'When I first began shooting, I practiced on the only subjects that would stand still for me: the cows on the farm adjacent to our property, until finally a friend, Carlos, came over one day and expressed interest in being a model. He became the first "male model" for Hugh'
All new photographers have to start somewhere and many, like myself, begin with friends, family, holidays and special occasions. But even before moving on to human models, and their weddings and graduations, it is great to work with subjects who don't judge or critique your technique as you're learning. I used to have boxes and folders full of images of my dogs, my cat, my mother's budgie and even a stellar series on the secret life of my hamster.
I related fully to Hugh's describing shooting the cows next door, I have shot (visually that is) cows myself, and if they aren't spooked, they are generally reliable models, although a bit too curious sometimes, often walking towards the lens screwing up focus.
Based in Kissimmee, Florida, due to a family emergency, Hugh headed north to Long Island just before Thanksgiving. Before leaving, he browsed Model Mayhem for potential models in the area and came across the profile of Alex Derita. 'He had about six photos on his port, only two of them professionally taken, but I saw something in him that intrigued me. I reached out to him and he agreed to a shoot.'
Now this is where we jump ahead to Christmas present. From from his home in Florida, far from the cows, far from the farm, these images are actually part of Hugh's third shoot with Alex, but given it's Christmas, Hugh and Alex have agreed to let me skip over shoots 1 and 2 (until the weekend that is...) and start with number 3. After seeing one of Hugh's Santa shots of Alex, I too was intrigued and was eager to feature their work together over the holiday.
'I decided I wanted to do something for the Christmas holidays, so I picked up a Santa hat. I told Alex it was kind of trite and hokey, but I wanted to do it. Alex just jumped right in and performed beautifully. He has a twinkle in his eye that rivals old St. Nick, and I hope I captured that. He is a combination of "beefcake" (a term he was unfamiliar with) and the nicest guy you'd ever want to meet. We did a series of shots with that hat: Alex shaving, Alex as a sexy elf and Alex as a sexy Santa offering multiple gifts.'
I believe Hugh nailed exactly what it is that initially intrigued me and drew me to his work with Alex. FH readers know I love themed images, especially holiday themed, but Hugh is right that here are a lot of hokey, even sort of tacky, holiday themed images out there. Although Hugh used the Santa hat, his focus remained beautifully focuses on his model and used the prop to bring out qualities, not cover them up.
Alex has an incredible body, but those green eyes do twinkle, lighting up his face with a welcoming, and incredibly sexy energy. They can also be incredibly soulful. As an actor, Alex also morphs seamlessly into character using facial expressions, a killer grin, and those magical eyes to convey a broad range of emotions and looks. Be sure to check back on the weekend to see, and read, more about Hugh's work with Alex.
