petits papiers

Packing

 

Some cute stuff I shot for A.Cheng store this week - Hello Habeens, I want you at my feet! 

  Wrapping things up for my last week in town.  I am getting ready for my well anticipated trip to France, leaving in few days and my mind is restless. For some reason, every time I am about to see my folks again, it feels like I am going on a first date. That's how excited and emotional I get.  Butterflies in the stomach and all.

I will take a little break from blogging but will be Instagraming like a pro!

Have a great weekend everyone.

xo

 

 
 
 

All photographs © Anne-Claire rohé 2013

 

Quelques clichés de ma dernière session photo pour le magasin A.Cheng.

Derniers préparatifs avant mon départ pour Paris, puis Strasbourg, puis re-Paris. Ok, on respire profondément...  Je trépide d'impatience, retrouver ma famille est toujours un moment de grande excitation.

Je vous revois tres bientôt ici, ou vous pouvez toujours me suivre sur Instagram.

xo

the poetic eye

 

Last week, I treated myself to an afternoon at the notorious Brooklyn Botanic Garden.  Millions of New York based bloggers have posted images of it  this month I am sure (nearly everyone had a camera stuck to their eyes) and I am no exception to the rule.  It was UN-REAL.

The natural filter created by the fluffy textures of blooming trees at this season of the year was spectacular.  Especially at the end of the day.  Taking a long walk in the streets leading to the park at the golden hour was eaqually magical. I witnessed the return of Spring like it was my first time all over again.

I let the noise of the city slowly fade me back to reality, but that night, I slept like a rock.

 

 

 

 

 

 

All photographs © Anne-Claire rohé 2013

 

Poésie aux Jardins Botaniques.

Un après-midi de printemps, et la magie d'une saison qui recommence.

Vive le mois de Mai!

 

After countless hours working on this, the new face of my website is finally here!

www.anneclairerohe.com

 

 

Welcome! 

 

on friends and on not giving up

 

Last night I met with a group of friends over dinner. It's not just a group of friends actually, those girls are almost like family.  That's how much I care about them.  We don't see each other too often, we all have our lives, jobs, passions and schedules on different clocks but we reconnect once in a while, and it's always amazing.  As a full swing of conversations were pacing our table I mentioned that I might give up on blogging.  Just a thought.  Give it all up, close the blog and maybe start something fresh somewhere else.  You know, for a while.  The truth is lately, I have been feeling really stuck with what to blog about, and I have somehow lost the joy of blogging. Writing and sharing seems like a chore more than anything these days. It used to be something I really enjoyed and looked forward to.

I was quite shocked by their reaction as I heard them chiming in unison a clear "don't you dare giving up on your blog!"  I would think as friends I would get a predictable "yeah, if you don't enjoy it anymore, don't force it, do what you think is best " type of response but instead, I got reminded how far I have come with this blog, how good my post are when they get personal (are they?) and how much my readers relate to me.  And apparently, it does matter if I quit on blogging.

So it got me thinking on my way back home, sandwiched in my subway seat. I felt lightened by it. By the fact that the best of friends are the ones that really kick the hell out of you. The ones that are a support but that also see in you what you can't see anymore because you are so jaded with yourself sometimes. I live such a solitary life sometimes that I miss complete perspective on the impact I might have on others. As small as I think it is, it is still relevant.

There is nothing quite like a group of good friends shaking things out of you and cheer you up as you get back in line.  I love them. You know who you are.

We had a great time last night catching up on everyone, and after putting some thoughts into it, I am not going anywhere.  Just need to get back in the groove.

 

 

 
 

All photographs © Anne-Claire rohé 2013

 

I am currently working on a new, updated version of my website.  It's been a consuming project.  It will be trimmed, simplified and edited. The way I always try to keep things. And of course it will be announced on the blog when ready sometimes next week.

 

Be well x

On set with...

 

 

 

 

A lot of fun this weekend! We were shooting Mizuiro ind's Spring Summer look book.

 

My Friend Iwona on Design Sponge

 

I am thrilled to be once again part of the of the awesome Design Sponge blog comunity. Today is to present the lovely Park Slope place of Jewelry designer and friend Iwona Ludyga.

In the beginning, we had hoped to shoot her place in the heart of summer (mainly for my blog features "an afternoon with..." ) because of her amazing outdoor space that she transforms into an extra living space by setting up a tent seamlessely leading the living room into the outdoors.

