“A woman who knows her worth has the power to change the world”

Q.—You went on an Australian odyssey at the tender age of 17 – how did that come about?
A. — “My desperation to travel was so strong that I explored every possible avenue. I chanced upon the Rotary Youth Exchange, where students do an entire academic year overseas, attending local schools and living with host families. There were cumbersome application forms and sponsorship to be raised for the airfare, travel insurance, visas etc, but my mind was laser-focussed so I did it. I boarded that plane to Australia, ready to discover exactly who I was outside my Dunkerque comfort blanket.”

Q.—Was the Land Down Under everything you dreamed of?
A.—“Yes, and more. I experienced a raft of ‘firsts’: first boat trip, first date, first love, and my first school uniform – it was blue. I also learned English, quite unlike the English you’re taught in the French education system. It was a massive thing for a young kid from a small French town to be across the other side of the world, so I used Facebook to update folk back home. I returned to northern France 20kg heavier. ‘Adèle you’re so fat!’, said Mum. Turns out that Australians are huge feeders.”

Q.—You studied Law and the History of the EU at University of Clermont Auvergne, what was the plan?
A.—“I wanted to be a rich power-suit-wearing woman, and hated injustice, so thought I’d aim for a career in Brussels. I loved my time as a student in Clermont-Ferrand but felt claustrophobic being hundreds of kilometres from the sea. I also went off the idea of the ball-busting EU career. My tutors told me not to quit, said I could study what I pleased for the last year, and they’d grant me a degree. I chose Marketing & Tourism at Ulster University – and was thrilled to be back on the coast.”

Q.—Degree in hand, you find yourself working not in Brussels, but Mallorca?
A.—“I applied for various marketing-biased international internships and my cover letter ticked the boxes for Mallorca-based sustainable fashion brand Sunvibes. I’d never heard of the Balearics, but when I found out there’d be sun, sea, and the chance to learn a new language, I accepted the internship. Working alongside founder-designer Elisa, I took care of advertising campaigns, events, and social media. I grew up with a camera in my hands - my grandfather and mother were both keen photographers - and Sunvibes afforded me the first opportunity to use my picture-taking talent commercially.”

Q.— You liked it so much, you stayed?
A. — “The three-month internship ended in summer 2018 and I felt the need to put down my roots. Australia was too far, but Mallorca was close enough to France - without being too close - so I decided to suck and see for a year. That summer I worked parttime for Sunvibes and parttime as an au pair for an Australian family - pure coincidence. In October I set up my social media business Yello There and, a year later, Palma Insta Tour.”

Q.—It sounds rosy, but not all was as it seemed?
A.—“In 2021, I was planning my birthday celebration and found myself organising a celebration that would look good for Instagram. It dawned on me that I wasn’t living life for myself but for potential social media content. What’s more, friends saw my news on Facebook posts and stories, so stopped reaching out to ask me what I was up to in real life. In fact, who was I in real life? So blurred were the lines that even I wasn’t sure anymore. I was so out of alignment, and it was time for a reset.”

Q.—How did you fix this creative burnout?
A.—“I decided to focus only on things that brought me joy. I slimmed down my social media circle and shifted my connections from ‘online’ to in ‘person’. I only said ‘yes’ to projects I loved, and they were predominantly photographic. The result of this navel-gazing was the establishment of By Adele Photography.

Q.—What space does By Adele Photography occupy?
A.—“I help entrepreneurs elevate their online presence with stunning photographs that convey the true essence of their brand. I listen to their stories, understand their vulnerabilities, and shoot photos that they feel great about. I’m more creative, more authentic, and out there making real connections away from the shackles of my computer screen. Yello There died of natural causes in 2022 and, although still active, Palma Insta Tour relocated to the backburner.”

Q.—And the final piece in the Adèle Chrétien puzzle is By Adele Boudoir.
A.—“Yes. Last summer I was gifted another period of quiet recalibration whilst cat sitting in Mallorca’s glorious countryside. For several years, I’d toyed with the idea of boudoir photography – intimate, romantic, sensual shoots that capture the beauty of the human form – but been afraid. I’m relatively young and was anxious people wouldn’t see me as ‘grown up enough’ for this kind of photoshoot. I was also nervous what my mother might say. Now in the last years of my 20s, I thought the time was right and launched By Adele Boudoir. The first thing dear mother said was: ‘Adèle, you’re doing weirder and weirder things, perhaps it’s time you came home’. In the next breath, she was packaging up her old bridal garter and suspender belt for me to use as props…”

For more information visit: www.byadelephotography.com and www.byadeleboudoir.com

Q.—Who is the classic By Adele Boudoir customer?
A.—“Women choose By Adele Boudoir to mark a big event – a divorce, a wedding, a milestone birthday – and they come in all ages, shapes and sizes. They might buy a shoot as a gift for their partner, but realise it’s a gift to themselves, a coffee-table album of photos they can refer to when they’re experiencing negative self-talk. I adore showing women (and men!) how gorgeous and sexy they are. We pamper them, enhance their beauty with professional hair and make-up, and give them advice on what to wear, how to pose. It’s fun, liberating, empowering. Society promotes unrealistic and unnecessary body ideals and I want to replace this with self-acceptance and self-love. Without wishing to sound too clichéd, I believe a woman who knows her worth, who enjoys inner confidence, has the power to change the world. And my goodness does this world need to hand more power over to women.”