Shon has one of those smiles that makes everyone around him smile too. You would never imagine from these photos that he considers himself to be a very shy and anxious person. Getting to know him during the shoot, he shared with me where a lot of his insecurities come from. Unfortunately it's a story that most of us are all too familiar with. 
Shon grew up in rural Missouri. Going to high school in a town with a population less than a thousand people was a challenge for an openly gay kid. Shon opened up to me about his experiences with bullying and his struggle to accept himself when his peers did not. He told me that it was hard for him to even walk down the street without being harassed. I guess if there's a silver lining to experiences like these it's that it instills a drive and passion in us to achieve more and expand our horizons beyond a small town where few come to, but even fewer leave.
Though Shon has moved on from high school, the insecurity and anxiety burned into him by small minded people still affects him. The week leading up to our shoot, he expressed to me that he was feeling nervous because he doesn't feel secure with his body, and that he is naturally quite shy and awkward. He was feeling fearful of opening himself up to the judgement of others, something he dealt with on a daily basis growing up. This shoot would be a big step for him and he didn't want that fear to stop him. He's glad it didn't. I am too.
The best part of shooting people, nude or otherwise, is showing them how they look through someone else's eyes. You can look in a mirror all day, but you will never be able to see yourself objectively. It's the best feeling to have a small role in people's lives like that. During our shoot I could tell Shon was nervous at first, as most people are. Making the model feel comfortable and confident is something I've perfected through the years, and it shows in these photos. Like I said earlier, you would never guess that he harbors so much anxiety over the way he looks. I love how the photos turned out, and even better; he does too. Thank you, Shon, for sharing your story and your body with me...you're a wonderful human being. Cheers to learning to love ourselves!
