Aruba, Day 2: Food, Drinks, Lizards & The Beach Photoshoot

Had to take advantage of the scenery and fashion designs in between the shots to make a little memory for myself...

Well, the trip to Aruba has come to an end - ahh, sigh! Those four days went by like one day, because they were packed with both business and pleasure from dusk to dawn. 


In between the photo-shoots that I came to do for a very prominent high fashion label - [and which I've mentioned to you in my previous blog, Aruba: Day 1] - our biz team took some time to explore the island of Aruba. I've got to see so many interesting places - from golf courses and old lighthouses to very local, unique hang-out places, like bars, restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques, etc. We even saw the 'Bel Air / Beverly Hills' of Aruba - the district on the island, home to the very expensive real estate developments, owned by people from USA and Europe. Quite a sight! 

Quite a cultural experience I've had! 

So, I've taken a few photos here and there just to show, what the island and its culture is all about - [besides the stereotypical views of the Caribbean as purely beach, ocean and Pina Colada]... Of course, I can't not mention the photo-shoot itself. I got to work with a very pleasing, easy model who was up to anything I wanted her to do. I love working with such people, who believe your vision, listen to your opinion and trust you that you'd make them look the best on the photos. 

I love doing photo shoots where the power of the decision-making, when it comes to all the creative and technical aspects of the photo-shoot, is all yours, meaning - they give you an assignment and let you be your own creative force, no control, no supervision, just trusting the photographer's intuition. 


Of course, it's a risk - what if my vision of a photo shoot, make-up, accessories, location, theme, and such do not match up to the vision of the 'client'? We both take risks, one way or another, but this is the beauty of it. Not always the case. But I was lucky for that to be the situation on the photo shoot in Aruba. I've got to do it all my way... All in all, now that I'm leaving today, I'm taking some grand memories from absolutely everything that happened on the island in those four days, including a great team that I'll be working with now...

Oh, and these photo-shoots were for a major fashion label that is making a come back. This fashion label, founded in 1968, used to be one of the most prominent fashion labels in the 70s and 80s, gracing the pages of Vogue and the likes of the high fashion magazines and  was being sold at some of the most prestigious stores in USA and around the world, like Saks 5th Avenue, Bloomingdale's, Bergdorf Goodman and Lord & Taylor. Such fashion moguls as DVF (Diane von Furstenberg) used to advise with the founder of this fashion label on the clothes-making... 


Let's just say - I can't wait to tell you all about it when the right time comes. The full collection and the behind-the-scenes pictures of the photo-shoots we did in Aruba will be soon available exclusively online: via the brand's social networks.

Here's my Aruba: Day 2 Diary...

Coffee 4 You:

It's perhaps the only place in Aruba that actually uses the coffee beans from Italy to make all their delicious coffee drinks, as well as all the ingredients for their sandwiches and quiches are from Italy. I've tried Double Latte and it was - orgasmic! The owner of this coffee shop that looks like some kind of a thrift store from the outside, but deliciously modern inside is a woman from Serbia, who spends one month in Aruba, one month - in Europe. We talked a bit...

Taste of Belgium:

A much needed Soupe à l'oignon (Onion Soup) that you can get pretty much anywhere in Aruba. It's basically an 'Aruban' national dish, because, it's literally, is on a menu at any place in Aruba. Perhaps, it's because the Hollanders like it, whom there are quite a few on the island? They definitely mastered it up, just as I like it - the Parisian way...

The supermarkets in Aruba:

Let me tell you something. It might be Aruba, but the fact is that there are a lot of Dutch  here, so, the supermarkets in Aruba are filled with the European products, as well as with the local delicatessen - from German strudels to Dutch chocolate truffles. From pastries and cheeses to wine and cereal - there are a lot of the European goodies, which made it very hard for me to leave the store empty-handed... 

Aruban cream liquor - Ponche Caribbean, comes in original and pistachio flavors. Delicious!

This Whisky and Rum can only be bought in Aruba...

Lizards:

There are many of them. They are pretty much owning the territory, but they are no more scared of you as you might be of them. I found them pretty adorable. This little guy wondered in and about as we were making the BBQ...

And, of course, I took advantage of the semi-private beach, Eagle Beach, in Aruba to conduct my first photo shoot - to showcase a very resort, very luxury line of the designs... 

And the fact that it started to rain as we were shooting, actually, resulted in a few very dramatic shoots, when the sky changed the colors, which reflected in the change of the colors of the ocean. Here are a few photos I took between the shots...

Check the next blog, where I'll post a few of the photos I did for this fashion label that would be part of the collection photos. The full collection and behind-the-scene of the photo-shoots shots will be available soon, exclusively online. I will let you know when and where!