Thursday, February 9, 2023

Cultivated Connections: Cole McKenna by Mark E Hersh


'I always set out to capture something about a model other than a gratuitous nude I hope that makes my work stand out .'


When I first featured the work of photographer Mark E. Hersh last year, I was captivated by the detail and optical intricacies within his imagery. There were layers of erotic stimuli that visually demanded more than just a causal glance.  Mark's goal however, was to not only capture something erotic, but also interesting as well. 

The word interesting has becomes almost tired and overused word. It's also sometimes even used as an insult.  As a lover of images of the male form however , it's a component that  I not only look for, but also need to really fully appreciate an image or shoot.  There are millions of images of sexy men on-line, but very few can be truly described as visually interesting. 


In that first piece from last year, (HERE:) Mark's subject was Jae. Given Jae's experience in front in front of the camera, as both a model and an actor, it would have been easy for any photographer to quickly capture some great nudes without exerting much artistic effort. That's certainly not something however,  that Mark has any interest in. 


Always keeping the model in focus, Mark fills his images with layers of eroticism using lighting, location and pose to create both a look and a mood, visuals that impact the viewer of a multitude of levels.  When mark recently sent on his work with model Cole McKenna, I had the same reaction that I did when first seeing his images of Jae.  


I was of course initially struck by Cole's strong sexy look.  His handsome face, beautiful eyes and great head of hair.  I also loved his natural body hair and the lines of curves he created with his incredible body.  The images of Cole's poses that Mark captured were not only incredibly sexy, they were also powerfully seductive.  Cole wasn't just striking a pose, he was enticing the viewer with his body, his movement, and the visual connection to the viewer, he quickly established with his eyes.


After visually devouring Cole, my eyes and attention began darting through the space.  Like a virtual real estate tour, I was drawn to the colors, the wood and windows.  Speaking of those windows, my interest continued as my attention looked outward, looking down on the street, the lights and the lit signs on the other side of the glass.  Mark not only visually incorporated Cole into the space directly around him, but had him apart of the entire street, block and neighborhood. 


The location:

That location was my old studio which I miss but served it’s purpose, it was a building in the state of a halted remodel from the 1930s right off Hollywood Blvd 

The location was very cool. An empty space in the middle of Hollywood - unfinished floors, walls, ceilings so there was a feeling of emptiness and anonymity, but right outside the windows was the main strip of Hollywood


Mark first connected with Cole on Instagram after being drawn to his look and images.  In addition to Cole's great body, it was his eyes that first stood out to Mark.  After some initial discussions, to ensure they were on the same page with the goals and results they both wanted, a date and time for the shoot was set. 


As far as who initiated poses, it was very 50/50. Cole understood what I was looking for and posed and moved with minimal direction. Anyone walking by and looked up got a show and everyone that did notice, seemed to enjoy the view When we were shooting on the stairs and I just noticed his energy and eyes through the lens, it was intense, sexual, sexy and inviting


Working With Each Other :

Cole is still one of my favorite models even though we have only shot once, he’s smart, funny, secure and great overall to work with, I look forward to shooting him again very soon! He’s natural and confident, he pulls you in and shooting him is effortless 6. Were you happy with the finished images? I was very happy as I hope he was.

Mark was great - he had a clear vision of what the shoot would be but was flexible in letting me play around with the space. I’m a bit of an exhibitionist and his way of describing what he wanted to see out of the shot was very fun to work with. Mark’s shoots are very dark and moody which I also really dig. The flash of the camera accentuates the voyeuristic approach and the darkness definitely makes movement a lot more fun


'My goal with my OnlyFans is to make content that I would want to subscribe to. I tend to work with people I have strong chemistry with - typically other nerdy guys or people who enjoy artistic expression on camera. The hottest thing during sex for me is looking into someone’s eyes as they’re inside me or I’m inside them and feeling that connection, and that’s what I try to cultivate with people I work with.'





1 comment:

ponizinack said...

His knob is well cultivated