How did you come to be a model?
I became a model following a realization. I had a serious, sedentary job, which no longer suited me. I was doing well but I was no longer happy, no longer fulfilled, I had the feeling of no longer being in my place and it was deteriorating. Coupled with difficult family and personal events, I reacted by instinct, by necessity. I needed to refocus on myself, to write the rest of my life, to stop suffering in order to really exist. I started thinking about what I really wanted, something I didn't want to regret, something I had never tried in my life. And doing photography quickly became obvious to me. More than a desire, it was a need, buried, but visceral. It had been present in me for a long time but I was conditioned, as we are for many things, the environment was totally unknown to me, I did not know either a photographer or a model, my age, my physique were brakes, it was inaccessible. But my decision was made so I started. It was 2 years ago. I contacted a first photographer then social networks allowed me to meet others. I chose to use the nickname "Eliya" for the sake of discretion. It is very close to my heart, it is inspired by the first name of my grandmother who was one of the most important people in my life, who died shortly after starting photography, I could not talk to her about it. I started right away with lingerie sessions, and 6 months later I was doing my first nude series. I was 27 years old, I was a financial adviser in a bank. I practiced this profession for 9 years and I left my company 2 months ago.

 

You seem very fond of artistic nudes, why?
Yes, I really like the artistic nude, because it's simply beautiful, it's whole, pure, raw. Also I did a lot of dance when I was younger, especially classical and I rediscover forgotten feelings, I think there is the memory of the body too. I feel good in this register, I let my body and my mind express themselves freely.

 

Precisely what is your relationship to the body, and with your body?
The body is sacred. I am very attentive to mine, it is essential. A body is an envelope, what touches me is to see what it expresses, what it releases.

 

Is being a model being an exhibitionist?
I don't know, it depends on the person I think. As far as I am concerned this is not the case. Exhibitionism is not one of the engines that drive my passion for photography and it is far from my personality.

 

What type of photography do you like to do?
I love so many things in photography, I'm very open and curious, I have a lot of desires and I still have a lot to explore. What I can say is that I am in love with natural light.

 

Your driving force in life?
My engine is love. Love of life.

 

What fills you with happiness?
What fills me with happiness... the sun, I am a daughter of the sun! (Laughs). There are many things, it can go from a giggle to a trip, passing through the simplest things in the world, lying naked in the sun.

 

How much do you play with/on your image on social networks?
On social networks, I do not disclose information about my private life or my opinions on any subject. To tell you, I almost never post a selfie, I'm not good at it by the way. I just share my photos. It looks like me, I'm a little wild, I like to get to the point and then I prefer  real relationships, "feeling" people, feelings. And we come back to the subject of exhibitionism, I would not necessarily feel legitimate to expose my life, does that interest people? Yet I respect and I don't judge those who do it, everyone does what they want. So nude photo or not, let's say that I don't play on my "personal" image, I convey a certain image directly linked to my photographic work. I'm not the type to calculate everything, I try to stay true to myself.

 

What do you plan to do in the next ten years?
Honestly I don't know, I'm taking a sabbatical year in 2017 to devote myself entirely to photography and video. Being a model is ephemeral but I will go as far as I can. I'm more in the state of mind to live from day to day, we can die tomorrow. My objective being to make a living from an activity that makes me happy, in the photographic and artistic world, that would of course be ideal. Being happy does not fall from the sky, you have to give yourself the means.

 

Your biggest ambition as a model?
My greatest ambition as a model... will be to make a living from it, to be in a beautiful book, or even to exhibit in a prestigious gallery. It would be meeting exceptional photographers and participating in incredible projects.

Your typical day?

A typical day when I'm not traveling or shooting is waking up at 7:30 a.m., a good breakfast, sports, I work on my PC and in the evening I often have a drink with friends at home or elsewhere or I cook a small dish.

 

A guilty pleasure?
Nothing original, dark chocolate!

 

Where do you live ?
I am from Marseille, my parents left the city when I was 10 years old. Since then, I have lived very close to Aix-en-Provence, where I studied, met the man of my life, bought an apartment, and worked for 9 years. It's a good compromise, in summer the sea is 1 hour away and in winter the mountains are 2 hours away. The region is magnificent, the climate sunny, I'm good there so far.

 

Your ideal evening?
I have no ideal! But I love dancing, I like meeting new people, laughing, drinking good wine.

 

One thing you still do in secret?
Cry

 

Your main character trait?
Independent

 

Which one are you the least proud of?
Tough/demanding