'There's something about Alex that almost invites you in & makes you want to know more about him! sometimes its in his eyes and sometimes its other places...'
One of my favorite parts about working on FH is being able to feature the work new talent. By new, I don't mean inexperienced, but models and artists whose work I've not seen before, and whose images instantly attract my attention. That's exactly what happened a few weeks ago when I was introduced to the work of photographer Will Belcher.
Whether it's one of my favorite photographers, or an artist I've just discovered, it's always exciting seeing new visuals with something unique that leaps off the page or the screen. After clicking on Will's Instagram Page, I slowly began browsing through his portfolio. Although Will is still just in his early twenties, his images looked like someone who's been shooting for decades. It was also clear, how passionate and meticulous Will is about his art.
There's a richness in Will's work, a richness I felt in everything from color to texture. It's also evident in his choices with fashion and his balance of fashion and the human form. Many photographers shoot models in the same space, or with the same background and color scheme. Will's portfolio however, was filled with images of men and women photographed individually, each spotlighting their unique look and personalities.
Working on FH, I've featured photographers of all different ages, some who started shooting recently, and many who've been shooting the male form for decades. It's always fascinating hearing stories about how they started, and their first experiences shooting a nude model. Many starting shooting landscapes and portrait shots, before finding the nerve to risk shooting a nude body. Before the Internet, most photographers had to ask models about shooting nude through newspaper or magazine ads or Heaven forbid...actually face to face.
I remember Robert John Guttke telling me stories about heading out on walks in the seventies looking for models. He'd head to the park to look for runners, to gyms and to men's clothing stores. Sometimes he's spend the entire day not finding anyone to approach with his business card and his spiel and pitch about modeling nude. When he did find a guy to ask, most weren't interested, and some were angry. Every once in awhile though, he'd find someone who was interested.
Today, with modeling sites and social media, it's much easier to connect with models. Will Belcher entered the world of photography with both models and non-models having OnlyFans pages and posting nudes on their social media pages. There was no need to spend years building up to shooting nudes, Will's very first shoot with a male model was a nude shoot.
Will shares that he's always been an artist, and doesn't remember a time when he wasn't drawing, acting, singing, dancing and shooting. Will used to bring his digital camera everywhere he went and found it a great way to connect both with others, and his passion for art. Soon, friends, family, co-workers, even causal acquaintances, were were asking him to photograph them. It wasn't just because Will was the one with the camera, but because of how good he was at making them look their best.
This series, with model Alex Smith, is a great example of the effort and creative energy that Will puts into his work. It took quite a bit of effort to find just the perfect location, and a lot of thought on creating the perfect look. Given the giant log Alex was posing on, Will wanted to find something that a lumberjack might wear if he was posing for a pin-up calendar. After considering various fashion pieces, he ended up using a piece of his Great Aunt's flannel which ended up working perfectly.
Of course they were shooting nudes, and it was a hot, sticky day, even in the middle of the woods. We all know how flannel can get, especially your Great Aunt's. It holds in the heat on warm and muggy days. Soooo, at some point the flannel, and everything else Alex was wearing had to come off. Check out more from Will's shoot with Alex in the woods, minus the fashion and flannel, on the NEXT PAGE HERE:
No comments:
Post a Comment