The story behind Up Early
Added 2024-02-15 10:09:57 +0000 UTCRussy is a personal trainer here in Sydney who I was introduced to by one of my other models. When I was shown his instagram and saw his body, of course I wanted to work with him. On the day of the shoot, he walked out of his building and looked even more impressive in person.
He'd never done a nude shoot before and preferred, like a lot of new models, to stay a bit more modest about the nudity. That of course is totally fine. I never want a model to regret doing something in a shoot. You've all had to read about my frustration when a model asks me to take a shoot down.
We kept the shoot nice and simple. I picked Russy up nice and early as usual on an outdoor morning shoot and we headed to Lady Bay nude beach near Sydney Harbour's south head. The lighting early in the morning is always really nice. I know strong lighting is great for highlighting muscles but it's awful for faces and causing models to squint. My work isn't bodybuilding or Men's Health cover photography so carving out every muscle isn't crucial. As you can see, Russy looks great anyway.
Russy and I went on to do another shoot a few years later which I'll tell the story of another time.
Check out the full download of Up Early here.
