When I first discovered the work of Mike from Implicit Ditto, the first thing I noticed were the rich textures he captured, and the aura they elicited. Mike noted that one of the things he found most interesting about his work was the mood he could create through the blend of model and environment. In many images, there is just one focal point, usually the model's body, or a specific body part.
Sometimes, with just one center of attraction in focus, so much beauty is missed. Mike refuses to let any inch of beauty be ignored. Every inch of the model's body, their form, their skin, is beautifully lit and highlighted. The model's surroundings and location get the same degree of attention. The rooms, furniture and walls when he's hooting inside, or the lush greens of tree's and grass when he's shooting out, all are as finely textured as the male model featured.
Mike's imagery takes the viewer beyond the appearance and texture to emotions below the surface and beyond the visual sense. In my previous pieces featuring Mike's work, the focus was on one model and one shoot beginning with Mickey, and followed by his work with Jordan and Gaston. For this piece, Mike sent on some of his favorite images, and images of some of his favorite models. I took the opportunity to ask Mike a bit more about his work, his process and his experience shooting the male form.
My favorite part of the process is definitely the actual shooting. I love meeting and working with these guys. Collaborating with them on the images and exploring how to frame them best is an absolute joy. I love learning about their lives and seeing how we can authentically capture their image.
What do you look for in a model?
I spend a good amount of time researching models. One thing I look for when looking for a model is their level of confidence and a sense of humility, because those are traits I admire. Yes, I absolutely look for a muscular body, but if they seem to be arrogant or egotistical, I’ll pass.
I love working with men of all ages and races. I’ve found you can typically get a good feel of a person’s character by looking at the pictures they post and the captions they add. The resulting images are a reflection of the chemistry between the model and the photographer in my opinion. Mutual trust and respect has to be a part of that equation. Even though I try to research them ahead of time, sometimes the chemistry is great, other times it just doesn’t work out. And that’s fine, at least we tried.
Muscular bodies obviously as you can see in my work… but other than that I strive to work with men of all ages and races. I find men beautiful and love to try and capture that beauty as best I can. I wouldn’t say there’s a specific trait though.
Are you talkative when you shoot, or focused only on the work?
I’m a pretty quiet person in general, but when shooting I try to be talkative. I find it helps the model relax more if we have a good rapport. I also want to know how the model is feeling throughout the shoot. I want to learn about their lives and who they are as a person.
One thing a model should not do while shooting with you?
Not not trust me. I have your best interest at heart and am not going to purposefully make you look bad. I’ve had guys criticize all the shots I take as we go through the session… that they don’t like the way they look in the pictures or they don’t like a certain angle. More it’s that they don’t like how they look vs the image I’m taking, but it’s extremely frustrating.
100% yes! It’s a collaboration. I want to hear their ideas and if they would like anything in particular captured during our shoot. I want both of us to come out with pictures we love and are proud of. Plus as we progress through the session, they come up with ideas and we try things out. I don’t plan out shoots in too much detail. I have a general idea of location and clothing and poses, but other than that, we just see what evolves.
Are there models you want to work with, or concepts you want still want to create and capture?
It’s both for sure. I see guys on Instagram all the time and wonder how I could capture them through my point of view. Some I’m shocked have never worked with photographers and I’m chomping at the bit to work with them. I’ve also saved so many images over the years that inspire me and would love to see what I can do in similar environments.
How has the pandemic impacted your work?
It’s been frustrating for sure. The only real impact has been on my ability to travel and schedule shoots. I think in the first year I stopped for about six months or so. But I gradually got more comfortable shooting. Pre-vaccine I would shoot out in nature and wear a mask and I felt pretty comfortable with that. Of course I took all precautions and the model and I discussed the approach in depth ahead of time.
Yeah I’ve definitely seen that. Some guys I worked with a few years ago were very trepidatious about showing frontal nudity, and now some of them are making all kinds of hardcore videos. And good for them I say.
What makes a model a favorite?
It is how well you work together, or how they look in finished images? It’s more about the relationship we create during the process. There’s a chemistry created with all the people we meet and I believe that chemistry comes across in the photos. When a model and I are really comfortable around one another, we’re both willing to explore more poses and setups.
Nothing too scandalous. Most of the outdoor locations are private spaces owned by friends of mine so it’s rare that someone stumbles upon us.
Were you ever asked to leave a location? No
What is the best or most memorable compliment you ever received for one of your images?
You know, I’m always interested to hear how people perceive my work and how they would describe it. Someone awhile ago categorized my work as ‘intimate’, like the viewer is being allowed in to view the model at a personal level. I really like that. Again that goes back to the chemistry aspect of the model and photographer. The model is comfortable, confident and humble enough to open up and be seen and trusts me enough to capture their image in that state.
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