The Old Mill: Connor by JW Johnson

'For a while I thought he was playing me...'

One of things I enjoy about featuring the work of JW Johnson, is heading to his site and going through his archive of shoots from the 1990's and 2000's.  This shoot, is a little more recent, it took place just a couple of weeks ago to be exact.  JW is an artist with many passions. In addition to being a former fire fighter, the Missouri based photographer likes to spend his weekends not only scouting and shooting new models, but also focusing on his passion for rock, mineral and fossil collecting. Whenever I feature a photo shot, I like to tell the story of how it all came together.  Sometimes the main focus is on the shoot itself, sometimes it's on how the model and photographer connected.  For this particular shoot... it was all about the getting there.

As an amateur geologist, JW often travels both within and outside of Missouri to find the perfect sits and locations.  This has enabled him to also discover many locations off the beaten path, locations not generally used to shoot the nude male form.  The old mill was one of those places. JW had been talking with Connor on-line for a few weeks, and decided to schedule a shoot near where Connor lived, given he was already heading there for to collect more rocks.

Connor has been looking to get into the adult video business, and had already shot with a few video producers.  New to shooting, and being in front of the camera, Connor thought it would also be a good idea to also give print work a try.  JW set a time to meet him at the old mill when he on his way to his destination.   JW had shot another model at the mill several years ago and knew it was somewhat secluded, especially if went at the right time, and on the right day.

'When I was there before, there were waterfalls there,  however the brush was so thick this trip, that you couldn't even see or find them. this time around, we found that those overseeing the mill had put some time and effort in to clearing the brush and building a fence and open area near the falls. We were able to get closer this time, so close, we had to be careful not to surprise any workers who might walk by.'

Before starting to shoot however, both model and photographer had to actually get there. Connor ended up taking a different route than JW, which led to a series of events which had JW wondering if Connor was going to actually show up.  All photographers, especially those shooting the nude male form, have had models back out at the last minute. Many don't call, or give notice or a reason for  their change of heart. JW had no idea that the quiet country highway had two exits which could take you to the mill.  As luck would have it, Connor took the one that led to a detour.

'I had told him the mill was just a few miles down it from the highway, gave him the address of the mill off google earth..  Connor drives to that address and texts me to let me know it took him to some guy`s house, not a restored mill.  He ended up turning around and heading back to the town that he started at before he took the exit.  After driving in circles for awhile, Connor eventually asked me to meet him at the Walmart store parking lot in that town.  Given I was only about 10 miles away, I headed back to town to meet up.'

Upon meeting up with Connor at Walmart, JW was worried that his new model might be frustrated after getting lost, and possibly not want to continue back to the mill to shoot.  Instead, JW says that Connor was a super nice, and very understanding about the situation.  JW describes him as a soft spoken country boy who was very respectful, polite and eager to get to work.

'I'm sure was glad I took the time to go back and meet him at that town, lead him to the mill and shoot him there...the 90 minutes that I worked with him was well worth it. I look forward to working with him again and maybe again. :)'

JW Johnson Photo