herself. He kind of backed her up and said that she's a really nice girl. Well, I don't doubt that she's a nice girl, but she sure as Hell is stuck up. He continued by saying that she was his 'chou chou.' Yes, the girl is 16 and she's cute and sweet, I can see her being anyone's 'chou chou.' But chou chou is a term of endearment for someone so it got on my nerves that he would have a soft spot for a girl that would exclaim out-loud that she was pleased with herself. It's one thing to have pet names for your close friends but it's another thing to have a nickname for someone you only know through work, and for someone like that, whew...that rubbed me the wrong way. It made me realize how bad Andréa is when it comes to judging someone's character. He's so naive.
We entered my house together as my family was having dinner. Didier had just gotten back from dropping the boys off in Avignon so he was ready for his night-cap. He offered Andréa and I a glass of wine as I was talking to maman and the triplets about the shoot. Bad timing, lol. Andréa's chou chou was still fresh in my mind so when I brought that up and the family wanted clarification I had to explain. As I explained, I got more annoyed because I realized more and more Andréa's incapability to see people as they actually are or get to know them. I kept on thinking back to conversations that we had had about people with his opinion that this person is nice because of this or this person is mean because of that. I always know something that he doesn't about each one of these people so when he makes his comments I'm always just shaking my head. Most of the people we talk about are just acquaintances though so in the end in doesn't really matter. I knew it was because I was exhausted that little things were getting to me. I got over the conversation when I realized how much it didn't matter in our world. But to keep the charade going I playfully smacked Andréa across the face...a bit too hard I might add. My entire family just gasped...and then busted out laughing. Baptiste was in tears because he thought it was so hilarious. I don't think Andréa felt the same way :-/ I felt bad, but I wasn't serious. It was just another day in the Melinda and Andréa show ;-)
I normally spend my Sundays with Andréa but he decided to humor me today and drive me to the shoot. Finding a parking spot was absolute hell as it normally is when you try to park in any populated french city. We showed up to the shoot an hour late along with three other models. Andréa left me in studio Hell. There were only three photographers for 10 models. In the U.S. there is never more than two models at each shoot unless it's an overall group shoot--which I've never been a part of.
The studio apartment was super hot and overly crowded with a ton of girls that thought they were real-life princesses. Good Lord! I was in Hell. There was one young girl that said to her mom "This dress looks really good on me." The other models and I gasped in horror as we all just looked at one another. It's one thing to think to yourself that you look good at a certain moment, but it's something completely different when people are watching you admire yourself in a mirror and you say it out loud...The other girls and I mingled and got to know each other while the young girl kept to herself and her mom. I really hate gossip like this but Noëlle--of of the girls I had kind of gotten close to told me that she had been to shoots with the young girl before and that she had never been a fan. I can understand why. I hate conceited girls but I tried to talk to her anyway. Not that I had much of a choice, we were changing at the same time in the back room so I couldn't exactly sit there in silence.
All 10 of us models had our make-up done by this really amazing make-up artist Sherazada. I haven't seen talent like hers in France before and I would recommend her to anyone! We all got suited up in our dresses and Jenny, the designer decided to offer me a Vietnamese gown. Oh, the horror!!! I looked like an absolute idiot but I decided to make the best of the situation and sit pretty for the pictures. I couldn't really think of many ways to accentuate the dress for the photos though so as soon as the photographers decided to take a break, I told them I was done. My second dress was a nice bridal gown, it was very elegant and something I love to model but the studio was so small and my only prop was a feather. I could have done more with a shawl. I don't know what it is about French photographers but they really don't know how to direct. Sure, I can constantly move and pose but I tried that in the beginning and the photographers didn't know when to take the picture. It was pointless!
Andréa had been texting me throughout the entire day saying that he missed me and wanted to spend the last day of his vacation with me so I really didn't want to be at the shoot. At one point, he decided to ignore the fact that I was working and told me he was coming to get me. He arrived during my second session and as soon as I thought the photographers looked satisfied, I decided I was ready to leave. I immediately changed, said goodbye to everyone, and we were on our way out. Caty, the event planner, seemed really disappointed but there was no freakin' way I was going to sit there for another four hours. Besides, I had already had two sessions before half of the girls got any. It was so exhausting to sit there and have my make-up done so intricately, and then to sit and wait for a photographer to be ready for me, pose for the pictures, and then do it all over again. You wouldn't think it'd be tiring, but trust me, it is.
On our way back to Aix, Andréa and I talked about the shoot. He was a part of the same photographer/model alliance so I asked him if he knew any of the people there today. He said that as far as models, he only knew one, Pauline. When he told me this, I immediately told him what the other girls said about her--leaving out the fact that she made a completely narcissistic comment about herself. He kind of backed her up and said that she's a really nice girl. Well, I don't doubt that she's a nice girl, but she sure as Hell is stuck up. He continued by saying that she was his 'chou chou.' Yes, the girl is 16 and she's cute and sweet, I can see her being anyone's 'chou chou.' But chou chou is a term of endearment for someone so it got on my nerves that he would have a soft spot for a girl that would exclaim out-loud that she was pleased with herself. It's one thing to have pet names for your close friends but it's another thing to have a nickname for someone you only know through work, and for someone like that, whew...that rubbed me the wrong way. It made me realize how bad Andréa is when it comes to judging someone's character. He's so naive.
We entered my house together as my family was having dinner. Didier had just gotten back from dropping the boys off in Avignon so he was ready for his night-cap. He offered Andréa and I a glass of wine as I was talking to maman and the triplets about the shoot. Bad timing, lol. Andréa's chou chou was still fresh in my mind so when I brought that up and the family wanted clarification I had to explain. As I explained, I got more annoyed because I realized more and more Andréa's incapability to see people as they actually are or get to know them. I kept on thinking back to conversations that we had had about people with his opinion that this person is nice because of this or this person is mean because of that. I always know something that he doesn't about each one of these people so when he makes his comments I'm always just shaking my head. Most of the people we talk about are just acquaintances though so in the end in doesn't really matter. I knew it was because I was exhausted that little things were getting to me. I got over the conversation when I realized how much it didn't matter in our world. But to keep the charade going I playfully smacked Andréa across the face...a bit too hard I might add. My entire family just gasped...and then busted out laughing. Baptiste was in tears because he thought it was so hilarious. I don't think Andréa felt the same way :-/ I felt bad, but I wasn't serious. It was just another day in the Melinda and Andréa show ;-)
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