An Afternoon of Pearls

I am not one for self-portraits (sorry, I hate the word selfie and insist on calling a spade a spade!) and don’t have a very high opinion of them, but that is a personal quirk of mine. Indoor confinement aka #lockdown2020 has gotten to the best of us, and in a crisis situation I can look the other way.

In the previous entry I told you about the grace-filled situation of being locked in with my daughter – which is a joy on so many levels, aside from being thankful that she is not isolated on her own in Italy! Since she is my favourite muse, we decided to make the most of the situation and indulge in a few mother-daughter shots.

We go for walks as often as we can and have started a small series which I am sure we will both look back upon with great fondness and smiles. “Ah yes, the great corona lockdown of 2020” and even if I am to be senile when that moment comes, my soul will recognise image.

I am not about to bore you with all the mother daughter shots here, but the one above is something that can’t possibly stay hidden! Having said that, the light was breathtakingly gorgeous the other afternoon that we decided to have go at a pearl-themed series. My daughter may be half German, but the other half is unmistakably Filipino, and no Filipina is ever without pearls! The mini-series celebrates the simplicity and elegance of the pearls, the powerful statement they make by coming out of their oyster to shine on their own, and ultimately, it is an homage to our heritage.

The general preference around the world is for diamonds, but in this family, and many Filipino families, the pearl rules supreme. You will find many a Filipina following family tradition of owning three sets of pearls – white (ho hum, boring), grey (yes!) and rose (now that!). Throw in the occasional black or green pearls, and you are good to go. Ah, but then my personal preference for baroque or quirky coin pearls is also something we uphold. In short, we wanted strength and affirmation during a time when the world seems to be loosing both.

The combination of available light, a UV filter, and an ND +2 for good measure, was something I had not really fiddled around much with before. But as I was told recently, screw the master classes and seminars, just grab your gear and practice, practice, practice! Much to my delight, when I looked at the RAW images, I realised that there was very little post processing left to do. The camera and the model did all the work for me. I know, I know, the photographers reading this are shaking their heads in disbelief probably thinking this is a basic combination, so what’s the big deal? But hey, I am not a portraitist, never claimed to be one, and have no intention of becoming one either. But with certain faces and for special people I make an exception! Otherwise, you are more likely to find me sans ND filter on the streets indulging in documentary photography instead!