The second model...
Added 2021-06-24 05:00:11 +0000 UTCWay back at the start of my male nude photography journey, the shoots were few and far between. Erik my first model was photographed in February 2004. These shots of Mark were taken in December of the same year and he was my second model. When you have no portfolio to show people and you really aren't sure of what you are doing it's a daunting task to ask people to model for you nude.
I actually can't remember how I met Mark but he bravely agreed to model for me. I remember him being very modest about being nude and covering up any time we moved between places on the location but very keen to do the shoot. As you can see my skills as a photographer have grown in the 17 years since. Why on earth did I shoot at a time with such harsh sunlight? That contrast is ridiculous. Going through the full set, which I will not be sharing, there are some very awkward looking poses that I put him in.
Years later I introduced him to circus classes and he went on to do burlesque performances. Surprisingly he was still very modest about nudity in general but when performing he was a different person. There was lots of care taken not to expose himself fully to the audience which was both his shyness as well as licensing laws in the venue. The female performers weren't allowed to show nipples at all.
It's something I've said many times but I will always be very grateful to my models, especially the ones from the early days who took a chance on me and trusted me.
