I have been working with a lot of different subjects lately. My technical expertise is becoming honed, but I feel that the images seem to be lacking a certain life within some of my subject’s faces or eyes. I have a kid that I have been working with lately who is just amazingly sexy. He has a strong connection with the camera and me, but it’s almost like there is a distraction. The shoots become very long and I end up shooting lots of extra images because I don’t quite feel the connection during the shoot. Though the outcome of the final images a still very remarkable, there just seems to be something missing. I can’t figure out if it’s him or me. It feels like we are completely in sync at the time we are shooting but then when I look at the final images, what I saw or felt is not quite what I saw as I was working. This sort of disconnect doesn’t happen very often with me and when it does I am totally surprised.

I have been trying some new lighting techniques in which I use a broad splash of soft white light with less shadow. It’s got a very advertising model type of feel to it. And perhaps it’s the quality of light that seems too flat for me. I am very fond of shadows, and creating a rich darkness on one side of a subject excites me to no end. But then again I feel we sometimes must step out of norm to see how other things affect the quality of our work. Push the boundaries of what we do in order to grow. I wonder if I have made enough of an emotional connection to this particular subject. We have talked a lot, but there is something within him that feels guarded or distant. Perhaps I am trying to push him into something that doesn’t really represent his identity; I am generally pretty good at matching the subject to the style that best suits their personality. I definitely feel the sensuality within his personality and immediately drawn in and captivated by his presence. There is a raw sensuality about him that is natural and alluring. I feel it in his presence, but for some reason I cannot get to the core of what it is within the image. I keeping going back to these images and ask myself what is happening here? What seems to be the barrier with this particular subject? How is it that I can see it and feel it within him but can’t quite get to it within the images? Typically this is a natural for me and I instantly connect and follow my gut impulse and it leads me right where I need to be. Is it me or is it the subject? Is my work beginning to change since I have begun this “Naked Man Project”? Am I beginning to expect more from myself? Granted I need to change and evolve with my work and imagery but perhaps I should stick with what I know best. Next time we will work with the darker shadows and see what happens between us.