Artful Dodger by Shaun Simpson

'He was a snub-nosed, flat-browed, common-faced boy enough; and as dirty a juvenile as one would wish to see; but he had about him all the airs and manners of a man. He was short of his age: with rather bow-legs, and little, sharp, ugly eyes. His hat was stuck on the top of his head so lightly, that it threatened to fall off every moment--and would have done so, very often, if the wearer had not had a knack of every now and then giving his head a sudden twitch, which brought it back to its old place again. He wore a man's coat, which reached nearly to his heels. He had turned the cuffs back, half-way up his arm, to get his hands out of the sleeves: apparently with the ultimated view of thrusting them into the pockets of his corduroy trousers; for there he kept them. He was, altogether, as roystering and swaggering a young gentleman as ever stood four feet six, or something less, in the bluchers.'
Charles Dickens



I am not sure how much of Dickens description relates to model Ryan Whiteman (who uses the name in his work) but the Artful Dodger had some good qualities, he was quick, skilled, cunning and had a big heart. Ultimately one can hope his time in the penal colony helped him turn himself around.

Last November I first featured the work of Halifax based photographer Shaun Simpson. (Brian Stever by Shaun Simpson) In that profile Shaun talked about the weather challenges of shooting in NS and I know yesterday NS, like much of the North East was dealt a cruel April Fool's joke with a mix of Freezing rain and snow. The weather challenges do however lead to an increased concentration on creativity when it comes to interior studio shooting. The shots of Ryan showcased here are from several different shoots and I love Shaun's use of darkness, light and shadow in some of my favorite shots.



Ryan was born in the UK but moved to Canada when he was a teenager. Shaun loves working with Ryan and says he lost count of how many shoots they have done together.

'Ryan was one of the first male models I worked with, and have continued to work with him over the past few years. He's sort of like a guinea pig for my lighting and styling tests; whenever I want to try something new he's one of the first guys I contact.'

You can check out more of Shaun's work on MM HERE: and at his official site HERE:
You can check out more of Artful Dodger on MM HERE: