'I wanted a beach shoot, so we drove to La Perouse, which is part of Botany Bay. I kept thinking of Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan while we were there. I may have even muttered a few times "Khan!" like Jerry Seinfeld.'
Travel has been a consistent theme each time I feature the work of AANE Photography, but this is the first time space travel has figured into the equation. When Mike first sent on his with model Irwin Tseing one of the things I loved best about the images was the beauty and contrast between the smoothness of Irwin's beautiful skin and naked body and the rough rock which surrounds him.
Both, are visual masterpieces, subjects that have you pausing to notice the intricate details which make up their beauty. The rocks and cliffs along Botany Bay almost look extraterrestrial. Formational creations formed from centuries of weather and water. When Mike included a Wrath of Khan reference, I knew exactly what he meant. Genesis describes the beginning, a planet untouched by man. In the film, The Genesis Effect describes the recreation of that beginning, after a planet's destruction. The colors and textures in the rocks Irwin is posing on and in front of are so detailed, you could almost imagine a skilled artist drawing each of the line designs, colors and textures that make up their complexity.
FH has traveled to Sidney with Mike once before. Last year I featured Mike's shoot with Kedori, (Over His Head) deep within the Royal National Park south of Sydney. Fiven Mike didn't know the area, It was Kedori who led the way to find the perfect location, and waterfall in which to shoot. It was another model who led the way to La Perouse, not Irwin, but model Peter Hanna, who was also along for the shoot.
This shoot took place on the same trip as Mike's shoot with Kedori. The Pennsylvania photographer was only in Sidney for the weekend and had searched for models to shoot prior to arriving. Mike received three replies, one from Kedori and the other two from Irwin and Peter. Mike had originally planned shooting Irwin alone, but after his schedule changed, he decided to shoot he and Peter together. As you can see from the images of the two models together, I think it all worked out and love Mike's comments on their work together, and that pesky fisherman who was looking to expand his catch of the day...
'The landscape was beautiful, and the waves crashing against the shore provided excellent imagery. Unfortunately you really can't go into the water, because the shore is so rocky. Australia is known for it's beaches, but most I saw were hellish landscapes with sharp rocks and sharks.'
Irwin with Peter Hanna
'They lighting was wonderful, and the weather was perfect. It wasn't too hot, and the breeze off the ocean was cooling. The only problem was this fisher who kept ambling up and down the shore. We couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman, but each time we tried to do a nude shot, the fisher would show up. We finally decided the androgynous fisher was named Pat, the Ambiguous Fisher Person. We moved away, and Pat kept following. It must have been the better part of an hour, but finally we got away from Pat, and could do some nude shots by some rocks.'
'Irwin and Peter were easy to work with, and very nice. Irwin had the sweetest Australian accent. Whenever he talked, I immediately thought of Sandy from Grease. I got them onto an outcrop and started to work up the shot. I had them pose first clothed so I could frame them and determine how to use the scenery. It was very reminiscent of Wilhelm von Gloeden.'
'I asked Irwin to come to me, because the giant boulders I was standing on were difficult to navigate. I am lucky I didn't break my neck. They were very both very comfortable with doing shots. In fact, I was about to find out how comfortable.. I told Irwin that I wanted them to pose side by side, nude, with their hands covering each other, crossing their arms, very much like the Warwick Rowers have done. After I finished explaining, Irwin went over to Peter, relayed what I had said, and then they both got naked.'
'What happened next was shocking to me. As they started to pose, instead of stopping just short of each others penises, they both grabbed each other, like an Amish boy milking a cow. I was stunned, and for a second I thought I should correct them. Then, I just started shooting. I must have taken 100 shots of that one pose. I kept shooting thinking at any moment they would both let go. When Peter went to use the restroom, I told Irwin that they didn't need to actually grab each other. I was happy with just having their hands blocking. He smiled and said, yeah, I know, but I thought this would look better.'
'Later I heard from Irwin that Peter had told him that was the first time he ever touched another guys dick. Oh yes, Peter is straight and Irwin is gay. I was amazed at how comfortable Peter was with the whole shoot. I found Australians to be much more comfortable about sexuality than Americans. '
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