Gregg: Years Later

I first encountered Gregg at a street fair six years ago. I thought he was hot, and so I took a few candid pictures, and then a few months later, he turned up online. I emailed him to tell him I'd taken his picture, and we became friends.

We ran into each other a few times over the next few years, but the friendship never really took on the "in person" weight that we thought it would, and eventually, we drifted a bit. Then in February of this year, he emailed me out of the blue to say he'd be in NYC and I suggested a photo shoot.

I was a little nervous because I was not feeling well when the day started. It was the day after my "off" shoot with Andrew, and I had slept for fourteen hours and was still not myself. It was upsetting because aside from the photoshoot, I was looking forward to seeing Gregg after all those years, and I almost had to cancel, but then miraculously, my illness passed before he arrived.

For the record, Gregg is one of the sweetest men I've ever met.

These photos were taken Feb. 4, 2011.

Xavier: Revisit

I shot Xavier in June, but it was for someone else, on someone else's dime and someone else's watch. While the results from that shoot were fine, I felt a lot of pressure and didn't believe I'd gotten what I wanted.

So I had a second chance in December, sort of like a Christmas present.

These images are much darker than the ones I did originally, and I almost want to get Xavier a third time to find a happy medium between the brightness of the first shoot and the shadows of the second.

These photos were shot on Dec 19, 2010.

Andrew: Off

I was excited to shoot Andrew in the studio again, but by the time the day arrived, I wasn't feeling right. After the shoot was over, I ended up getting to bed and sleeping, on and off, for about sixteen hours, my head in a haze, but my last moments of lucidity before that happened were spent creating these images.

I was feeling so off that I really didn't think any of it would end up working, but... when I finally processed the photos almost a month later I was very pleasantly surprised. But I still need to schedule something else with Andrew for when I am, hopefully, not sick!

These photos were taken February 4, 2011.

Alan: Variety

Alan also showed up with a bag of tricks, more props and costumes than I could possibly have time to shoot. It was fun. We started out with the boxer.

Then some of my more standard, slightly abstract portraiture and hand studies.

Then these cool African masks that he brought came in handy.

And then we started to just play with various items of clothing, not necessarily speaking to any one theme.

Alan brings a creativeness to the shoot that is particularly inspiring for me. I had a sense, the first time we spoke on the phone, that we'd work very well together, and my sense was correct.

These photos were taken Feb 3, 2011.

Marc: Eyes

Marc was not feeling well at all, but impressed me by showing up willing to be shot anyway.

I tend not to pay that much attention to eyes but Marc's definitely caught my attention, and became the focus of the whole shoot.

These photos were taken on Feb 1, 2011.

Gonzalo: First Timer

Gonzalo wanted me to know that he's never modeled before.

I assured him that it didn't matter, that most of the people I shoot are inexperienced., or at least not professionals. He relaxed after just a short while and we're both very happy with what came out.

I had a great time during the shoot, stopping to chat to keep the mood nice and relaxed. We've already made a plan to shoot again in the spring, something outdoors this time, possibly with more clothes - his idea, not mine!

These photos were taken Jan 26, 2011.

Stephen: Rough

I've known Stephen a few years; we met maybe five years ago in San Francisco, and I would sometimes run into him at events out there or when I'd visit NYC.

In January I contacted him out of the blue and suggested a photo session. I don't know why I thought he wouldn't be interested, but he was.

There was a slight issue with the lighting, and I ended up using a lower wattage that I normally do, but the dimmer light adds a roughness to this set that I'm warming up to.

Stephen brought a lot of props and costumes, but traffic caused him to also arrive late, so we were limited in what we were able to actually use. I'd like to try again, perhaps with my new backdrop or in a totally different location -- outdoor shooting will be an option soon! -- but we'll see how he feels about the idea.

These photos were taken on January 18, 2011.