Elyssa Magazine

ELYSSA The Model as Muse

Vol. 1 No.1

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Elyssa: The Model as Muse Spring 2011 Vol. 1, No. 1

Photography by: Tim Jahns Publisher: Pro Expression Editor: Tim Jahns Design: COMMUNICATION DESIGN OFFICE / GRAPHIC OBJECTS email: tjphoto40@yahoo.com All contents of this magazine are copyright 2011, Tim Jahns Photography, all rights reserved. Images and text may not be copied or reproduced in any form without written permission of Tim Jahns Photography.

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Welcome to Vol. 1, No. 1 of Elyssa: The Model as Muse. It will be obvious from even a quick glance that this is not a traditional photography magazine, but it definitely emphasizes the images rather than chatty or explanatory text. I invite you to look at this collection of images with a spirit of discovery and without preconceptions.

There are no easy explanations, no great words of gloss on the model or the images inspired by her. What text is here is meant to provoke more thought and give some points of entry to the images. But I think the images speak well enough for themselves. This series of photographs can evoke or arouse, but can’t be confined by the language of “meaning”.

They don’t fit neatly into any one genre—fashion, fine art, glamour—though they have elements of each. Ultimately, they serve to bridge the gaps between genres, or to combine some ingredients of each style in novel ways.

What these images convey is both the immediate visual mood or story and the more complex messages contained in visual layers or overtones. The text woven in here and there might best be used to suggest interpretations and insights without limiting your responses. More than anything, you’re invited to explore the images here and, if all goes well, find this a stimulating adventure that includes beauty, sensuality and a twist on the notion of a muse.

This first issue is a launch, an inaugural voyage in more ways than one. I hope you enjoy the visions along the way.

-Tim Jahns

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Magnetic Confounding Muse Elyssa is a mag netic and conf ounding muse, supreme insp a twist on the iration—at on more classic no ce real and id define her in on tion of an artis ea l, her presence e or two simpl t’s hot and cold. e descriptions right. But she’ It ’s impossible to , an d none of thos s definitely a e descriptions mix of somew and intense, bu hat contrary en will seem quite t can also seem ergies. She is remote. Beyon which are very se du ct ive, self-assure d her towering st real, her beau d ature and stun ty and mystery contains much ning legs, m ay be more of my more than she’ s aware of. creation than hers. Yet she

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I say that she exists in my images like a siren of Greek mythology or a cipher of any age. Which means that she’s heightened in these images to the stature of a dream, but short of a goddess.

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Erotic and elusive, seemingly unreal in proportions...

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Just in appearance, she composes herself to accentuate an incredibly long and leggy physique that surpasses any other form around her.

Erotic and elusive, seemingly unreal in proportions, she’s like an idealized statue brought into human presence and yet with the haughty gaze of a beautiful ice queen.

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In her depth and stillness, she radiates a strange power that

allows her to command the space around her, even when she’s withdrawn to a complex interior or drifting somewhere beyond the space. She’s exquisite and

vexing, an enigma without trying.

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a face that speaks of allure and aloofness at the same time

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A Certain Presence

02 As a commissioned scout in the past, I would find promising new models from time to time.

One of the models I placed with a major agency early on was considered a budding supermodel, garnered quite a few prestigious jobs, but never quite achieved what the agency had hoped. Occasionally, her mother would refer other potential models to me, one of whom was Elyssa, the daughter of another family they socialized with. Unlike most model prospects I met, Elyssa hadn’t been dreaming of a career in modeling. In fact, she didn’t even consider herself that physically attractive and had been hiding herself under baggy clothes for years, playing sports and being more of a tomboy.

Occasionally, a stranger would comment on her height, but she found that more annoying than flattering, unconvinced that she was attractive.

