1 Hour

If i am not mistaken, we met at Facebook first by the month of January, 2011. She was not yet on my list, i am just a fan of her page. Then i saw her Blogger site. it all started when i "explain/help" her how to edit her blogger page --> valentinamantovaniphotography

She was new to the Blogger site then. Now, she got more beautiful page than mine =).

Anyway, i continue to always read/look at her pictures on her blogs. Amazing! She seems like a professional photographer, yet she only got her Nikon camera 5 months ago. (not to mention she was only 18 years old)
Thru facebook comments and messages, we became at ease with each other and became friends.

She adores my daughter!

From that thought that we somehow talked about Zendra being her first child-model.

To cut the long story short, she came to Milan on June 26, 2011. We are supposed to meet at Bar Castello in Cairoli a Milano, just across the Sforzesco Castle Fountain. But, since it was her first time to go to Milan, being lost on the road is a norm, especially when she have no navigator in the car.

I was worried too if she can make it, so i continue sending her messages, asking where she is at the moment, calling her, teaching some directions. Our planned time to meet was 4 o' clock in the afternoon. Around 5:15pm, she said she's walking towards Piazza Duomo. Poor Vale, she almost walked, along with her sister and parents for around 40 minutes or so, with that heat, i don't know how they survived. Tough!

While waiting for her, my daughter Zendra had fun with her bubble gun at piazza Duomo. it's almost 6pm when i called again Valentina. Finally she was at Piazza Doumo and saw her for the first time! I'm glad to meet her whole family: her mom is so young (almost like my age), her dad is cool and her sister is pretty too, like Valentina. Lovely family!

Fotoshoot Challenge: how to compress an hour during the pictorial?

After some quick chats with her family, my Mom, Zendra and Valentina went right away down the subway to go to Cairoli. We left Valentina's family in Piazza Duomo so they can stroll around while we're having the fotoshoot. Duomo is just two stops away from Cairoli. In 10 minutes we found ourselves at Sempione Park where we intended to have the fotoshoot.

Zendra was so shy at first with Valentina. Of course, it's her first time too, to see her. I picked some pink carnation flowers to make Zendra at ease. She loves flowers!
Then, Valentina begun to click the Nikon camera!

Amazingly our little model didn't have tantrums during the session. We changed outfit 4 times!
The bubble gun helps a lot, too!
In 1 hour Valentina had 200 shots i guess. WHEW!

We headed towards piazzale Cadorna (train station) and we had this only 1 foto together, taken by my mother. Then Valentina bid goodbyes and kisses to Zendra. I asked my mom to go home first because my daughter could be tired. It was so hot!

Valentina and i headed again to the subway going to Duomo. It was only almost an hour that we were together. We had fun and some chit-chats, and she surprisingly gave me a souvenir from Verona (her home town)

I hope when she returns to Milan, she'll have the chance to go around the city; much longer time and we'll have a chance to eat pizza or something together.

It was really an unforgettable Sunday!