Painfully Photogenic: J Phoenix by Baker and Adams

When profiling a photographer, especially for the first time, I try to get to know a bit about who they are, maybe in an attempt to connect the work, the images, with the creators behind them. I first saw the work of Baker & Adams a couple of years ago and loved it instantly. I was especially impressed with their ability to capture pose, beautiful and unique head to toe depictions of their subjects.

I first profiled the San Jose artists back in July of 2011. Sadly, as sometimes happens, circumstances beyond our control brought on a request to have the piece removed. I didn't like losing the images, but because the piece was as much, or more, about the artists, it was equally disappointing to lose the text.

Since then, I have been looking for a way to bring back the body of that post with new work. When recently revisiting their portfolio, I saw new images of a model who I was excited help with the task. J Phoenix has an impressive body of work, some which I have been fortunate to have been able to share on FH. J is one of those models who simply has that 'it' factor. An incredible body, one he knows how to use in front of the camera bringing forth both dramatic and erotic results. J has a great face, and beautiful alluring eyes that draw you in to each image. It is no wonder J has been shot by some of the best, not to mention some of my favorite, photographers of the male form.

I actually first posted about J under 'Favorite New Face of the Day' back in 2009. Since then, I have covered his work on many different occasions and am thrilled to be able to now showcase his work with Baker & Adams.

'J was delightful to work with. He's one of the few models we've worked with who completely understood and was open to the creative process. While he had ideas of his own, he respected and had fun with our ideas as well, he's painfully photogenic. He's also very open with his body and expressions which was truly refreshing. After the shoot, I was surprised to find we'd shot almost 1600 images of Jason in just four hours. A new record! I was also surprised with how intimate and sensual many of the images were. in nearly every image Jason seemed to fully connect with the camera; sharing with us his heart and soul.'

Baker & Adams

Below is much of the text from the original post from 2011. Thanks to Baker and Adams, and J Phoenix, for an opportunity to resurrect it.

It is always nice to get a compliment especially from someone whose work you respect. In communicating with Baker and Adams about a feature on FH, they very kindly said they liked the sensitively which I portray through my posts and that my blog was both respectful and elegant. Those words, especially respectful, are important to me as respect is something I strive to keep front and center on FH. Those words also struck me as they are precisely the words that initially drew me to their work.

With all the thought and care put into each shot, in each detail, it was not a surprise to learn that the images are not the creation of just one man, but two. Baker and Adams are a creative team (creative director and photographer) whose goal is to capture the male form in images that are classical, playful, and occasionally disturbing. The classical makes them beautiful, the playful...sexy and erotic, and the occasionally disturbing...that makes them compelling and immensely interesting.

'I'm an avid collector of vintage male photography. As a gay kid who grew tired of only seeing pictures of beautiful women in the media, I enjoy creating tasteful male images that are artistic but don't take themselves too seriously.'

Baker

Baker describes himself as the 'finder.' He looks for models who are uninhibited and have a playful sense about them. He says he likes to get to know a bit about a model before a shoot and tries to have a few telephone conversations with them before a shoot. Photographing a person, not just a body, means getting to know them. 'I can get a sense of who they are, and then I try to build a look around that sense using clothes and props. The more fun those elements are, the better.' This is when Adams steps in and takes Baker's initial ideas and tries to find a complementary lighting style for the themes chosen. Baker creates a story for Adams to capture, and Adams writes it down in pictures.

'I'm a bit of a control freak so I like to fuss and tweak the costume, the pose, hair and props. Adams enjoys taking whatever I put in front of the camera and adding mood and texture to it with light and shadow. We don't tend to step on each others toes much, and our models appreciate that by splitting up our duties we get a lot done while keeping the mood low key and fun.'

'Adams is a passionate commercial cinematographer with a large portfolio of TV commercials and web projects. We very much work together as a director and cinematographer normally would, but with the added dimension of an eleven year relationship. Creating art together is something we both greatly enjoy and we both grow artistically as a result.'

Baker & Adams on Model Mayhem

J. Phoenix on Model Mayhem

Takedown Machine: Brendon by Baker and Adams

'Every so often you run across a guy who’s a real natural in front of the camera. He’s easy to photograph and easy to work with. It doesn’t happen often, but Brendon was one of those guys.'

