En préambule, I would like to say that a few months ago I decided that this place would be my happy place, that I would not share any down or depressive moments like I some times did in the past.
It did not actually occur to me that this "ask me anything" post would make me change that. But I have decided to be honest and three of you have asked "how are you?".
So here is your list of questions and my straight answers
How are you?Exhausted: since July David's MS has been incredibly aggressive. He had 3 major crisis, lost all autonomy and he is now dealing with a very strong and dangerous treatment. "Luckily", we live in France and the health care system is not so bad (still a lot improvements to make in the hospitals though). Someone is watching after him whenever I am not at home. As you can imagine, the three of us went through some pretty tough, sad and desperate moments. But.... And that's some big buts: our son is healthy, my family is awesome and very supportive, our friends are incredibly present, warm and caring, my boss and colleagues have been more than comprehensive.
Did you live in Tel Aviv?No, my in-laws live there. We used to go on regular basis.
Will you be moving to LA for work?It has actually been on the table but for all the reasons above I had to say no.
What exactly is your job?I am working for a French-American TV production company which among other activities is dubbing and subtitling TV programs from and to several languages. I have overall responsibility for casting all voice artists and supervising the Artistic Directors. And also, quite often, as a former actress, I step behind the microphone.
Is there a specific moment in your life that you really appreciate, or that you really wish never happened?I am not sure about the meaning of your question: would that be a recurring moment or a special one.
If that's just one moment, it would be the birth of my son (though appreciate is not a strong enough word). If that's a recurring moment, I would say that I really, really appreciate to stay in bed as long as possible on Saturdays (I hate to rush in the mornings).
And about the things I wish never happened: I have no regret of any kind about what I did or did not do, but I wish David would never had been sick and I wish my grand mother did not die a month after the birth of my son.
How it's like to raise a child in a big city like Paris? Pretty great I think! We have many parks (3 in our very close neighborhoods including les buttes chaumont), tons of cultural, creative, sport activities that you can start really young. So many wonderful and historical places to visit.
The only thing I miss about raising my kid in Paris is my close family.
Pourquoi écrivons nous, bloggons nous, faisons nous des photos?
Why do we write, why do we blog, why do we take photos?I blog because my friend
Marie told me (repeatedly;)) that I should share my images on a blog (can I thank you enough ma belle?), because it has been ever since a wonderful source of inspiration, because it did make my photographs evolve a lot (I think) and because it is a warm, cozy and friendly place.
I take photos because I can't help it, because I love it so much, because it calms me down, because I need to.
As-tu parfois le vertige en pensant au chemin qu'il te faut choisir ?
Do you feel dizzy sometimes when you have to choose which path to go?Not once before July. Every decision I had made before in my life seemed so obvious. I called them "mes évidences". Since July, everything has been so blurry, every decisions so tough to make. But I have the feeling that this dizziness is gone. I know the way now and I am back to my usual self (for a long time, I hope).
Have you always lived in Paris. Did you grow up there? Or did you move to Paris later on in life? Where were you before Paris then? Is French your native language? I was born and raised in Marseille. From as far as I can remember, I have always wanted to live in Paris. I moved here when I was 22 years old (still pretty recent ;)).
French is definitely my native language (I am sure you can say by my poor written English)
What are your first words/smells/sounds that come to you mind when you think about seasons: spring, summer, autumn, winter? This is a tough one;)
Spring
word: allergies, smell: none (because of allergies),sound: April in Paris by Ella & Louis
Summer
word: mountains (favorite summer vacation), smell: my dad home made apricot jam, sound: silence
Autumn
word: birthday, smell: rain on the sidewalk, sound: laughter of friends around the table.
Winter
word: white, smell: tea (wu long 7 agrumes), sound: the "glou-glou" of the soup.
Who inspires you as a photographer?Richard Avedon, Dorothea Lange, Edouard Boubat, Mary Ellen Mark, Jeff Brouws, Martin Parr, Erwin Olaf, Robert Doisneau... the list could go on...
What's a perfect day for you? I don't know.... A peaceful sunny day with my family, friends, laughter, good food, a little bit of wine, and a lot of photos!
What makes you dream? Honestly, I don't dream. I have the feeling that dreaming makes real life more painful.
Ton blog préféré en ce moment ?
Your current favorite blog?oh..... I don't even have a blog roll. I love so many different blogs for so many reasons.
But a very special someone opened a few weeks ago a blog just for me. So I think this is my current favorite blog (and I can't even give you the address).
Do you collect artwork or paintings? if so, what are they? What languages do you speak and which countries have you lived in? I just have a wonderful painting (remember
this exhibition? well the artist gave me my favorite). I am afraid the only languages I am fluent in are French and English and I have never lived outside of France.
J'aimerais juste connaître quelques questions de ce livre... :)
I would like to know some questions of this book"If you could spend one year in perfect happiness but afterward would remember nothing of the experience would you do so? If not, why not"
"If a new medicine were developed that would cure arthritis but cause fatal reaction in 1 percent of those who took it, would you want it to be released to the public?"
If you had to name two things you like about digital and two things you like about film photography, what would they be?Digital allows me to practice more with many technical things, but with film, it's like I fall in love with photography all over again... Hard to describe it.
I don't know if if that answers to your question really.
I really have to buy a new good scan though. I can't understand why there is this grain on the scanned photos above that I can't see on the originals...
What is your favorite comfort food at the moment?Pasta!!!! Always Pasta!!!
What do you want for your birthday?What I had yesterday for my birthday was just perfect: warm, friendly, great messages all day long and a surprise b-day party. I really needed these good vibes around me.
And your presents sweetie, as always, are wonderful. Can't wait to have more time to dwell on these books:)
Euh, when is your birthday ???November 15:)
What camera lens can you recommend?I think it depends on your camera and on what you want to do. But I think my Canon 50mm/1.4 is pretty perfect:)
(and thanks for the recipe!!!!)
It could be the secret of your light?
Or maybe where do you find the strength to go ahead?I just received your package and I am overwhelmed by your words here and on your note....
I think I am as depressed as anyone can be, I just try not to let my self down too long. People have always told me that I was strong since I was a little girl. For some reason, it really did upset me. I guess life proved them right. And, if there is light, it comes from Solal of course and from the love of my husband.
En conclusion, this might be the most intimate post I have ever written. It is going to be hard to hit the "publish" button. I hope my answers were not too depressing and not too long....
