Thanks to everyone who submitted questions for this interview of myself. There are some great questions in there. So let’s dive in and get them answered.
How do you set up a shot when you photographing a model? Do you consider light and angles and all that? OR do you just wing it… how do you frame a shot?
When I meet some people, I have a flash of inspiration as to how I would photograph them and other times it’s more of a vague concept and I need to find the right person to shoot in it. I usually have an idea for the style of the shoot, be it candid, heavily posed or more relaxed but one of the things I have found is that sometimes you just can’t predict when the good stuff is going to happen.
I know you like your beaches, which do you consider to be your most loved, here in Aus and overseas?
I’m a biased man, Australia’s beaches are some of the best in the world. I grew up on City Beach in Wollongong and loved it, great surf, sometimes wild, but on the calm days we’d walk out on to the point and jump off the rocks and swim in. I admit I haven’t experienced a lot of international beaches, but the nude beaches in Barcelona and Sitges have a special appeal. They were full of eye candy.
I’m planning on moving to Sydney from the US by the end of the year. If you were looking a new job and housing what resources would you use? Any other advice for a yank?
For accommodation, probably use something like gayshare.com.au and for work, there are agencies for every kind of work. Maybe stay in a hotel and explore the city and get a feel for the area that has the right vibe for you!
To what extent are the small nudist gatherings you attend tinged with sexual overtones? On the one hand, I could imagine such activities to be purely innocent and free of any sexual element … and on the other hand, I could imagine them be highly charged events that have the potential to dissolve into something other than was originally intended!
Do committed couples ever show up or is it mostly single guys?
There are a couple of committed couples that come along. Our very first gathering a couple of years ago did get sexual. We all got drunk out of nerves and forgot to have any food. A happy outcome of that was two guys I introduced got together and are now a happy monogamous couple. There is usually no sexual overtones, but a group of nude guys there will always be a very slight overtone. The gatherings aren’t about hooking up, but if people get horny, and click with someone they are free to take them home and see how it goes.
I am curious on your thoughts of some of your ‘blog buddies’:
- AussieGayGuy … have you ever wondered if it is possible for one person to have too many swimming togs?
- Shannons Blogspot … do you think the blond hair is working out for him or ought he go with another colour?
- Break The Illusion … in person, rorty or ridgy-didge?
AussieGayGuy aka AussieSpeedoGuy. I haven’t met him but we have chatted online and he hosts this blog for me. He’s a really nice guy and to an extent I envy his lifestyle, jetting all around the world. As for speedos, it’s his thing, it’s not hurting anyone so why would it be too many?
Shannon. I just had coffee and a good chat with Shannon. He’s a great guy. He’s actually changed his hair now and I like it but I thought the blonde was working on him too.
Davey Wavey. No idea. A friend did catch up with him while he was here recently but I’m not at liberty to share information, but what he’s doing on his blog is working for him.
1) Did obtaining a full time job change your outlook on life?
2) What is the biggest truth that you discovered about yourself in 2009?
The job didn’t really change my outlook. I already knew I wasn’t suited to working for myself. Like my gym routine, I suffer from a total lack of discipline. That’s what stops me from trying photography as a career.
The biggest truth I discovered… that I still have a long way to go to be content with myself, but I’m not sure where I lost it along the way to need to find it again. More recently with my father’s heart attack and more open communication with my mother I’ve learnt that they are absolutely the most crucial thing in my life.
Were you raised in a church family background? If so, was your family loving and supportive?
I had to go to Sunday School as a child, but my sister and I weren’t big fans and I think it was just something my parents thought we had to do. I think it’s important to give kids a basic knowledge of the main thrust of religion, faith and spirituality, but I think it should be more broad, giving them a knowledge of Buddhism, Judaism, Catholicism and all of the religions. Imagine how much more tolerant we’d be.
1) What does your middle name initial “D” stand for?
David, it’s one of those family legacies. There’s bloody David’s everywhere in my family tree.
2) What should the PERFECT photo look like (what characteristics make a picture perfect)?
Who knows. It’s different for everyone and I don’t think I’ve taken my “perfect” shot and to an extent I hope I never do, because I might stop trying.
3) Who would be your dream-come-true ideal model for a photo shoot… well, err… apart from Kylie?
Dream model… tough one. I think for a portrait someone like Judy Dench would be great. She’s one classy lady, but with a sense of humour and I get the impression she wouldn’t be precious about being sure she looked beautiful. As far as an art nude model, Jake Gyllehall or Ryan Reynolds, just because.
4) What’s your earliest childhood memory?
One of the earliest that is coming to mind is being in my grandparents pool. They were telling me I’d broken the record by making it across the pool. I was about 4 and I couldn’t work out why you would break a record. Remember I’m a child of the generation before CD’s and iPods so I had mental images of broken vinyl everywhere. I never claimed to be a genius.
5) What – apart from the obvious, i.e. their sexual orientation – is the main difference between straight men and gay men? In your opinion, do they belong to completely different species? (I know, one shouldn’t generalise, but…)
I think we are quite similar in our sexual nature but, in broad general terms, gay men have already broken stereotypes so in some ways are more free of convention. That seems to be shifting now, with gay men turning on themselves and feeling like being camp or not masculine is a bad thing.
6) If your life would be made into a movie, which actor should play the role of Brenton D Parry ;-) and how would you categorize this movie: comedy, romantic comedy, drama, action movie, wildlife…?
I would probably say my life movie would be made by Woody Allen, full of neurosis and failed clumsy attempts at romance. I’d love to say it should be an Oscar winning movie, stylish, sensitive, with a dashing leading man filled with action and scorching sex scenes and witty banter, but that would be utter bullshit. There would be elements of comedy in it too and in a completely vain and inaccurate casting choice I’m going with the delectable Ryan Reynolds.
What have you learned from this blog?
There’s a few things that I’ve learnt from this blog. One is that I scare myself sometimes with just how much I put out there without really thinking it through. Another is that everyone has a story and I’ve heard some beautiful and some sad ones from readers emailing me. It’s amazing that people can get so much from things that the rest of us might take for granted. I post something that I think is pretty random and small and someone will email me saying thank you. Sadly I’ve also learnt that people can be nasty and malicious for the sake of their own perverse entertainment.
What do you prefer, beauty or intelligence? a lot of people say that gays are superficial, what do you think about that?
It depends on whether I’m looking at someone or talking to them. I’ll never be able to deny I’m a sucker for a pretty package but everyone needs else to back that up. Beautiful people with nothing else to offer, who rely solely on that, aren’t holding my attention for long.
As for gay people being superficial, I’d say that like every other element of society there are some that are superficial but there are also others who are far from it. The gay culture does tend to be very image driven.
Wow, great idea! Wish I had asked a question.
Great getting to know you a bit better.
T
Hi Brenton
Thanks for your reply.
Cheers
Don
Open, honest and insightful as always (I love the anecdote about you „breaking the record“). Thank you very much!!!
I applaud you…………….