Like many of the artists I profile, for Hal Cooks, photography is a passion. A passion however, that he must fit into his busy work and personal life. With his window of time for shooting quite narrow, Hal is especially conscientious when it comes to selecting the models he chooses to work with.
The first time I featured Hal's work a couple of years ago, the subject was Matt, the sexy 20 year old Hal shot stop of the Cove in Cathedral City California. (Top of the Cove) Then, after featuring some of Hal's holiday images, I showcased Hal's images of Jayden, a model in his first shoot after transitioning. (In Sync)
While recently communicating with Hal about another piece, Hal sent me on a selection of images of 4 different models whose images caught my eye. I decided to start with Alec, a 32 year old California model whose look and poses immediately caught my eye. Alex clearly knows his body well, and uses every inch of his face and body to create elegantly erotic poses.
Hal first connected with Alec via Model Mayhem after seeing some of his images on the site over a year ago. They chatted back and forth for awhile before setting up a shoot, and have now shot twice together. Hal describes Alec is very easy to work with and a creative part of the process. During the shoot, Alec not only shared his graceful flexibility, but also showed Hal a few images of his boyfriend Zackary. Hal later shot Zackary , and those images were part of the four shoots that Hal sent on. Look for those images coming up soon!
Alec says he loves to play a role in someone's creative vision and I love the vision he and Hal created together. The shot below is one of my favorites, and I love the entire series of Alec posing on the trunk. Hal not only captured the incredible lines and curves of Alex's incredible body, he also captured a harmonious feel, and almost erotic calmness and quiet with Alec's blue eyes and relaxation felt through Alec's body positions.
Since I've been featuring Hal's work for over close to two years now, I thought it was time to throw a few rapid fire questions at him about his experience shooting the male form. The first half of Hal's answers are below. The second half can be found on page 2, along with Hal's images of a model very popular and familiar to readers of FH. Check them out on HERE:
How old were you when you shot your first nude model?
I shot my first nude model when I was 43.
On a scale from 1-10, how nervous were you?
I was nervous, probably around an 8
Has it ever gotten old, or does it remaining exciting?
It never gets old. It's always exciting.
Do you have an all time favorite image or shoot?
I have two, top pics, of all time, from my work with Luis and Eric
Have you ever had a shoot that went badly that produced amazing images?
I had a shoot where the model was arrogant. I got a few good shots, but I chose not to use them and connect my name to him.
Have you ever had a shoot that went amazing that produced images that were 'blah'
I had a shoot that was fun, but not many good pics. Primarily because the model didn't look anything like his pictures. Maybe 20 years before the shoot.
Have you ever cut a shoot short due to things not working out?
I did cut a shoot short that I knew was not going the right way.
What is the best quality a model can possess?
I think the best asset a model can have is a great ass.
What is the worst?
The worst thing is to have a bad attitude.
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