'Alex had a background in gymnastics/athletics and wanted to explore the possibility of physique-inspired photography.'
When I was recently throwing model suggestions to photographer Jack Saul about a future piece on the site, he suggested I check out his work with Alex. As soon as I saw Jack's shots, I knew I wanted to feature their work on the site. In addition to his incredible body, sculpted through his passion for gymnastics, I loved his face and overall look, and the memories the images evoked.
We all had our share of crushes in Jr High, and one of mine was a guy on my basketball team who Alex really reminded me. Their faces were slightly different, but their eyes, and their tight bodies are almost identical. Even more striking for me was the cross. It's exactly like the one my Jr. High school crush always wore around his neck. One of the reasons the cross stood out to me so much, was my memories of secretly lancing at him in the locker room showers, and remembering the cross glistening against his wet skin.
My crush was short lived, he moved during summer between grade 9 and 10. I carried a brief torch, but quickly found another guy to lust after and desire. We all reflect on our first loves and early crushes, their impact is long and lasting. I think the impact on closeted kids is even more powerful, given in most cases, the crushes are rarely reciprocated.
I love when I shoot or model has me reflecting on times I've experienced in my life. Some of my favorite shoots to spotlight are triggered by a memory or moment in my life. Often these memories are buried deep, and would be long forgotten with an specific images trigging their rise to the surface. In addition to arousing a personal reflection, I also love that in some these images, you can see a faint reflection of the artist at work. The hotel room where they shoot was full of windows and mirrors, and if you look closely, you'll see Jack's shadow reflected in the glass.
As much as I like when a model or shoot opens a forgotten memory, I also love featuring models who are posing nude for the very first time. Except for a few outdoor sporting themed shoots, Alex had never modeled before so this shoot with Jack was both his first ever official photoshoot. Alex was looking to try something new, so did a few shoots to gain some experience and capture his physique during it's peak during his time as an athlete. Alex only ended up modeling a few times, and Jack feels fortunate to have worked with Alex during the brief window of time that he modeled.
How did you first connect with Alex?
Through a mutual photographer friend. I think I was given his number, so I made the first move, which is unusual for me as I generally I think it's healthier for the model to be in the driving seat in terms of putting themselves forward for a shoot.
What were your first impressions of his look?
Very impressed, I don't often get to work with extremely physically fit guys and it was apparent immediately that Alex was someone who people would very much enjoy seeing as a nude model (as it happens, it turned out I was right, lol)
Did you see nude images prior to scheduling a shoot?
No, I was just told that he was slim and a gymnast, I didn't really need further evidence.
Had Alex posed nude before?
No, this was his first modelling shoot of any kind.
Did you talk about shot lists or concepts?
Not really, he knew that it would be nude and focused on body language & expression but otherwise we stuck to my normal routine of just talking things through on the day and working out the shoot as we went along.
Did he have any boundaries as to what you could or could not shoot?
Not really, we weren't planning to shoot anything sexually explicit and once he got over some initial shyness everything went well and he was more relaxed.
Did he have anything he wanted to achieve with the shoot?
I think Alex had been told that he was very good-looking by others and could earn money from modelling, so was curious to see how he got on with it and if it might turn out to be a career (side)path for him. I think he one did one or two subsequent shoots after this one
Was there much talk during the shoot, was it mostly work focused?
Alex was extremely nervous at the beginning of the shoot. I tried to keep him chatting as much as possible, mostly about other things in his life. I had hoped that this would bring him out of his shell and help him express himself better. Even though I was happy with the shoot I think you can still see the nervousness and shyness in him, particularly in his eyes.
Curious if he happened to mention his cross?
I think the only mention was right at the start when deciding whether to keep jewelry on or not (I always let the model decide), He kept it on, even when we shot the shower-based images. We didn't discuss if it had any particular significance or symbolism for him.
Any additional thoughts on the shoot?
I felt very lucky to work with him, given the brevity of his modelling career and long after I first posted the shots, Alex remains one of the most popular models I have worked with in terms of audience response.
You may have noticed that I blended color with black and white images in the piece. That is something I usually try not to do. I don't always like the visual flow when mixing the two. With this shoot however, I loved how the natural light hit Alex's body in so many of Jack's shot. It was different, but equally beautiful in both the color and the black and white shots. I wanted to add some of both for the visual contrast.
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