YOUR GAY PHOTOGRAPHER IN LONDON

Meet Graham Martin

I’m Graham Martin, a professional gay photographer in London and the photographer behind MenArt.

I’ve been photographing people professionally for more than 15 years, with a particular passion for photographing men — from portraits, dating and lifestyle photography to artistic male nudes, sensual imagery and men who simply want to experience what it feels like to be photographed naked.

I’ve photographed professional models, adult performers, celebrities and people who had never stood in front of a professional camera before. And I enjoy photographing all of them.

Because ultimately, the person interests me far more than the label.

A GAY PHOTOGRAPHER — NOT JUST GAY-FRIENDLY

Lots of photographers describe themselves as gay-friendly. MenArt goes rather further than that.

I’m gay myself, I’ve spent years photographing men and I understand the enormous variety of reasons someone might want to stand in front of my camera.

For one person it might be a great new portrait.

For another, photographs for dating or social media.

Someone else might want to celebrate his body, explore male nude photography, be photographed naked for the first time or create something much more sensual or erotic.

There is no assumption attached to walking through the MenArt studio door.

Interestingly, it isn't only gay men who tell me that having a gay photographer matters to them. Straight men, women and clients of different sexualities have also told me they specifically chose me because they felt they would be less judged, more understood and more comfortable with a gay man behind the camera.

I never make assumptions about you because of your sexuality. But I understand why knowing mine can sometimes make that first step easier.

PEOPLE BEFORE PHOTOGRAPHS

Photography is obviously important to me. But so is the person standing in front of my camera.

A technically perfect photograph is fairly meaningless if getting it made was an ordeal. That's why I pay as much attention to how somebody is feeling as I do to lenses, lighting and exposure.

Some clients walk through the studio door bursting with confidence. Others arrive wondering whether booking a photoshoot — particularly one where they might end up naked — was a terrible idea.

Both are absolutely fine.

We'll talk. We'll probably laugh. I'll give you plenty of direction when you need it and gradually the camera becomes far less important than you imagined it would be.

Clients often tell me how quickly they forget they're being photographed. That's one of the nicest compliments I can receive.

I KNOW HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH MEN

Being a gay photographer doesn't automatically make somebody good at photographing men.

Experience does.

Over the years I've photographed men of just about every age, shape and size, from experienced models and some very well-known faces to men nervously having their first professional photoshoot.

That experience has taught me something rather useful:

There isn't one correct way for a man to look good.

Different bodies need different lighting. Different faces suit different angles. A pose that looks fantastic on one man can look completely wrong on another.

My job is to discover what works for you.

That's just as true when I'm creating a strong portrait as it is when I'm photographing the male nude.

Good photography can emphasise what you love about yourself and be rather more discreet about the bits you don't.

It can't make you twenty years younger or remove three stone.

I'm a photographer, not a magician or a plastic surgeon.

But give me good light, the right lens and a willing subject and I can do quite a lot.

NAKED DOESN'T HAVE TO MEAN VULNERABLE

For many people, the thought of being photographed naked is exciting. It's also bloody terrifying.

Sometimes both at once.

I've spent years photographing nudity, from quiet and artistic male nude photography through to sensual and explicit adult imagery. The technical side matters, of course, but so does knowing how to create an environment where being naked in front of a camera stops feeling quite so extraordinary.

There is no judgement and no expectation.

Being comfortable enough to take your clothes off is never treated as permission for anything else. Whether you're wearing a three-piece suit or absolutely nothing, you're simply the person I'm photographing.

And you'll receive exactly the same respect.

NO DIVAS AT EITHER END OF THE CAMERA

I've been fortunate enough to photograph some fascinating and very successful people during my career.

But whether you're famous, an experienced model or somebody nervously having his first photoshoot at 60, 70 or 80, you'll get exactly the same Graham.

I don't believe good photography requires an enormous ego attached to the camera.

A shoot works best when we can talk openly, throw ideas around, change our minds, laugh when something looks ridiculous and recognise when we've accidentally created something brilliant.

There's plenty of room for professionalism without taking ourselves terribly seriously.

WHY DO I PHOTOGRAPH MEN?

First and foremost, because I have an incurable passion for photographing men of every age, size and shape in their best light.

I love showing somebody how he can look with good lighting, the right lens, careful direction and a photographer who understands the male form.

But one of the greatest rewards often comes afterwards.

I get a genuine thrill when somebody messages me to say how much he loves his photographs, how many compliments he's received or how his new pictures have helped him make connections.

Sometimes the most important photograph isn't necessarily the most technically impressive one.

It's the one that makes somebody look at himself and think:

“Actually... I look pretty bloody good.”

And he's right.

“I photograph all sorts of people, from the fittest to those who could do with a little less wine and a little more exercise — like me! I love helping people look as good as they possibly can, using light and technique to create photographs they genuinely love.”

Graham Martin