That particular morning we loaded the car/ objects, textiles, bits of inspiration, and the friends who said yes to spending a day chasing light with me.
We drove into the mountains to the place I had chosen, a clearing I loved, thinking the afternoon light would be on our side. It wasn’t. It poured in too bright, too cheerful, washing out everything we wanted. We were hoping for something heavier, darker, something with depth.
The magazine had asked for a Christmas theme, but we wanted to step away from the usual red-and-green holiday cheer. We live in France, and we were drawn to something more ancient—brooding, medieval even. And so we tried. We dragged objects across the ground, rearranged them, built scenes, tore them apart, rebuilt them again. We kept shifting things, waiting for the sun to shine in our favor.
But in the end, the whole thing was “too medieval,” “too dark,” “the wrong palette.” for the magazine “Christmas” article.
I regret I didn’t take photos when it was completed- but you can catch a glimpse as to what we were after.
I wasn’t the photographer that day. So these photos are snippets of details – not the photos that the photographer presented to the magazine. I was the producer, the one with the idea, the one finding the spot, elements -candlesticks and cloth, the one to hold the vision together as the light slowly played in our favor. I took some pictures from the side, remembrance notes to myself, as little proofs that the effort happened, that the story we tried to tell had shape, wasn’t accepted.
And now, years later, I’m finally sharing some of them- because the creative process leads you someplace unexpected, and disappointment can inspire one to try again.
Note: most of the items are sold in long gone. The wings were sent to me by a blog reader I treasure them.
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