Sunday, January 19, 2014

Shorts: Brett Gleason by Walt Cessna


'I take pictures because I simply can't help myself from documenting everything I see. I am visually obsessed and dream in photos. I wouldn't have it any other way.'


I was first introduced to Brett Gleason, the man and his music, when profiling his work with photographer Nicholas Smith back in 2010. Since then, I have followed his career, his songs, his work. The last few weeks have been non stop for Brett beginning with a live New Years Even concert on Youtube (which I never could get connected to) and a live Stream-A-Thon which just ended today. The purpose of the stream was to promote and fund raise for the completion of Brett's full time album.


Although his primary focus is music, his new music video and single, Imposter is coming next month, it was his work in front of the camera that I got to know first, and continues to hold my attention. Brett brings a depth and intensity to his work as a model and weaves in the same level of soul he instills his music and writing with. Brett has a sexy everyman quality, relatable yet complex. A great head of hair and one of the best chests only add to the package. Brett has been featured on FH in images shot by a number of photographers. Nicholas Smith, whose work with Brett you can see HERE: and Thomas Evans who showed us much, much more of Brett in features HERE: & HERE:


I have also featured Brett's work with photographer Walt Cessna whose work I used to help promote Brett's first solo effort, The Dissonance. Walt has been documenting faces, bodies and souls since he was a teenager and says that for a brief moment in the 90's he was 'THE up & coming young buck', shooting for The Village Voice, Interview, Seventeen and many others. Walt left photography for a short time, but in 2000 was introduced to the digital world. Although his first digital camera was a clunky early primitive version, Walt says that he is now happily again ensconced in the world of image obsession and visual distraction.


Walt's new images of Brett certainly proved a visual distraction for me. Brett's shorts, the primary wardrobe, but really all that is needed. The concept may appear simple, but I love the resulting images are some of my favorite shots of Brett.






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