But Design Sponge contacted her about a month ago and we had to seize the opportunity and shoot it right away, in the rather stark light of winter. Luckily, the day of our photo shoot giant snow flakes were swirling outside and gave her place this lovely cosy look.

Her work studio was very tidy that day, much the opposite of how I have seen it before. Her design studio is made of a team of little hands she supervises daily while taking care of business and family.  She runs a tight ship!

Iwona is one of the most talented person I know,  everything she touches turns into gold so to speak. She can paint (the giant black painting in the living room is hers), draw, cook, design, decorate and pocesses a sick sense of color and style. I adore her.

Congratulations on the D*S feature Iwona! Check out the full Sneak Peek here.

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

all photographs © Anne-Claire rohé 2013

A l'honneur aujourd'hui est l'appartement de ma copine et créatrice de bijoux Iwona Ludyga.

Son appartement est publié dans la section Sneak Peek du site Design Sponge.

Suis super contente d'avoir été choisie pour prendre en photo son espace!

Elle vit à Brooklyn et nous sommes amies depuis plusieurs années maintenant. Une des personnes les plus créatives que je connaisse. Je l'adore!

 

old school beauty

 

 

Continuing my portrait series.  Here is Eleanor that I shot about two weeks ago. The story was inspired by the work of Julia Hetta. Hands down my favorite contemporary photographer.

I met Eleanor randomly in a city bus last summer. Eight months later I finally got my story together and she kindly agreed to be my model for few hours. That's the great advantage of living in a city like New York and to be well, a female photographer.

Click here for the full story.

 

 

 

 

 

All photographs © Anne-Claire rohé 2013

 

sunny

 

All these years of focusing on photographing still life, interiors, nature and lots of in-animated subjects, I realize that I have let my introvert-ridden fears completely deny me from exploring portraiture. This year I made a promise to myself that I would start shooting more people. Be it portrait, fashion, lifestyle you name it.  Anything that will tip my fears over the edge.

I would say that my usual way to direct a model would be to ask her for a quiet, still and almost emotionless expression. An aesthetic I very much relate to and get inspired by. But this time was different, I was shooting a girl that was exuding such a positive and fresh energy, I started thinking that there is actual joy in photographing spontaneity in people and not overthink it sometimes. My next portrait session just happened yesterday, and was directed more in my 'usual style' I would say. Photographs soon to come. The session below was shot last week.

So here is to positivism, overcoming fears and reinventing your own rules!

 

 

 

 

 

 

All photographs © Anne-Claire rohé 2013

 

Cette année, on oublie les inhibitions et on se lance dans le portrait. Une série qui ne fait que commencer, des styles différents à venir très bientôt dans mon nouveau portfolio.

Cette-fois ci, c'était une fille spontanée et relaxe, la prochaine sera plus immobile et etudiée. J'explore des allées qui m'ont toujours retenue ou fait peur pour des raisons multiples, mais cette année, les choses changent. Le contact avec le sujet humain m'ouvre vraiment de nouveaux horizons en  tant que photographe.

Une affaire à suivre...

 

frozen zone

 

A couple of weeks ago I went back to a place that I have only seen in the peak of summer to finally see it in its raw and stark winter days.

Frozen in an instant by whipping winds, we did not last too long out there. Especially early morning. I barely could leave my hands out of my pockets to hold the camera. The photo session didn't really come out the way I had imagined it would.  But again, It never does does it?  We were soon back by the fireplace enjoying indoor's comfort & secretly thinking how much we love the island in the prime of Summer.

 

 

 

 © Anne-Claire rohé 2013

Il y a environ quinze jours je suis retournée à un endroit que je ne connais qu'au zénith de l'été pour enfin le découvrir sous son habit d'hiver.

Figés en un instant par des vents glacés, nous n'avons pas duré longtemps. En particulier tôt le matin, et la séance photo s'est vue écourtée...   bien plus tôt que prévu nous étions de retour près de la cheminée, rêvant en secret de l'île sous son soleil d'été.

 

© Anne-Claire rohé 2012

 

My feet got so cold today, I really need to stop wearing these shoes.  I dream of warm evening light, the one that draws shadows on buildings like that day in June.

 

 

© Anne-Claire rohé 2012

 

Need to make a priority to shoot more people this year.

