'I am a photographer and love taking photos of people, so I know what natural features make a person "model material". Not out of any sense of cockiness but I know I have some of those features and thought I may be able to find some extra side income through modeling myself.'
Those features are exactly what drew me to want to profile Michal Boothe's (msbimages) work with 20 year old Dallas photographer and model JGrant. Sometimes you just know when you see a model they have something different to offer, something special. I felt that the first time I saw JGrant's work with Michal.
J has an almost timeless quality that exudes from not only his facial features, hair and over-all look, but also for the chilled calmness he exudes in front of the camera. J look would fit seamlessly into almost anytime in history. You can almost visualize his as a Prince, during the Elizabethan era, a pauper during the Renaissance. You can picture him protesting in the 60's, strutting down the street in the 70's or even hanging with Bill and Ted during some adventure in the 80's or 90's.
J's lean physique and 6' 5" frame are impressive, but as I said, it was his facial features, the shape of his nose and mouth and blue eyes that first drew me in. Being an artist as well, J has a critical eye for both his work, and also his own physical features and appearance. J shares that he isn't nearly as confident as he looks, but he likes his torso and muscle tone. (something he has been working on that since his shoot with Michal)
I love J states that although he may not always be comfortable with his own looks, he says he's quite comfortable in the fact that he's not always happy with them. Most of us can relate to the first part of what J is saying, but many of us never reach the second piece, acceptance. 'My definition of beauty is living to one's natural potential.' J is happy with his height, and also likes his hair, something Michal briefly considered asking him to cut...
'J is VERY tall and I was hoping I could get him to cut his hair because he has such strong jaw line and long neck but decided I was happy with the longer hair once I had seen the images.'
After living in Europe for a year, J now lives in Dallas, and connected with Michal after seeing his ad looking for models. They initial met to talk about the shoot, and ask each other questions. J has only been modeling for a short time, and his shoot with Michal was his first time posing nude on camera. J's comfortably with his body is beautifully visible, especially with this being his first time shooting nude. J was very satisfied with his experience of working with Michal, and happy with the resulting images. Michal ha thought it may be a one time experience, but they may shoot again before the end of the year. One's of J's goals is to learn more about himself and to experience what its like to be on the other side of the lens. He's also young and independent, and looking to make money as he works to launch his career.
2 comments:
Why does Boothe not show his work anywhere? I'd certainly happily subscribe to a website, or purchase a publication of his. He has a unique and beautiful style of photography that stands out, combined with models who look like real people rather than gym rats or porn stars.
Michal has a large collection of his work on Model Mayhem and I am grateful that he also graciously has shared many of his shoots here.
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