The art of letting go

When we actively align ourselves with love, we leap into a reality where all dimensions of the universe converge into an expression of utter beauty. Witnessing yourself as the alchemist of this human experience, amidst the chaos, continuously bending and challenging your mind’s beliefs… From moment to moment, let there be magic.

As with many non-commissioned shoots, Renske and I met through Instagram. We knew we wanted to work together someday, and then both happened to be in Cape Town in February of 2020. She sent me a DM and as we went through the motions of trying to put together a team, we found ourselves out of luck. No make-up artist or wardrobe stylist was available or arrangements fell through at the last second.

Issy in Berlin

May 2019

Just a year before I would have probably canceled the shoot at this point. With no team to support our vision with designer clothes and flawless hair and make-up, I would have been convinced it would be useless for my portfolio. I held my work to high standards, after all. Ever since my first shoot with Issy back in May 2019, which led to me making my favourite photo of that year, I knew I let possible gold pass me by if I didn’t follow through and let myself be inspired by what was there instead of taken aback by what wasn’t. This time I decided to do what I do best: wing it. 

So, change of plans. I had no escape in putting lavish clothes on a model that didn’t say anything about who they were or what I was trying to say to the world, no hiding behind forced signalling towards possible clients that I am a respectable fashion photographer. It made me feel vulnerable, yet I think that may be the most valuable state you can find yourself in as a creator. If I wanted to make something, I had to let go of that ego. 

Renske was a great sport and went out to collect some items so we could do our own styling. This wasn’t her first rodeo either. But, if we were going to do this our way, I didn’t want to just meet, shoot and scoot, so to speak. I suggested we meet for coffee first and get to know each other a little bit, we were in no rush after all.

I remember talking to my Uber driver on my way to meet Renske in a cafe in Camps Bay. When I told him about our photoshoot he exclaimed that he hoped we would manage shooting anything good with the merciless wind that was blowing through town day. One could repeat that we were out of luck, but I was keeping my calm. Everything will work out. And if not, we were set on at least having fun. 

As much as I was out of luck considering the circumstances, I soon found out I was so very fortunate to meet Renske. We sat for over an hour with our coffees and I was blessed with her authenticity and openness. We shared highlights and hardships about our time working in the industry, but most of all our vision on life itself and how we thought we had managed as supposedly adult humans thus far. 

Inspired by each others energy we went out to shoot. That driver was not joking, it was like we were out in a wind tunnel. We joked: “Who needs a hair stylist to subtly fan your hair when you can shoot out here?” We found a spot that was a bit less windy, relatively (Mary Poppins still would have no problem taking off here), and I was greeted with another blessing: the colours of the environment were perfectly matching the clothes Renske had decided to bring. Something I’m always a sucker for when shooting a series: having a consistent colour palette. Instead of lurking at a mood board as we would probably have done in ‘normal’ circumstances, we simply continued our conversation and soon found ourselves in flow. Renske would move freely and I would give feedback or silently click away when I felt everything fell into place. We were off to a good start. 

We moved to a different location where we found a yellow wall. There was definitely no way of hiding from the wind here, but with confidence from overcoming the challenges we had so far, Renske danced with the wind as if they were best friends. I suggested she put on the lilac jumpsuit she had borrowed from a friend, which would beautifully contrast the wall. When she put it on we found out one of the straps was broken. By now you can probably fill in the blanks: we made it work. I carefully put a knot in the strap, which was obviously very visible, but as I was shooting the whole scene I decided to put emphasis on this detail instead of hiding it. It became a token of our unique collaboration… with each other and with the universe.

Turning the tables on luck by being confident of blessings coming your way when you move with intentional receptiveness. There is always great opportunity in the challenges you face, I’m certain of that. As long as you leave any expectation or attachment behind. If there is anything I have learned of the past couple of years, it’s that the best works, or dare I say even the best moments in life, happen when you let go. A free fall into an abundance of blessings. A leap of faith into the friendly unknown.

Some of the images in this series are available as a limited edition print.