We have a term in the Philippines for the relationship between the children of godparents – kinakapatid. It loosely translates into honorary sibling, the operative word being kapatid, which is sibling. My goddaughter is in town for a long overdue visit and it is pure joy to pamper her and enjoy her company. I welcomed her last night with a typical Filipino dinner of rice, corned beef and omelette, and she remarked that she felt 12 all over again, walking back into my home in Delhi and picking up where she left off. Best compliment ever!
Freya and Maike were classmates in Delhi, and remained best of friends over the years, taking great efforts to even travel together each summer after graduation from High School. Geographic distance plays no role between them, and they will avail of bus, train or plane to meet up, as siblings do. Whether it is roaming through Delhi markets, exploring Bangkok or backpacking through Europe, the girls have matured into beautiful women and strong souls in their own right. While Maike was still based in Florence, she took a 36 hour bus ride to visit the Bulgaria-based medicine student Freya, before they took off to Istanbul and caught up with the other half of their loyal travel group.
The house is never quiet when these two are together, but what a joy it is to see them sprawled out on the beds in the middle of their chaos chatting away like the good old days. This morning we started the day off with more of her favourites – pancakes, peanut butter and Nutella, before we began preparations for the photoshoot.
Here’s the thing I have discovered in my short time with portraiture thus far. You cannot fake a strong bond and solid relationship. There is no photoshopping chemistry and friendship which simply shines through. It is one thing to shoot individuals for solo shots, but for two people or more, you cannot lie to the lens. I saw it last week with Grace and James, and witnessed it again with Freya and Maike.
Click HERE to see the Freya collection thus far.
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