'I had to smile as many of the facial expressions Charlie was giving the camera early in the shoot were very reminiscent of Marlon Brando.'
Those lips, are certainly one of Charlie Pattinson's most captivating features. When photographer Gordon Nebeker sent on a selection of images from his work with Charlie, it was his portraits that first grabbed my attention. Like Brando, Charlie's pouty lips, as well as his come hither, flirtatious iterations with Gordon' camera lens creates a powerfully sultry, and heat inducing vibe.
I am a bit embarrassed to admit, my knowledge of actor Marlon Brando is limited. The first time I saw Brando on screen was when I was a teenager, seeing The Freshman and Don Juan DeMarco and as I quickly learned, far from his best work.... I have a list of Brando films on my list of flick's to see, and at the top of that list is A Streetcar Named Desire. Charlie on the other hand, has a much better grasp of Brando's work and was pleased when Gordon compared their facial expressions.
Part of Brando's appeal was his ability to use his face to communicate the essence of the character he was playing to the viewer. Often, even before uttering one line of dialog. Brando also did this in images, and some of publicity shots, especially when he was younger. Many of Brando's early promotional shots are intensely energized and sexual.
Even in these images however, Brando was often playing a character, using this character to maintain a sense of mystery and anonymity. Brando however knew, that each of the characters he inhabited, eventually had to fade away. Brando famously said, 'We have only so many faces in our pockets,' and at some point, especially as he got older, more of the man, behind the mask began to surface.
As much as Gordon enjoyed capturing Charlie's sultry Brandoesque animal magnetism, he also wanted to ensure he captured Charlie's natural facial expressions and other sides and shades of his personality. Experienced in front of the camera, Charlie had no problem switching gears and exposing other emotions, including his incredibly sensual vibe shown in the two shower images above.
'Charlie's smile is absolutely charming and he was totally comfortable in or out of his clothes which made working with him a very smooth experience. No drama was involved in the making of these photographs!'
Although Charlie looks exceptional out of his clothing, I think some of my favorite images are the studio shots Charlie in the white tank top and ripped jeans. Charlie's poses seem effortless, and h against the dark background I was drawn to his incredible shoulders and arms, to mention his deliciously arranged chest hair. I always love when Gordon asks his models to nakedly adorn various pieces of furniture, and Gordon reports that Charlie happily obliged. One of the looks I don't think I have seen from Gordon before was the faux fur featured in the image I used as pic of the day. A theme, (I don't think) a young Marlon Brando would have tried...
'Charlie loved working with the faux fur throw! Said it reminded him of "Game of Thrones” which I will just take his word for since I have yet to see an episode. To my eyes, the fur was a delicious compliment to his skin tones and I wish I had taken more photographs that included the throw.'
Charlie wrapping himself in the faux fur almost didn't happen, as around the time Gordon was trying to set up the shoot, Charlie was in the midst of starting up a fitness company. This kept him on the road a lot, and it made it difficult to nail down a time both he and Gordon would be free to set up a shoot. Once the time was set, all went smoothly and Gordon was struck with how much energy he put into the shoot and the creation of his poses.
'I enjoyed working with Charlie and hope to do a second shoot when I next get back to Florida. My first shoots with models are somewhat formulaic and it usually isn’t until the second or third photo shoot that creativity and productive collaboration reach full bloom. He did a great job but I think there is much more potential to be realized here and I look forward to making that happen.'
I love this series of images, but Gordon's description of his second and third shoots have me looking forward to Charlie blooming in full! Be sure to check out more of Gordon's work on his Model Mayhem HERE: and also check out and follow Gordon's brand new Instagram HERE:
