'Sometimes, when I get nervous, I stick my hands under my armpits and then I smell them like this!' Mary Katherine Gallagher
Why would I start of a post on the nude male form with a quote from the classic SNL character Mary Katherine Gallagher? You'll have to read on to find out how it played a part in the story.... This shoot, and this story comes Tom from Maleshooter. Many of you remember my previous posts featuring Tom's work under his then professional credit Peek Physique. (HERE:) Given Tom now uses Maleshooter, I thought it was time to incorporate the change as well.
Although Tom isn't shooting as much these days, he's been digging into his archives and this shoot, and this story, from his work with Jared was one of my favorites. When Jared arrived for his shoot, Tom said he knew exactly what the job required.
After a brief chat, they began with a few clothed outsides. As soon as they went into the studio however, Jared quickly got down to business, stripping off his clothes without Tom having to say a word. Jared was yanking of his pants and undies so fast, Tom barely had time to snap shots of him undressing. Shooting models dressing and undressing is something Tom loves to incorporate in his shoots when he can.
'It can sometimes be hard to get good pictures of guys taking off their clothes. They tend to look clumsy. But I was pleased with what I got, catching his movements at just the right time.'
Tom's studio was filled the enormous windows, which meant he doesn't have to use anything but natural light when shooting during the day. Tom shares that those large windows made preparing and set-ups so much simpler. All that was required was to direct his models to move their naked bodies into the light.
'Why is he smelling his hand? Where was his hand a moment ago? I like a picture that raises questions. The way he left all his clothes in a neat little pile and then stepped forward, completely nude and bathed in natural light, with nothing else in the picture to distract our view... I mean, isn't that what we're all here for? '
Other than ensuring Jared was always bathed in natural light, very little direction was required. Jared was a dancer, and his poses were both elegant and nature. The only challenge, much like when he was undressing, was keeping up with his pace. Jared was doing so many moves, leaps and backward bends that Tom had to be quick to ensure he captured each moment as they were over in a flash.
What struck Tom the most was the difference sides of Jared's personality that came out during different moments during their shoot. When he first took off his clothes, Jared was quiet, and looked very innocent, almost like the boy next door. He may have been a little nervous, hence, like Mary Katherine Gallagher, the niffing of the fingers.
When he was doing his dance moves, Jared was very focused, concentrating on his body lines and movement while he posed. Near the end of the shoot however, when he was laying on the floor completely naked, he was much more playful, smiling and ensuring his crown jewels were our, and front and center for Tom's lens.
Tom doesn't take his work too seriously, and enjoys working with models who have the same, easy-going attitude during the shooting process. For Tom, Jared was the perfect model. In addition so showing many sides of himself, Jared was focused and serous when needed, but also fun and playful at other times during the shoot. For Tom, (and for FH) nudity should be fun, and Jared seemed to be having a ball.
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