'I was looking for an opportunity to work with DJ again when he posted a picture of his super cool old-timey living room on Instagram,'
Jason, Elwood Photos
I love coming across new models and artists, especially when their visuals are so eye-catching and unique. Recently I noticed that an Elwoodphotos had liked an image I had posted on Instagram. I was struck by the name. I'm not sure why, perhaps in part, I thought there might be a connection with Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. As you can cleearly see from the images, except for some fancy fashion, Elwood and Elle Woods are definitely not connected.
That didn't stop me from diving into photographer Jason Potter's eclectic array of images, especially his series of images of DJ and Greg. I loved the mood Jason set, utilizing so many different elements. From his choice of models, though the vintage, slightly creepy living room, the fashion, poses and the inclusion of CMNM themes, Jason created a series of erotic, original and captivating visuals.
I love that there is so much to see in each images. The beautiful faces and bodies are certainly the focus, but the surroundings are equally absorbing. Each time I looked at the shots, I saw something new and interesting to visually draw me back in. The story of the two men depicted, is seducingly introduced, but ultimately the full story is left untold. Jason ensures however, all the elements are in place, tempting the viewer to imagine and fill in the details.
For Jason, telling stories is an intrinsic part of his DNA. He began his professional career in film and television, starting with shooting travel videos on a cruise ship. He went on to work as a segment producer on 'documentary' shows on MTV and VH-1. These jobs often required Jason to wear many hats, including being the 'camera guy'. Taking on so many jobs, and so many roles helped Jason develop the skill for quickly finding unique camera compositions on the fly.
'I also like to produce and host live storytelling and variety shows. I was helping produce a queer cabaret show in 2020 when the pandemic hit and we had to switch to doing video versions of the show. We shot the first show on camera phones but after it became clear that the pandemic was going to last a while, I used my stimulus money to buy a mirrorless camera and a few lenses to be able to shoot the show with better video quality.
I had been a fan of Favorite Hunks for a while and started following the Instagram accounts of some really talented photographers that FH has featured over the years. They, and by extension FH, really inspired me to try my hand at still photography and now that I had a decent camera and lenses, I figured it was time to give it a go! '
Although Jason still does video projects occasionally, he's found that he really fell in love with portrait photography. With video shoots, there are often a lot of people involved, which means spending a lot more time and energy on logistics, and ensuring everyone is in the same place. With portrait photography, it's usually just the artist and model. For Jason, this means being able to spend more time on the creative process and collaborating with the model.
For this shoot with DJ and Greg, the inspiration was the living room location. Jason had worked with DJ previously, and really enjoyed the experience. Jason shares that they both share the philosophy of telling a story through their work. Jason was looking for an opportunity to collaborate again when he saw that DJ had posted an image on his Instagram featuring an images of his 'super cool old-timey living room.'
'I messaged DJ and said I would love to use his living room as a location and he agreed. For a theme, we wanted to use portrait photos of couples from the late 1800s and early 1900s as inspiration but add a CMNM (clothed male nude male) twist.'
For the second model, Jason wanted to find someone who had a completely different look from DJ. He found the perfect model in Greg on Model Mayhem. When Jason reached out to Greg, Greg instantly got the concept and theme and was excited to participate and contribute.
After Jason sent on the original series of images, I asked if he had any outtakes from the shoot. he sent on the two shots above. One of the many things in DJ's living room was a creepy doll that sort of freaked Greg out. You can tell from the two images Greg was not fond of the disturbing doll...
'Because I had models who look like they fit typical and sometimes outdated roles in terms of queer power dynamics, I wanted to make sure we subverted those roles and dynamics for our photoset. So I had both models take turns being the nude one, and made sure to present them both as equals.
I don't have an issue with the dad/son or powerful bear/blushing twink dynamic, it's just that there is plenty of that kind of material out there already. Both DJ and Greg were a pleasure to work with and the shoot went really smoothly except when I tried to turn on a fog machine I brought to add some extra atmosphere, and it triggered DJ's fire alarm.'
'Working with Jason was a wonderful experience. I'm very grateful to have gotten to create something I'm proud of with an inspired photographer.'
'This shoot with Jason and DJ was an excellent experience. Jason takes the time to think through a scene while letting the models' spontaneity come through. He was prepared, warm, charming, and easy to work with. I look forward to working with him again soon!'
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