With his latest nude calendar, local photographer Brian Gomes has turned his focus to the male figure and he admits that the results were not what he expected.
Gomes’ latest “Made in Guyana Calendar” continues his exploration of nude photography, which, according to him, has been deemed taboo here.
His previous calendars featured nude portrayals of unidentified Guyanese women that generated both praise and criticism, although he believes he has managed to win over some of his initial detractors.
“Lots of persons loved it and equal amounts didn’t think it was appropriate for our conservative country. Since then, I think I might have changed the minds of many of the persons who were skeptical about nude art photography,” he said.
“In fact, I believe nude art photography is almost accepted now. Many photographers have followed in my footsteps and tried their hand with nude art photography. I think that means a lot when people follow in your footsteps. You must be doing something right if people follow you,” the photographer added.
He noted, too, that the calendar has developed an international audience, with many persons overseas looking forward to getting a copy every year.
Explaining the reason for the male version of the calendar, Gomes said he felt it was necessary. “I think I’ve proved myself to be a creative photographer over the years. I wanted to prove that I am also versatile. I wanted to create a male version since 2017, but I found it difficult to find the motivation to approach men to ask them to pose for a nude calendar. In 2018, I made a final decision that I was going to make a male version. Again, it was very difficult for me to approach men, so I asked a few of my female friends to talk to people they thought would be interested in posing for the calendar. I really didn’t think finding potential guys would be difficult, but that’s exactly what happened,” he said.
“A lot of the guys didn’t want to be part of it for different reasons – their wives/girlfriends didn’t like the idea, people might tease them about being gay, some guys didn’t think their bodies were in shape, etc. At the end, only four men signaled their interest. I therefore had to use multiple photos from each shoot to be able to get 12 months – something that I think watered-down the calendar,” Gomes added.
Another reason for the Calendar was rooted in the constant queries made by women who wanted Gomes to create a calendar for their eyes.
The concept for the calendar is rooted in Gomes’ former interest in body building and the bodies that are developed from such a sport, which he believed to be what women wanted.
However, when asked to respond to critics who feel that the calendar didn’t meet their expectations for a male version of Made in Guyana, as it was out of touch with what women expected, Gomes agreed.
“Making this male calendar was very difficult for me being a heterosexual male. I’m attracted to women, and maybe that was one of the reasons why the female calendar did so well. I do not know what a woman want[s] to see in a male calendar. I did consult a few females to get an idea of how I could make the photos appealing, but I’m not sure I was able to put into reality what they told me in words,” he said.
“A friend of mine told me that he thought it was a very bold step when I created the male calendar. It started a conversation, it actually surprised a lot of people. The calendar, in my opinion, didn’t match the class of previous calendars, but I’m proud of myself that I was able to do something as courageous as this. If you ask if I would create another male calendar, I might say no. Maybe in years to come, that might change to yes. Who knows? What I know for sure, is that come 2020, I will be releasing a calendar that I’m comfortable with. I’ll be sticking to what worked in the past,” the photographer added.
‘Staying relevant’
Since 2017, photography, which was previously a “side-hustle,” has become his full-time profession.
Gomes said he has learnt new skills, particularly how to shoot and edit videos and wedding films have become one of the main services he offers to clients and forms the biggest part of his income, albeit he is still known in many circles as “the nude photographer,” “the naked skin man,” and “the calendar guy.”
Commenting on the business aspect of publishing the calendar, Gomes explained that he does not use it as a major profit-making venture, but rather, as a means to stay relevant in the highly-competitive photography industry.
“In any of the creative industries, I think staying relevant is very important. Sales numbers [are] significant also, but I use the calendar mostly to market my name. The photography industry in Guyana is very competitive. There are so many new, and talented photographers popping up almost daily, so it’s important to stay relevant, to stay ahead of the pack. That’s one of the main uses of the calendar,” he noted.
As part of staying relevant, Gomes shares his work on social media but his accounts have been suspended numerous times. Even in light of this, the photographer still believes that censorship is important, but noted that he has found people have been using the reporting feature to personally attack creatives.
“There are many minors on social media being exposed to content that they should not be able to access. Social media platforms put things in place, such as the reporting feature, to help enforce their community standard policies. I have no problem with all that,” Gomes said.
“It is my belief that if you come across content that you do not like on social media, you have the ability to unfriend, unfollow, or just ignore. A lot of the times when my social media accounts have been disabled, I think it was wrongfully done. Having my accounts disabled has impacted my online reach because I basically had to start over building a following from scratch. It has also resulted in me being cautious of what I post online. It has somewhat stifled my ability to freely create. When I create, I need the world to see, but if what I put out causes me to get banned, that definitely affects my motivation to continue. Social media platforms sometimes are a bit heavy-handed when handling questionable content,” he added.
It is in light of his constant battle with social media that Gomes was asked his opinion on where the line between artistic and obscene lies, to which he contended that such a line is very blurred.
“We all see and interpret art differently. What one person sees as artistic, another may consider rubbish. It’s difficult to apply rules to artistic interpretation because it is a subjective act. However, I do admit that on many occasions I may have crossed the line, purposely or accidentally. As a bold, fearless photographer, pushing limits is what makes you great. It ensures that your name is remembered. Pushing limits is what allowed me to create the Made in Guyana calendar. And I will continue to push limits,” he told the Stabroek News.
The calendar is being sold at a cost of $3,000 and can be bought at all Fashion Square Stores, located at Giftland Mall, the Fogarty’s Building and at the multiplex at Camp and Robb streets. It can also be purchased directly from Gomes.
