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BEHIND THE LENS KEN SERGI OF SERG STUDIOS
When did you discover your passion
for photography? I grew up on the East Coast in
Pennsylvania and the Washington, D.C. area and found at a very young age, around 10 years old, that I had a natural eye and attraction to the male human form. I used my father’s Polaroid camera and anxiously watched the clock for that painstaking minute I had to wait, before peeling away the outer film layer to see the image develop revealing the cap- tured moment. I saved my own money delivering newspapers to buy film for his camera. It was around that same age when I asked my father if I could have his camera when he died, which is when I realized it was definitely a passion. My parent’s solution to my strange request, was to give me my own camera, which was the first Kodak pocket instamatic. It used these tiny little film cartridges that produced negatives which were smaller than a postage stamp. I loved it and didn’t realize at the time it was the start of multiple creative orgasms. In 2001, I settled in San Diego, which
is when I converted from film to digital and took numerous extension courses to make the transition. I also continued my second full-time work running my own business consulting, training and coach- ing firm. One of my first digital courses was photographing nude male athletes. It was an amazing rebirth away from my corporate work and back to photogra- phy, because I loved technology and had a natural eye for bringing out the best in the raw human form. Since I also worked out at the gym and did my own competi- tions, I pursued working with athletes. A photographer friend introduced me to a New York fitness magazine publisher, which facilitated my transition into being one of their cover photographers. My
work began appearing on the covers and in articles for diverse international magazines, newspapers, fitness and bodybuilding magazines, romance books and commercial advertising. I was judging competitions in several countries and got to work with amazing people, such as Greg Plitt and Sergi Constance.
What inspires you? Shooting the male form and capturing moments that represents strength and symmetry in unique and beautiful ways. I love the challenge of integrating a model into unique settings that can create juxtaposition or synthesis between the model and the rest of the image. If a model has unique qualities or skills, that enhances my inspiration, so I have a conversation with each model before scheduling a shoot, since inspiration comes from both the model and the environment in which I place him.
We are so honored to share the featured series in the desert with The Rage Monthly readers. Please
explain the concept behind it. As I thought about Pride celebrations
and a way that I can contribute as a gay man, I wanted the series to contrast the strength and confidence of the male form with the vast openness and freedom of the desert. For me, the open desert creates pure simplicity of freedom for expression: Without noise, distrac- tion, or boundaries that we experience every day in our complex world. The large billowing fabric catching waves of the wind shows freely flowing movement. Incorporating the colors of the Gay Pride Flag, which represents diverse human values, seemed ideal, especially flying
ken sergi
freely in the open space. As I considered models, it was also essential to represent diverse ethnicities. Diverse people posing in brilliant artistic physical symmetry, is an amazing expression of pride and acceptance without ego. It is also the ultimate challenge and representation of physical and emotional strength.
How difficult is it to shoot
in such conditions? The open desert in June was the
ultimate test of endurance and had the models dropping from exhaustion. I become a different person when I’m totally into capturing an image and forget about myself and my surroundings. The day of the shoot it was 112 degrees in direct sun and the sand absorbed the heat intensifying the effect, it was like standing on a hotplate. High winds blew fine powdery sand that got into everything, from the camera equipment to the food the models ate! One single grain of sand can disable and damage a camera, so we had to wrap and seal all the gear to make it “waterproof.” Since I didn’t want the model’s
footprints to disrupt the texture of sand, they had to walk the long way around the dunes. Walking through the sand dunes drains your energy, you have to take three-foot steps up the hill, only to move a few inches at a time since the sand slides down as you carry gear. Getting the models into position where the wind had one model’s fabric up but the other model’s down was difficult and wore them out. The models had to face the wind blowing sand into their eyes while trying to create an image that looks “natural,” took several hours to get the one group image, as shown here in the magazine. My passion for getting the shot gets me into trouble where I work to the point of exhaustion, or dangerous conditions. I once sat on a cactus in the desert that put hundreds of needles in my ass, but didn’t stop shooting because the moment was magnificent! But never did anyone say during this desert Pride shoot “I’m done!”
How can people see more
of your art? There are periodic local exhibits of my
work, featured on custom steel plates. I’m currently working on a book project and series highlighting and profiling athletes with interesting stories, combined with amazing images that can inspire and empower.
For more information about Serg Studios, follow him on Facebook
atfacebook.com/ sergstudios or on Instagram atInstagram. com/sergstudios. To see more of his work, or to
join his email list, to
tosergstudios.com.
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RAGE monthly | JULY 2017
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