WHAT ARE THREE CREATIVE MOMENTS FROM YOUR PAST THAT BROUGHT YOU TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?

I THINK IT WAS ALWAYS IN ME FROM MY FAMILY. MY MUM WAS A TEXTILE ARTIST, MY DAD LOVES TO SKETCH, AND MY UNCLES WERE IN A BAND IN THE 80’S, SO THAT'S DEFINITELY BEEN MY FIRST CREATIVE INFLUENCE. BEING A DANCER MY WHOLE LIFE HAS SHAPED WHO I AM AS AN ARTIST. AND MY ONGOING COLLABORATION WITH FRANK AND CROTCH MAGAZINE HAS BEEN A PIVOTAL CREATIVE MOMENT FOR ME. I'VE BEEN VERY LUCKY. 

DID YOUR PASSION FOR THE MALE FROM BEGIN WITH DANCE?

I THINK IT'S PARTLY THIS FOR SURE, BUT ALSO BEING IN THE CLOSET AND BEING SO YOUNG IN A RELATIVELY SMALL CITY IN ENGLAND MADE ME WANT TO FREELY EXPLORE WHAT WAS ONCE FORBIDDEN OR FELT WRONG. WHEN I THINK OF THIS, AT THIS MOMENT, IT MAKES SENSE TO ME.

WHEN DID YOU BECOME INTERESTED IN PHOTOGRAPHY? 

I'VE ALWAYS HAD AN INTEREST BUT NEVER SCRATCHED THE ITCH. IT WASN'T UNTIL I FINISHED DANCE IN 2013 THAT IT FORCED ME TO PICK UP A CAMERA AND LEARN. I'VE NOT LOOKED BACK.

HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH CROTCH MAGAZINE? WHAT'S YOUR COLLABORATION WITH THEM LIKE?

I KNEW WHO FRANK STRACHAN WAS FROM WHEN I WAS A DANCER IN LONDON, I NEVER WORKED WITH HIM DIRECTLY, BUT KNEW OF HIM. CUT TO YEARS LATER LIVING IN LA, I RANDOMLY MESSAGED CROTCH ON IG AND IT TURNED OUT TO BE FRANK. HE GAVE ME A CHANCE AT SHOOTING FOR THE MAGAZINE. 

YOU PHOTOGRAPHED THE ENTIRE UPCOMING ISSUE OF CROTCH — SOUNDS OVERWHELMING, BUT ALSO HOT… HAVE YOU DONE A FULL MAGAZINE SHOOT BEFORE? HOW WAS IT?

THIS IS BRAND NEW TERRITORY FOR ME TO DO AN ENTIRE ISSUE. WHEN I AGREED TO DO THIS I SPOKE WITH MY GOOD FRIEND AND FELLOW PHOTOGRAPHER CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN WHO REALLY GAVE ME SOME SOUND ADVICE AND HIS WORDS STAYED WITH ME. HE SAID, JUST FIGURE IT OUT… JUST MAKE IT HAPPEN AND DO THE WORK…IT'S IMPORTANT! SO I DID JUST THAT… THANK YOU CS! 

WHAT WERE THE BEST MOMENTS OF SHOOTING THE ISSUE? 

WELL I REALLY WANTED TO MAKE IT PERSONAL, SO AMONGST ALL THE BOYS I SHOT SOME GOOD FRIENDS, AN EX BOYFRIEND, AND MY ROOMMATE! IT HOLDS A LOT OF PERSONAL ATTACHMENT TO IT, WHICH I WILL CHERISH. 

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE PHOTO? 

HMMM… PROBABLY THE IMAGE OF REESE ON THE FLOOR FACING AWAY FROM ME. I'VE STARED AT IT THE MOST I THINK. 

IS THERE A NARRATIVE MESSAGE OR THEME IN YOUR WORK?

VULNERABILITY… I WANT PEOPLE TO LOOK AT MY WORK AND FEEL THEY ARE SEEING SOMETHING THEY WOULDN'T NECESSARILY SEE. A MOMENT BETWEEN THE SUBJECT AND ME. STILLNESS AND A SENSE OF EASE IS WHAT I'M MOSTLY TRYING TO CAPTURE. 

ANY CRAZY STORIES FROM SHOOTS YOU WANT TO SHARE?

