Inspired by the medical library of her father and the influence of her mother’s Ikebana growing up, Ayaka creates a style of jewelry that’s a fascinating distillation and abstraction of nature.

There was definitely something about her work that made me have a closer look when I first saw it a few weeks ago. I’m not a flashy jewelry admirer, nor do I wear much or any jewelry these days, really. Furthermore, her jewelry is designed mostly for women.  But as soon as I saw it, I was compelled to explore the artistry and the perspective behind it.  You don’t come across anything like this just any and every day, so exploring her work gave me the chance to glean something of her unique perspective.

By blogging about this I’ve realized that my form of creative expression (through photography) was kick-started long ago, through an observation of nature. I also recognize a familiarity to the way I “took-in” nature back then, and that this is probably why Ayaka’s work also grips me today. This has to explain I was first drawn to her, and as I later found out, also might explain why she was interested in commissioning me to work with her.

When we first met for coffee to discuss the plans for photographing the show, she mentioned that she liked my nature photography, in particular. Who’d be surprised by that after looking at some of the things I’ve photographed, and then at what she creates with nature’s inspiration ?

It was artistic kismet.

The show was held the evening of Feb 17th at the end of NY Fashion week 2012. I went to the event space a few days prior to do my homework, the way I always do before a shoot in a new space. It’s a rooftop bar scene with outdoor space on one end, and an atrium of sorts on the other end, where the show was going to happen.

Being unsure of what you’re walking into is a nightmare’ish scenario for a creative photographer, where both having confidence to direct, and being able to think and act decisively in an uncontrolled setting is critical. This is exactly why wedding photography is great field training for a creative photographer. Sure, you have the general flow of a wedding in mind before-hand, but thinking on your feet is sharpened by few other types of photography.

It took a little bit before I got settled down and felt confident to operate in the very limited space we had before showtime, but after I setup a light stand & softbox in the stairwell space I managed to scrounge – I began to work with models individually. I’ve never been in a position to work in conditions so tight in my life!

I don’t think such a huge turnout was expected at the event, and that was all good for Ayaka, but it really was a photographer’s hell. I used a Canon 35mm f1.4 and my Sigma 17-70mm on two crop sensor camera bodies for the night. I wished the 35mm had been a 28mm though, it was just too tight in there sometimes! I made it work , somehow.

Check out the images below which tell the story of the evening, and of course also showcase some of Ayaka’s beautiful jewelry.

More images can be seen on my Flickr set.

Related articles

• This Jewelry Designer Is Inspired By Bones (stylelist.com)
• Crazy Jewelry By Ayaka Nishi (stylelist.com)