'The shoot was scheduled a couple weeks prior to Halloween, so pumpkins were, necessarily, part of the shoot. That may not fit in much with this post-Thanksgiving blog, but it reflects the time of year Graham and I worked together.'
One of the biggest headaches after Halloween and Thanksgiving is getting rid of all the pumpkins and gourds that decorated your home. Most of us throw them in the compost or garbage, but when you can, the best thing to do is to throw them in the woods as they make a delicious snacks for wildlife. So why is FH giving out post Thanksgiving pumpkin tips, well... because pumpkins played a large role in my reaching out Chris Freeman about his work with Graham.
The first image of Graham that I saw was Chris' shot below of Chris with the pumpkins. I originally planned on featuring this set around Thanksgiving, but since I am a stickler about not just posting images, but including a story about their creation, it took a little time to pull things together. I was going to tuck away the pumpkin photos til next year, but as is my pattern, I can't resist featuring images and shoots that I like as soon as I am able. Like those pumpkins in the forest, Graham is a tasty treat, especially during those blah days at Autumn's end, the time between Thanksgiving and the build up towards Christmas.
Graham has such a strong presence in front of Chris' lens and immediately grabs the viewers attention with his striking good looks and piercing blue eyes. As an actor, Graham is clearly skilled at grabbing an audiences attention, and seems to understand the need to seize it immediately which he certainly did with me. A recent theatre graduate, Graham is currently hitting the stage nightly as both an actor and dancer.
'When Graham arrived for the shoot in my Airbnb apartment, he seemed completely comfortable (perhaps ready for a performance, so to speak). Within minutes, it seemed we were at it, shooting several nude poses around the apartment. Admittedly, this was my first time using my new LED light, so we were experimenting a big. Nonetheless, it seems we were able to capture several photos worthy of the time invested. As you can see, Graham is in great shape. A young, fit dancer, with a very nicely proportioned, though not overly "gymnatized" physique. He was so easy going and congenial through the whole shoot, I would love the opportunity to shoot with him again.'
The comfortably Chris noted is evident in this set of images, especially given his was Graham's first-ever nude shoot. Although there was no intention initially to veer towards the erotic, Chris shares that Graham was excited to start creating and and Chris went with the spontaneous elements that arose. I love the feel of Graham's quiet evening at home, with the light and shadow as the evening fights it's transition towards night. Hanging out enjoying the solitude and possibly getting a little inspired while reading his Fitzgerald biography..
'I was a little nervous going into the shoot since I’ve never done a nude shoot, but after reading comments on Chris’s Model Mayhem page I figured I was in good hands. I’m also not very shy about body so that definitely helped when it came time to strip down. During the shoot Chris was very relaxed and made me feel very comfortable. He also was great at giving me direction and let me give input on the shots.'