Baker and Adams

Every so often I use the word 'complete' in my description of a photographers work. My use of the word is not about degree of nudity, my intent is to describe how fully a particular artist or shoot has captured a model. I have written previously that when I first saw images from Baker and Adams, I was with how skillfully they capture both body and pose with beautiful and unique head to toe depictions of their subjects.

Each set of images that I have featured are full model portfolio's, capturing portraits, fitness, full body and even character themed imagery. In the case of Brendon, that character is that of a high school or college wrestler. It was the wrestling themed images that had me reaching out to Baker and Adams about featuring Brendon.

Brendon has an incredible body, every inch toned and sleek, clearly from a passion and commitment to fitness. The wrestling singlet is not only sexy, it is also a perfect way to highlight Brendon's hard work.  It also represents a sport that symbolizes the intense dedication required to keep a body in fighting form. In wrestling, in order to takedown one's opponent, you don't just physically bring them to the ground, you have to focus on their strengths and weaknesses in order to choose the takedown technique to ensure you land on top.

Brendon is clearly a takedown machine, a model at the top of his game both physically, and mentally. It is visible in his not just his body, but his eyes, which speak to the intensity of his passion and drive. Baker and Adams used their 'tag team' approach, with Baker's focus the leg work and creative side, and Adams as the closer, focusing on the technical and finishing pieces of the team's creative process. It helps, when you have a model like Brendon.

Adams

'I like high contrast, deep shadows, translucent highlights and a wide range of tonalities. For the white limbo shots, I lit the white cyc with my strobes and let the light wrap around Brendan from behind. Fill light came from the floor or a nearby 4x8 foam core "V-card". Not only do these large sources light him, but they reflect in his skin to create a wide range of beautiful highlights that reveal subtitles of shape and form.'

'For the other photos, we placed Brendon against the studio wall and used the same white cyc lighting as a soft side light, as if from a large window. I then surrounded Brendan with black foam core sheets to eliminate ambient fill light and make the shadows as dark as possible. They're so dark that, in one of the photos, his white shirt creates a highlight in his skin. I love that kind of rich detail.'

Baker

'Brendon was interested in our ideas from the beginning and brought confidence and an open mind to our shoot. With Brendon, we enjoyed a solid collaboration and complete professionalism. Brendon has a natural poise that makes for beautiful yet strong images. Brendon knows how to hold his body and can be tough or sensual depending upon the shot. Brendon understands the photographic process and was patient as changes and tweaks were made to lighting and set up. Such a beautiful guy.'

Baker and Adams on ModelMayhem

Stark White: Kenny by Baker and Adams

'The most interesting light often comes from behind the subject.'

Adams

Writing about photography, especially with a focus on the male form, I often comment on the use of shadow, and of the artists use of black and white and dark and light. Some define 'white' as the absence of color, but black, and especially white are the illuminator's, highlighting the color, detail and beauty of the subject in focus.

When it comes to art, I tend to prefer simplicity. When I first began FH I knew I wanted to surround the images I was featuring with a solid cutter and minimal clutter. I went through many site designs, and many site banners, but ultimately, it came down to the basics, a black background, white text and just a touch of grey to provide a visual separation between titles and text.

'Stark White' gets a bad rap, yes, it's usually the look and feel of most empty rooms and apartments, but there's a reason for that. In addition to our personal relationships with color, stark white spaces stokes the artist in us, inviting our imagination to visualize and create how we best fill the space with our own personal vision of beauty.

Together, artists Baker and Adams beautifully utilize their cloak of white to frame and spotlight the model they're shooting. In the last couple of pieces I have done on their work, (HERE:) Baker and Adams have used a stunning wall of white

'The most interesting light often comes from behind the subject. In this case, by lighting the background instead of the model, the back wall and floor become large soft sources that wrap around Kenny from behind and below, creating soft specular highlights in his skin that bring out form and shape.'

'This also creates a wide range of tonalities, which contrasts nicely against the stark white background. I lit the back wall with strobes and prevented any direct light from hitting the model. This lit both the floor and some 4'x8' foam core bounce cards placed near the camera for fill.'

Adams

As you can beautifully see from the imagery, Kenny is a dancer, and it was his background in dance that initially led Baker and Adams to pursue working together. Baker and Adams beautifully blend the sensual and erotic with the elegance and strength in Kenny's dance moves. Although I love the shots of Kenny in black and jean material, I especially love the layers of white created with Kenny's skin, tan lines and his white shirt.

