The Fall: a photographic project on the edge of a cliff

The Fall project

A friend of mine from a magazine asked me one day if we could collaborate and do something that came out of the ordinary. Something incredible, something that has rarely been seen. Of course, I immediately accepted.

At this point, my mind was full of ideas. The year before, I had seen and met a motocross star jumping from a cliff. At that time, I thought to myself that I had to do something on this incredible sight. I wanted to challenge the artistic side with the technical side of photography.

That year before, I had met with an incredible individual who was highly trained and qualified. I was certain that Raphael would follow me. We agreed on what image I was expecting, as well as discussed all the necessary measures to achieve this whilst keeping the model safe. We often imagine things which are difficult to realize, but at this point everything was clear, and I knew where I was going.

I envisioned something impressive, a dramatic shot, but all had to be done while respecting health and safety measures.

But we had the most stunning weather at the time of the shoot. The temperatures were soaring hot and the light was harsh. After discussing how the day of the shooting would develop, we were all aware that any risks at the time had to be carefully measured, as there was no way we would put anyone in any kind of danger.

I made a phone call to Raphael. I told him,
listen: I need to do this project.

At first, he thought it was a plastic doll. We didn’t understand each other, it was funny.

You should know It’s 300 meters (1’000 ft) high there.

I had expectations for this image, and he was looking for safety. So we had to agree between what I was looking for and what was safe enough.

For this project, I was told they were looking for
a person who inhabits someone dropping off a cliff, someone who is very glamorous, someone very reckless.

What attracted me the most to the project,
was the reckless aspect, the overtaking side, the challenge.

Nothing was left to chance. Everything had been perfectly orchestrated, perfectly calculated. 
There was nothing left but to go. That’s why I was totally confident. There was a team behind, who did a great job. This gave me complete confidence.

That was still beyond my hopes, far beyond my expectations.

I was scared!

It’s wonderful what she has done.
She’s super brave to have done that.

This cliff already has a story.

The buildings next to it have a crazy view. These constructions were made precisely to take advantage of this view.