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s h e e x i s t s like a sir en o f Gr eek my tho lo gy o r a c ip her of a ny age

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at once real and ideal

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complex brooding mysteriouS elusive

Even in her raw and somewhat awkward state, though, it was clear she had some exceptional qualities. At over 5’11” then, eventually growing to over 6’1”, she had the height that fashion models covet, and her legs were incredibly long and beautifully tapered. Those stunning legs would draw raves whenever she revealed them to agents or others in the business, but she was never that enthralled with them herself.

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What also distinguished her from the beginning was a certain presence, it seemed to me. She was at first quiet and reserved, but also had a spark of self-assurance that just needed some cultivating. For the first time, she was being complimented for her looks, which seemed to boost her self-esteem and allow a simmering energy inside her to emerge. Praise fueled her confidence but never seemed to persuade her that she had the body she wanted.

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intense addictive brazen HAUNTING

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a mix of somewhat contrary energies, she is seductive, self-assured and intense, but can also seem remote and otherworldly.

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Has the adventure with a powerful but reluctant muse been both enriching and ruinous?

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Sometime in 2007-08, I started to conceive of more creative ways to shoot with her, with more styling elements and a vision of unique, dramatic locations or settings to further accentuate her physical traits and presence. The locations became almost equally inspiring to me, with their own dynamic and their potential for showcasing my model. I scouted for the most interesting places to shoot, envisioning how Elyssa would look there and how I could place her in certain spots for maximum visual effect.

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I found some settings that fit my vision: a former cathedral in downtown LA, a concrete production plant out east, an artist’s studio, a large and open loft looking out on the LA skyline, a hybrid

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Mediterranean mansion in the hills, and much more. Wardrobe and makeup became more critical, too, valuable in the enhancement of this model who was turning out to be—well, a muse.

an architecture of possible forms and angles that every little shift in shape makes into something magnetic and memorable

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exquisite

Regal s tat u e s q u e ETHEREAL

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her body teases out the female shape and taper to refined lengths without big curves anywhere

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Elyssa has a spectacular physique, not requiring digital trickery to make her look so. That isn’t to say her body is classically perfect, only that it teases out the female shape and taper to refined lengths without big curves anywhere.

Her body has a fascinating geometry, an architecture of

possible forms and angles that every little shift in shape makes into something magnetic and memorable. She can be posed like a mannequin or compose herself to accentuate her angular form and direct attention up to her face or down to her legs.

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like the gravity of a black hole, both present and absent.

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AN ARCHITECTURE OF POSSIBLE FORMS & ANGLES

04 Elyssa starts with that long, lean figure highlighting the most incredible legs, but also has a face that speaks of allure and aloofness at the same time. Even from a distance, with her whole body to take in, you can see the look. I’ve worked with many models who were far more openly expressive and giving, but none have had the strange gravity Elyssa has, that compelling mix of energies largely held in check but still emanating signals ranging from sultry to haughty to stern.

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Her facial expressions seem at first to be quite fixed and limited within one willfully “serious” look. But the range within her expressions is much more subtle and complex. Occasionally, she lets a self-satisfied smile creep in to her lips, but in general her countenance is more steely, smoldering, superior, or aloof. It isn’t obvious at first glance the gradations of emotion and attitude that lie just beneath this surface and register in small but potent ways. When she’s focused, the gaze is penetrating and irresistible. Even when she’s disengaged or bored, the little expression of that feeling can be oddly captivating. She doesn’t beckon, she just holds or releases energy as she waits, like the gravity of a black hole, both present and absent.

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Or am I projecting qualities into her that don’t exist in her but in a dream. She’s the kind of cipher you can puzzle yourself from but not find her anywhere. Maybe she’s just the embodiment of the unattainable. I’ve certainly given thought to what makes her fascinating and even a kind of obsession. Is she inspirational or alluring for me because she’s so elusive and remote as well as the foundation of some physical ideal, a kind of visual and sexual fiction? Yes, I think so.

Is she the siren of a myth and not of waking life? Probably, because I made her so.

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An idealized statue brought into human presence and yet with the haughty gaze of a beautiful ice queen.

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emb o d i me n t

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t h e

u n atta i n a b le

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