the photoshoot that almost didn't happen. twice.
While on vacation in Adana, Turkey, I offered free photoshoot to local beauties in an attempt to grow my portfolio and create portraits in breathtaking Turkish lands. Here is how the process unfolded and what came out of it.
Over twenty girls answered my model search inquiry in a Russian group in Adana, Turkey. My whole family moved there for six months to spend time with our kids’ Turkish grandparents and relatives and I thought it would be amazing to do some art experiments in beautiful landscapes that are so different from South Florida, where I currently live. Out of that sea of Russian-speaking beauties who got excited about a free photoshoot that I was offering, I photographed only two.
I guess it applies to a lot of things in life. We see something shiny and exciting and we are a hell YES for it. But then the mundane details of figuring out the steps, and actually TAKING the steps, and then god forbid there are obstacles in the way, and no matter how shiny the object was and how badly we wanted it, we lose interest.
This is what happened to many of the girls. They got excited about a free photoshoot by an American photographer - that was their shiny object. They were a hell yes for it and messaged me saying they were interested. Then we needed to figure out when they were available and what they would wear, and somehow that got difficult. Or maybe they didn’t value that shiny object because they had no skin in the game, they were not invested in it. Another moral here: people don’t value free stuff.
Whatever the case was, this girl Katya is the heroine of my story. After she messaged me about wanting to be a model in one of my photoshoots, we started discussing the locations and outfits.
The location where I wanted to photograph was in the mountains, half an hour outside of the city. In my vision I saw her wearing a light flowy dress as she was looking over the expanses of a country she made her second home. The only problem was that in that mountain area the temperatures were lower than in the city and it was wintertime! It wasn’t too cold maybe around 15 degrees Celsius (60 F), but still.
Katya seemed to like my vision. Then she disappeared for a few days, and later sent me a message that she might not be a suitable model for my art project.
What happened? Am I not meant to have any photoshoots in Turkey? Am I cursed?
I sensed that something was going on and sent her a voice message explaining that we can do it in a way that works for her (the people pleaser that I am - gosh! I though I was over that…) The reason she got scared to do it in the mountains was because she was afraid to get sick. After our conversation she was back in the game again! I don’t regret compromising in this situation because I still got my model and we photographed in a beautiful place.
We decided to photograph in a gorgeous area in the north of the city near the dam, where my husband took me on one of the rides around the city. I was in love with that place and was looking forward to photographing Katya there.
But it almost didn’t happen. Again.
Katya didn’t have a car and the plan would be that my husband and I would pick her up. My husband had a brilliant idea that we rent a car right before we head to the photoshoot and then have the rental car for the weekend, instead of using his dad’s car. Do you see any potential problems with that? I was almost in tears as we were sitting in the rental car place and the guy was saying to us that he couldn’t give us a car for some reason. It was fifteen minutes before we were supposed to pick up Katya. The one and only photoshoot that I managed to set up in Adana might not happen after all.
I am not sure what happened exactly but fifteen minutes later we did have a car and as we were driving through traffic to pick up Katya, she texted back saying “Don’t worry, everyone is always late in Adana”. Even though Katya didn’t mind us being late, the sun surely wouldn’t wait for us, so we had to hurry.
We made it to this gorgeous place just in time. The sun was about to set, and Katya looked gorgeous in her red lace dress. As most other women, she was a little nervous in the beginning, but after I guided her through posing, she started feeling more relaxed and natural.
Once the sun hid behind the horizon of tall buildings, it was officially blue hour and Katya had changed into a simple outfit of a white jeans and a blue sweater and we took a few photos by the water. Besides a couple fishermen meditating over their fishing rods, and my husband waiting in the car, there wasn’t a soul around. It was serene and that entire outdoor studio of rocky mountains, glass-like water and enormous mountains belonged to us. The photoshoot that almost didn’t happen twice, finally happened.
Here are some behind-the-scenes from our photoshoot:
And a few more images of the gorgeous Katya:
Did Katya’s story get you thinking about what would a portrait photoshoot look like for you? Whether you are just toying with the idea of having your photos taken or are ready to schedule one, I am happy to answer any questions you have. Please reach out and let’s start the conversation!
other turkey vacation stories:
life lessons from a chicken
My husband promised our daughters (6.5 and 5 years old) baby chicks when we got to Turkey. His father, the Turkish grandpa, got two hens before we came here. The girls named them Raspberry and Chocolate.
One afternoon I noticed a box in the chicken coop. It had holes in it for air.
I told Lila (my five-year-old) there was someone in the box and we should let them out so they don’t suffocate. We opened the box and let out a very fluffed up white rooster and a giant white hen with some rust stained feathers.
The rooster got whiter over time and we named him Snowball. The hen got even rustier, but we still named her Marshmallow.
The new hen, the one that came in the same box with the rooster, was very big. At times, she challenged the rooster. She was the first one to chase away the cat when it came near. “This hen has balls” we thought. My husband and I didn’t even call her Marshmallow anymore, we called her Alpha Female. And I was so proud that this girl was standing up for herself in the animal kingdom.
One late night, when we came back from a two-day road trip, the grandpa, who normally goes to sleep with the chickens, was still up to greet us. He was so excited!
“I have a surprise for you, kids!" he said.
We all go outside to the chicken coop, the headlights of the car lighting it up.
“Two baby chicks have hatched!!!”
They were tiny, fluffy little things, you could fit them in the palm of your hand. Total cuteness overload not just for the kids, but for us, adults.
The next day another one hatched, and one more the next day. We now have four chicks! And if you want a visual definition of "smothering", watch these girls pick up the chicks every two minutes to play with them.
After another four-day road trip to Ankara, the capital, my husband asks, “Did you notice that the rooster’s voice got deeper while we were away?”
But as it turned out later, it wasn’t the rooster whose voice got deeper. It was the Alpha Female who was making that noise! She turned out to be a rooster!
“But her crest is so small, how can she be a rooster?” I asked.
“He is still growing, and his crest IS getting bigger, look." I didn’t know roosters don’t start crowing until they mature.
He pulls his neck down, forward and up and crows like a grandpa, a faint scratchy sound barely escaping his vocal chords. Then his crowing becomes more confident. Now we call her The Hen Who is Actually a Rooster.
Why am I telling you this story? Well, first of all, it’s funny. Second, it teaches us a powerful lesson about life.
How often do we jump to conclusions that something is not working, that something oughta be a certain way but it’s not and we just give up on it?
I can especially relate to it as an entrepreneur. When at times I put so much into my business but there seems to be no growth, there’s no sound of it getting to the next level. And I can relate to it as an artist. When I am agonizing over wanting to get getter, learning, trying out new techniques, but don't see any improvement.
But in reality, growth happens.
Slow, incremental, almost invisible growth, that when compounded, helps you make a quantum leap into a full blown cock-a-doodle-dooing giant rooster.
We just got to be patient, allowing that inner growth to take place, observing it and continuing the work.
With love and gratitude,
Francesca Bliss
more of my personal stories:
While on vacation in Adana, Turkey, I offered free photoshoot to local beauties in an attempt to grow my portfolio and create portraits in breathtaking Turkish lands. Here is how the process unfolded and what came out of it.