Liam
'I am always looking to capture and create images that echo a vintage vibe or propel you into an other worldly, mysterious and sometimes strange place.'
London photographer Matt Lee loves to capture that moment when the person in front of his camera is at their most awe inspiring. There is something truly exciting in searching for that exact moment and it is what he strives for and propels him within his work. Matt loves creating bold and striking images that have an ethereal, other worldly quality about them.
This particular series of shoots includes an erotic trilogy beginning with model Liam Northman, followed by models Alexei Jackson and Zeus Ledster. In addition to creating the vintage feel and vibe within the images, I love that one of Matt's goals was to take the viewer to a strange place. The more time I spend looking for new and unique images to feature, the more I am often drawn to work that takes me to places that I have previously resisted.
'I've known Liam Northman for many years and so he was an obvious subject for me to use in this new series of shoots. Not long before this shoot Liam Northman had just won an amateur boxing competition and was in excellent shape when he turned up for the shoot. The lighting was set up to really highlight and contrast his well built boxer's physique and delicate ethereal skin tone.'
'Alexei another keen sportsman and an experienced model, was chosen for his classic good looks, which were showcased perfectly in the tuxedo photo set. For the shoot with Alexei we made use of a mask I found in Italy on a trip a few years ago. It's a beautifully hand made, but extremely sinister looking creation that added a whole different dimension to the photo set. He was an extremely confident and fun model to shoot with which meant we got some really great shots.'
Matt creates the vintage look to his images in a number of ways. First, I believe his choice of models played an important role in the results. Each of the three not only have a strong, sexy and masculine look, but with their look, along with pose, they all also look like they could have been shot from a decade in the past. Stepping out of a mythical world of the 1940's, a boxer from a 1950's gym or a sailor from the 60's or 70's.
Matt's use of dark and light also adds to the vintage atmosphere and mood created, in some cases this mix, also creates an almost sinister feel. Not sinister as in evil, but more an ominous and foreboding feeling, creating a sense of urgency and slight danger which exudes from each of the three men captured.
'Zeus Ledster runs his own mechanic business by day and is developing into an amazing model. The black and white image of Zeus striking a match was my favourite of the day as although it was a simple pose and setup there is an incredible intensity to the image. Zeus is one to watch as he is just starting out his modelling career but already has some already done some great shoots.'
