This year’s outdoor work began a bit early. In April I reached out to a New York model who was visiting Cleveland for a convention. Luckily he agreed to work on short notice with the gradually warming weather. Perfect timing!
This guy’s name is Zed and he had never really worked in an abandoned setting. Thankfully, between Instagram and my website I have terrific online examples that illustrate my style. This helped bring about a quick enthusiastic reply from him.
The window of opportunity was brief. Only a few hours available until his flight back to New York. So I defaulted to one of my favorite spots – Acme Manufacturing.
In spite of the fact that Acme sounds like the place Wile E. Coyote would buy an anvil, it does have a great selection of interesting sites.
Lots of soft light, fascinating paint and rust patterns and cool things to climb on – all making the posing easier.
With his dance background, Zed quickly improvised engaging postures with these things, offering up unique choices at each turn.
At times, Zed was hard to keep up with. I think he really enjoyed the freedom of nudity in this old factory. But who wouldn’t?
This thought propels my work. Defying all societal norms to be naked in places that used to be bristling with people carries a undeniable sense of freedom. Simultaneously, these deserted locations offer a level of safety to express that freedom. It’s a comfortable duality.
Zed was awesome. It was very inspiring to have such creative energy on such quick notice. Hopefully he enjoyed our work and more will be in the future.
Thank you, my friend!
Zed can also be found on Instagram @toolboi.