'I'm not about hard angles or muscles or bravado. My images are not about money-shots, literal or otherwise.'
I decided then that it was time to reach out to Matt again. Before I could however, the second hint appeared. At around the same time I received the e-mail, I was working on A Baker's Dozen piece featuring model and musician Samuel Boux. (HERE:) I was first introduced to Matt's work through his work with Samuel back in 2010. I since featured Matt's work with Samuel several times, as well as his work with model Josiah Blount. (HERE:)
Matt replied quickly that he was up for another piece and simply asked what I needed. That's always a loaded question when it comes to choosing a subject matter and images. I immediately took a deep dive into Matt's portfolio and sent him back a list of themes and models that I'd love to spotlight. the first model on the list was Dennis. Everything that I love admire about Matt's work was embodied in his work with Dennis.
I was especially drawn to the elegant poses and Dennis' beautifully captivating eyes. When I first featured Matt's work I commented that although his focus is the male form, he always penetrates past the surface, burrowing down to the essence and soul of the men in front of his lens. Given the feeling of quiet beauty that Matt is known for capturing, it was interesting to find out that unlike the feel of the final images, the energy was anything about calm and tranquil during the shooting process.
'Working with Dennis is a little unconventional. In his own words, he is the “hybrid of Bacchus and Hermes,” so shoots with Dennis mean you’re signing up for drinks, snacks, and a bit of wild fun. Nor, frankly, is it the kind of work you can over-direct. He’ll just flit about, posing here and there, trying things on or taking them off. Dennis has always upended suitcases full of clothes in my presence, halffull of jockstraps. He simply wants a ‘go’ with each pair—and he’s sent me home from a session, more than once, with a pair or two myself. It’s just how things happen. '
'Sessions with him always border on ‘nuts.’ It makes me laugh, thinking back. And in truth, Dennis would almost be too chaotic to work with, if he weren’t so gosh darn kind and trusting. That’s what surprises me every time: I’m always able to reel him in for the moment of quiet. Those are essential—close, sexy, detailed, bokeh rich. The vulnerability which arises out of stillness. '
The Greek gods are a good choice: they’re full of contradiction. Bacchus is a rowdy lush, but he’s also born from Zeus’s thigh, a patron of art and theatre; Hermes is a missive trickster, but he also traverses boundaries, a psychopomp, responsible for ferrying the souls of the dead into Hades. You cannot contain them, because gods cannot be pinned down. And like them, Dennis resists categorization. I look back on all my sessions with him with an incredible fondness. Let’s be honest. He’s practically a godling himself!
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