Giovanni Photography: Menu XL

Giovanni Photgrapher

Giovanni is not my real name. I am a highly respected photographer in Milan’s thriving fashion industry and my work is published and recognised all over the world.
I live in a huge loft in the centre of Milan, near the cathedral. While I don’t go out socially very often, my passion for photography does lead me out and about almost every night…
In 1995 I started my “Bites” project. For quite some time I’ve had a deep longing to create something lasting, something that will endure beyond the transience of fashion photography. In this field photographers actually have very little opportunity to be truly ‘creative’. Everything has to follow certain pre-set procedures; any mistake can mean a huge run-up of costs. The only thing that counts is the final product. In “Bites” the opposite is true – what counts is the mood or atmosphere of the session and the result is an expression of that feeling.
On evenings and free weekends I regularly ask these young male models and those I’ve scouted if I can take nude photographs of them. Surprisingly, more often than not, they enthusiastically accept.
Once in my studio or wherever we are shooting I describe the way I work and define rather specifically the artistic style that I am working toward. I always guarantee that their face will not appear in the final print. For all my models, famous or otherwise, anonymity became the key to our collaboration.
I set up lights, ask them to take off their clothes, tell them they can take a shower, relax, have a drink, a smoke, whatever… They get ready, sometimes do push-ups, sit-ups. Quite often they seem a bit anxious. I closely observe them, compliment them on their “assets”. I do their make up, style their hair, oil their bodies. Sometimes I trim a bit of their hair and sometimes I shave it all off.

13.1.09

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Sometime it feels as if I’ve spent almost every waking hour during the last ten years photographing international male models. When I’m not, though, I also enjoy scouting the men on the streets of Milan, Ibiza, Saint-Tropez, Miami or wherever my work or summer holidays take me. I tend to look for sexy guys, whether they be firemen, lifeguards, athletes, swimmers, judokas, rugby or volley players or the boy next door.