'The world seems full of good men--even if there are monsters in it.'
Bram Stoker, Dracula
Halloween begins early on
FH. Sometimes, depending on the concept, and the preparation required, I'm haunted with creative ideas for witches and ghosts in July and August. Lights On Studio's
Tom Nakielski and I began batting around idea for this All Hallow's Eve back in early September. Tom had to close up his studio space at the end of the month, and wanted to get one last shoot in before he had to pack up and move.
We began batting concepts back and forth, with no particular theme really rising to the top of the idea pile. Tom decided to send me some links to a couple of models he was interested in shooting for the holiday to see if their look sparked any ideas. They did! As soon as I checked out model Cal Green's
Model Mayhem portfolio, I knew immediately he could pull of a sexy sinister look and envisioned him as the perfect model to take on Dracula..
Although Dracula is a bloody sucking slayer, his method of murder has led to a air or eroticism about the Count De Ville and his relentless thirst for his victims. He doesn't kill them out of anger, he longs for them and needs them in order to survive. Unlike being butchered by an axe, there is an organically intimate connection when your killer literally sucks you into darkness and death.
31 year old Cam has been acting on stage and on screen since he was 11. This made stepping into the role of the Lord of the Dammed an easy transition. Both Tom and Cal describe the shoot as a breeze, and a wonderful creative experience. The few complications, arose in the planning and travel. Cal is a busy guy, balancing being a father to his sex year old (and his two dogs) with his job as a videographiere and editor and his time at the gym and as a personal trainer and nutritionist.
Five minutes before the shoot was due to start, Tom checked his text messages and noticed some messages from Cal. Cal didn't have the address for Tom's studio. Tom had sent him pictures of his building, but forgot to send the street address. Cal had tried to reach Tom earlier, but when he gets busy, Tom doesn't always stop to check his phone. Given Cal was 90 minutes away, there was no way to continue with the shoot on that day. Thankfully, both were able to arrange time the following day, and as you can see, the results are specdracula!
'Cal was a perfect Dracula. He has experience in acting (stage and screen) is represented by a Detroit talent agency, and also does photography and video as his full time employment. That experience made the session go very smoothly.'
You can check out more of Dracula, and his beautiful candelabra. on the