Photographer Verner Degray's pursuit of a sensually better world

By DREW Rowsome
13 Sep 2018

"I do not know if it is erotic or if it is sensual," says Verner Degray of his art. "Everything depends on the models. Sometimes a model is more erotic than sensual, and sometimes it's the opposite. For my part I stop when I find that it becomes vulgar."

The men in Degray's photography stare into the camera, proud of the beauty that Degray is capturing in light. "As a child, I already had access to the works of great photographers like David Hamilton, whom my parents loved," says Degray. "My mom was passionate about photography and an amateur photographer, so I had the chance to spend my youth in the dark room developing photos with her. I think that's what made me want to become a photographer."

Hamilton's penchant for soft-focus voyeurism is not visible in Degray's work, but the romanticism and seductive innocence and strength surfaces in more delineated clarity. "I choose the models of course because I like them physically, but I think I give much more importance today to what I feel about them, the sympathy they give off, the human side," says Degray. "I admit I am not insensible to the models, but with experience I have learned to detach myself from the sexual aspect and the fantasy. I leave the fantasy to the spectators of my work."

Armed with degrees in design, theatre and art, Degray quickly made a name for himself as a fashion photographer but after four years gave it up to, like Gauguin and Matisse, settle in the French Polynesian islands. "When I work in fashion, I am more focused on what the customer is looking for, his story, his brand, the story he wants to tell. I have the good fortune to work very often for a great French designer Joel Da Silva, who has an overflowing creativity which I take inspiration from during my shoots for him."

But Degray began finding his own inspiration among the handsome, muscular and athletic Tahitian men. "When I work on an artistic nude with a boy, I bring the fantasy side into play. I try to put myself in the place of the viewer and ask me what he or she would like to see, or how I can bring out the sensual side of the model. Fashion and the artistic nude are very different, but I think that shooting nudes, taught me precisely to know to strategically target a good photo and to be able to bring out sensuality."

Degray's photos portray a broad interpretation of masculine beauty. "What inspires me the most is the kindness, the inner beauty, the story of the model," he says. "The physical is not everything. A model can be muscular and not be sensual and in that case, I do not want to work with them." But there is more to it than that. "I also like to feel that the model is motivated to work with me,"says Degray. "Most often it is the models that choose me. But when I have to choose, I am particularly attracted to the human side. I have sometimes refused some physically perfect, some beautiful, models who are horrible inside."

In pursuit of his art, Degray has travelled from small town France to French Polynesia to Los Angeles and most recently the Cote D'Azure. "Indeed, I am a citizen of the world," he says. "I would like to tear down all borders to allow us to live where we wish. Wherever I lived, I found fabulous boys, all beautiful differently, but I admit that the most sensual are Polynesians and blacks who just have something more. Blacks have an exceptional beauty, a remarkable sensuality that I adore. If I could I would only work with blacks."

The sensuality of Degray's art has earned him shows at the Erotic Heritage Museum in Las Vegas and inspired The Advocate to title a profile "Across the Pacific in search of the erotic." But sensuality can be misinterpreted. "I must be in my sixth month of being blocked on Facebook in three years," says Degray. "And each time, they are absolutely sexless pictures. The last censorship was a photo from the "Adam & Adam" series where we see the boys kissing. While wearing blue jeans."

The "Adam & Adam" series was inspired by Degray's social activism. "I am currently working on bioethics and in particular on surrogacy and assisted procreation," he says."I imagined what the world would be like if religion had not forced us to believe for centuries in this story of Adam and Eve. It is a series of photo of two boys, who are not gay but who seem to love each other. The love between two heterosexual men is possible in the world that I imagined. It is up to each of us now to continue the story and to show that love between two boys, or two girls, is beautiful, it exists and it is natural. No apology to religions."

Degray is still angry about being banned. "We cannot have this social media censorship, as if in a dictatorship, under the pretext of protecting the young. I wonder what kind of world we will leave to future generations. A world where art would exist only without bodies? Facebook does not censor the atrocities of wars, the deaths, the blood, the combats, the atrocities towards animals. I was told that it is a robot that scans the photos and calculates the percentage of skin. I find it pitiful. It's time for Mark Zuckerberg to look at himself in a mirror, he may discover that his body has a little extra stuff between his legs . . ."

Refusing to self-censor, Degray does do work that is explicit. "I made a photo where a  beautiful boy's erection is seen. The photo is beautiful and not pornographic in my eyes. Others may find it too sexual. I believe that what matters is the treatment of the photo, the way in which the photo was taken makes a lot of difference. I show on my OnlyFans page what I could not show elsewhere. There are a lot of photos that are on OnlyFans and not on my website. OnlyFans is a real source of revenue for photographers and models. I think it's very important to have this source of revenue so that we can work in a totally independent way."

Degray is enthused about the new business model OnlyFans has created. "Each of my subscribers is very important to me, because it's a real way to support my work, to help me and to make sure that I can continue my work. I often suggest that models create an account because they also need to live from their work. From each shoot, I try to release some photos and backstage videos exclusively for my OnlyFans page. However, if a model did not give me permission to show everything, I respect that and their privacy." 

On his website, Degray writes, "My eyes eat photos and pictures all day long. Then comes a story, feeling, emotions. I write them." But his work also flows from his political work with the Human Rights League of France and CalComMen among many other political associations. "I'm preparing a series of photos with a message against racism, against pollution, for humanism," he says. "I would like so much that we live in harmony on this earth, that we accept our neighbors as they are, that we no longer judge people on their origins or their sexuality. I would like us to help each other a lot more. That's what inspires me today."

Degray is finishing a book of his work entitled Apollons and has several ideas for his bucket list of photo shoots. "I would like to shoot in Africa," he says, "but also I would like to shoot a dozen boys at the same time, in a fairy universe. There are others that are already in preparation but I'll keep you in suspense. My ultimate fantasy would be that for a big star to ask me to shoot an artistic nude. It would mean that my work is appreciated by everyone." 

Those who already appreciate Degray's work can find more of it on his Instagram, instagram.com/verner_degray, website verner-degray.com, and of course his OnlyFans page onlyfans.com/vernerdegray. "All my photos are for sale on my site, just contact me for rates. They are of course prints limited to three copies. I am also looking for new places to exhibit all over the world and why not for the first time in Canada? I would love to visit."