'Just starting out, I'm outgoing and adventurous and I'm up for anything. I'm here for the fun of it, and to see what this could lead to, got to risk it to get the biscuit!'
It was that sense of adventure and fun that spoke to me when I first spotted an image of model James Peach last week. James has an incredible body and I especially love the beauty and visual symmetry he has created with with his tattoos. Great body notwithstanding, it was the excitement that I sensed, the eager anticipation of a embarking on something new, especially something creative and risky, that had me wanting to feature his images.
The Ontario model's grin and the twinkle in his brown eyes, even when shooting completely naked for the first time, make for beautifully engaging captures. Although new to modeling, you can see at once that the camera loves James, and that the feeling is more than mutual. James was encouraged to give modeling a shot by his friend George Bolduc who James calls his inspiration for giving it a try. 'He made me feel like it was something I could do, and that I could one day be good at.' James says any success with modeling he may achieve will be credited to George and his constant encouragement.
'My first shoot was pretty different since I had no experience before and didn't really know what to do or to expect. As the shoot progressed i felt more and more comfortable till i realized this is actually pretty fun. from that point i found the joy in doing shoots and the nervousness and stuff just kinda melted all away to the point were now I'm pretty much in to try anything in the modeling game.'
It was George as well, who was responsible for connecting James with the photographer who did that first shoot.
The first six images above are from that shoot with George's photographer friend Marty. James says that shoot was a lot of fun and that Marty, and her friend Raven, walked him through process, and the poses. The end result produced thousands of images that James and George poured over in order to choose the best ones to showcase on his newly created Model Mayhem account.
Remaining images of James via The Naked Sunday Project
Model Mayhem is a great connector for models and artists. One of my favorite questions to ask models, especially ones new to the business, is about the strangest job offer they have encountered. James certainly has an interesting one. James reports one of the oddest was a request he received to partake in an e-mail audition. The audition consisted of sending on photos of James holding his junk at different angles, and holding beside rulers and other objects so that they could get good feel for his size... 'This came off as pretty odd to me since they didn't really ask for anything but soft and hard junk photos, with only one head shot of my choosing to associate the rest of the collection of photos. Needless to say I did not feel like a buying a new tooth brush just for close comparisons.'
One of the most positive MM connections was that with photographer McKenzie James for The Naked Sunday Project. The decision to take it all off was not really that difficult of a decision for James. Although there were some around him against it, most encouraged the idea and ultimately he chose to do what worked best, and felt most comfortable for him. Modeling is a not a sure thing for anyone, and James decided that nothing ventured, nothing gained. James has also thought the idea of making an adult film might be cool, so shooting naked might be the next best thing, and closest he may get to that fantasy.
'The shoot with McKenzie was fun it was my first nude one and he made me feel very comfortable about it. So much so that I would gladly do more nude work! I very much enjoyed the freedom in the shoot, the fact that he wanted to catch things in the moment, I found this to be the perfect style for me. It was a fantastic experience and he is an amazing photographer, I encourage everyone out there to do a shoot with McKenzie, an amazing photographer and an amazing human being.'
Although like many male models, James has dreamt of one day seeing himself in a fitness magazine, or blown up huge on a billboard, he also wisely to chose to begin modeling with no real expectations of it going anywhere. After his shoot for The Naked Sunday Project however he saw a huge bump in the amount of comments and positive feedback his images received. Some of this may be of course the naked factor, but positive attention, and feedback, is always great. James gives most of the credit for the increased interest to McKenzie James. Although he continues to have no expectations, that doesn't mean he doesn't have dreams. 'I would love to make a living out of this but if those aren't the cards I hold then I'm content simply doing this for fun. I got into this just to try new things and I'm in it for the life experience.'
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