ADS
Scott LawlerBy Devin Baker & Art Adams
It is always nice to get a compliment especially from someone whose work you respect. In communicating with Devin Baker about a feature on FH he very kindly said that he liked the the sensitively I portray through my posts and that my blog was both respectful and elegant. Those words, especially respectful, are important to me as respect is something I strive to keep front and center on FH. Those words also struck me as they are precisely the words that initially drew me to his images.
With all the thought and care put into each shot, in each detail, it was not a surprise to learn that the images are not the creation of just one man, but two. Devin Baker and Art Adams are a creative team (creative director and photographer) whose goal is to capture the male form in images that are classical, playful, and occasionally disturbing. The classical makes them beautiful, the playful...sexy and erotic, and the occasionally disturbing...that makes them compelling and immensely interesting.
'I'm an avid collector of vintage male photography. As a gay kid who grew tired of only seeing pictures of beautiful women in the media, I enjoy creating tasteful male images that are artistic but don't take themselves too seriously.'
Devin Baker
Devin describes himself as the 'finder.' Devin looks for models who are uninhibited and have a playful sense about them. He says he likes to get to know a bit about a model before a shoot and tries to have a few telephone conversations with them before a shoot. Photographing a person, not just a body, means getting to know them.
'I can get a sense of who they are, and then I try to build a look around that sense using clothes and props. The more fun those elements are, the better.'
This is when Art steps in and takes Devin's initial ideas and tries to find a complementary lighting style for the themes chosen. Devin creates a story for Art to capture, and Art writes it down in pictures.
'I'm a bit of a control freak so I like to fuss and tweak the costume, the pose, hair and props. Art enjoys taking whatever I put in front of the camera and adding mood and texture to it with light and shadow. We don't tend to step on each others toes much, and our models appreciate that by splitting up our duties we get a lot done while keeping the mood low key and fun.'
'Art is a passionate commercial cinematographer with a large portfolio of TV commercials and web projects. We very much work together as a director and cinematographer normally would, but with the added dimension of an eleven year relationship. Creating art together is something we both greatly enjoy and we both grow artistically as a result.'
You can see more of Art's work on his professional site HERE:
Besides Art's work be SURE to read his full bio. Art is also a writer and I loved reading his account of his time working as a camera assistant and operator as well as cinematographer in the television and film industry. I especially loved his account of working as a camera operator on the 1995 thriller Deep Down featuring Tanya Roberts and Chris Young.
Art Adams on IMDB
It was a tough job to decide on a model showcase Art and Devin's work. Their work with 22 year old Scott Lawler certainly embodies the playful, the elegant and most of all the classic. Scott, a recent graduate from UC Berkeley, has an amazing body, fit, tall with amazing legs all beautifully showcased in Art and Devin's poses and final shots.
'We actually worked with Scott twice. Both times we're very positive experiences. Although Scott was relatively new to modeling, he was professional, expressive, adventurous, open and completely adorable. Scott has a great sense of humor, very playful and a lot of fun.'
Devin & Art
Check out more of Scott's work with Art and Devin on Scott's Model Mayhem page HERE:
& Check out more Classical, playful, and occasionally disturbing shots by Devin and Art on Model Mayhem HERE:
ADS
