The Mirror of My Youth

Yesterday I had one of the most sensational photo shoots I have had in a while. I was working with a young kid I had meet about six months back. I instantly felt a connection to him when I met him at a birthday party for a friend. There was something within the depth in his eyes that aroused my curiosity about him. There was a calm and comfort about his presence that instantly gave me access to an inner calm. It was warm and inviting, sexy and flirtatious; I knew instantly I wanted to photograph him. The party was such a ruckus of drunkenness that I quickly become uncomfortable and left within twenty minutes of arrival not really knowing who this person was. A couple of weeks ago I discovered him on Facebook and began to chat. At last we met up, instantly reconnected, and planned for a shoot yesterday afternoon. I was very excited for him to come in and work. I showed him some images from a book I had on Caravaggio and said this is where I was planning to go with the shoot. He really didn’t seem to get the concept but was willing to trust where it would take him. I had spent about an hour or so setting up the studio with the lighting I knew would make him pop. He is a young kid so his body and muscle tones have not yet developed. I tend to like people that are natural as long as they are comfortable with being in the moment and body type or style plays little part in my quest for models. What I am really interested in exploring with someone is their personal connection to themselves in deep and profound ways. Someone who is not afraid to touch their soul and be comfortable within those moments. We began to test and adjust lighting and within moments I had all the technical stuff dialed in and we began to work. The light was extraordinary as usual and he instantly settled into himself. His skin glistened and radiated with a sensual glow and reacted to the strobes beautifully. I have never seen anyone settle into a shoot so easily as he did. We worked though several different looks of wardrobe pieces eventually stripping it all away so that his beautiful skin just basque in the glorious light. Every movement revealed even something more remarkable. He was so natural that every frame I shot was a work of art. We shot for about an hour and a half and about 1000 frames. I have not had a chance yet to load them on the computer to see the actual results, I will work on this afternoon, I look forward to it with great anticipation, but know the process of elimination will be extremely difficult for this subject. It’s going to take me a bit longer to work through these images. We have scheduled a review on Thursday and possible new shoot. I was so emotionally connected to him and seeing that beauty I always sought to find within myself at his age. Why was my youth so filled with anger, insecurity and angst? I longed to see that freshness within myself and feel the warmth of being loved and looked at with admiration. The new generation is lucky to live lives with such openness and acceptance of themselves. I was deeply moved by his honestly, exposed vulnerability, and innocence. It was like stepping back within myself, correcting the past, and seeing myself in this remarkable mirror. This is what I thrive for in photography when the moment of collaboration becomes two souls collectively colliding into an extraordinary harmony.

VIEW FULL IMAGE: Lucas #310