// Behind the scenes. A photo and the story behind it!

Late one evening my phone rang. Normally I would not answer at that hour, but somehow this call felt different. The number contained an unusual number of 1s and 9s. I looked at the clock: 11:11. In a fraction of a second, I had already prepared the speech I would give the stranger on the other end if the call turned out not to be important. I answered with a simple “Hello?” — and immediately heard a male voice thanking me profusely for my “flexibility”.

For a long time I had been carrying the thought that I wanted an artistic nude photo series of myself. Why? At the time, I could not really explain it. It was simply a feeling. One evening I was scrolling through Facebook when I saw Norbi's invitation for an artistic nude session. Afterwards, the model could write about her thoughts and the story would appear as an article on his website. I immediately thought: yes, this is what I need. Here is the opportunity.

“I have a dream, and I need a few serious photographs from you to make it happen.” That was Csabi's request when he walked into the studio. We had originally planned to work outdoors, but by then there was too little light to create the kind of images we wanted, so we moved inside. The assignment was a serious challenge: he wanted the photographs for his application to the sports reality show Exatlon.

Five years ago… One afternoon, while passing a few boring minutes on Facebook, a post caught my eye. The photograph was the first thing I noticed. It showed a woman's body from the waist down, lying on her stomach, hips raised, knees bent, with the strap of her underwear hooked over the heel of her shoe. It was simply sexy. A photographer was looking for a model to recreate the image. I applied. At the time, I had no idea how completely this world would pull me in.

I believe a beautiful artistic nude series is more a matter of psychology than equipment. To demonstrate that, I bought Olympus's cheapest entry-level mirrorless camera, the PEN E-PL7, together with two tiny Lume Cube lights, and invited an old friend to model. “Is it natural for you to have people standing naked in front of you?” We were already on the motorway when, after several minutes of silence, she broke the quiet with this question in a trembling voice.

Raise your hand if you've never dreamed of having beautiful nude photographs taken of yourself. Would you actually dare to do it? Of course not. I, however, jumped straight in. There can be a million excuses: • I don't know a photographer I would trust with this. • It must be expensive. • I would never dare to undress. • People will think I'm a slut… But perhaps the main reason is always the same: I don't think I'm beautiful enough, and I'm afraid of the result.

We first met a few years ago when I went to model for one of his students. We immediately tuned into each other, and that same evening I returned to his studio. Magical photographs were created then too, reflecting all the sensitivity of the person I was at the time. This time was no different. Working with Norbi is deeply intimate because he experiences the world differently. He does not look at the other person and see a body; he sees a soul.

I had an intimate experience with my partner that caused another Woman inside me to begin unfolding. I wanted to see that side of myself in photographs. I had already brought a similarly unusual idea to life beautifully once before, so I had no question about who I would approach with this one. It matters enormously to me not to feel like just another client. I want to feel special — that my feelings, thoughts, body and soul matter.

It always bothered me that I lacked the confidence to show people who I really was in everyday situations. Because of that, I often felt boring and invisible. All I really needed to do was be myself, yet something always stopped me — except in one place: on stage. There I could become anyone I wanted for those few minutes, and I loved it.

At first glance, this style may seem aimed at a fairly narrow audience, but it has enormous potential: regardless of age, gender or body type, it can be used to create striking, mysterious and sensual portrait series of almost anyone. As a photographer, I am constantly exploring new ideas, and this time I feel I have found something that not only reignited my own creativity, but had a surprisingly deep effect on my models as well. The equipment: portability and versatility