Love can sour, or burn out, or fade away; but the memory of a fleeting romance is frozen in a better place. Instead of being allowed the time to suffer the highs and lows of life’s inevitable rollar-coaster, the love that has to part when at its sweetest can always leave one wondering at what might have been… and one can choose to imagine the best.
This shoot by Remi Rebillard opens with two old men, sitting and reminiscing on the past. From the beach settings and clear green waters we imagine summer romance. In the minds of these men, the beautiful girls who shyly stole glances at their younger selves have never aged. They’re still flawless – perhaps even more so when idolised by the mind. Each of Rebillard’s photos is a snatch of an old man’s memory: long limbs being splashed by the waves, a perfectly featured face peering from behind glass. Perhaps summer love couldn’t last, but the memories are both strong and sweet.
With its nostlagia of a cinematic 1940s romance, Rebillard’s shoot somehow manages to soak you in a beautiful melancholia; the simultaneous recognition that all things are fleeting – and that they’re so much better for it.
Styled wonderfully by Mark Williamson using vintage clothing from Miami Twice, and with sotfly romantic hair and makeup by Mark Williamson, you can give Remi Rebillard’s (remirebillard.com) shoot Je Vous Parle D’un Temps (I Speak Of A Time) your own interpretation by vieweing it in full at the gallery.
