I met Rebecca, when she hired me to photograph her. Like many women, she wanted to see herself differently—and, like most of the individuals with whom I work, Rebecca did not believe she was attractive. Clearly, she is quite beautiful and, in the year we worked together, she came to see the truth of that—and she became my collaborator and my muse.
Of all the models with whom I have worked, Rebecca is one of the most dedicated to the task: she came to enjoy the prospect of posing for my lens; she met each challenge eagerly; and she went so far as to learn basic yoga asanas and dance positions—including ballet positionings for arms and legs—to more fully and quickly understand my directions, while modeling.
Rebecca's dedication to modeling is evident in her work. Over the year we worked together, we were able to collaborate almost seamlessly, on dozens of sessions. There was little or no need for editing of Rebecca's photos. Though I did tell her, repeatedly, she could wear clothing, during our shoots, Rebecca would smile, and say, "When you pick up your camera, my clothes just fall off." This is evidence of her comfort level: she was never before a nude model.
Most works here were taken in natural sunlight. Some few were made in ambient low light. We collaborated, most often, at my studio. Some photos were taken in Rebecca's home. One tremendously long session, in July, was taken at a beautifully appointed bed and breakfast, where Rebecca surprised me, by taking me to photograph in the very place I'd dreamed of shooting, since I moved to this area.
I thank Rebecca, for her contribution to these works.
~Emmanuela
My gratitude to photographer Jack Radcliffe, for his wonderful eye and tireless help in selecting, cropping, and processing some of the photos of Rebecca represented in my portfolios.
