'One Grown Man is my journey using my body as my form of expression. I hope these pictures display the qualities of One Grown Man: that is, Grace, Reality, Originality, Well being and Nudity.'
Last year, I introduced FH to the work of model and photographer Stefan Dietz. (Intuitive Approach) Stefan's goal with his imagery is to hold the viewers attention for more than a few seconds, and with me, it was much longer than that. It is difficult today to hold anyone's attention for long, there is just too much of everything that requires our attention. Stefan's self portraits however, stand out for their powerful beauty, elegance and strength and organically rooted eroticism.
Since that first piece, Stefan has been looking to find the right platform to brand and showcase his work. Many sites, like Instagram and Facebook are very limiting when it comes to the expression of nudity and sexuality. Other sites, like tumblr, can be too open, flooding it's pages with nudity and porn to the point that individual images, basically get lost. Stefan decided to brand his images as One Grown Man, which for Stefan, sums up his work simply but succinctly. Stefan kept his Instagram, but it is now flickr, where he shares the bulk of his work. Stefan chose a symbol to encapsulate the qualities of his new name, an silhouette that is a throwback to the homoeroticism of Ancient Greek pottery. To celebrate One Grown Man, I chose some of my favorite shots and asked Stefan to give me a few words about the creation of each image.
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Ferocious
'The day this photo was taken was wild and cold. A ferocious wind whipped at my body but the light was good and I was determined to get a shot in the drama of it all. I could have simply stood up straight like any nudist shot but raising the arms makes it more artistic and classic.'
Boulder Shot
'One of my favourite shots. At the beach I climbed onto this huge boulder in the middle of the sand to become a human plinth or ornament. I love butt shots; no worrying about finding the right facial expression though it's interesting how placement of the foot or leg can make all the difference as to how flattering the ass looks!'
Lord of the Rings
'This photo was taken one weekend at a nearby isolated bay, just outside of a cave. It was very atmospheric with little pools of water, wet rock, a hanging vine and lime green moss and so I call this my Lord of the Rings shot. The forward stretch added a little human drama to the natural landscape.'
Bolt from Heaven
'This was originally just me hanging over the edge of a rocky outcrop at my beach. When I revisited it I noticed this "bolt from heaven" in the picture - no idea where it came from - but suddenly the shot took on an ethereal quality so a new One Grown Man photo was born!'
Uprooted:
'Another iconic shot I feel. I was planted on an uprooted tree trunk as though it were a throne. It wasn't easy to keep my balance or get up there in the first place - a case of "extreme modelling".
Trunks
'The beach I use has a little forest full of native/non-native foliage and trees. I slipped in between and titled this shot Structures not just because of these strong trees but also the human body is the structure we survive with.'
Tangled Vines:
'A nearby beach where I do a lot of photography is full of possibilities for great shots. One shouldn't live through a camera lens but on the other hand using a photographer's eye can make quite ordinary things suddenly become full of possibilities. So it was with this shot of dangling tree roots which normally I might have ignored.'
Cradled:
'I use an Iphone, not sophisticated equipment and lighting accessories, so am reliant on good natural lighting conditions. The day this shot was taken,the sky was overcast, grumpy and dull. This was the only successful picture that day, cradled in the arms of a tree'.
Statue
'I love doing these classical poses. Models of the past were so elegant and uncomplicated and painters and sculptors captured this perfectly. Here I used a black backdrop to place the body centre stage and blank out any distractions.'
Up Close & Personal:
'Often the models explicit shots are photographed in the distance so they really become remote objects.I wanted to draw the viewer in - as though you were there with me - and feel the intimacy of the moment.'
The Painting:
'Ivor George Sexton is a very talented artist and friend from Scotland. He asked me if I could do a pose one day that he could paint. His request for a pose was urgent so I stripped off my clothes at 6AM one morning before leaving for work. Knowing time was of the essence I found a position outside the house in the garden to replicate the pose he wanted. I didn't initially notice however, that my neighbors were rushing off to work lol. I got the shot and Ivor painted from it, blending it with a clothed version. It's full of meaning and cleverness and I love it, but not sure my neighbors felt the same way.'
The Painting Pose:
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