This will be my last blog post and last behind the scenes video of the year! Let's go back in time, back In December 2016... My wife and I were in Grenoble thinking about our future and trying to figure out what our next step would be. After the early unexpected end of our road trip, we were lost and needed some time to rest and think. Being robbed is never pleasant, and with the accumulated problems we had, it was time for us to "stop". The thought of quitting photography did cross my mind. I was disgusted by how things turned out and financially, I really didn't how we would get over this. Fortunately for us, we have fantastic friends and our family didn't let us down. We decided to stop traveling for a while and settled temporarily in Antibes (South of France) where I was able to continue working with my remaining gear. A year later, we can now look back on this adventure and only think about the good times we had on the road. I am really glad we didn't give up! It wasn't easy at first, but when I look at all the projects and work done this year, I can hardly believe it ever happened to us. Toulouse was the highlight of this year! We returned to la "Ville en rose one" last time before 2018 and got access again to amazing locations (14 artists, 9 iconic locations, circus, tango photography in Toulouse). This time, 4 performers, 4 different locations, and as a bonus, a broken flash, because this would not have been a memorable one without one last unpleasant surprise! Everything was perfect, the first 2 photoshoots turned out great. We started with the Chapelle des Carmélites with a handstand, hand balance performer Charlotte LeMay. You may have recognized her from our first photoshoot together in la cite de l'espace earlier this year. We then met aerialist Karita and got to finally set up my first aerial silk photoshoot. Thanks to la Cartoucherie, we had an amazing place to play with. I was hyped for my 3rd session until I discovered an hour before the shoot that the only Broncolor SirosL I brought with me couldn't fire... And this happened on a Sunday morning.
Charlotte Lemay
Karita Tikka
On our way to the Dome de la Grave, I had to completely rethink my shoot. Go for long exposer shots, higher ISOs, and go for capturing poses instead of freezing movements.
We pretty much had the same scenario the next day. My goal was to look for light wherever it was. Learning to adapt to any type of situation is a valuable skill. Things go wrong... always, that's something I've learned to live with, and we all know shit happens when we least expect it.
I learned so much this year, and I can almost say we are almost seeing the end of the tunnel. I really cannot wait to see what 2018 will bring us. Before giving you Rendez-vous next year I would like to thank the Toulouse tourism office for their help once again.
Huge thanks to Benjamin for the secured setup of the silks at la Cartoucherie and thank you Pierre Alexandre and Pierre Olivier for making this possible.
Thanks to Sofia and Steve for assisting me and helping me create new masterpieces.
Thank you Isabel again sorry for making you work on a Sunday, we feel really lucky to work in such amazing places.
Of course major shoutout to all 4 performers, Charlotte, Karita, Mercedes, and Almendra, you rock!
Wishing you all a fantastic holiday season. See you guys next year!
Mercedes Flores
Almendra Navarro