Modeling for Jewelry

Back in June, I had an opportunity to be a model for the beautiful jewelry designed by a talented artist Irene Sema. (Please visit her stunning website: https://www.irene-sema.com/  ) One was a set of titanium earrings and the other one was a two-sided pendant with titanium and diamond. Her elegant design evoked a calm, simple, deep feeling in me.

I’d never modeled for jewelry before. So, the shooting session was exciting but nerve-wracking. Irene was very patient to get good shots. She kept talking to me to make me feel relaxed and reveal a part of me that is not easily seen.  We tried many different postures and situations.

At some point, she asked me to hold a ceramic tea cup as if I was drinking tea. Feeling a little self-conscious, I told her that I’d never imagined that I would be modeling for jewelry.

“Why?” she asked.

“… well, because I’ve never thought that I was feminine enough to do this kind of thing,” I replied.

Irene laughed amusingly and said, “You are one of the most feminine people I’ve ever met!”

I looked at her incredulously. She continued, “Believe me, I’ve photographed many people. You seriously need to change how you think about yourself.” She smiled and continued taking pictures. Her remark about my femininity threw me off guard but made me ponder on the nature of femininity.

Maybe it has nothing to do with putting makeup on or wearing skirts and high heels. ‘Cause I hardly do those things in daily life. Maybe Irene was talking about the inner qualities of a person: gentleness, receptiveness, sensitiveness, etc..  I do appreciate those qualities in a person…

When Irene showed me some of her best shots, it finally dawned on me what she meant by being feminine. Hard to describe in words. So, I’ll just let you see the photos:

Photo by Irene Sema
Photo by Irene Sema
Photo by Irene Sema
Photo by Irene Sema
Photo by Irene Sema

Thank you Irene, for the great experience!