Make-up, costumes, accessories and gimmicks. Color, props and backdrops. A little magic, camera tricks, editing and photoshop. All of these options are available to photographers today and are often Incorporated into their work to create memorable imagery.
Sometimes it seems the actual human body being photographed, is so covered with distractions it can be hard to actually see. Every once in awhile though, you see a shot or an image that reminds you of the original purpose of shooting the male form. What reason is there really to capture a male body except to admire, appreciate, and most of all enjoy every inch of it within the final capture? John, from JGH Photography and his work with Gano, reminded me of that.
With a minimal set, props, lighting and shadow, John captures every inch, every curve of Gano's naked body. Beginning with his incredible eyes and face, down his neck, shoulders and back. His chest, nipples, stomach, and the sides of his torso. The curves of his round buttocks, his legs, feet and toes.
In John's images, each body part is equal, all beautifully deserving of attention. When I first profiled John's work last year, he shared that he had always been fascinated by the nude figure for as long as he could remember. 'I’ve always loved drawings more than paintings and as a kid I used to trace DaVinci’s and Michelangelo’s sketches with my finger in a big art book my parents had.'
John's fascination has turned into a passion to honor the nude figure within his work. In this series with Gano, and I found myself thinking how the curves of Gano's body are so skillfully photographed, so clean and well defined that they could, much like DaVinci and Michelangelo's work, act as inspiration for young artists to trace and emulate.
'Gano is younger than most of the models I shoot. His modeling experience has mainly been in fashion, and I was pleased that he was interested in posing nude. I love working with models who have little to no experience in figure work. It allows me to focus on what makes them unique, and I try to bring that out during the session. With Gano it was his gaze. It's confident and innocent at the same time.'
'I typically ask models NOT to look at the camera; to do so implies a relationship between the viewer and the model that I usually want to avoid. With Gano it was the opposite. I wanted to capture that gaze, that confidence, and of course that beautiful body.'
John from JGH Photography
