'Michael Moody is going to be in town.'
When photographer Tom Nakielski, (Lights On Studio) included the brief sentence above, in an e-mail earlier this year, that was I all I need to hear. My bugging and repeated questions began. You can't blame me really, I love the work of model and actor Michael Moody, especially his creative collaborations with Tom.
It was Tom who first introduced me to Michael's work about five years ago and I've been fortunate to have featured many of their shoot on the site. As a actor and member of The Duelists, Michael is no stranger to performing, on camera, on-screen, and live, in front of enthusiastic audiences.
I know that I'm not the only audience member, enthusiastic about Michael's work. I can tell from the hits, FH readers enjoy his work as well, and I often get e-mails asking about plans for future posts featuring his work. In addition to Michaels beautiful body, handsome face and seductively friendly brown eyes, it's his enthusiasm for character driven modeling that appeals to me, and I think many others who enjoy his work.
Over the last five years, Tom's captured Michael freezing in the snow, (HERE:) channeled a Deity, (HERE:) and wrested a randy rodent, (HERE:) Michael's also helped FH celebrate Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day and Groundhog Day, not to mention heating up many other months of the year with his images from the annual Duelist's calendar.
For this shoot, Michael channels another character, this time, a dangerous, but gorgeous gunslinger.
This particular gunfighter maybe for hire, but it's at a price not everyone is willing to pay. The iconic Western characters are known to be quick on the draw, pistols ready when required. Whether they're working for the law, or against it, the assassins ammo leaves a lasting impact.
How did this shoot come about:
I was visiting my home state and made plans to shoot with Tom. I always like working with Tom and the last time we got the chance was before the Pandemic.
Why the 'Gunslinger' theme?
Gunslingers are an icon in American mythology and I’ve always been fascinated with this archetype. I aim to revisit it every so often to see how different artists and photographers interpret it.
Was the costume yours?
I provided the costume and the majority of the props. I enjoy character design as well as modeling.
Given your an actor, is it easier and more enjoyable to create a character for modeling?
I feel that character modeling like this is acting in slow motion, so to speak. On the other hand, acting might be described as fast, sustained modeling.
Tell me about the shoot, how was the experience like?
The shoot was a lot of setup. Tom has this method that requires a lot of fine adjustments at the start. Once all that is squared away, his vision becomes apparent and all the preparation that seems excessive starts to make sense. I confess I was confused about this the first time we shot together. I encourage everyone who works with Tom to bare with him. It’s worth it!
Tom has shared his recent issues with movement, did you help out during the shoot?
Tom asked me to help with some of the heavy moving of equipment, I didn’t mind. I’ve spent many years as a stage hand and I’m no stranger to some heavy lifting.
What is your favorite part about creating with Tom?
The best thing about Tom is his attitude. He’s enthusiastic about what he does and knows exactly what he’s after.
Do you often hear directly from those who enjoy your work?
I hear plenty from people directly and I do my best to answer every personal contact. I don’t always get to every single one but I do my best. I like connecting with people.
The Duelists seems to be going strong, how much did the pandemic impact your performance?
The Pandemic gave us a year off to reflect on our path forward and relax. It was precisely what we needed. We came back better than ever, we even debuted a new program that provides hands-on experience with medieval swordplay. We've also kept the Calendar sales up, and you can check out the 2023 edition, and all merchandise orders on Facebook, or send order requests to Randal@duelists.com
1 comment:
Are there no full frontal nudes of Michael Moody?
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