I have been asked many times the difference in the portraiture that I do and pornography. My answer is always the same. One is colour and the other is black and white. I am in love with my process of capturing the beauty of the physical body along with the person's essence - that unfiltered part of their personality!
The reputation of Tyler’s beauty proceeded our meeting for the first time. I heard he would be open to modeling with him being an artist himself. The first session was us getting to know each other as friends! He is truly one of the nicest and most honest people I know with a wicked sense of humor! I've even heard tales that he may or may not have a naughty side!
He takes his art seriously and works for two magazines. His writings of gay history that he actually researches by asking questions and doing his readings along with his interview skills are quite refreshing by writing out the interviewers responses. It makes one happy to know that Tyler values what goes down in print by staying close to the truth!
For this session we photographed in my courtyard! We started with him wearing a robe barely open. My neighbour came out to see what was going on and Tyler scurried to cover himself! The neighbour revealed that he had an interest in posing and that he was a nudist. At the time, I was nervous about what my new neighbours would think of a naked model in the courtyard being photographed even though my landlord told me he wanted an artist commune happening in the building. The irony is that while we were working, my new landlord came out to see what was going on. I introduced them along with the idea of Tyler who was standing there completely exposed renting the unfinished apartment we were shooting in that wasn’t quite finished!
It all worked out! I love my new neighbour and my new landlord.
