Personal story

In 2010, I took this photograph with my brother who was 12 years old; I was 26. I had already come several times, but this was the first time for my brother and his first trip without his parents. We spent the whole day at the Estate of Versailles, from the morning to the evening. I took this picture while walking with my arm stretched out, because I hate posed photographs. It is in black and white because F. thinks that that attenuates the background noise caused by all the people at tourist sites like the Palace of Versailles. I had the idea to wink as I pressed the button. For me, this is “the” photo of the trip, the one that sticks in my mind.

I consider myself a “maniac” when it comes to the Palace of Versailles. I’ve been coming back regularly since my first visit in 2007 and I have visited everything that is “visitable” at the Estate. I like to go jogging in the park and to read in the sun. When we got there that morning, C. kept his eyes shut until the last minute to be able to experience what I had told him about the Palace and to keep the impact of his first sight.

Francesca