 

thank you & annual fairwell

 

To be honest with you, I am happy to kiss 2012 goodbye. Overall it was a tumultuous year for many and I am looking forward to a fresh new set of cards. I don't really stand by the resolution's concept, I think life should be more about ongoing discipline towards set goals. End, middle or beginning of the year. So yes, goal setting is important. One of them for me is to get more photography work and keep refining my craft and technique.

Too often, I feel like the blog wrongly gives out the image of a perfectly curated life you all might think I live daily. And it is true that I rarely want to share negative thougths on here. Posting is my positive escape. Although I am blessed with many things in my life, I often struggle with things that every artist on this planet deals with: self doubt, loss of inspiration, financial hardship, frustration and the feeling of defeat when failure occurs. But beyond the hardship of living in a city I can barely afford anymore, one thing is intact: it's my passion for the visual medium. And inspiration always comes back in the most unexpected ways, especially through meeting like-minded people.

So for that, a big thank you goes to all of you who dig me out of the hole sometimes, for you people who have trusted me and given me the opportunity to collaborate in creative projects, to you dear readers (wherever you are) who have reached out, encouraged me and rewarded me with kind words. It is warming my heart like a hard liquor.

To you all, I wish you a happy end of year.

Be well and be merry!

Love, Anne-Claire.

 

Below are little excerpts of a holiday gift guide story I shot this month.

 

 ☆ Photographs by Anne-Claire Rohé   © 2012 - All Rights Reserved

 

Joyeuses fêtes de Noêl à toutes et à tous!

merci à vous mes lecteurs et lectrices pour votre fidelité. Et merci à ceux et celles qui m'ont envoyé de jolis mots d'encouragements sur ce blog.

Passez de joyeux moments.

A très bientôt  x

still and solid

 

 

I have been really enjoying shooting product.

Most photographers find it boring and too repetitive. I have a blast.

Because in the right light, everything can look so precious and interesting.  Objects are fantastic and I love the narrative that each of them create in the final story.

More here.

 

 

 

 

 

☆ Photographs by Anne-Claire Rohé   © 2012 - All Rights Reserved

 

Dernièrement, j'ai commencé la photo de vêtements et accessoires pour un magasin en ligne. Et je dois avouer que je m'éclate.
La plupart des photographes trouvent ça ennuyeux et répétitif. Ce que je peux comprendre. Pour moi, c'est une façon d'explorer la qualité d'une couleur ou d'une matière et de la rendre palpable à celui ou celle qui la regarde.

Et puis j'adore la narration que chaque image crée dans le récit final.

En voir plus ici.

 

Commune-ity

 

Well, it is most likely impossible if you live in the civilized world you haven't heard of the devastating hurricane over our beautiful city and region this week.

The city is still shivering with loss and disarray. We are not quite back to normal yet.  But New York can take punches like no other. We will recover slowly, with patience and resilience. As we always do.

 I shot this party about two weeks ago. Each year, I am pleasantly designated to capture moments of this little local business's anniversary party. They celebrated their 8th year in business this month and their gathering are always beautifully curated. I had a wonderful time documenting it.

I love my city, and I love the people who populate it. This is probably the number one reason I put up with it. The originality and creativity of its community.

 

 

 
 

  
  

 ☆ Photographs by Anne-Claire Rohé   © 2012 - All Rights Reserved

 

from a quiet hotel in Los Angeles

 

I took a quick trip to LA last week for work. Unfortunately, I barely found the time to explore beyond our car and hotel room, which I greatly regret since it was my first time there. We were constantly on the go.

I Will have to plan a visit of leisure there. I was delighted by the weather and the beautiful hills surrounding the city. A kind reminder as you drive that beautiful lush nature is within reach, sort of a visual anti-depressant.

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

☆ Photographs by Anne-Claire Rohé   © 2012 - All Rights Reserved

 

Un voyage speedy à Los Angeles la semaine dernière.

Malheureusement, j'ai à peine eu le temps d'explorer au-delà de notre voiture et chambre d'hôtel, ce que je regrette beaucoup car c'était ma première visite. 

Mais j'ai quand même eu l'honneur d'avoir d'un temps magnifique et ai apperçu les belles collines qui entourent la ville. La nature semble être à portée de main et s'intègre dans le champs visuel urbain, une sorte d'anti-dépresseur visuel. Très envie d'y retourner, pour de vraies vacances cette fois!