'I once asked a model during a shoot to place his hand over his head… yes; he covered the head of his penis. My response…. “ No, your other head”. We both laughed uncontrollably. Had to be there.'
First off, that model was not the magnificent Aaron photographed by Anthony featured here. But... FH is all about stories, when I asked Anthony about his work with Aaron, I also asked him to share any interesting stories he may have while shooting hot naked men. When I first discovered Anthony's work, I was drawn to the incredible variety of impressive models that he has worked with. One of the indicators I look at in artists I admire is the models they choose to shoot, and how they choose to shoot them. There are thousands of photographers shooting naked bodies, and naked body parts, but not all of their captures are designed from an artistic core.
It is easy to spot the difference, and Anthony's elegantly dramatic images don't just capture, but also celebrate the male form and the person on the other side of his lens. I saw it the moment I laid eyes on one of Anthony's images, it was there in my previous piece featuring his work with Richard, (A Touch of Drama) and it's evident in his work with Aaron. For Anthony, this begins with professionalism and respect, with his primary goal, to always make his models feel as comfortable as possible.
'I usually plan for a two-hour session with each model. Many times, it takes the first hour to develop that comfort zone needed for the type of photographs I am trying to get. It is even more difficult if the day of the shoot is the first day we meet face to face. Exchange of personal stories and just social conversations between the model and myself during the first 30 minutes of the shoot is extremely important to create a comfortable atmosphere. I never have anyone else in the studio when I am shooting with a model and prefer that models don’t bring someone as a spectator.'
Exchanging personal stories doesn't just mean sharing, it also means Anthony often learns interesting facts about the men he shoots. Having shot several straight male pron stars over the last couple of years, Anthony has learned a great deal about their day jobs, including how despite making a fraction of their female counterparts, they are required to do the bulk of the hard work while the camera's rolling. Anthony also shoots up to 1000 images during a two hour session, but stops every 10-15 minutes to share the images he is getting. This enables the model to feel more apart of the creative and comfortable with what is being created. Anthony also finds it can lead to them exposing more pieces of their personality during the process.
'Aaron is the ultimate professional. He and I discussed the shoot via email, set up a date and time and he arrived at the studio precisely on time. I later found out that “punctuality” is critically important to him. Within the first 5 minutes in the studio, Aaron was completely nude and ready to work. I was shocked when I turned around and found him buck naked and ready to pose.
It was difficult not to stare at the beautiful peacock tattoo and the PA on his penis. I think he was the only model that I actually blushed when I saw him naked. Aaron needed very little direction. He immediately understood what I was trying to achieve and during the 2-hour session I was able to shoot over 700 photos. The difficulty was narrowing down this amazing selection. A beautiful man – inside and out.'
