Introduction
Starting out 2023 with some immediate growth. It's crazy to think that during my photography career working with models, I have only worked with two male models. That being said, I see it as a breath of fresh air, because it pushes me out of my comfort zone and forces me to change my thinking process when it comes to posing and photographing models.
Shooting in Old City Park
I met Joel out in Dallas' Old City Park, an outdoor "museum" of homes and buildings built over the last 100+ years. I had Joel dressed in modern business casual attire, which created a sharp contrast amidst the rustic browns and reds with the blues and blacks of his outfit. The shoot was a beautiful mix of contrasting old from new, but also gave me a chance to work with male models, which is a surprisingly small field.
Continuing to Grow
This collaboration was, as I said previously, a new experience for me, because I had never worked with a male model before, so my posing thought process had to change in order to maximize Joel's talent and appearance. My posing thought process was primarily focused on poses that complimented the female form, so I had to train myself to do poses that worked better for the male form. Fortunately for me, Joel was incredibly easy to work with, and was really excited to work with me on this.
The Interesting Effect of Light
One of things that I learned while working on this shoot came to me during the editing process. It was how light worked with Joel's face. His stubble created this additional level of depth and texture to the photo that helped a lot in creating the feel I wanted with the shoot. His hair gave a good texture and grit to the photo, adding a level of ruggedness that reminded me of images of the Marlboro Man, or from many Westerns I have watched over the years. If there was any part of the shoot I could definitively say I would be proud of, it's giving Joel's photos a great amount of depth and texture by enhancing his hair.
Final Thoughts
I learned a great deal from this shoot, and if I had to say what I took away from our shoot, is that I shouldn't narrow my pool of subjects to just women. Working with Joel showed me that I can develop art with anyone, regardless of who they are. I hope to grow my portfolio of work, incorporating more styles, subjects and artistic expressions. 2023 has been a great year so far, and it has only just begun. Hopefully, this is a sign of greater things to come this year.
