'In order to do so, the artist must look at their subject as more than just the sum of their body, and their body parts, but also have a third eye, with a desire to also capture who they are inside, and a curiosity to find out what it was that led them to be standing in front of their camera.'
Whenever I ask an artist about a particular shoot or model, it's always interesting to see which perspective it was viewed from. Many artists discuss the shoot strictly from a visual point of view. They discuss about the model with a focus on their physical appearance only, and they utilized the model to create the final images. Other photographers discuss the shoot from a technical perspective, the poses and theme, the lighting and composition.
There are other artists who share the experience from a personal point of view. Their focus is on emotion, both those experienced and captured during the shoot. They also work to form a connection to the model beyond just their physical surface and work to weave in aspects of the model's personality, often real, sometimes created, to add additional layers to their images.
Ultimately for me, it those artists who tap into each of the three perspectives whose work enjoy the most. We have all seen images where the body, or often, a specific body part, is all the artist appeared to focus on. The model is almost irrelevant, as long their muscles and member glisten stand out. They images are often well done, but ultimately... their impact is minimal. For a moment they may illicit a carnal response, but fades quickly and is soon forgotten.
Carnal reactions are welcome of course, but when that carnality is blended with an emotional, the reaction and impact on the viewer is more layered and intensified. FH readers are aware that I seek to tell the stories behind the creation of a shoot or set of images. I do this partly out of curiosity, and my passion for storytelling. I also do it, as it adds to level of enjoyment and pleasure I experience viewing images I love and admire.
The Third Eye's Richard was once slammed for his layered perspective, told by other artists that his goal to capture personality and emotion would conflict and get in the way. The argument in a nutshell, that seeing or understanding a model's emotions could interfere with his skill as an artist, causing creative choices to be based on feelings rather than skill based or artistically motivated. I'm glad Richard didn't listen.
When I first saw Richard' captivating shots of Nathan my reaction was as layered as Richard's visuals. The surface visual were beautiful, Nathan has a beautiful body, one he seems completely at home in, and one he knows how to so elegantly pose. I also especially loved Nathan's hair, both on his head and facial, and his sexy chest hair flowing down over his chest, stomach and beyond. Beyond his physical appearance though, Nathan exudes a vibe so magnificently captured by Richard.
'It was apparent from the start that Nathan has that cool “it” factor. His brooding good looks and natural ability are exactly what I look for in male models.
I knew nothing about Nathan when first viewing his work, yet through is look, his eyes and my reaction to his vibe, I felt I did. I thought Nathan had to be an artist, maybe a musician or poet. There was a feeling he was at peace with himself, a free spirit and maybe a wanderer. Not everything I assumed ended up being the case, but the essence of what I felt from Richard's images was close to the mark. Nathan is an artist, a photographer and works as a Barista, described by a Richard as world class coffee aficionado who was trained in Columbia. Nathan also describes himself as Gitano, the Spanish word for male gypsy. Even as I type this, Nathan is wandering, traveling without access to a computer. I did manage to get in touch with him before he hit the road to get his perspective on his experience working with The Third Eye.
'I was only briefly acquainted with Richard's work before modeling for him. He was very professional and never pushed to get a shot like some photographers will. Seeing the final photos brought me a lot of self-love and excitement. I believe he did a wonderful job of capturing me in the moment.'
Nathan began modeling back in 2010 while attending University. He modeled nude for a friend who was a doing a photography project. Nathan share's that the images for the project ended up on display at a gallery opening. Nathan shares it was quite interesting being there and seeing people looking at his nude images. 'That was really when I became much more comfortable with my body.' Nathan's ease with his body is beautifully evident in this series of images from his two shoots with Richard.
Sadly, Richard describes his second shoot with Nathan as his last shoot. I'm still hoping Richard's leave from photography will be temporary, as he did say he might keep one of his camera's...just in case. I have loved featuring Richard's work since first discovering his work through an extraordinary shot of Andrew. in 2015. I knew I had explore and share more of the artists work. Although he's not shooting new material, Richard promises he has 'stored plenty of nuts.' and I'm hoping to share many of those nuts, while at the same time, hoping photography once again lures the artist to pick up his camera once again.
'Nathan is top shelf as far as modeling instinct. He obviously has experience as both a model and Photographer, but it’s clear he has Great intuition when posing. It was apparent from the start that Nathan has that cool “it” factor. It was amazing to watch him do in only a minute, what some people take hours to do preparing for a shoot. He actually looks good in anything he puts on. His brooding good looks and natural ability are exactly what I look for in male models. It was good to end on a high note, how lucky to come across him before leaving the studio.'
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