'Being here has really been amazing for my creativity with so much visual stimulation everywhere you look.'
The 'here' Mark, (The Male Muse) refers to is his new home in Spain. Some of you may remember when I last featured Mark's work, (HERE:) he was shooting as many male models in California as he could schedule in. The reason for so many shoots, Mark was about to begin an exciting new chapter of his life and career with an upcoming move to Spain.
Almost fourteen months later, Mark not only has added all of the models he shot in the US to his new on-line site and portfolio, (HERE:) he's also added many incredibly hot and compelling European models that he's worked with since his move to Spain. Since first introducing FH readers to Mark's work back in 2021, there have been dozens and dozens of additional male models welcomed into his multitude of muses.
I love featuring models that artists define as muses. The relationship between artist and model is one of my favorite themes to explore. Muse denotes the relationship is rooted more deeply in creative inspiration more than just getting a good shot of the body, or body parts. The relationship doesn't have to be one of friendship, or even personal, but how a model and artist interact and relate is always something I'm fascinated to ask about.
Even if the relationship is strictly work related, consisting of saying hello and giving direction, the interactions to me, is so central to the impact on the final visuals. I know like me, so many can sense when the model and photographer are just 'going through the motions' and not really connecting creatively through the shooting process. When a photographer and model creatively feed off each other, the images tend to be visually more complex with more layers of personality and more erotic energy and depth.
Since moving to Spain, many opportunities have opened up for Mark. He's had the opportunity, and the pleasure, of working with male models from all across Europe. Although exciting, the work has had it's challenges, especially with due to language barriers given the many different languages spoken in the area. Mark has however, learned to work through this, even finding opportunities to explore some fetish inspired themes ad more explicit content.
'I'm finding I like to straddle the world of fine art and explicit imagery trying to merge the two together in an artistic way. '
So Why Spain? In part, the decision to move was born out of Covid. So much of what Mark had going in the US was abruptly halted with the onset of the pandemic. Some of the projects Mark had going were permanently destroyed, and could not be recovered. During those crazy early years, Mark and his husband took a hard look at their lives and decided they wanted something different for themselves, and for their future.
'We did a lot of research on places we could live affordably, and though neither of us had ever been to Spain, it won us over with its amazing culture, rich history, way of life and of course its beautiful men. So we sold the house and literally nearly everything we owned, packed what remained into two suitcases and we were on our way.
So far it has worked out great and I think we definitely made the right choice making Seville our new home. It definitely took a while to get my footing, and a lot of hard work to connect with guys with my very limited Spanish, but it has all been worth it. '
His first year in Spain has been a busy one, and Mark was able to work and connect with a lot of amazing guys. Not just men from Spain, but many from all around the globe. Mark's been amazed with the amount of spontaneous sessions that have come his way, with guys who were just passing though the city. Frederico was one of those sessions.
Frederico was also one of the models who stood out to me when recently visited Mark's portfolio. Mark loves to shoot guys who are not only good looking, but also guys with an edge, models who bring something unique to the session beyond just their good looks. It was that edge, not to mention those curves, that had me asking Mark about featuring his work with Frederico.
'Frederico lives in Italy and contacted me while he was visiting Seville. From his IG I was really drawn to the energy he conveyed in his posts. There was something that immediately intrigued me beyond his great smile and amazing body. So, we made quick plans and the next day we had our collab together. He had never posed before, but I could tell from the first few frames that he was a natural. Really happy with what we created together that day. '
I love what they created as well, and there is much more of Frederico on Mark's site! Given Frederico and the other models Mark has worked with come from from different countries, and different continents, I had to ask Mark about the differences. I've read so much about the diverse views on nudity, especially male nudity, especially between Europe and America. I was curious if Mark encountered any difference between his work in the US and in Europe.
'In Berlin and Paris, the only two non-Spanish cities I've collaborated in, hands down there's a very noticeable difference in attitudes with nudity than back home. It's more liberated in a way, and the enthusiasm for collaboration is next level, which is great. In Spain it really depends on where I am working. In Madrid, Barcelona and here in Sevilla, there is that same openness to nudity and creativity. I've met so many amazing guys who want to collab together to make art.
Other parts of southern Spain , outside of Sevilla where I live, I've had a more difficult time getting guys to agree to pose for me, especially being a foreigner. I have to navigate around the fact that it is a much more conservative part of the country, so many guys I've contacted have expressed concern about people discovering images of them nude online. I'm thankful to any guy who has trusted me and opened themselves up for my camera.'
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