'For the shoot, we worked to build images that blended Kenny's dance skills with his playful and upbeat personality. With Kenny's dance background, we found his body to be more relaxed than many of our prior models. However, a challenge I quickly discovered was how best to direct a dancer. With no real dance background myself, it quickly became important for me to learn how to properly communicate desired moves and actions with greater clarity and detail.

Baker

Baker and Adams on ModelMayhem

Eyes of the Beholders: Elvis by Baker and Adams

'Elvis was a pleasure to work with. He’s the kind of model that every photographer wishes they could work with.' 

Baker and Adams

If you're a regular reader of FH, you know that I love featuring models who have been photographed by a variety of different artists. We've all had the experience of looking at the same thing as someone else, yet see, and experiencing it, in very different ways. I always find myself drawn to the contrasts, and the reasons behind them and love to explore than when I have the opportunity.

Many of you recognize model Elvis Bogdanovs from his previous appearances on the site. I first featured Elvis two years ago,through the lens of JBDI Photography. (HERE: & HERE:) I followed up those pieces with another view of Elvis, this time from Male Beauty by bengie. (HERE: & HERE) There were distinct differences in the way Elvis was captured in the two previous pieces that I'd done. One was a studio based shoot with vibrant colors and Gothic elements weaved in. The other shoot was outside, with no color of fashion, just a focus on pose, and Elvis' beautifully sleek nude form.

When Baker and Adams shared that they had also worked with Elvis, I was excited to see what they'd created. I've been a hufe fan of the work of the creative collaboration of Devin Baker and Art Adams from the moment I first discovered their work. Through their creative collaboration, and weaving their individual talents together, Baker and Adams create stylish and elegant imagery with a focus pose and form.

 

When I think of the imagery of Baker and Adams, the work 'clean' often comes to mind. The models they capture are never concealed or over-powered by set, props, fashion or over editing. The Elvis in this series of images, is an exclusive view of the Scotland based model, a unique view is seen through the eyes of two very specific and talented beholders. Given their distinct view, I was of course curious about the process they utilize to achieve their spectacular final images. Baker and Adams graciously shared a behind the scenes look at their creative process, and the choices made before and during their shoot with Elvis.

Do you remember the first image you saw of Elvis? 

I first noticed Elvis on Model Mayhem. Elvis had posted a photo credited to Bowridge Green in the 18+ Photo Contest. In the photo Elvis sports bleached hair and poses fully nude on a rooftop. The photo was appealing technically as well as emotionally. I immediately knew I wanted to work with him.

 

Was it difficult to schedule and how did you connect? 

We connected with Elvis through Model Mayhem. We were lucky that Elvis already had a stop planned in our area. Everything, including scheduling, was managed through Model Mayhem messages and email. While I find Model Mayhem to be a flawed platform, it worked out well in this instance. 

How much 'negotiation' is there when setting up concepts for a shoot? 

 Elvis was a complete professional and very accommodating of our ideas and concepts. We always encourage collaboration during our shoots so we welcomed Elvis’s ideas, as well. Elvis was very confident in his body and our work so nudity was never an issue. Once we arrived at the studio he was naked in minutes. With some models it can take time for them to warm to the process or environment. None of this was an issue with Elvis.

Tell me about the day of the shoot. 

Our normal studio was unavailable the day of our shoot so we worked in a smaller facility nearby. While the studio was physically smaller, the owner had a wide variety of furnishings that we had access to. The studio ultimately worked to our advantage as furnishings, such as the brightly colored bar stools, provided great foundations for select poses. When we picked up Elvis at a central meeting place, we were immediately struck by his confidence and charisma. We were also, of course, struck by his physical beauty. Elvis was a complete professional and was ready to work after we made an obligatory stop at Starbucks for a little fortification. We worked for four hours and captured over 1,000 images.

 

Tell me about Elvis as a model. 

We encountered no conceit or prima-donna qualities while working with Elvis. Instead, Elvis was collaborative, patient, and engaging. Elvis inherently knew how to move and hold his body to highlight its best qualities. He took direction well, but could also improvise if needed. Elvis had amazing muscle strength and balance which were used to create some pretty cool shots. Elvis is a photographer himself and we suspect some of this awareness originates from his own work.

