Queerying: Ethan James Photographer for TMF Issue #11
It’s always a pleasure to chat with Ethan James, and how could it not be, given his PhD in children’s literature & film studies, and his intelligent engagement with everything that passes his view (he’s published peer-reviewed papers on everything from Dexter to the aesthetic of sexuality in the plays of Tennessee Williams.
Now working as a photographer, his lens work has been published in magazines and websites in multiple languages all over the world. Ethan focuses on male beauty, and sources his models from all walks of life. His latest spread features in Issue #11 of TMF Magazine, accompanied by an interview with yours truly, Joey from Queerclick. The spread at TMF comes complete with complete with porn stars such as Kip Ryker, Seamus O’Reilly and Hunter Page, and for one of the first times, Ethan’s captured his subjects with rock hard hard-ons. and models sporting hard ons.
“Photography is a lot like two actors working a scene in a movie; each person has a role to play and the interaction has to be complementary in order for the result to be something worthwhile,” Ethan explains.
When I asked him how he manages to – evidently – get his models into such a state of relaxation in front of his camera, he said:”I fall in love with the process: what I’m doing, what the person I’m photographing is doing, what the light is giving me to work with that day, etc. It is a love affair that lasts an hour in the short run of it to eight hours or a weekend, depending.”
What do you find beautiful about the men you photograph?
The idea of beauty when I’m photographing men comes form their personalities and variety of character. These guys are actors, dancers, singers, models, academics and much more; the differences in their backgrounds makes for a wide range on interactions in which I’m able to participate. The physical aesthetic in there (in all of us), but it really is the person beneath the skin that makes the beauty I love to capture.
Hardons are useful. How do you put them to use in commercial photography?
Haha. I’m not really sure there is a specific commercial use for such in photography (other than the erotic calendar or photo-book or art exhibition). Male nudity (like female nudity) can be a lovely aspect of photography when captured just right, and by ‘just right’, I mean however a viewer responds to the image in a positive manner. There are certainly different types of nude/body photography, and erotic or sensual nudity is one of those categories. I think such images are great in print to make statements about the bodies we have and the layers of sexuality and sensuality they are able to express.
Your models are obviously comfortable around you. How do you set a friendly scene or shoot?
There are two elements that are almost always present when I’m shooting (indoors): incense and music. I don’t like chaos in my life, so I try to maintain a peaceful atmosphere when I’m working with someone else as well. The music plays, the incense burns, we talk about random aspects of life and we collaborate on making these images simultaneously.
Have you ever fallen in love with one of your models?
Photography is a lot like two actors working a scene in a movie; each person has a role to play and the interaction has to be complementary in order for the result to be something worthwhile. I fall in love with the process: what I am doing, what the person I’m photographing is doing, what the light is giving me to work with that day, etc. It is a love affair in a sense that lasts an hour in the short run of it eight hours or a weekend of creativity, depending on the person.
What are you working on at the moment?
My life is split into a few categories. I’m a professor of English literature, a writing tutor and a writer (TV/film studies), so I’m working on something just about every day. As a photographer, I’m shooting models, actors, singers, dancers, etc., submitting images to magazines/books here and there, planning a trip to NY in the spring for a shoot and working my bum off in the process.
