'I am a lover and creator of the arts. It delights me to share that which I find beautiful and inspiring. Life to me is about joy, sharing it and sharing any that makes life more enjoyable for others. I hope my art and photography continues work in that way,'
I often say that my love for an artist's work begins with one image. In the case of Steven from
Lite Fusion, it began with the shot of Everson I used at the top of the page as the pic of the day. I loved everything about the image when I first saw it on Model Mayhem. I loved Everson's look, his glasses and ponytail, I loved the side pose, the curve of his back, his hand position and how Steven lit and framed the image. I headed to Steven's portfolio to check out more.
When I got to Steven's page, I wasn't surprised to see dozens of images of the human form all with a focus on body curves and form. I was a bit surprised, that almost all of those forms, belonged to women. I appreciate the female form, especially the beautiful lines and curves it creates. My love of the human form in art actually began with my passion for images of the female form that I grew up seeing in advertising and in magazines. It is still rare however, to discover artists who shoot both men and women, especially with the same passion and focus on form that I saw in Steven's work with Everson.
'While I work with mostly female models, I have always seen the beauty in all human form. I am well aware of the artistic presentation of the human form in Greek and Roman sculpture and art. The expression of beauty from antiquity has been the highest of ideals...and a challenge for the modern world. Prior to shooting with Everson I worked only with 2 or 3 male models and doing both fashion and some artistic nudes with these models. Part of the reason is the seeming prevalence of woman who are interested in modeling. '
In addition to the focus on form, I also loved the elements of Everson's personality that I perceived from that first image that I saw. Steven shares one of the interesting parts of his work, is capturing the character of the person he's shooting. I have no idea whether Everson is a musician or a compute nerd, or maybe both, through Steven's lens, he looked incredibly cool, and very relaxed posing fully nude. Everson's fit and lean physique creates beautiful clean lines,. I also noted a contrast with his beautiful long hair and facial hair, with his mostly clean shaven look below. I don't really know why this struck me, but I liked that Everson seemed to pay such close attention to every inch of of his body, and every detail of his appearance.
'I started doing photography on a regular basis in 2007. My desire was always to capture the beauty of the human form and share the energy and expression of the human spirit. Part of my personal challenge was my own inhibition, and diminishing the sense of the "taboo" from nude and erotic expression. And while I create fashion and other forms of photography, the expression of the nude form, particularly in nature itself was and is my main interest. The journey has ultimately taken me from "idolizing" just physical beauty to truly appreciating the people who I photograph in the completeness of who they are. And that is a big step into seeing the value of each person with whom I work.'
As far as how Steven connected with Everson, we can thank one of Steven's female models for the introduction. She and Steven had worked together several times, and following one of their shoots, they decided to a couples shoot with her boyfriend Everson. The relationship eventually came to a close, but Steven stayed in contact with Everson and they did a few additional shoots together, both fashion and erotic.
'Everson has a sense of cool confidence which I wanted to capture. And the erotic aspects of the shoot definitely demonstrate confidence in his masculinity and personal charisma.'
'Confidence, certainty, empowerment and good energy are really the characteristics that I like to share in my photographs of both male and female models. People are spiritual, but that invisible spirit becomes visible in the way the present themselves...in the expression of their form. It is that good energy, that dazzling chemistry which to me makes the photo worth viewing.
After shooting with his girlfriend, I did another shoot with Everson and a female model (who was a friend of his). When we got to the nude part of the shoot, you might say he couldn't hide his enthusiasm for her anymore. She was a bit uncomfortable for a second when she saw him in his fully nude "glory." But his wit quickly broke the ice with some humor putting her at ease.'