SO MANY! ONE THAT SPRINGS TO MIND WAS MY FIRST SHOOT FOR CROTCH… I TOOK THREE BOYS OUT TO THE MOJAVE DESERT. NOT REALLY KNOWING WHERE WE WERE GOING TO SHOOT, ME AND THE BOYS JUST MADE IT HAPPEN. THEY STRIPPED DOWN, AND WE GOT THE SHOTS IN THIS SMALL LITTLE TOWN…. WITH CARS AND TRUCKS DRIVING PAST SHOUTING “FAGGOTS GET OUT OF HERE!” WE CARRIED ON REGARDLESS. IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE SHOOTS STILL, TO THIS DAY. 

WHO ARE YOUR GREATEST MUSES? SOMEONE YOU’VE WORKED WITH, AND SOMEONE YOU’D LIKE TO… 

TWO BOYS SPRING TO MIND THAT I LOVE TO PHOTOGRAPH: DAVID MILLER AND TOMMY HART. IT IS ALWAYS SO EFFORTLESS, AND I LOVE SEEING HOW WE HAVE EVOLVED. NOT ONLY ME AS A PHOTOGRAPHER, BUT ALSO THESE YOUNG MEN COMING INTO THEMSELVES HAS BEEN SO NICE TO DOCUMENT. I THINK I WOULD LOVE TO SHOOT SOME MUSICIANS AND MORE ACTORS IN THE FUTURE.  

HOW DID NSFW STUDIO COME ABOUT AND WHAT SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT IT?

NOT SAFE WAS LITERALLY A BOREDOM PANDEMIC PROJECT WITH MY THEN ROOMMATE AND ILLUSTRATOR JOSH MCKENNA. JUST SOMETHING FOR OUR BRAINS WHEN WE HAD NOTHING TO DO! IT WAS A FUN LITTLE BUSINESS OF SELLING T-SHIRTS, PIN BADGES, FACE MASKS AND NOW THE ICONIC COWBOY SOCKS THAT KINDA JUST TOOK ON A LIFE OF THEIR OWN. IT WAS A COLLAB OF MY PHOTOGRAPHY AND JOSH’S ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE IMAGES. IT'S BEEN FUN TO SEE THEM AROUND THE COUNTRY WHEN I LOOK DOWN AT PEOPLE'S FEET AT PRIDE OR LGBTQ EVENTS. ALWAYS MAKES ME SMILE. 

WHAT ROLE DO CELEBRITIES AND PORN STARS PLAY IN YOUR WORK?

WHETHER IT'S CELEBRITIES OR SEX WORKERS, FOR ME IT'S THE SAME… EVERYONE IS A BRAND OR A PRODUCT TO SELL, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. I PERSONALLY ENJOY WORKING WITH SEX WORKERS BECAUSE THERE IS A DIFFERENT LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA — THEY SEEM TO TRUST ME THE MOST, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO NUDITY. 

DOES YOUR ONLY ONLYFANS WORLD COLLIDE WITH YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY? 

ONLYFANS HAS BEEN A WAY FOR ME TO FREELY EXPRESS MYSELF AS AN ARTIST WITHOUT THE HOMOPHOBIC DOUBLE STANDARDS OF INSTAGRAM (I'M NOW ON MY SECOND ACCOUNT AFTER BEING DELETED A FEW YEARS AGO). I POST MY IMAGES THE WAY I INTEND TO SHOW THEM… I LOVE IT. THERE MAY BE THE ODD SELFIE AND PORTRAIT OF MYSELF IN THERE, TOO.

AFTER THIS ISSUE, WHERE ELSE CAN WE LOOK FOR YOUR WORK?

NEXT UP IS A PROJECT WITH THE LOS ANGELES LGBTQ CENTER, WHICH I'M EXCITED ABOUT. THEY PROVIDE SUCH GREAT SERVICE TO SO MANY PEOPLE IN MY COMMUNITY, SO IT WILL FEEL VERY PERSONAL AND SPECIAL FOR ME TO DO THIS. 

ALSO MY WORK WITH PUCKETT EXCURSIONS HAS BEEN SO FUN AND I LOVE WORKING WITH ONE OF MY BESTIES… NEXT UP, PATAGONIA! LET'S GO BOYS!