'I've always wanted to shoot kind of a risque wink to how religion treats gay people.'
When I was looking for images to celebrate FH's 10th, I knew I wanted to return to Dallas photographer Tom Rubeck (TR Pics) and his images of model Vincent WolFang. When I was working on that piece (Ten: Favorite) Tom shared his newer work with Vincent, as well as some shots from the first FH piece on Vincent from 2011.
In that 2011 story, (Right Before The Lens) there was a brief preview of this Book of Mormon series featuring Wolfgang and model John DLS. Tom first shot Vincent back in August of 2011 while Vincent was visiting a friend in Texas. Tom describes the their first collaboration as going exceedingly well and before it ended, Vincent ran an idea for a future shoot by him.
'I've always wanted to shoot kind of a risque wink to how religion treats gay people, and I have an idea about a religious person coming to the door of a guy fresh out of the shower, and how he gets seduced. Do you have any models we could shoot this with?'
As Vincent had only one more day in Texas, and it was a bit last minute, Tom contacted his friend and model, John DLS and pitched him the idea. John was game, but wanted to meet with Vincent first. The meeting went well and Tom reports they hit it off very well.
'The shoot took place at my house because I was a little unsure as to how "explicit" it might get, and I didn't want to get into any "issues" with any of the other places I normally shoot. It was fun, and very collaborative for the three of us. And as with any real "seemingly erotic" shoot, the choreography, light placement, and staging really brings you back to reality: more work than lust. Still,the guys had chemistry!'
'After the shoot, we decided on a few more places around the house to shoot, including my pool. While there, we got some incredible shots of both guys on my waterfall. They were lovely, and a bonus to this first shoot. During the editing of the pics, I chose to create my own kind of "glowy" filter. Although I look back at it now and don't really love it, at the time I wanted to convey a sense of an aural atmosphere. It was a fun experiment, but I think the non-edited pics speak for themselves.'
'It's been nice to go back and examine this work. I really was just starting out with this new hobby of photography back then, and with this shoot pushed myself a bit and made some good friends. A great experience, and I'm really appreciative of Tye and his blog for featuring my work. Hopefully there's lots more to come!'
