Now that FH has entered it's eighth year it has, like most things that age, developed a bit of a history. There are artists and models that I profiled years ago, at the beginning of their careers, who have become quite successful in the industry. There are others though that have pretty much disappeared, making you wonder at what point did they decided to switch directions...
One the most fascinating things I have explored over the years is the relationship between model and photographer. There are some models and photographers who have gotten together to shoot and that is where their professional relationship both begins and ends. There are other pairs, whose creativity when combined, leads to multiple shoots and projects together. There are some models who become the muse for a specific artist leading to visuals not possible if not for the trust artist and model have with one another.
One of the most interesting dynamics is exploring early shoots with models who have gone on to international fame in the modeling world. Often, it was early work with local photographers which led to a portfolio which helped launch their future careers. I have heard from some photographers this can sometimes be difficult. The now successful model and often their agency, try to have early work, especially if there are nudes, removed from portfolio's, wiping away the specific history that helped lead to their success.
Sometimes however, when you have an artist as giving and supportive as Brett Kiellerop, it only pride and support he feels when models achieve success. In fact one of Brett's goals each time I feature his work is to ensure the model comes off in the best light possible. These images come from model Allen Lovell's very first professional shoot. Although from the UK, Allen was working as a carpenter in Byron Bay, a beach side town located in the far north-eastern corner of Australia. Brett says that he looks for almost any excuse to visit Byron Bay, so when Allen contacted him about a shoot, he eagerly agreed to travel there to meet up.
'Allen is a genuine, lovely man. He'd never modelled before, but was interested in giving it a try. The first moment I met him, I knew he was born to be a model. He had such grace, and moved with complete ease. The lines to his body were captivating, and there was a fluidity about his physique that just screamed for a camera to be pointed at it.'
Most of the models Brett shot for his Aussie God's project were required to shoot fully nude. Although personally, Brett prefers shooting guys on the beach in speedos or lycra, and maybe some implied nudity, 'I like something left to the imagination - but... this was for a book and dick sells.' Allen didn't want to take it all off for his first shoot, but with his look, not to mention charm and grace, Brett was not about to let the opportunity to shoot him pass on by.
'I believe my exact thought processes were 'Fuck it, I have to shoot him!' The photo shoot went well, obviously. He's a delight to work with. The photos were stunning - it's almost impossible to take a bad photo of Allen. We created a Modelmayhem profile for him, which was a huge success. He's now gone on to great things, living an exciting life in NYC. He deserves any success that comes his way !'
