When we will be on the stars.
I will feel great
Without my weight
That I would feel
While on the ground.
Illuminating is what we are
When we will be on the stars.
Who would have thought that we
Could overcome such a thing as
Protruding the ozone layer
To find new species on the stars?
I will feel great
Without my weight
Pulling me down.
Would I still feel myself
When I hit the ground?
I will feel great
Without my weight
Pulling me down.
Would I still feel myself
When I hit the ground?”
[ Illuminating - The Gathering ]
I’ve chosen this photo to introduce the post about my first male nude photoshoot because its concept perfectly represents what both Arrigo and I were looking for with this collaboration: a growth, a developement, the reach for a higher standard. I published it exactly halfway through the submission because this search for an illumination represents the encounter of Arrigo’s and my own inner worlds, a concept that represents both of us.
To Arrigo, this photoshoot was the right occasion to put aside his insecurities and try to express himself thrugh all his body; to me, it was a further challenge in my own artistic development. I’ve already explained my ambiguous relationship with artistic nude in my post about my collaboration with Briar Rose, and although I had already broken the ice thanks to her, I knew that shooting a man would have been different (just like my first general photoshoot with a male model, which was a totally different experience than with females). I consider these two photoshoots as the two faces of the same coin; firstly because they share the nude theme, and secondly because, while the shoot with Briar Rose had a pictorial feel about it, the one with Arrigo has a distinctly sculptural flavour. They kind of complement each other, and I consider them part of the same artistical experience.
Nevertheless, with this set I had a totally different approach than the previous. While with Briar Rose we only had the general idea of trying some nude shoots and improvised directly while in action, I planned the photoshoot with Arrigo very carefully with much advance, writing down each idea I came up with and sharing them with Arrigo, who did the same with me. I didn’t want to risk taking hollow photosh which would only break the nudity taboo to try and be interesting, so I really put much care into the concepts, taking ideas from wherever I could but planning each detail so that it would be necessary. I am quite proud of the results, as each of the photos Arrigo and I elaborated wouldn’t work without a nude model, for the concept requires it. It is either symbolic or funtional to the situation, and I really think none of these photos features a nude for nude’s sake, which is what I want to achieve with an artistic nude photoshoot. Also, you might have noticed that none of the photos show his penis, as I wanted to prevent it from becoming the main (often the only) focal point, as I know what a certain part of the “artistic nude” viewers look for, sadly, and that’s not what I want my photos to get attention for.
Speaking of Arrigo, his work was really remarkable. He was very natural and relaxed while posing, showing no sign of embarrassment whatsoever. We spent about six hours shooting, and everything went smoothly and without any sort of incidend (well, except for some trouble arranging the black bacground, which didn’t always prove easy, but that’s part of being an amateur without a studio). Moreover, Arrigo is just The Perfect Model for nude photoshoots, as he has both a beautiful face and a great body. What I often dislike about other photographers’ male nude photography is that they often seem to turn a blind eye on the average (or even ugly) face of the model as long as he can provide some inflated pectorals and is willing to show his penis. Well, this is not my case, as I consider my models as a whole, not just bodies, and I need the whole of them to fit my photos. Also, I don’t like excessively muscular men; Arrigo perfectly embodies my ideal of male perfection, as his body is defined and clearly manly but not overdone. I would most definitely like to shoot him again in the future. Due to the mature content, I recommend that you have a look at my deviantArt page for the photos.
To Arrigo, this photoshoot was the right occasion to put aside his insecurities and try to express himself thrugh all his body; to me, it was a further challenge in my own artistic development. I’ve already explained my ambiguous relationship with artistic nude in my post about my collaboration with Briar Rose, and although I had already broken the ice thanks to her, I knew that shooting a man would have been different (just like my first general photoshoot with a male model, which was a totally different experience than with females). I consider these two photoshoots as the two faces of the same coin; firstly because they share the nude theme, and secondly because, while the shoot with Briar Rose had a pictorial feel about it, the one with Arrigo has a distinctly sculptural flavour. They kind of complement each other, and I consider them part of the same artistical experience.
Nevertheless, with this set I had a totally different approach than the previous. While with Briar Rose we only had the general idea of trying some nude shoots and improvised directly while in action, I planned the photoshoot with Arrigo very carefully with much advance, writing down each idea I came up with and sharing them with Arrigo, who did the same with me. I didn’t want to risk taking hollow photosh which would only break the nudity taboo to try and be interesting, so I really put much care into the concepts, taking ideas from wherever I could but planning each detail so that it would be necessary. I am quite proud of the results, as each of the photos Arrigo and I elaborated wouldn’t work without a nude model, for the concept requires it. It is either symbolic or funtional to the situation, and I really think none of these photos features a nude for nude’s sake, which is what I want to achieve with an artistic nude photoshoot. Also, you might have noticed that none of the photos show his penis, as I wanted to prevent it from becoming the main (often the only) focal point, as I know what a certain part of the “artistic nude” viewers look for, sadly, and that’s not what I want my photos to get attention for.
Speaking of Arrigo, his work was really remarkable. He was very natural and relaxed while posing, showing no sign of embarrassment whatsoever. We spent about six hours shooting, and everything went smoothly and without any sort of incidend (well, except for some trouble arranging the black bacground, which didn’t always prove easy, but that’s part of being an amateur without a studio). Moreover, Arrigo is just The Perfect Model for nude photoshoots, as he has both a beautiful face and a great body. What I often dislike about other photographers’ male nude photography is that they often seem to turn a blind eye on the average (or even ugly) face of the model as long as he can provide some inflated pectorals and is willing to show his penis. Well, this is not my case, as I consider my models as a whole, not just bodies, and I need the whole of them to fit my photos. Also, I don’t like excessively muscular men; Arrigo perfectly embodies my ideal of male perfection, as his body is defined and clearly manly but not overdone. I would most definitely like to shoot him again in the future. Due to the mature content, I recommend that you have a look at my deviantArt page for the photos.
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