SMP Artist Publication Spotlight
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Bodyscapes - The Art of Sensual Light
By A.A. Navarro II
ABOUT THE BOOK
"Bodyscapes: The Art of Sensual Light began as a conduit for experimenting with new lighting ideas, post-processing, and workflow. After careful thought, the “Bodyscapes” Project was born. The concept from the beginning was simple, create a coffee-table book which focused on the sensuality of light and human form. No emphasis would be placed on the model as such, no faces, no credits for a specific photo, simply a credits page with a listing of project participants.
There has been overwhelming enthusiasm, interest, and support. Because of the anonymity provided by this projects concept, first-time nude and non-nude models have taken a chance, an honor not lost on the author.
It's hoped in the end result you will find the art, beauty, and sensuality the author had hoped to capture in the original concept." - A.A. Navarro on Blurb
Author website
http://www.NavarroArtandImage.com
No Hunting. No Tresspassing with Gino Mondino
Though this was not a typical "modeling concept", there was a purpose, and it has a good story behind it.
The man in these photos is Gino Mondino. I was shooting in the Las Vegas at the time, and I booked a very last minute shoot with a photographer in the area.
Gino wandered by the area that we were shooting, and the photographer invites him to shoot with us. We were doing swim shots and Gino here was "already dressed for the occasion." However, Gino had never modeled a day in his life, and 10 seconds ago his plans amounted to taking a swim after work on a hot day in Nevada.
Gino, good natured and up for an adventure, doesn't hesitate.
He asks the photographer what she wants him to do.
"Just do whatever, it's fine."
Not much help there...
For the first minute, Gino is uncomfortable, and it shows. What does he know about this?
I take him aside.
"You've had a girlfriend, right?"
"Yeah...."
"...and you've played pretend when you were a kid?"
"Yeah..."
"That's all this is. Play pretend, and forget the camera. I swear I won't hit you if you accidentally brush a breast. Ok?"
30 seconds later, Gino hits the ground running, going from statue of David uncomfortable to relaxed and at ease in his own skin.
Enter female Russian model Albina.
Things go downhill for a second. Another curve ball?
But Gino bucks up.
Impressed with his shoot, I ask Gino "Do you want this? Are you serious? Will you work? I won't help you if you're going to flake on me. I don't train models. I will push you, I will throw you into crazy stuff, I will help you, but I need to know RIGHT NOW are you all in or not?"
My goal? Throw this kid into the craziest, most off the wall, uncomfortable, he can't possibly... shooting situation I can think of, because there is no way to teach some things.
No model "thinks they can do this" their first shoot.
No model knows what they're doing in those first weeks.
The easiest way to get a model past a lack of confidence, and past fear is to break them out. If Gino can go through this, nothing he faces ahead of him is intimidating, strange, or impossible.
Gino's all in.
I set up a shoot with Nevada Fantasies.
Gino has now had 2 hours total camera time in his life.
We get to the desert, and my feet hit the ground running.
"I'm gonna go see what I can play with, Nevada."
Butch: Uh oh.
Gino looks at Nevada. "What?"
"You haven't known Dove very long have you? I'm thinking I'm gonna get in my car, drive back to the city, and leave you here at her mercy."
Nevada turns to get his camera, and Gino has a moment.
What the hell did that mean?
We're at an old broken down corral in the Nevada desert, 101 degress, briars in the dirt, barbed wire and nails everywhere, and I see this old tire.
No Hunting No Tresspassing is painted in white around the tire, and an idea is born. I find an old broken down hitching post.
I grin at Gino.
"Strip"
"What?"
I'm going to tie you to that hitching post, roll in the dirt, and we're gonna do No Hunting No Tresspassing, barbarian bitch comes out of the desrt and kidnaps poor tattood bad ass. Barbed wire corral, the tire, old rope, busted hitching post, you get the idea. Kidnapped primal lust play thing."
Gino does NOT freak out, despite that when he "get loose from his capture" in this scene, he has to grab my hair and literally lift me off the ground by it so that the shot is real. After all, he's been captured and everything he thought he knew about "caveman take woman" has just flipped upside down, because the barbarian bitch has captured him.
Despite the fact that he has to literally choke me with anger on his face, without hurting me for real, just enough to give credibility, not enough to harm (which he did, under specific direction, just enough that in the "leave me alone and let me go or I'll kill you bitch" shot there is a real life tear streak on my left eye washing away the Nevada dirt attathed with baby oil, though I was completely unharmed without a hint of a mark or injury).
Gino rolls with the punches. Gino does not mind being stuck with briars in his skin and crazy ass models with crazy ass ideas. Gino has guts.
A selection of No Hunting, No Tresspassing.
Crazy concept? Yes. Perfectly executed. No. But Gino laughed at the idea that a shoot could "intimidate him" after that.
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