Nude man sits upright and looks out window while on an old bunk bed

Colby – the Continuing Saga

Shirtless man looks out through broken window with shard of glass pointing toward his eye

This is the continuation of my previous post and an amazing weekend in Detroit last Fall. Colby keeps on rolling with his energy and imagination providing lots of great visuals.

I usually don’t do sequels with my guys but I’ve had such great talent recently that need to display more than one post can handle. So here’s part two…

Nude man stretches backwards in window opening

Nude man rubs his eyes while standing in sunbeam from hole in ceiling

Colby is awesome. One of the aspects I enjoy with him is his ability to pre-visualize and to see how light shapes the scene.

I feel that he has great “body sense” and is conscious of how his figure works in these intensely chiaroscuro settings. This helps tremendously while evaluating a space. The composition comes together much quicker.

Nude man stands with back to camera in twisting pose in old attic

Nude man curled up at base of winding staircase

Like many of my other models, he’s not afraid to get dirty. Maybe I mention that too frequently, but it’s important to be able to look beyond these physical annoyances.

The scene in the attic above left both of us coated with the thickest black grim. Colby looked like he was wearing black underwear from the stuff.

While the scene with these curvilinear stairs required some intense sweeping to clear glass so he could safely roll up on the floor.

Nude man sits on bench in rusting locker room

Nude man, back to camera, plays a broken grand piano in an empty room

I have to admit that even though I’m amazed at my models’ resilience,  I still try to take measures to ensure they’re not injured. We don’t need to spill blood for the sake of art!

That’s where baby wipes come in handy. I always have some in my support kit just to keep them from looking like mud people. And careful prepping prevents the need for any other medical-type supplies.

Nude man stands beside chalk board of abandoned school emphasizing text written on it

Nude man stands with back to viewer while holding text book with singular school desk nearby

As I continue with this abandoned architectural work, I feel that my images are resonating with our current world situation. I have always felt comfort in the solitude of forgotten places. But now I’m beginning to feel as though our society is slowly collapsing before of us. The vulnerable solitary nude in these abandonments echoes this current condition.

So I’ll keep plugging away at this dystopic vision as long as my models are willing.

angular shot of shirtless man in open window, peeling paint in background

Keep your eyes open for more. The shooting season is already off to a start!

 

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