Nice To Meet You

Here are some young ladies I photographed in the Hostel I stayed in while in Nice, France. The two girls below, Duanna and Maissa, had just finished their first year studying at Kings College in London and came to Nice to work for the holiday. At the beginning of my stay they were not too welcoming and I tried to avoid them. But one night, while they were talking about boys, I decided to put down my guard and give them a little elderly sister advice. What else could unify girls other than the men that drive us crazy? Afterwards we shared giggles and beach towels and warm goodbye hugs. We are now facebook friends.

On the last day they finally realized that I was a photographer and why I was carrying a 25lb black backpack to the beach everyday. Maissa had never had a formal photograph made of her before, but Duanna was somewhat well learned on the subject of modeling since her dad was an amateur photographer. Maissa was nervously excited, and I was just trying to hurry before the Pink Lady through me out.



Duanna, originally from Ireland, was job searching my entire visit and never found one, so after the beach got boring and fighting off the old men got tiring, she packed up with Maissa for back home.


Maissa, from north of London, was the two week girlfriend of the 28 yr old Guatemalan guy who helped run the hostel. But alas! A new shipment of hostel-sleepers arrived and a girl from Sweden then swept him off his feet. Maissa was hopelessly jealous since she slept right next to the Swede and was in tears about it almost every night.


Olga, a girl from Sweden (not the love interest), was a delightfully sweet girl who originally came with her sister, Elsa, but decided to stay after her sister left. She was most certainly the best drinker and the keeper of the peace. For me, she was a translator that argued with the Pink Lady herself to get my money back on one night's stay that I was not going to be staying. I love her.