'Gabriel was one of those ships that pass in a very contemporary night. It was a pleasant and productive winter evening, to be sure, but a fleeting moment when Rio and New York City intersected. An international meeting, born of social media, manifesting itself in the studio.'
Generally, the expression 'Ships that pass in the Night' refers to a memorable, but fleeting, one time meeting. The truth however, is that we all pass many ships each and every day. The difference is, most of them are not really that significant. It's those ships we notice, those ships that cause us to pause, stop and take a second look that implant and linger in our psyche. The become the ships we remember, and the ships long to see on the horizon again.
For most artists, one of the most rewarding aspects of their work can be the creative connections made with the models they work with. Models who understand their vision, models able to flow with their concepts and ideas and at the time, shift and maneuver when the creative energy inevitably changes directions. This is why so many artists find a muse, a model they work with multiple times, a model whose work and image not only completes their creative impulses, but inspires them.
Regular FH readers are aware of the creative connections forged between NMS's Wes and many of his models. Wes' work with Alex and Bond is not only creatively rich, it is also work that has grown in both depth and scope over multiple shoots, over multiple years. As relationships deepen, and trust is established, concepts intensify, boundaries get pushed, and creativity beautifully expands. Bond and Alex aren't the only two models which inspire Wes, if you check out his pieces on FH (HERE:) or his on-line portfolio, you will see multiple appearances from models including Norm and Ricardo, two I have been fortunate to feature.
Then of course, are many models that are only shot once. Sometimes the single shoot is enough if there is no connection, or if the experience is one that neither party has a desire to repeat. Other times a second, third or forth shoot is not only wanted, but longed for, especially when the first shoot began a creative connection and produced work the artist would like to expand upon. Sometimes a revisit isn't possible due to schedule or circumstance. Sometimes, it location, especially if artist and model live in different states, countries or as in the case of Wes and Gabriel...different continents.
Their correspondence had begun when Gabriel, a Brazilian fitness model, and chef in training, was planning a trip to the United States. He wrote Wes to arrange for a physique portfolio session while in New York at the beginning of of his trip. A bit of a language barrier let to exchanges limited to the basics, scheduling, and questions about what type of images Gabriel wanted for his portfolio, fitness, implied or full nudes. Given they could not meet first, Wes had only been able to see a few images of Gabriel on-line. It was always a little risky to invest in a model you were not able to meet, not every images on-line is a reliable indication of a models current look and physical form. Wes however, says that Gabriel delivered which he shares in his comments on their shoot below.
'Fit and trim, he was an established model who was at home in the studio. The ambiguity of whether or not he would be posing nude was resolved shortly after we began shooting. He had signed up for implied and partial nudity. As he became comfortable with the work style of the studio it was a boundary that passed without comment and so naturally that I recognized it as a protective filter I've seen many models use: meet the photographer first.'
'Half way through the session we had met his portfolio needs and we continued with some art nude work that more than met the studio's needs. Or expectations. At the end of the evening, I promised to deliver to Gabriel the set of portfolio shots that had been the initial purpose of the session. Then I asked him to sign a model release and paid him the studio's modeling fee for an outstanding physique art session that generated images that will be appearing in upcoming issues of Captured Shadows.'
'Our real world missions fulfilled, the meeting ended and we reverted to our ongoing cyber relationship. It's almost enough to inspire faith in the Internet. Almost. As we prepared to open Gabriel's Gallery (henceforth known as Gabriel 3), we were curious as to how much time had lapsed since the session with our first Gabriel, the Venezuelan actor and model. Last we heard, Gabriel 3 was home in Brazil, working as a chef and Gabriel 1 had escaped the chaos and turmoil that has engulfed Venezuela and was living in a land famous for welcoming refugees, Canada.'
You can check out all three of the Gabriel's on NMS,s starting with Gabriel 3 by clicking HERE: But... that's not exactly the end of the voyage. Although Wes had assumed the passing ships were never to meet up again, it did indeed occur a second time. When Gabriel decided to vacation in the US this past summer during his break from school, they passed again, this time on a sunny Sunday in July, passing along the East River and the historic Brooklyn waterfront. Their new work will be appearing on the New Manhattan Studios website soon. In the meantime, additional shots from the winter shoot, featured here, can be found on Gabriel's page on NMS HERE:
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