Models & Muses; Noa
In this first Models & Muses spotlight, we are honored to introduce Noa, a remarkable individual whose courage and grace shine through her work as an artistic nude model.
Having had the privilege of collaborating with her multiple times, I can attest to the fact that she has been a great inspiration in my artistic journey.
Through her dedication to the art form, she embodies the beauty of the human body, and we admire her for the bravery it takes to express herself in such a unique and captivating way.
Make sure to visit the links to her work at the end of this email…
Enjoy!
Noa the Model
Why do you do what you do, and what is it that you are most passionate about?
For me creating is equal to being alive. I need to create in order to be myself and feel balanced and I do this through many different medias. I sew, draw, sculpt and photograph and am constantly trying out new creative techniques.
Nude self-portraiture came to me so naturally and it felt incredibly raw and alive. To not only be creating art, but to use my body as the medium in it... I had never done any kind of dance and also did not consider myself athletic or anything like that, so getting to use my body in such a way, was incredibly new and fascinating to me.
Is there something you have learned about yourself or society because of the work you do?
As I mentioned in the previous question I had never really worked much with my body, so posing nude and trying out all kinds of different abstract poses definitely helped me connect with my body in a way that was new to me. It also taught me to look at myself from a different perspective. To not see my body through societies lens of "beauty" and "femininity", but to consider it, as you would an abstract artistic sculpture.
One where you maybe do not even know, if you think it is beautiful, but it is fascinating and it captures your interest and there is just something there that you can not quite explain that is making you feel something deep inside. To me that was very healing, especially after having struggled for most of my life with body image issues and the big pressure of "I need to be skinny, to be worthy.", that so many women experience.
Who is your favourite photographer you worked with, and why?
This might sound a little arrogant and pretentious, but if I am fully honest, it is myself. When I do self-portraits I can express myself so freely and explore all the facets and emotions of my being, in a way that is nearly impossible with another person in the room. For someone that has not tried doing self-portraits, I have found it is difficult to understand how profound it truly is over the long run, to keep on having that kind of space for yourself, that is truly only your own.
The only other photographer that comes close to that for me is my partner. Again here it is also the level of intimacy and trust that we have with one another, that allows for that kind of truly free expression of self.
Which model do you admire the most or has been an example or mentor to you and why?
Emma v. Riel has been a profound influence on my career and development as a model and selfportrait artist. She is the first model that I got to know when I started out and for the first few years I feel our careers developed alongside each other and we had many shared experiences.
She also is an incredible self-portrait artist and photographer in her own right and always being able to find a peer and confidant in her was so valuable to me. Not many people outside of the nude photography world really know what it is like to work as a model on a daily basis and it can be pretty tough at times, because you have to deal with a lot of things on your own. I have always believed in Emma so much and whereas I have reclused a lot more in the last two years and barely go on tour anymore now, Emma has really upped her game and built such a strong and respectable carreer. It has been so fascinating for me to watch her step into her power and go after all the things she has always wanted.
I can not wait to see how far she will come and how she will continue to transform herself.
Her website is: riel-life.com
What are your top three do's or don'ts that a photographer must to be mindful of, when working with you (or other models)?
Do’s
- Take some time to connect with the model before you start shooting and create a space where she can feel at ease (this is achieved through many of the obvious things like offering something to drink, making sure the studio is warm enough, having a space where she can get changed in private, etc). If I am comfortable with you, I will give you so much more as a model and sometimes it can be really awkward, when you get to a shoot and the photographer is barely talking to you and everything just feels kind of cold (literally and figuratively) and disconnected.
- Create a mood-board as a starting point / communicate beforehand what you are hoping to create during the shoot. This helps immensely to understand what is is that you are trying to achieve. Some photographers find it more difficult to put into words what they want to shoot, so a mood board is always super helpful as a starting point from which you can let the creativity flow. It does not have to be something fancy, a handful of images is enough to show me the mood you are going for
- Try out (some) the poses yourself before you ask me to do them, especially if we are shooting outside. Obviously not every photographer is able to do the poses exactly as the model would, but to me its always a big plus if a photographer tries to show me what he wants by doing it himself. There is just a level of humbleness and empathy that is transmitted through this. I feel it bridges the gap that often exists between the model and photographer, because not only do I understand better what you are asking from me, but also it lets the photographer understand that some poses are really difficult or uncomfortable.
Don’ts (as a disclaimer, I wish I did not have to say any of these, because they feel like such obvious things, but it has happened so many times during shoots to me and my fellow model friends, that I do feel they need to be pointed out once more)
- Please do not forget that if you have booked me for a shoot, this is a professional encounter. We are not meeting as friends and I am also not your therapist. I would like you to imagine how you would behave in any kind of other setting, where you are interacting with someone that is simply doing their work. For example if you go to the bank, the person that is working there: you would not touch them, you would not tell them or ask for initmate information (for example about your recent divorce or the difficult relationship that you have to your child, because yes there is many photographers that want to talk about this kind of stuff during shoots and like I said, I am not a therapist), you would not invite them to dinner at your house afterwards, you would also obviously not make comments about their body, esepcially not sexual ones. So please ask yourself would I say/do this with the person that works at the bank? and if the answer is no, then also dont do or say this to me during a professional shoot.
- If you book me for an artistic nude shoot, do not assume I am going to do anything else besides an artistic nude shoot. If you are wanting to do a boudoir shoot or anything in an erotic direction, you have to discuss this clearly with the model beforehand and agree that she is comfortable with what you are asking. It really bothers me if someone books me as an artistic nude model and then tries to ccontinously steer me into an erotic direction. Also for me personally boudoir and artistic nude are two very seperate genres and I would like to be aware nefore the shoot, what it is that I am walking into. Again here, a moodboard or some example pictures are incredibly helpful, especially if you are not sure under what genre your desired style would fall.
- Gossip to me about other models you have shot with. To me its just always a really big red flag if a photographer is talking a lot about negative experiences he has had with other models or is telling me gossip in general about other models.
Where can we find more of you online?
You can find my self-portrait work and other content related to my art & life here: https://onlyfans.com/noa_the_model
You can find censored content and most of my brand work on my instagram: https://instagram.com/noathemodel
For any other links, feel free to just look at my linktree:
linktr.ee/Noathemodel
Noa is indeed a wonderful, special model. I fortunately had a few times the opportunity to work together. Also once a duo with Emma. Great collabs , also the phothography talks and beyond.
Love her selfportraits. Open and intimate, like her modeling.