A curious aspect of being the type of photographer that I am, is that my art is fully 100% dependent on other humans in order for the work to even exist. Said more directly: I photograph people, so, if there are no people involved, I am not making the art I love to make.
Naturally, this makes what I do entirely reliant on a human engagement: me and the model(s) on set. From planning and brainstorming concepts, to the prep work, then the shoot itself – it all comes to down to personal experience, a human interaction, for better or worse.
Over the years, it's been a blessing and a pleasure to work with many wonderful models to create the work I've done. Without them, I am nothing.
But invariably, a few of these interactions end up with some sort of challenge, often a personal one. Personality clashes, differences in vision, or simply someone is having a difficult day and it shows on set. Or a host of other things that can cause tension.
Mind you, models and I have created some inspiring work even while tensions and stress were peaking. But I've also had entire projects fizzle into mediocrity or outright fail, due to interpersonal tensions or incompatibilities on set (or leading up to shooting).
But you know, to me, that's the beauty of it. The work that I choose to do demands human interaction and engagement, and with that demand comes risk. I myself may not always be "on" during a project, and maybe I don't reciprocate energies the way I should, and could, for xyz reasons on set. Not really an excuse, but sometimes it's the reality of things on some days.
Overall, I've had, as I said, almost exclusively fun and creative experiences on set with the many models I've been blessed to work with for the past 15 years. The few situations where a project was problematic enough that I sever ties with a model, well, those are unfortunate but I never make that decision lightly. Never with malice, but sometimes you just have to bid farewell to human connections that don't work for you, and embrace and cultivate the ones that do – whether in life or in the creation of art.
Regardless of who I still work with and who I do not work with anymore, I want to say a heartfelt "Thank you" to all the models who have given me a small piece of their time, their life, to try to create together over the years.
Here's to another 15 years of amazing interactions and creative moments with great people...
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