When I asked photographer Shax Carter about featuring his work with Nicko, and the book he created, he sent on over 100 shots from the book to choose from. These shots are some of my favorites, but they're also some of the tamer shots. If you check out Nicko, then..., you'll see that Shax doesn't hold back, showcasing Nicko and his scene partners, in a visually beautiful and raw portrait of Nicko. Of course, I had some questions, about Nicko, about the shooting process, and about the images.
What about his look did you first notice that drew you to want to shoot him?
Nicko is rather tall and has sporty swimmer vibe. He could have easily been plucked from the beaches of southern California. He often had a stern look, but at the same time had a very playful attitude.
Had Nicko had much previous experience shooting nude?
Nicko was fairly well established as a model by the time I first had the chance to work with him and he was comfortable with nude photography. He and I got along very well and I ended up working with him about eight times.
Was a book in your mind when you shot, or did that come up after the shoot?
The book was an afterthought, an attempt to showcase what I consider to be a definitive collection of Nicko's work with me. I just recently did a multi-day photo shoot with another model, which will be the first that was designed with the purpose of a book being the end result.
Did you have much discussion with Nicko about what you hoped to capture?
Yes, for each shoot that we did together, there was discussion beforehand about what the hopes for achievement were. One great things about Nicko is that he has the ability and ambition to always deliver great work as a model.
Did Nicko have any boundaries or themes he voiced not wanting to shoot or go beyond?
I have always found Nicko to be curious, as well as pretty daring and ambitious, and he was always up for a challenge.
Was the other model a stranger to Nicko or had they known each other before?
Nicko has worked both on his own and with other models. As I mentioned earlier, these models all knew each other outside of work and often ran around together. It was quite easy for them to work together as well as separately.
Any comments or stories from the shoot itself?
Often when we worked together it was more like a vacation than an actual work environment. The shoots would be during a block of time over multiple days and oftentimes the models and certainly Nicko would just hang out the entire time before and/or after his shoot.
What was your favorite part about Nicko that you enjoyed working with?
My favorite thing about Nicko was his positive attitude, outgoing manner, and high level of work ability. He always knew where the camera was and how to maneuver the best pose for it.
Did you have a favorite shot, or favorite theme that you captured?
I really love the shot that is on the cover of the book, and that particular photo session, we had the most fun with it.
'These are older works, and the photographic quality changes periodically throughout. Additionally, I experimented with the use of mixed media to a certain degree, to help capture Nicko unbridled in his element.'
'Nicko has now retired as a model. We have kept in contact over the years, and he has been interested and agreed to do another photo shoot. Despite scheduling it several times, it has always run into a last minute conflict of schedule, and had to be postponed. I do hope that someday it will come together and we can further his body of work. I think he looks even better now, than when we did our original sets of work together!'
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