'Every Spring the moat would flood and tadpoles would hatch. Then the water went done and the little frogs died, unable to escape.'
Although a master at light, shadow and studio work, artist Robert J. Guttke was most at home shooting outside. He loved shooting in rivers and in swamps and putting models in trees. Not just tree's Robert seemed to enjoy putting male models high in the air, something easy to do at his favorite place to shoot, the ammo factory.
The ammo factory began as an unfinished power plant in the 40's, but went on to manufacture ammunition until the late 60's. Robert, and his nude male and females models, inhabited the abandoned factory from the late 1980's through the early 2000's. Robert calls this time, especially the 90's, before the location was taken over by decay and graffiti artists, one of the best times of his life.
Models loved the location, especially male models who loved to explore the area, check out the old factory equipment, swing on the tires, but most of all climb. Robert shared how so often, especially with models who had never posed nude before, or were nervous to do so, the ammo factory served to relax them. Robert spent the first half of the shoot just letting the model explore the area, naked of course.
They'd climb walls and cranes and play as if in a playground built specifically for male models. Robert would follow them with his camera, snapping images along the way. After an hour or so, when Robert was ready to actually get down to work, with specific shots and poses, the models were comfortable in the environment, and at ease with being nude.
Sadly, but the late 90's Robert wasn't the only one who discovered the location. Soon, when they arrived to shoot, there would be other explorers, often with spray cans, playing among the buildings and locations Robert wanted to shoot in. This made Robert's process, especially encouraging his models to explore the area nude, more difficult to do.
This place looks nothing like this today. Covered in spray paint and the forest torn down. The buildings will be next as the property is sold off. I was lucky to be in a special place at a special time. But I was weary of it all by the late 90s.
I had been shooting at the ammo factory for about five years before the walls started suffering spray paint. It was then I discovered this shadowy area between two close buildings. The light levels were low and that meant a lot of out of focus photos. In the evening before sunset there would be shafts of light along the stone that gave it a different personality.
Oh to be a fly on the wall during the 90's at the ammo factory. Just from the images I've seen, Robert took hundreds of models to the factor to shoot, both male and female models, and even a set of male models twins. (which you can see HERE:) Indeed a special location, one with props and visuals stunning enough to match the skill of the artist shooting them.
Robert sent me hundreds of images from the ammo factory, but I don't want to over use the images, or Robert's generosity. There are a couple of themes however, including Robert's studio water shots, I will share down the road. Many have not been seen before and most of the images are just too striking to remain attachments in an e-mail.
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