shoot your shot 📷
📷 by Sol bela
One year ago i met the amazing Sol Bela ( @smokingdesires on ig ) - i found her incredible work on the internet and by chance, before i could think too much about it, decided to reach out and ask if she happened to be in town - i was due back to Barcelona the following day and had a mad idea to take a chance and invest in some portraits.
Two reasons why this was particularly hard:
1) i’m not great at having my photo taken. combination of being super shy in front of cameras and my “low hit rate” as my photography teacher at uni took great pleasure in repeating to me over the years and
2) i felt embarrassed to prioritise this knowing aforementioned facts. would i be super awks? hard to work with? come back with nothing? waste their time? who was i, to think i could get a chance to connect with such a talented person at such short notice?!
Well, you can guess what happened next…
But before i reached out, the key moment was when i first saw Sol Bela’s portfolio, i felt a big sacral grunt “YES!”, or perhaps it was more, “YAAAASSSSS!!!!🔥🔥🔥” - it spoke to me in ways i couldn’t explain.
Seeing people like me, being brown and free. i felt it. i needed it. And i couldn’t afford to go to the Caribbean. So i returned to a place i’d lived many years before: Barcelona
i also wanted to work with a Black woman photographer specifically, for many reasons, one most glaringly obvious, the racial bias of photography…
Teaching the camera to see my skin
Racial bias built into photography
…and also to support the work of someone i admired who was building something i wanted to see more of in this world.
Somehow, Sol Bela’s skills make things dreamlike yet real. no photoshopping or distortion of the person (no shade if you do, i just wanted to be me, as i was, but with bronzer cause babes, i am GREEN in the winter 🤢- shoutout to Simona whose makeup artistry skills are real! 🔥🔥🔥)
and Sol Bela is a dream herself. such a brilliant, fun, extremely talented person to work with RUNNING TINGS in Barcelona like @theVoodooclub and she has just launched a youtube channel (Solbela - go get some nourishment! 💦)
So, what did i learn?
Although i was of course, shy and awkward in front of the camera at first, Sol Bela made me less so. hehe. i think… but most of all, i was so happy she managed to create art from, well, some awks ageing clay. heheh.
The moral is of course, your regular reminder to shoot your shot babes, cause there are amazing humans in the world ready to receive you. Despite odds, worries or fears.
I’m so glad i took the plunge to go for it despite being afraid, and always smile at the memory of us misbehaving on the rooftop at dusk, (my favourite time of day)…
the miracle of this shoot somehow, miraculously and serendipitously, coming together in perfect time…
the fun i had connecting and getting to know this Being…
and the others i met randomly on the way, on this trip -shoutout to @avrasimona who did my makeup and taught me so much…her kindness i’ll never forget 💜(and talents too because her instagram posts inspire and delight! Serious tutorials bbz!
plus, lest i forget, the unexpected random sequins found en route for Ethel!
So, tell me something, (you can’t play bass? -sorry)
When did you last shoot your shot?
How did it feel? Tell me a story!
I’m always interested in our collective learning moments.
Sending you love and encouragement, always!
Dionne x
