My muse (Patreon)

Anastasiya

Part 1

This series was photographed in Paris last autumn. The model is Nastya. We met about two and a half years ago at a Shoot Party workshop in Tenerife. Before that, I had never heard of her. Which was actually surprising. By that point I’d already been photographing for years, and even if I didn’t personally know a model, I usually recognized her face from someone else’s work. Nastya was different. I had either never seen her before… or somehow never realized she was Ukrainian.

The funny thing is that we’ve barely spent any time together. We met in Tenerife. Then saw each other again once in Paris. And that’s pretty much it. Yet somehow she left me with one of those rare feelings you don’t experience very often. Sometimes you meet someone for only a couple of days, and they stay in your memory much longer than people you’ve known for years.

Before meeting her, I had already formed an image of who I thought she was. Confident. Very strong. Maybe even a little intimidating. Possibly the kind of woman who would quietly judge your entire existence while drinking her coffee.))) Instead… She turned out to be one of the calmest, softest and kindest people I’ve met. There was something incredibly gentle about her. And I loved discovering that contrast between the person I had imagined and the person who was actually standing in front of me.

Working with her was incredibly easy. I only photographed her once, so I can’t pretend I know every side of her as a model. But even during that one shoot, I had the feeling that she could effortlessly move between different moods without ever feeling like she was pretending.

I’ve seen so many photographers work with Nastya over the last couple of years. Even photographers whose style usually isn’t my cup of tea somehow create images with her that I genuinely love. That can’t be a coincidence. I have a feeling she simply brings something special into the frame.

What surprised me even more is that she doesn’t have a Patreon....or an OnlyFans....or really any place where she shares more of her work. Just Instagram… where she posts surprisingly little considering how many incredible photographs exist of her.

Honestly, I keep telling her she should make one. Mostly because I’m selfish and want to subscribe myself.)))

The last time we talked, she told me she wasn’t sure modeling was what she wanted to dedicate her life to. She was looking for something else. Some different purpose. And I genuinely hope she finds whatever she’s looking for....but I also hope she never completely disappears from in front of the camera. Because people often talk about great models as if it’s only about beauty. I don’t think it is. I think the best models bring something much harder to describe. Presence. Sensitivity. Curiosity. A personality that quietly fills the space without trying to. And Nastya has all of that.

So… if one day she finally creates a Patreon… Please let me know. I’ve already been waiting for two and a half years.)))

P.S. Dear Nastya, if you’re reading this… please create your Patreon before Part 2 comes out. I’m running out of ways to pressure you publicly.)))