The image above is not an image of Артём, the subject for this piece. It was however, the visual inspiration that led a Russian accountant to strip off clothes and give nude modeling a try, and also the nexus for Артём to reach out to FH. Many regular readers recognize Stephan Tobias, the German artist and model whose work I've had the privilege to feature multiple times over the last five years. (HERE:) Looking to get in to modeling,Артём (Artem) shares how Stephen, and especially the image above was so pivotal in his modeling journey.
Артём
'When I first thought modeling last year, I looked through the photos of men on the Internet that I might like. These were sites of various content from dating sites to porn. One day, I saw a photo of a man who shook me. The photo was taken in a spacious, exquisitely decorated room. In the center of the photo, a man sat on a chair in a relaxed pose.'
'I was fascinated by his eyes, his figure and posture, his beautiful body and eyes that looked at me. I wanted to drown in them. Somewhere on the page with this photo, the name “Stephan Tobias” was signed. Without thinking, I began to search. I wanted to see more pictures of this man. I entered the name in the search engine and “Oh, miracle!” - it turned out that there are many photos and they are beautiful.'
Artem spent time getting acquainted with Stephen's work on Flickr and says he quickly become a devoted fan. Artem wanted to contact Stephen and ask him some questions. After finding his Instagram page, he sent him a message about his desire and passion about posing. To Artem's surprise, Stephen responded with some advice. Artem was new to Instagram, and didn't have many images on his page. Stephen's first piece of advice was to add more images to his page, Stephen was looking to get more insight, and see more of the person he was corresponding with.
Over the next few months, Artem didn't write anything back to Stephen, instead, he studied his work and looked for ways to begin to build a portfolio. Initially, the would be model wasn't sure even how to begin. He didn't have a camera or knew of anyone to take his picture or support and guide him with how to get started. Artem felt alone with his his desire of how to get the images he needed to get started. Without great images, Artem knew there was no way to draw attention bring viewers to his work and page. Then, as if by serendipity, a chance meeting occurred.
'One warm August day I was sunbathing on a nudist beach. A young man approached me, introduced himself as Igor and wanted to talk. The guy was very pretty and open to communicate. We began talking about hobbies and I expressed my opinion that now many people call their hobbies not what they like or do in their free time, but everything that is fashionable or what they have spent a lot of money on'
'I used an example of someone skied once last year but now tells everyone that his new hobby is alpine skiing. I gave another example of someone buying an expensive camera, and then calling themselves a photographer. It was then that Igor said that the story sounded familiar. Igor had only recently bought an expensive camera. Everything then clicked and I knew this is what I needed! I asked if he could take a picture of me in the nude style? Igor did not refuse to try. For him it was a new experience, before that he'd only photographed flowers, insects, and the like. We agreed to arrange a photo session in nature next weekend.'
The following weekend, Igor and Artem met up at a location not far from the beach where they first me. Artem said he didn't have any specific themes or scenarios in mind, he only knew he wanted to create beautiful photos. They rode bikes through the woods, and when they saw something unusual or interesting, they stopped, Artem took off his clothes, and they took some shots. Both enjoyed the fun and adventure in the spontaneity of their first shoot together.
Soon after, Igor sent on the first images, and gave Artem permission to edit or do with them as he liked. Artem opened his first album on his Flickr page, and could only think of one thing to call it, Inspired by Stephen. Stephen was fine was with the title, and they began to communicate more. Artem shares the entire experience was so rewarding and filled a dream. Not only did it enable him to start out on his modeling journey, he also connected with new friends, and as an added bonus, also opened up a new door for Igor and his photography.
Artem says that after first seeing that image of Stephen, through meeting Igor and starting model, his passion for not only posing, but for art and creating has been re-awakened. Born in St. Petersburg Russia, as a child Artem studied ballroom dancing which helped form both a love of music, as well as a deep connection with his body and physique. Artem also readily admits to having loved being in the public spotlight and the attention he received.
As he got a bit older, thing naturally changed. The need to make a living pushed his passions to the side. Artem studied accounting, and although officially an account by profession, he currently works as an economic security analyst for a trading company. His job, like many, didn't provide many (any) opportunities to express his creative passions. This is one of the reasons modeling become not just a hobby, but a necessary creative outlet in Artem's life.
On the boundaries of nudity ...
'On the one hand, this is a complex issue, on the other, everything is simple. I really love being naked and try to be without clothes when possible. I sunbathe on nudist beaches, when at home alone, then undress. I do not tell my relatives about my preferences for walking without clothes. I think they will not support me in this, but I am an adult and I can choose my own path. At work, there are colleagues who are aware of the fact that I prefer nudist beaches, but we do not discuss this.
I've had cases when strangers were nearby when shooting in nature and became involuntary spectators of what was happening. Sometimes people just smile and pass by, sometimes they just lower their eyes and just walk away. '
After that first shoot, Artem and Igor headed out to shoot several more time, shooting not only in the forest, but near the sea as well as an abandoned military unit that Artem had found while searching the Internet for visually interesting locations near his home to shoot. The more they shot, the more Artem learned about how to use the locations, and natural props and space within his poses. Although they dealt with a few unexpected visitors, (like a bunch of local children looking for a place to play) and temperatures going down to -3°C, Artem loved every second in front of the camera.
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