'Patience is the ability to count down before you blast off.'
If you were to scroll down now, to the last image in this post (which you should NOT do...) you would be at the end. It is an incredible end, a big finish worthy of being the climax of the piece. But.... if were to do that, you would miss the countdown, the journey that makes that inevitable ending worth the trip.
Why is it that some people read the end of a book first... Is it impatience, or does knowing the ending, somehow make it easier for some people to enjoy the ride? Finishes can incredible, but they also mean something is over. It seems to me that so many blog, and especially tumblrs are all about the end. One end after the other, no prologue, no first chapter, no middle, not even an end really, just that last page, or last sentence or two. FH is, or at least tries to be, all those pages that lead up, and make up that eventual reveal, a reveal enjoyable on it's own, but even more spectacular if you experienced what came before.
In some way, this piece is the prologue, a teaser or trailer of what's to come for Lansing photographer John Douglas from DejaView Photography. John has a book, or several books in his future, but for now he is mapping out chapters, figuring out characters and themes and seeking models interested in participating in the project. When I first saw John's work with 24 year old Cincinnati model Chris Connor I knew from the cover, that first image, I wanted to see more. Although John has narrowed down his focus, there will be a common theme and as you can tell from these images of Chris, it will be artfully executed.
Holiday's are all about the build up. The excitement leading up until Christmas often rivals the day itself. The countdown to New Year's Eve is usually much more fun filled than that second it turns midnight. In going through the incredible images that John sent on Chris, there were so many incredible 'ending' images, With New Year's Eve just a day away, I felt the need to back track a bit, and start with images of Chris as the countdown to the New Year begins. From there, we can, through John's images, visually join him as the hours countdown until the clock strikes midnight.
Digital photography has allowed John to use both his technical skills and artistic skills to create images that explore color, spontaneity, composition, the power or suggestion, and the innate beauty in everyday objects. He has recently began photographing the beauty of the male form, and has spent a significant amount of time determining how to best characterize the male human form. John says that to him, the power of suggestion and mystery is a very important element in photographing the male form. 'There can be such a fine line between creating an artistic nude photo and creating an image that borders on an overly erotic photo'.
John's current focus is 'dudoir', the classic 'boudoir' style of photography, but with of course, the male form. In his work with Chris, John wanted to explore the concept of not just a dudoir shoot, but in addition to those final end images, he wanted to show the process of preparing for a fashion shoot from start to finish... the countdown. John's photos include the process of Chris in his tuxedo, both in studio and on location shots of the tuxedo, getting undressed and relaxing, taking a long hot shower and the end of the night after being confined in his tux for most of the day.
Over the past year, the countdown, the preparation for shoots has become one of my favorite themes to explore. It is timely that I connected with Johns imagery as more and more I am asking photographers for behind the scenes images which help tell the story of the final set. If you look at some of my pieces since the summer especially, the process is as important to the feature as the finished edited images. I could have posted 10 or 20 shower shots, (and that would have been great!) but to me, the shower as an ending is that much more satisfying, after seeing John's images of what came before, and lead up. to it.
'Model Chris Connor was the perfect model for this shoot, Chris has an engaging smile, a perfect body for a fashion shoot, and is laid back. Chris poses easily, and is very good in any photo shoot situation, whether it is a "dudoir" photo session, studio shots, or outdoor shots. Some of the photos show here show him in these various photographic situations.'
In John's imagery, Chris Connor is literally brimming over with appeal and sexual energy. An incredible body, lean, strong and fit. Chris maintains his look by working out every day, especially when preparing for shoots. Chris's has a great face, welcoming with beautiful brown eyes and a killer grin. Chris also clearly knows how to showcase his assets, using his eyes, his legs, his entire body to create magnificent lines and poses.
As blessed as Chris may be in the endowment department, some of my favorite images include the close-ups which focus on Chris's face and eyes when he's sitting and lying on the bed. My favorite image is Chris dressed, in his tux in John's image of him standing in front of the branches full of Christmas lights. His radiant grin shows another side to the model, one that rounds out the series and adding enjoyment of the images when the tux comes off. John beautifully, and skillfully, captured various looks through the process of the shoot, ones which may have been lost if one just skipped through the pages to the last sentence.
