'Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.'
Genesis 2:15-17
In the book of Genesis, the Garden of Eden is described as a beautiful garden containing the tree live. It was intended as a place where Adam and Eve could live in peaceful and contented innocence, effortlessly reaping the fruits of the Earth. When we see the Garden represented in art, it's often depicted as a lush, green jungle full of animals, tree's and plants that could both sustain and nurture anyone who lived there.
When I was thinking of paradise like places on earth, and the photographers who shoot them, I first thought of Mark Leighton. Living in the East, I encounter my own local Eden's, but for much of the year, they're frozen, and often covered with snow. One of the best parts of working on FH, is being able to visually vacation through the images and artists that I feature.
Mark lives and primarily shoots in Portugal and along the beaches of Lagos and Algarve. In addition, Mark often travels to shoot as with this series of images where Mark traveled to Bali to shoot Nico and Kim. It is not difficult to think that Bali in so many ways is reflective of what so many think of when they think of the Garden of Eden. Known as the Island of the Gods, Bali is an island paradise with Lush rice fields, ancient temples, magical sunsets, traditional villages and idyllic beaches.
I first featured Mark's work with Nico and Kim back in 2018. (HERE:) Mark had compiled an incredible collection of images he put together for a photo book entitled, A Quiet Heat. The title not only described the location, but the quiet strength and sensuality of the two men in focus.
In addition to the location, I also wanted to revisit this shoot, because given the theme of FH, I wanted at least one series featuring two men enjoying playing in the Garden. There are also some interesting parallels between Kim and Nico with Adam and Eve. No, they were not created from the Earth's dust, or a rib, but like Adam and Eve, Nico and and Kim were brought together in their paradise location, having never met each other before.
Meeting a another person in a tropical paradise, only to spend most of your time completely nude, can certainly be a bonding experience. Although it wasn't an apple that tempted them, Mark shares they did share a passion for nourishment and sustenance, and usually ended up persuading Mark to order huge amounts of food wherever they went to eat. Spending hours working, posing and sweating in the tropical heat would build up an appetite.
'The first few shots of the duo section were a bit too restrained but they soon found the right balance and worked very well together. The whole experience of shooting these two exceptional young men was so much fun and so easy.'
No comments:
Post a Comment