'Out of the over 200 models I've s hot, only a very few were predominantly driven by expressions of sexuality, but that was definitely the case with Daniel'
The nude male form in art has always been bound with boundaries and limitations. Whether huge limits, like the risks artists and models took in the 30's, 40's and 50's to smaller limits, like a model's personal boundaries and comfortability, to the challenges of time, location and space.
So many of the photographers I feature don't have their own studio space. Some, weather permitting, shoot mostly outdoors. Some, use their own, or a model's personal living space. Others, like Jack Saul, are roaming visual reporters, using hotel rooms close to the model they're shooting.
Hotel rooms, whether you're shooting hot men in them or not, have limitations. Usually one large room and one small bathroom. Not always ideal in motivating the creative process. Given how many model's Jack has shot however, he's learned which rooms work the best, which rooms have enough light, enough space, and enough nooks and crannies to provide at least four or five different areas and backgrounds to utilize.
I've been featuring Jack's work for awhile now, and he knows how to get the most of the limitations of the space. Jack often asks his models to pose by the window, in a chair, in front of the mirror, and of course in the shower and on the bed. I've noticed that most models create their best poses, in the location they're most comfortable with. For many, this seems to be the bed. It makes sense, there's a natural connection to nudity and beds, and there are multitudes of poses and reposes easily created on a bed.
With this shoot with Daniel, most of my favorite shots featured the blonde and beautiful model chose to stand, and create endless elegant and artful configurations, while simply standing and posing in front of a large open wall. No furniture, no props, just a skilled and confident model with a plain background. Although in a hotel room, by just using the wall, the rest of the room disappeared, making the space mirror the experience of a studio shoot.
I loved that for this shoot, that Daniel and Jack moved beyond the limitations of the space, creating larger than life dramatic and incredibly erotic visuals. Sometimes the smallness of a space can be felt in a capture, but with this series, If you didn't know it was a hotel room, you might think they were shot in a large and open studio setting. This speaks to beauty Daniel created with facial expressions and poses, and intimate, yet expansive way Jack captured them. They more than stretched the boundaries of the space, and restrictions of being against a wall.
When Jack met and worked with Daniel, he knew he'd previously worked as a porn star in Eastern Europe. Daniel moved to London however, put that part of his life behind him, and explore a wider range of modeling and performance art. It wasn't fame Daniel was seeking, he already had a large on-line following. His goal was use his previous performance experiences in other creative outlets.
Although he didn't share explicitly with Jack his motives, Jack got the feeling that Daniel was looking to gain a bit of control back. Over his life, and how his body was both seen by others, and utilized in his work. Jack knew he'd no issue with posing nude, but his powerful expression of sensuality, especially when posing in front of a plain all, went far beyond Jack's expectations. You can check out more of Jack's work with Daniel on the NEXT PAGE HERE:
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