Covergirl.

The photo below is from a specific project photoshoot and was used to create a Covergirl magazine ad (made-up school project, actually turned out better than the actual ones out there ;)) I had to take a photo with the model not wearing any make-up at all, it would later be applied in Photoshop. Rachel kindly agreed, although most girls today would probably refuse.This photo turned out so great that I wish I could use it in some sort of a 'natural beauty' ad. It is the original with no make-up involved at all, only turned into black & white. Rachel is one of my favorite people to work with (and in my opinion more beautiful than any model out there.) She has the ability to retain her natural expression in front of a camera and that gives me the ability to capture her in her truest sense.

This photo alone is one of the many reasons why I enjoy photography so much. I love to photograph people, but I love to photograph real people just as they are. Not what they're trying or appear to be, but something that exposes their real beauty and their true inner self. Our society and especially the media, have changed the way we look at people and what we think they are or ought to be. When I photograph, I always search for that expression, the moment when I can catch a glimpse of something more than what that person appears to be. Many times those expressions go unnoticed, they might only be minutes or even seconds that pass by and are easily forgotten. And even though this photo was taken for a specific project and was posed, as an artist I feel rewarded because it still holds that expression I was searching for in her.

I like to make art with real people because I'm drawn to real people. We are all created different and have something special and unique about us that no one else does. Photos such as this have the ability to speak to us and we can all relate to the person in them.

© N. Matveev