 

Was there any hesitation with any of your ideas or fashion? 

There was no hesitation on Elvis’s part when it came to working through our ideas. His only request, which was not a problem for us, was that we not request poses which were overtly sexual in nature. 

What was his comfort level with shooting nude? 

Elvis appeared to be 100% comfortable posing nude. At times, the studio owner was present as we worked. While I initially offered Elvis a robe to cover up with, or to otherwise shield his nudity, he wasn’t the least bit bothered at being nude in front of others and I soon gave up trying to protect his privacy.

I've noticed you've used the wrestling singlet and ear coverings before. 

I enjoy working with color and the singlet offers a punch of red that can work well in a shot. It also communicates a sort of hyper masculinity that can be fun to play around with visually. 

Elvis is clearly very fit, but I didn't know he was so acrobatic! 

Elvis shared that he’d trained in gymnastics and that he enjoyed balancing poses. This pose was something Elvis offered up on his own. I wouldn’t have known what to ask for! Unfortunately, the smaller studio space limited our opportunities to explore this much, but I saw later that he was able to use his training in similarly styled shots with other photographers.

 

Did the fashions belong to Elvis, or did you provide them for the shoot?

We provided all the clothing, including the high-tops, for this shoot. I normally look for articles of clothing or other items that the model can have fun with and that might accent their personality or physique. With Elvis, I specifically tried to style the shoot so that his strong legs would remain exposed as they’re truly amazing. I don’t like to rely gimmicks or excessive props to carry our images. Sorry Elvis, but I kept all the clothing. Never know when I might need a kilt….

 

Your images are so clean. How do you achieve this so consistently in all of your shoots. 

We’re drawn to images that highlight the subject through the use of imaginative lighting techniques, poses and a limited number of props or clothing items. For our work, we prefer to accent our images with little punches of color and find that too much can detract from the subject’s natural beauty. Bottom line, we’re photographing a person and the work they’ve done to develop their body. That will always be the focus for us. Any props, clothing items, etc. should almost be transparent to the viewer.

Baker and Adams

Baker and Adams on FH:

PeteyD by Baker & Adams

This past summer I was fortunate to discover the imagery from the creative team of Baker & Adams. Here is my first feature showcasing their work from this past July, (Classical, Playful, and Occasionally Disturbing. Whenever I profile an artist (or artists) I try my best to say something distinctive about the work. It is not always an easy task, but describing every image, every shoot, with the same adjectives, especially the far to often used 'beautiful' and 'hot' would not only get boring, it would also not be very creative.



There are wonderful photographers out there who create beautiful and even some extremely hot images using the same set up, the same lighting, angles and concepts for almost every model they shoot. Some are very successful, yet over time the images lose their ability to stimulate. A great images is not just enjoyed when first viewed, but more importantly when viewed again and again. It is the reason we pick certain images to hang in our homes. The ones we usually love the most are ones that can draw our imagination years after the shot was hung.



When viewing these shots of Pete and when going back to the images of Scott from the first post, the adjectives I used in that profile 'respectful and elegant' were even more apparent. Baker and Adams shots, especially their nude work is so clean and classic. They don't want you just to enjoy the models and their presentation of them, they want you to admire and appreciate them. I love the two distinct looks Baker and Adams have created for Pete from their first to second shoot.



'I really enjoyed my two times shooting with Baker and Adams. With relatively little experience, I went into the sessions hoping to have fun and to challenge myself. Beyond that, however, I was looking to them for coaching, collaborative trial and error and a general constructive engagement. That's precisely what I got. Both are extremely talented, professional and personable. With them, I totally advanced my comfort in front of the lens. We ended up getting some images I'm quite pleased with.'
PeteyD



'Pete was great fun. He's adventurous and interesting with strong, sculpted legs and a wonderful runners build. He's also wonderfully uninhibited, walking around the studio nude without any need to cover himself between setups. That level of self-comfort is evident in every shot we took of him.
Baker & Adams



'The white limbo shots were inspired by Bert Stern's famous photo session with Marilyn Monroe, where he put Marilyn in front of a white backdrop and lit the backdrop but didn't specifically light her, allowing the light that bounced off the background to light the room and light her indirectly.'

Thanks to Baker and Adams for again sharing their work with FH!

PeteyD on ModelMayhem
Baker and Adams on Model Mayhem