I remember one summer day in late August, it was the last eighties and I would have been about 12 or 13. I had joined (by force) my aunt and two cousins for a day at the lake. This lake wasn't one I had been to before so the location and people were not familiar to me. After spending an hour or so in the water, I got out and planted myself on a towel with a magazine. My aunt had placed herself near the top of a small hill and from there you could see the small beach in it's entirety. The magazine acted as the perfect pretence for my actual activity which was watching a guy and his girlfriend playing in the water. He was about 17 or 18, with a great treasure trail and wet cut-offs jeans tightly clinging to his thighs.
When they came out of the water, they ran towards the hill. The had towels laid out near a tree, not in the main area but off to the right, still visible though from my vantage point across the hill. I watched as they dried themselves and began to change. For some unknown reason my aunt took this opportunity to ask me a question about my summer. When I turned back to the couple, my eyes met the last second of his quick change. She was holding up a towel to block the view, but it only went about three quarters around...
His wet jeans short were now at his feet, I missed the slide down. What I did catch was a brief second of butt as he pulled up his light blue briefs around him. Not a long enough view so that my aunt was not resented, but long enough to in stick my memory for the rest of the summer.
This brief moment of voyeurism, had been pretty much locked away in storage, never to be accessed again. Until, discovering photographer Chris Freeman's work with model Jake Isaac. It always amazes me when a photograph is able to unearth and bring back a forgotten moment in time. It has happened me several times since over the years, sometimes good memories, other times incredibly painful. In this case, it brought back an erotically powerful split second, one very connected to my sexual awakening as a kid.
I have been looking to feature more of Chris Freeman's work since first sharing his images back in May 2012. (Enclosure) I identified with Chris and his passion for shooting as a release from the pressures life can bring on. It is very much the same reason I continue with FH. As a doctor, Chris spends much of his time on the road, traveling the country consulting with governments and corporations on public health issues. Spending time with his camera, with a model, in this case in the woods, would be a welcomed diversion and needed way to unleash his creative energy.
'For this shoot, I had found a remote location along the rails in a very rural part of Southwestern Michigan a few weeks before the shoot, It was about a half mile walk down the tracks to the location, a nice spot in the woods with a stream flowing through it. Jake is a very thoughtful and expressive model who is adventurous and participative. He's an absolute delight to work with! As our creative juices flowed together we came up with the idea of a 'homeless' camp. I think we tied up the clothesline and began hanging clothes out. The shot just 'happened.'
26 year old Jake Isaac proved the perfect person to help inspire jogging my memory. The Grand Rapids Michigan model even has a similar nose and jaw line as the guy at the lake. Jake began modeling about three years ago when a friend requested he pose. The photographer was looking to gain some experience having never worked with a male model before. Jake ended up really enjoying the experience and especially seeing the end results. Jake continued seeking out other artist to collaborate with as he completed his masters degree. Jake's main joy comes from bringing an artists creative vision to life. When not modeling, Jake continues to create, writing fantasy novels he hopes one day to publish.
'Chris was one of the first artists I worked with, and it was one of my more memorable shoots. Chris had found a perfect, secluded spot off the railroad tracks where we could have relative privacy for our shoot (though as it turns out a train did happen to pass by - made for some great bonus shots). It was his first time working with a model outdoors, and it was my first time posing outside of a studio environment, so it was quite exciting for both of us. He was a real pleasure to work with, taking my suggestions into consideration when crafting the next shot, providing guidance when necessary, and doing a great job of making it feel like a true collaboration.'
