'One does not usually walk up to a wild animal and request they show their better side...'
The first time I featured the work of Montreal model Nigel Maldon was in 2014 when I featured his work with photographer Chris Teel. (Auld Lang Syne) When checking out that story in preparation for writing this one I was struck by some by a couple of things. First, I must have been feeling a little bit melancholy as I wrote the piece, something I think we all go through at times, especially during the dead of winter.
I noted that piece that it was the 9000th story I had put together for FH since it's inception in the fall of 2007. For some reason I was struck by not just the number of posts, but the number of photographers and models I have connected with over the course of working on the site. One of those photographers was Chris of course, a photographer whose work I have been fortunate to have been able to showcase many many time.
As I check out my stats, White Robes & Brick Walls brings the post count close to 11,000, a # I should reach in May. It also mark's my second time featuring the work of photographer John G Reed, an artist I first featured this past December with Comings & Goings and John's work with model KC Chappo.
I was first drawn to John's work when seeing his work with Claudiu a couple of years ago and have been checking out his portfolio consistently since. When I first profiled John, one of the things he said he loved so much about focusing on the male form was the collaboration he enjoys with the models he shoots. John primarily had been shooting wildlife, and although I am sure there was connection with his subjects, you can't exactly give direction, or bounce off concepts with a snowy owl.
John's comments struck me as they speak to why I have continued to work on FH for so long. I am surrounded by people and their problems for 10 and 12 hours a day. Part of the reason I started blogging was as a bit of a creative escape. A place to channel my creativity as well as combining my love of writing, photography and of course the male form.
One of the things that surprised me is that although FH began as an independent pursuit, it slowly became very collaborative and it is those collaborations with models and photographers, that has motivated to continue. I am hoping this is the second of many future pieces featuring John's work.
I love the beautifully straight forward and squeaky clean concept for John's set of images with Nigel. Wash, relax, repeat. We have all had the experience of stepping out of a hot shower into a warm and welcoming bathrobe. There is something both comforting and erotic about the feel of clean, wet skin against the soft material that covers. You can almost feel, and even smell, the material of the robe that first covers, and then uncovers Nigel's beautiful body.
Nigel's body and look have attracted attention from many photographers including John, who first spotted Nigel's images in a Model Mayhem POTD contest. John sent him an e-mail and they were able to connect for a shoot for the next time Nigel was visiting Toronto. John describes Nigel as very relaxed with a wonderful confidence and sense of himself.
Photographer and model spent several hours working on a number of different sets and John really enjoyed the collaborative effort that produced this series of images. On the drive to the studio, Nigel shared that yoga helps keep him in shape. He proved his point by utilizing his hard word in several of poses that John beautifully captured during their shoot together.
