'I think the combination of Beau and the perspective of the arches as well as the colours of the brickwork must make it my best ever location shoot.'
One of the joys of working on FH is about all of the things I learn and discover. This week, and thanks to JBDI Photography, I was introduced to the visual masterpiece that is Ouse Valley Viaduct. (The Balcombe Viaduct) The intricate and elegant architectural conception, the colors and the maze like design are a magnificent visual feast.
The famous series of Victorian brick arches support the main train line running between London and the South Coast in the UK. JBDI's Jon shares that it's a well-known photographic location for amateur and professional photographers. Jon travels over it himself by train quite regularly, and had seen many images with female nudes taken in the space over the years.
As excited as I am by a great shot of a model, I am even more interested when the model is shot in a unique and interesting location. I have been fortunate to have featured many photographers and models who have trekked through the the woods, into abandoned buildings, into old factories, down to the basements of old banks ad train stations. Shooting in these type of locations requires navigating risks, the elements and people passing by.
For the photographer, the challenges move beyond the controlled environment of a studio. Working with the available light, the locations shooting limitations and often the time constraints of getting in your shot while the 'coast is clear'. It can also be a challenge to find a model, particularly one ready to get naked in public, and one who knows how to work with the environment that surrounds them. Jon masterfully achieved each of these challenges in his work with Beau Michael.
Jon's images of Beau are incredible, beautifully capturing the location, it's depth and puzzle like design, all without distracting from Beau. I especially love how Jon weaved and contrasted lines curves. The beauty of Beau's body lines with the brick design which surrounds him. I have seen certain locations dominate an image, morphing and minimizing certain models into their environment and into the background. This certainly does't happen with Beau. The 25 year old London model holds his own with the 175 year structure, balancing it's strength and beauty with his own. Beau has a command of his surroundings with his confidence, incredible body, with it's own art work and designs demanding attention. Beau also keeps his focus on the viewer, staring directly into the lens, inviting, almost insisting, that the viewer stare back.
Jon had seen images of Beau in various shoots, from a variety of different photographers on Model Mayhem and other sites and has wanted to shoot with him for some time. Given Jon often stays with family not far from Balcome viaduct, he contacted Beau on the off chance he was available. He was, and they headed to The Balcombe Viaduct on a hot day last August.
'Beau's got a very stylish look with the tats and a slight resemblance to Brad Pitt/Leonardo Di Caprio (!) - he also has a very nice body. We were not overlooked or disturbed except by a small remote control drone which was hovering in the field next to us possibly with a camera, checking us out! The shoot took place on the hottest day of the year in the UK, which made it easier for Beau to strip off his clothes and be more comfortable naked.'
