Not A Shy Bone In His Body : Ray Luis by Carl Proctor

One of my favorite features that I worked to put together this year was my profile of photographer Carl Proctor's work with model and actor Keith. (re-posted below) There was an energy to the shots which were creative, sexy and playful. The energy also came from Carl's love of his work and support of those he works closely with. One of the marks of a great shoot is when the viewer wants to see more of both the model and the work of the photographer. Carl's work with Keith left me wanting to see more!


Above: My favorite shot, so beautiful, so hot!

The Situations Abs, Fawcett's mane, Jolie's lips, Tim McGraw's tight jeans and Lopez & Kardashians boo-tay...

When working with a subject who is 'known' for something a photographers job has to be to both showcase it, as well as ensuring you don't simply rely on it. I mean you could just simply focus your lens and shoot it but then there would really be nothing creative, nothing different and especially nothing new about doing that.



I think in the case of 33 year old Ray Luis the task is easy. He certainly has it, but he also has so much more. There is reason Luis has been so busy, so popular, and has been working so many talented and respected photographers. Ray has been literally jumping on and off planes shooting much of the last several months. If all he had was it I am sure the continued job offers would have shriveled up long ago.



Ray describes himself as cool, calm and collected and very easy to work with. These adjectives along with his professionalism provide even more reasons photographers are eager to work with him and why they are singing his praises. Carl Proctor describes working with Ray as a real pleasure.

'You never know when you have the opportunity to work with a hot Internet model what the experience will be like. The minute you meet Ray, all concerns are put to rest. He is just as he describes himself: laid back, fun loving, and very serious about his modeling work. He doesn't have a shy bone in his body and he's very confident with his appearance. He brings so much to a shoot you can't help but get successful results.'
CP




'The first shoot we had was supposed to start with me picking him up at the airport at 9am on a Sunday morning from a flight originating in Chicago. However, due to weather issues, overbooking practices, and flight delays he wasn't able to arrive in Atlanta until after 4pm. I was worried that he would be tired and would not deliver his best. My worries were totally unfounded. He put 150% into a shoot that went well into the night with no complaining or grumbling. He's a real pro all the way.'
CP




Ray Luis has a truly amazing body, head to hmmmmm, toe. Beautiful face, sultry eyes, lips an amazing torso and muscled arms and legs which make every beautiful inch of him meant to be captured. Equally impressive though is his work ethic. Ray has a plan and his current crazy schedule and all the hard work is an important part of it. Besides this hard work, Ray has studied fitness and nutrition. Ray continues to study but his eye is on the prize. For Ray that prize is an acting career and he is currently studying acting at the Barbizon professional acting school in Detroit.

Check out more of Ray at ModelMayhem HERE:
As always check out more of Carl's work at his official site HERE:

Rewind: Visual Stimulation: Keith by Carl Proctor

'I've always been fascinated by visual stimulation and photography of all kinds.'
Carl Proctor



I don't think there is much we do as adults that cannot somehow be connected to the first decade or so of our lives. For some it is a great thing, pulling childhood dreams and goals into adulthood. For others it can be a painful process trying to get as much distance from those years as possible.

I feel lucky that although not perfect, my first 10 years were full of fantasies and dreams of the future. I am going out on a limb here but I am sure I am not the only person who answered pretend questions from famous interviewers while sitting on a lawn chair in the backyard. I of course was being asked about my latest movie and how I prepared for the role. Perfecting my autographed required countless hours of practice.



There was nothing better as a kid to dive into a great book and be taken on a wild and exciting adventure. For Carl Proctor his interest was in far away places and says he would spend hours at the local library looking at photos in travel magazines. As an adult Carl has spent 35 years in the travel industry living out his childhood travel fantasies.



Eventually Carl moved from experiencing to capturing his fantasies something he says was helped by moving to digital photography which allowed him to do his own online editing to get the results he desired. Although Carl's portfolio is diverse and he loves shooting all types of subjects he says, 'I am most interested in capturing people either by surprise or by design.' I love this line as I am sure like many, if it was not for the fear of getting the crap beaten out of me, I would love to go around photographing people as they go about their day.



When I read Carl's about me section on his web page the words Visual Stimulation were a perfect description of what I felt viewing his work. Colorful, creative, erotic and alive are all words I would to describe Carl's work. What most stood out to me though was how specific and detailed Carl's images are. I have often assumed editing is generally about covering, hiding something you don't want the viewer to focus on or see. Carl however also uses his editing skills to highlight something, sometimes the smallest of detail, which enhances the viewing experience.



When it came to choosing a model to showcase Carl's work the choice was easy. Carl's work with 21 year old Keith embodies each of the adjectives I used above. Keith's energy shines through every shot. Something I rarely comment on but that stood with Keith is how exceptional and skilled he is with posing. Keith hits just the right physical and emotional mark. This may be connected to Keith's extensive acting experience. Keith, primarily a stage actor and has been in many local theatre productions. He believes that being able to perform on stage night after night and consistently be good is the mark of a true actor.



Keith also has visions of his future. Keith says he wants to always stay positive and confident in the pursuit of his dreams. Unlike many actors who dream of stardom Keith's goals are quite specific. Besides the cover of Men's Health Magazine Keith hopes one day to win an academy award for best supporting actor. I love that Keith says supporting. Firstly, I think it says a lot about who he is as a person. Secondly, the supporting category is still seen as somehow secondary even though it has been won some of the best actors on the planet. One of my favorite performances ever was Timothy Hutton in Ordinary People. His portrayal of Conrad led to Hutton's only Oscar thus far in the best supporting category.



'Working with Carl has been one of the best experiences of my career so far. Some of the best images in my portfolio were taken by him. Not only has he taught me so much about the art of creating a unique and brilliant photograph, but he has also helped me grow so much as a model. Working with Carl is so much fun and his shoots are always relaxing and stress free. He is always professional and respectful and he always notices the little things that really make his work standout. I can't wait to work with Carl Proctor again in the future.'
Keith



'I have had the pleasure of working with and getting to know Keith in three amazing photo shoots over the past couple years. During that time I've also been enthralled watching him lose himself in a couple highly entertaining stage productions. As I would watch Keith on stage I would often think, "If the people in this theatre only knew how good Keith REALLY looks!". He would give me as much while modeling as he did to the audiences he performed for. In his theatre playbill bio, when asked what his hobbies were, he said "Working out. Acting. Working out. Acting. And working out." It shows! He has become leaner and more defined with each shoot. He comes to each photo shoot excited and fully energized and willing to push the envelope in any direction. Watching someone like Keith mature and continually improve is very gratifying. After nearly ten years of working with hundreds of models, it is no stretch to say that Keith has become one of my proudest portfolio stars.'
Carl Proctor

Thanks to Carl and Keith for sharing their work together with FH!

Check out much more Carl's work on Model Mayhem HERE: & at his official site HERE: