'Plans were made second shoot, a date was set but again, sadly an obstacle again arose. This one Matt couldn't control and the shoot had to be put on hold.'
Corpus evanescente, 2015
The quote above came near the end of the story. The story of Matt's work with Mike from ANNE Photography and THOM Graphophoton that I wrote about in two features back in 2015. (HERE: & HERE:) I have often thought about Mike's images of Matt, especially due that unexpected obstacle that prevented a second shoot. Some images and some stories resonate more than others, and Mike's images of Matt, and especially the look in his eyes, definitely resonated for me.
Although FH is all about story, I know most of the time, they're left unfinished. Most shoots don't include enough story for even a full chapter, but moments that might fill a page or just a few paragraphs. I have been fortunate to follow many models and artists over long periods of time. This allows me to fill out more details of their journey and of their story. But for many, like Matt's shoot with Mike, it was just one moment, which occurred on one day, with just one shoot.
Some of you may remember that Matt was really wasn't a model, but someone looking looking to get back on his feet, to make a living and little cash. Matt saw and answered a casting call that Mike had put out looking for underwear models. The tall , (over six feet) lean and blonde haired Matt, decided to give it a shot and replied to Mike's ad.
Obstacles seemed to arise from the get go. Car issues almost ended the shoot before it began, but eventually Matt showed up and Mike decided to proceed. Initially a bit nervous and stiff, Matt seemed to get more comfortable as the shoot progressed. Once down to his undies, Matt began asking questions about the process for shooting implied or full nudes. Mike's responses to the new models questions and curiosity were obviously satisfactory for as you can see, Matt's undies ultimately came off.
Despite being new to modeling, Mike says that Matt was one of the better models he had shot in awhile. Matts curiosity about the process was equaled by a creative curiosity which led to them capturing some great images. Although nervous at the beginning, Mike shares Matt was incredibly comfortable and a natural in front of the camera.
Matt seemed pleased with the results, Mike remembers once the edited images were sent off to Matt put them immediately up on his social media pages but then...quickly took them down again. Mike worried Matt may have had regrets about his nude modeling or got some flack from family or friends. That proved not to be the case...
That brings us back again to that obstacle. Matt called Mike about a week or so after the first shoot asking about doing another. Matt wanted to take things even further and shared with Mike he enjoyed their first shoot, the feedback he got, and the money he made. Plans were made and a date was set but Matt never made it. That obstacle was a big one, one which made it literally physically impossible for him to show up for his second shoot.
I often wondered if Matt ever bounced back from that obstacle and whether he and Mike ever worked together again. When I saw Mike post a shot of Matt on his Instagram this past summer, I had to ask. Unfortunately Mike hadn't heard from Matt in awhile and wasn't sure where he was on his journey or whether he was ever released from the weight of those obstacles in his path. Mike did however generously send me more images from his Matt archives, and inspired me to revisit the shoot, and the story.
Currently I still have more questions than answers, an story unfinished with a cliffhanger, with no assurances of another chapter to tie up lose ends.... Most stories, real ones anyway, are often left unfinished, but if there's more to Matt's story to be written, I look forward to continuing his story. You can check out a extra chapter of Matt's story on Page 2 HERE:
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