LondonWasHere: February 2012

Sexual. Intimate. Personal. Gritty. Raw. These are all accurate ways to capture the emotions of Seth London's photography and who he is as a photographer. London specializes in male beauty and male fashion, and his work has appeared in Paper, Client, Oh La La, Bleu Mag, Beautiful Mag, and The Source. He has photographed a range of celebrities, most recently Fat Man Scoop and Travis Porter, Q form day 26. As well as models from of American Next Top Models and two designer’s look books form Project runway.

Seth London loves photography because it is a creative outlet. He is not a painter or sketch artist, but with his film and camera he can display visual art. He says “I am happy being able to provide people with a picture; a document that can never be repeated. I also enjoy helping models achieve their goals and dreams.

To work with London, models need to be comfortable and confident within their own bodies and to trust the photographer. London can have a boy completely naked and shoot amazing head shots. Many of the agencies who have hired London remark on and appreciate the "naturalness" of his photography. His work does not require super-imposed air brushing or mass post editing that other photography often requires.

Although the majority of London’s published work is with male models, he also has experience with female models and editorial work. His portrait work is primarily shot in private homes in New York City and Long Island (though he also works in his Manhattan studio). While photographing models in a house is nothing new, shooting them in his own home with his own furnishings creates images with settings that are unique to his work and therefore become highly personal statements. London says that shooting in a private home or studio helps the model relax and connect with the camera. Seth London's philosophy is that models should appear at ease and approachable in the images he creates. He wants his audience to be able to imagine themselves in the setting with the model; to fantasize that they somehow have direct access to these incredible men! Creating that inviting sense of comfort and luxury that only a home can provide is an essential part of his recipe for success.

One unique feature of Seth London's approach is that he is not afraid to shoot outside and enjoys working with the natural elements. Although some photographers may be intimidated by outside photography, London believes natural light is better, particularly when one knows how to use it. He particularly enjoys taking pictures at the beach and in the DUMBO section of Brooklyn. Those two backdrops create the true essence of how he likes to see male models, and he believed models feel more natural and at ease when they are photographed in natural settings.

The artist says the following about his work: “Seth London is not just a name or a person. It is an idea, a feeling I evoke in the models I meet and the people I pass. I am not just a man with a camera - I am a visionary pushing the boundaries on what is safe and accepted.”