'He's a natural!'
Last fall, I was pleased to introduce FH readers to model Michael MM and his work with photographer Robert Colgan. (Location, Location, Location) In that story, we saw a naked Michael climbing, posing and exploring some of Colgan's favorite locations to visit and photograph. Michael's work with Robert wasn't the first time however, that I had seen his work.
I had previously been sent these stunning studio shots from Chuck from ClearEye, a photographer I am always excited to feature. The images however, were slated for a pictorial in tMf #17, so we decided to wait until the issue was out. Patience is a virtue, and my love of Chuck's work, and my love of the use of windows within the photography of the male form blended beautifully in ClearEye's work with Michael.
Michael too is a lover of windows and natural life and praises Chuck's use of sunlight in bringing out color tones that simply can't be captured with strobes and flash. For Michael, whether it was by the windows, sitting in the room, or laying on the sofa, the ambient light worked beautifully for the shoot. Michael also says the odd passing cloud added a bit of dimension to the lighting, making a dramatic difference in some of the shots.
One of the things I love about the use of windows is the element of mystery that tugs at my curiosity. I always wonder what the model is looking at staring through the glass, and who is looking back or up at the model as they pose. Michael appeared to be looking down in a couple of the images, and it felt like he must be elevated a bit from those who might be passing by below. I couldn't help but wonder what it may have been like to be walking by, glancing up, and seeing Michael's naked body standing so gracefully on the other side of the glass. Final images are meant to be shared, the process of shooting can be a very private and intimate process and the voyeur in many of us, has us wishing for just a view of that second floor window. If you want to take a more in depth, and more intimate, look up at that window, check out more of Chuck's images of Michael on The OVER-FLOW HERE:
'Michael is so much fun to work with! He is full of enthusiasm and ideas and needs very little direction — he’s a natural. Also, he knows a great deal about photography. We shot together several times and for two of the shoots he brought his own camera and lenses. Several of our best images were done using the photography equipment he brought. He also helped edit some of the shots and taught me some techniques I didn’t know. Even though he’s fun-loving, he’s also quite a perfectionist and always willing to put in the extra time and effort to get the perfect shot.”
