Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
As the year draws to a close, I felt it time to reflect on a few things. 2015 was a year in which I finally established myself as a photographer, I was at last able to ditch the words “I’m working on becoming a professional photographer” whenever anyone asked me what I do in life. It’s an exhilarating experience to say the least. After much exploration and experimentation, I had reached my destination, creating my own style.
As a photographer, I incorporate two specific methods when working on a subject, as well as the standard techniques. They are philosophy and aesthetics. Philosophically, whenever I approach a subject, especially when it is portrait photography, I always consult with my collection of art books, to see what the likes of Michelangelo and Ilya Repin conjured up. It always leads me to a point of inspiration, for male photography, which is what I’d like to focus on here, my main philosophy and one which to me has always seemed eternal, is masculinity.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
Above: With Phil Innes (a cobbler from Portsmouth) who embodied strength and confidence, I wanted to incorporate that with the more contemplative and deep aspects of his personality Below: With Nigel Callaway (a body piercer from Norwich) it was about visualising the essence of an elder, wiser man, who once more embodied a certain masculine confidence, particularly in his outer style.
There is nothing quite so revolting to me than the emasculation and feminisation of men. We’ve reached a sad point in the history of man where, so often, men are emasculated by various cultural forces in our societies. So, as I have progressed as a photographer, finding my style and approach, I have made a point of exploring and celebrating masculinity, in all its forms. I always had an astute understanding of the varieties of masculinity, absorbing the works of those great men of art, so my instinct is to breakdown the particular personality of the man I’m about to photograph.
From here, my goal becomes to capture the many nuances of masculinity, whether it’s strength mixed with fragility, pride mixed with humbleness and so on. The primary tenets of masculinity are heroic, strong, proud, intellectual and above all dignified. These are all present in every single man I meet, yet they are offset and, in many cases, sit side-by-side with an often unexplored collection of traits.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
Above: Matt Colborne (a model from Brighton) enthused with an excitable lust for life, it was an easy thing to capture such exuberance, I sort to combine this with a quieter romanticism Below: Kyle English (a tattoo model from Kent) was a more subdued character, so my aim was to illuminate his personality, presented in black and white, free of fuss.
Aesthetically speaking, my personal preference is for mixing subtlety with vibrancy, merging rich tones with more subdued shadowing, my view is that a photograph should mimic a painting, balancing reality with very slight elements of fantasy. One of my favourite photographers is the Russian chemist Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky, who pioneered early colour photography, and was commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II to capture the various people and cultures of the Russian Empire. Prokudin-Gorsky’s aesthetics were mainly informed by formality and simplicity, every portrait photo of his was very carefully directed. I like to give some nod to this combination of formality and simplicity, yet giving a sense of freedom and relaxation.
My confidence as a photographer is increasing at a healthy pace, and I have reached a stage where I want to create bigger and bolder photographs.
