A Photograph Sometimes develops a life of its own. Or in this case "magic," to use Roberto Rocco's word. The Italian photographer anticipated nothing magical when a fashion magazine in his home country sent him to shoot Detroit-born Elizabeth Nottoli. It was just another job with a gorgeous model--a bit more exciting than most, perhaps, considering his subject's unusual allure. When they met, though, it was the photographic equivalent of love at first sight. "We agreed to have an open shooting, which meant I could shoot whatever I felt, anything at all," says Rocco in his musically accented English. "Elizabeth was so spontaneous, so comfortable with her body, so beautiful, it just got better and better." Elizabeth (whose surname Nottoli rhymes with bodily, almost) felt the same charge in the air. "I got the best vibe from Roberto," she says. "He's a cool guy. No matter what your flaws are, he makes you feel like a beautiful woman." She told him that they might be creating something scandalous: She had just done a major campaign for the nouvelle couture firm Bisou Bisou in which the childless Elizabeth breast-fed a baby. There might be some conflict between that wholesome image and her nudity in these new photos, she said. But it didn't matter; she was equally proud of both incarnations. For his part, Rocco was so delighted that he decided to take the results of his photo session with Elizabeth to Los Angeles, where he showed them to Playboy's West Coast Photo Editor, Marilyn Grabowski. She knew Nottoli from Bisou Bisou's billboards in Los Angeles. "That's where I spotted her," says Grabowski. "She's incredibly striking. Elizabeth is a knockdown gorgeous girl." Such praise will not be news to the readers of Harper's Bazaar and the many other magazines in which Elizabeth has appeared, though some may be surprised to see her here. But the element of surprise is part of the story.
"Elizabeth even made breakfast for us," says the still-amazed Rocco. This is supernaturally unusual: He and his crew showed up for the shoot and their model--presumably a prima donna who might demand extreme pampering--had prepared strawberry-and-cream-cheese bagels and fruit plates for everyone. "I take care of the people I like," says Elizabeth. She then proceeded to prove she was no mere globe-trotting Suzy Homemaker. She is so sensual that Rocco felt he had to find the perfect forum for their work. Now satisfied that he has done so in Playboy, he couldn't be happier. But the last words belong to Elizabeth: The dynamic between photographer and model is "not always perfect," she says with a laugh, "but this time it was magic."
