The past weekend's shoot with Oocelot was--as expected--remarkable. We did eleven sets in about 8-9 hours of shooting over a day and a half. Each is very different in character and look. Once again, as with Chad Glenn on July 4th, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with both the quality and quantity of what I need to edit. I now have literally thousands of images of the two of them to review with the goal of finding the best to edit and try to place either in the art and/or commercial market.
While Oocelot is relatively new to being in front of a camera, he's a graphic artist with an extraordinary eye. So he's quickly learning to see in his mind's eye what the camera sees and moves to poses which further flatter his already amazing physique. With each session we both learn something new about our mutual crafts and how they contribute to a successful image -- or not, as is sometimes the case. Almost always when looking at the outtakes from each set we agreed on which images were the strongest. I can hardly wait to work with him again -- already planned for one of the last two weekends in September, hopefully, with Chad doing some co-modeling.
Unlike a number of photographers who, when they "discover" someone, try to keep him under wraps, I'm encouraging Oocelot to shoot with as many photographers as he can. He'll only get better having multiple experiences with different photographers' styles and methods.
(Just a quick side note here -- from a purely selfish / commercial standpoint I understand why photographers keep a lid on their finds -- the images are more likely to sell. Collectors & art directors become addicted to particular models more so than the work of a particular photographer / artist. So if you can control the source, you are more likely to give yourself a better chance at an income stream from the exclusive images. On the other hand, it always struck me as totally unfair to the model, both financially and professionally.
However, I remember a few years ago sending photos of my "find" Peter Stevens to an agent. Next thing I knew he was a two-time centerfold in Playgirl as well as featured in several exercise magazines. I never even got a "thank you" from the agent much less an offer to do any of those shoots. Nonetheless, I was happy for Peter -- it set him off on a very successful career. And, I probably still need to learn that lesson since I continue to feel the pinch of hundreds of hours of work with him and no reward.)
But back to Oocelot. There's no way I would consider holding him back even if I could. It's no surprise his images are already getting noticed. And, consequently, offers of all sorts are coming his way. Everything from guys with cameras to successful commercial photographers to porn producers. And his interest is piqued -- especially with the offers from the porn companies. Both the money and the fantasy intrigue him. I suspect by the time we do our September shoot, he'll no longer be using the moniker Oocelot, but will be sporting some provocative alias.
While I can't speak for him and don't know what his ultimate decision will be, I know it's both difficult and is very tempting at the same time. As long as you're working for a reputable production company whose practices are ethical, who wouldn't enjoy getting paid for doing something you enjoy anyway? In the context of a porn production company, it's possible to play out (hopefully safely) some of those fantasies many dream about, but few ever experience. And with Oocelot's look and body, I suspect if he enjoys the shoots, he's someone whose career wouldn't end with just a video or two, but could grow into something substantial as long as he wants it.
We talked about it a lot over the weekend. And I have to admit that I have some conflicted feelings. If I were his age, had his looks and charisma, I'd probably take the offers -- if for no other reason than to do some personal exploration (and also for the money and fantasy). But in our conversations, Oocelot said something that struck me as profound, which I'd never thought about quite in the same vein. And it left a bit of a knot in my stomach. (My stuff, not his.)
A close paraphrase goes something like this. "When you're modeling you're using your body to sell something -- a product, a fantasy, a sensation. But when, you're doing porn your body becomes the product."
In other words, you have to find a place in your own mind to objectify yourself and be okay with that. You're no longer "you" but -- in the crassest term -- a piece of meat to be fucked or to fuck. That's both exhilirating and frightening. Exhilirating, in the sense that it allows you to be something other than "you" as you've come to know yourself. Frightening, in the sense that you don't know where it can lead. And, of course, once the video is out there, it's something you can't take back. It becomes not only a part of how others view you when you're walking through the supermarket aisle, but it begins defining a different you.
So here I've been doing my "nekkid guy" photography for years. Many of the images are erotic; so are -- in the eyes of some folks -- pornographic. (That's a whole other blog topic --- is it art or is it tart?) But I've never put a model in the position of needing to objectify himself. The images I've done tend to peer into the "who" of the person I'm working with rather than the "what". On the one hand, I'm kinda proud of that. I'm always respectful and take the approach that a shoot is a mutual adventure, a discovery, if you will. On the other, maybe that's the edge that's missing in my work -- a fear of diving into the rabbit hole to see what really lies beneath the surface. Am I simply doing the modern-day male equivalent of early Playboy pastiche? Pretty, but passe'?
Regardless of his decision, I know Oocelot's will be the right one for himself because he already understands that he'll be diving down the rabbit hole and knows the consequences should he enter.
As for me, I know I'm in a bit of quandary right now. I'm doing some of the best work I've ever done; yet Oocelot's conversation with me about porn has got me to thinking I may have been working tangentially. More thinking to be done here. As they say, TBD.
I've been in for the penny for quite a while. Maybe it's time to go for the pound?
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