Sunday, October 4, 2020

A Good Read: Robbie by Jack Saul Photography


'Robbie's fearless and very independent, the sort of person who is always looking for new experiences. He lives on his wits.'


I written before about the nomad photographer, the artist who travels from place to place in order to shoot.  Without a home studio as their base, the wandering artist, often travels, shooting models in the towns and cities where they live.  This forces them to find local locations to shoot, often utilizing motel rooms, as their temporary studios.


On the surface, motel rooms might seem a bit creatively limiting, white walls, generic furniture, and little, in the way of architectural design.  For some, this sterile atmosphere might be challenging, but for some photographers, it's actually an asset.  London based photographer Jack Saul always manages to pull out the essence of the models he shoots using the motel's banal surroundings, as an especially effective foundation.


Given how devoid of color most hotel rooms tend to be, the models Jack shoots are always the focus, with the rooms providing minimal distraction, or places to hide.  Their personalities seem more present, their body art, more in focus.  Every aspect of their body, their face and appearance are magnified, through both Jack's lens, and the natural light from the large windows.  You can check out a few of my favorite motel room shots from Jack, with a variety of models, on the NEXT PAGE HERE:


Jack uses few tricks and minimal process and editing, he wants the men he shoots to be seen as they are.  With Robbie, Jack wanted the viewer to see how warm and friendly he is, as well as his wit, and dry sense of humour.  Robbie wasn't asked to flex but to just be himself.   The goal, to tell as truthful a story as possible.  Even though the camera was on him, Jack wanted Robbie to utilize the space, as if naked and alone in the room.


'Nothing seems to faze him and he takes everything in his stride. In terms of modelling, he's looking to develop as a fitness/physique model but is very open-minded to all concepts. He definitely has a cheeky exhibitionist streak.'


Originally from Poland, Robbie moved to the UK as a teenager just a few years ago.  One of the goals for Robbie with this shoot with Jack, was to begin to form the basis of a visual series. The series will be in part, to show his personality, his self designed body art, and the physical development as he transforms on his journey to be a fitness and physique model.  You can check in on Robbie's progress on his Instagram page HERE:

No comments: