Graham Martin
mastermind behind MenArt.co.uk

By DREW Rowsome
15 May 2018

"I guess I'm a little immune as to what's outrageous," says photographer Graham Martin, a busy commercial photographer and the creative force behind MenArt.co.uk. "Solo, duo, threesomes, full-on sex, sex with guys dressed as gladiators, it's all in a day's work." Martin's MenArt photographs are an exuberant celebration of the male form. 

In all its forms. 

This is deliberate and Martin is happy to answer questions about his art and how he turned that art,  and egalitarionism, into a thriving business. 

Drew Rowsome: What inspired the concept of MenArt.co.uk?

Graham Martin: I'm gay, I like men and photographers take pictures of things they like, so I started taking pictures of men. It seemed I have a bit of a gift for it and I needed to make some money, so I got my thinking cap on and developed MenArt..

I wanted MenArt to be for everyone who was male and wanted to be photographed in an artistic style, be it clothed, naked or full-on porn. I don't care how old they are or what size they are. My aim is to allow people to express themselves in the studio, have fun and come away with pictures that they love. Of course men with great bodies and a big package are far more commercial - so they have always been and always will be - so they are the subject matter of my promotional projects. Those guys are also the guys happy for the world to see their pictures. Many guys like me, that have had too many pork pies and bottles of wine, prefer to keep our pictures private. 

What inspired you to become a photographer?

I had a life changing moment when a pro photographer set up a shot and then asked me to take their picture. l pointed, clicked, then looked at the back of the camera. I was totally amazed at the quality of the picture. It was just a head shot yet it was a piece of art at the same time. Of course it was not my camera skills, it was the photographer's but from that moment on, at the age of 51, I decided I was going to become a professional photographer. And as soon as possible. Before that point I was a sales manager in publishing, I'm now knocking on 60 and have never looked back.

How does MenArt.co.uk differ from your other commercial work? Where does it intersect?

Chalk and cheese. The thing that binds them together is people. I love people and I love taking pictures of them. I try and capture emotion and movement whether that is a guy in my studio or at an event in Westminster or an awards event for designers.

Your stated "love of the male form" shines through in your work and you are to be commended for the variety of body shapes, ages and races. How do your personal preferences intersect with the clients?

I don't really have a personal preference or a type. As I've stated before, I love people and their looks are pretty much irrelevant. Photographically if it's a paid shoot then anything goes. If it's a personal project then I am looking for a body and personality that goes with the shoot. I have pretty much photographed every type and shape.

I am told I manage to capture the sexiness and good looks in everyone I photograph, maybe that's because I see good qualities in all people. So when it comes to my art I don't really have a personal preference. Of course as I mentioned I understand the difference between good looks and commercial good looks.

How do you relax or cajole a model in order to get a dudoir masterpiece?

I'm a pretty laid back guy, and easy to get along with. That is very important in creating a sexy picture. People are normally a little nervous when they come for a shoot. It is my job to help them feel relaxed by chatting with them, having a giggle and making things fun.

Remember that guys know what they are coming for. They are quite turned on by the thought of getting their kit off, to an agreed-upon level, in front of the camera. This makes my job much easier. But I will compliment them and verbally encourage the process. Never pushing too quickly or too far.  They need to know that they will never be asked to do anything that they do not want to do. Often they do go far further than they originally thought they would go, but that's cool as long as they are comfortable.

Trust and privacy are very important and guys need to know their pictures will not be seen where they don't want them to be seen. Once this trust has been established, often very early on in the shoot, I feel the barriers come down and the guys relax, feeling secure in the environment. I shoot everything form 90-year-old guys that are looking for a bit of frivolous fun, through to porn stars and escorts. Then there are the pro models and amateur models. Each shoot is different in many ways, but all are the same when it comes to relaxing people. I am my natural self and I help them be the same.

When clients arrive do they have a firm idea of what they want from a photograph? 

It varies a lot. Some say you're the expert I'll leave it to you. Other times they are there as I am working on specific projects so they know what they are in for. Other times it's a collaborative approach.

Is it different working with a man who wants a portrait, even an erotic or nude portrait, and an escort or porn star?

Mostly, in my experience, porn stars and escorts are very easy to work with.  Normally we have already discussed what is required and we get on with it. There is no shyness nor pretensions. And certainly, no prima donnas in my studio. Inexperienced guys need more directing, but they usually have open minds and are easy to work with.

Interestingly, escorts often don't want naked shots and nearly always require lifestyle images. I will discuss their average client with them and what they are looking for.

A portrait shoot normally starts with nerves, so to get great pictures I have to work on relaxing them with lots of encouragement. Often it starts with a chat and a cuppa. If they want to get naked I nearly always start with them fully clothed and get them to strip in front of the camera. We chat as they do this and try have a laugh at the same time. It's a great way of getting action pictures and removes the stiffness of asking a novice to pose.

I get guys naked as quickly as comfortably possible. This takes away the thought that is always going through their head of:"He's going to ask me to get naked soon." Once they are naked, they are usually as happy chatting and being in the studio as when they were clothed.

Actually I avoid posing as much as possible. I will place them in the right spot with the lights and then give a few instructions like, "Slowly undo your shirt and undo your belt."  When they do this they move into great poses. I will stop them and shoot and then let them carry on, or even shoot as they move. This is a great way of getting a natural smile, something I love. I'm always looking for fun and happy faces.

The examples of "Male Neon Body Art" and "Art" feel like personal explorations. What direction is your artistic impulse taking you and how does it differ from your commercial work and work for clients?

Neon Art is very much a collaboration with neon designer and art director Jylle Navarro (https://www.instagram.com/jyllenavarro/). She creates the amazing art on the bodies as well as any costumes we use. I bring the camera, studio and the power to engage and create magic with the models.

What makes a photograph art as opposed to porn (I love your concept of "pornart")? Or should they even be separated?

There are no defining guidelines on this but let me explain where I am coming from on the subject. The motivation for "pornart" came from porn stars coming to me to get stills for their profiles. They felt I would be able to work with them to create something more "artistic" than what they would get from a porn video shoot. I'm sure there are many artistic porn video/photographers out there, but this is what I was asked for.

To me it was a natural thing to do, if I'm going to take picture of men in a porn scenario, I'm going to make it as artistic as possible. The use of light and costume will come into play here.

I am told the reason my OnlyFans page is successful is because it is crammed full of pornart. Subscribers feel it's worth paying to see my pictures as they know they will get something artistic as well as the treat of seeing hundreds of hard cocks and cum shots.  Maybe it makes some guys feel a little better about ogling hot men. I don't know, but I'm glad they do and it makes me feel very happy to know people are liking what I do.

MenArt.co.uk also creates "Epic Shoots" which can be just about anything - costumes, locations, extras - that the client can imagine. What is the most elaborate epic shoot you have been commissioned to create? The most outrageous?

In truth my epic shoots to date have been very much about the art and not the tart. For example, I was commissioned to photographed Craig, a dancer, by an American client. There was no brief so I had full artistic control. I wanted to create something very moody, so we headed to the beach with a ton of lighting and an awesome length of fabric material and got creative. It's one of my most popular shots to date.

Outrageous? I do get commissioned often by an exhibitionist to photograph him in public places stark naked. I have shot him in parks, walking along the side of the river Thames in London and then out and about in all sorts of places.

What would your fantasy epic shoot be?

I would love to shoot some porn stills on a boat of the coast. Or maybe in a private jet.

What qualities does a good model possess?

A little bit of magic. They need to know how to pose, how to find the light, be punctual and easy to work with but most of all they need that magic that happens when the camera points at them and they become alive. Often not such obviously good-looking people will look awesome in the camera.

What makes a photo erotic? How do you know when you have captured the moment that you want to achieve?

I don't know, is the honest answer and I don't think I want to know. I am told I do it and I do it very well. It's something inside me that comes out when I have the camera in my hand, it's my little bit of magic that helps me create erotic and beautiful pictures. Maybe if I did know exactly, the spell would be broken and the magic would end. God that sounds very pretentious but it's how I feel. I just do what I do 

Why do you think male nudity is so heavily censored in society at large? Have you experienced censorship or disapproval?

I think a lot of people are too worried about what other people might think. Some people can be very hypercritical about nudity and eroticism. People can do what they think they should be seen to do and claim to have opinions that are often different to reality.

I have had some scary moments where I have mixed up my commercial world and the erotic one but on a face-to-face basis no one has ever minded, in fact I have many middle aged female clients that love a little peek into my naughty world and love it.

Photographic images can be distributed easily on social media. How do you maintain control and preserve a financial stream? The OnlyFans and Patreon formats are changing the way artists and porn performers are compensated. From experience, is this a step in the right direction?

Paid social media is a great step in the right direction. It costs a lot of money to create pictures and this is a way of gaining some of it back. That said it's a hungry beast and takes a lot of time and effort to feed.

The MenArt business is funded in many ways. Paid social media is one, escorts and porn stars looking for portfolio shoots another. Especially if they don't want me to use their pictures. Without doubt the main MenArt revenue comes from private shoots. Guys pay to come and have fun in the studio. They know it's one hundred percent private and no one will ever see their pictures from me.

As to controlling where my pictures go and how they are presented I'm incredibly relaxed about it. If a pic ends up on the internet it's going to travel and there's not a lot I can do about it and frankly I just look at it as free promotion. The only caveat to that would be if they are used commercially without my permission, then of course I would push for reasonable reward for the use of my professional work