'The fact that it was a sunny day while I was on vacation was all the inspiration I needed to get naked and take these self shots.'
What of the themes I love to explore each time I profile a model or artist is inspiration. For artists, I'm always curious what led them to decide on the male form as the focus of their work. With models, I'm curious about what first inspired them to get into modeling, and led prompted them to do it sans clothing.
For Peter Chromatic, it began by taking self portraits. Peter had always been interested in the artistic male photography and a had a desire to try it out himself. Peter found nude modeling, incredibly freeing, whether posing for a photographer, or taking self shots. It allowed him to express himself in so many ways and also provided a great break from the stress of everyday life.
I have come to believe that for many, passion and it's expression, are inspired by a desire to manage, cope and escape from the pressures of living a life. I have written in the past about how
FH was born from a series of changes in my life including the ending a relationship, the start of a new, and incredibly stressful job, and moving for that job from the city where I'd lived in all my life, to a small town in the country where I knew absolutely no one.
The pressures of living a life can range from big life events, both good and bad though the mundane daily tasks we all need a break from. Some of my most creative idea's occur when I'm on a run, in the shower, brushing my teeth or when at work. It is a good thing my bosses are not aware of how many hours while seemly focused on the task at hand, I'm actually envisioning, creating and writing stories, illustrations and art pieces in my mind.
For Peter, the inspirations for the self shots (above) ranged from a vacation and roof top on a sunny day, to just being bored and picking up his guitar one day. Whether shooting with another photographer, as with the shots below by
MW Photo MD, or shooting himself, Peter's inspiration is everflowing.
Remaining Images from Mark from MW Photo MD
'Mark and I connected on Model Mayhem, he was easy to work with and very patient in allowing me to explore different poses and settings.'
Peter shares that one of his favorite shoots was probably an outdoor shoot he did by a creek last spring. Peter enjoys exploring outdoor venues when he gets a change, ones that would make great locations for nature shoots. Like many of us, Peter's first experience being naked in nature was a trip to a nude beach, something he found both fun and relaxing.
As for taking it all off, Peter recalls he was initially a little self conscious about how others would view him and judge his look and his body. Peter found however that any body, and any body type, can work well and look incredible with the right artist capturing it. Peter gravitates towards shoots that he considers ore artistic in nature, shoots where his naked body is a part of creating a vision or artistic concept, either his own, or the photographer who's shooting him.
'Peter contacted me through Model Mayhem and wanted to do a nude shoot. I went into the shoot not really having any agenda other than to have some fun and found him easy to work with and I think he was working on finding his modeling style and getting comfortable with nudity in his work. I have kept tabs since working with him and have enjoyed seeing both his self taken pictures and work with other photographers as he seems to have found that comfort ability in his modeling "skin"
Final Four:
What's the best compliment you received about one of your modeling images?
That I have a knack for posing.
What part of your body are you most happy with? What part gets the most attention from others?
I tend to get complimented on my eyes often.
What have been some of the biggest Obstacles?
Now and then it just seems hard to connect with new artists and arrange shoots. There can be lulls in opportunities. It can be hard setting up a shoot, especially if our schedules conflict, but I'm looking for more opportunities to collaborate with different artists.
Do you have a dream scenario for a shoot you'd love to do?
I've seen some great shoots where models pose nude in a city around interesting architecture and would love the opportunity to try that.