' I knew from his Instagram pages that he was incredibly physically active, and definitely a daredevil... '
I was first introduced to Elvis in 2019 in a shoot with JBDI Photography. (HERE:) Elvis soon became a popular subject for many photographers of the male form, some of whom I've had the pleasure to share. In addition to his great look and expressiveness, Elvis's artistry and acrobatic skills make him a dynamic model to shoot and create with.
Thus far however, Elvis' acrobatic skills have been somewhat constrained. In his previous FH appearances,, (HERE:) Elvis has been mostly photographed in studio. Although Male Beauty by bengie shot Elvis on the patio and in the shower, there wasn't really the space or freedom to do a handstand or backflip. .His work with Baker and Adams showed both flexibility and balance, especially on the bar stool, there still wasn't the opportunity for Elvis to soar.
The opportunity to soar, and to really go full daredevil, take risks, and show test the limits of his body and skills, came in his time creating with Mark from StudioMGphotography .Mark rarely shoots inside, and when he does, the rooms seldom have doors, roofs or glass in the windows. Mark's studio is usually a rugged Santa Cruz beach, one in which the gymnastic equipment, is beautifully supplied by Mother Nature.
The shoot, almost didn't happen. Elvis was a or so into his multi-month trip through the U.S and Canada. Elvis was visiting up with friends, but basically exploring and just living his best life along the way. During many of his stops, Elvis had scheduled photo shoots to help fund his trip and continued adventures. He'd already been in Southern California for a couple of weeks and done several studio shoots. At that moment, he was wavering about how much nude modeling he really wanted to pursue.
'Elvis wrote me and cancelled about a week prior to the shoot. Someone who wanted to be his agent told him he should rethink all the nude modeling, especially the more hard-on work. He and I didn't have any firm plans, and Santa Cruz is somewhat out of the way on his trip up California, so he nicely cancelled on me. '
Elvis also decided to tell several other photographers of his decision to stop doing nude and erection work. This led to some cancelling their previously scheduled shoots. With the loss of planned income, and a gap in his schedule, Elvis got back in touch with Mark. Mark was fine with 'no erections', but given the focus of the shoot, was clear that he wasn't going to spend the shoot trying to keep Elvis's penis out of photos. Elvis had no problem with that and was again on board for their shoot.
'I proposed a shoot that would take him out of the studio, to explore some the California landscapes and make the most of his time here! He arrived a day early so we could get an early start on our shoot day, and that gave us a chance to get acquainted first as well.
Originally from Latvia, he had essentially grown up in Scotland. He was just 20 at the time, but well grounded (as much as a high-rise climbing daredevil can be!) and easy to talk to. He stayed with us for a couple of nights and both he and I were thrilled with our shoot results - he'd never had such a physical shoot where he just got to do what he wanted for the most part!'
'I backflipped off a cliff butt bare naked after making Mark climb up 🤣'
The shoot ended up bringing out the daredevil not only in Elvis, but Mark as well. When you're shooting a model as active as Elvis, you have to try to match their energy, in order to keep up. Capturing some of the incredible images here, required Mark to also channel his inner acrobat by crouching, crawling and climbing, not to mention balancing on the rocks himself, in order to capture the perfect moment of the model in motion.
'Our shoot was nerve wracking, and also a dream for me! The cool deserted beach was the perfect environment for him - it was like a giant playground of rocks to climb and jump from. In a couple on instances he got me partway up cliff-faces to capture what would be the likely best angles and he practiced jumps. It was an exhilarating day and shoot - thanks Elvis! '
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