Photographer. Maggie West is an LA-based photographer and is known for her beautiful photos, which tend to have a multicolored hue to them. Her first book KISS, featured 20 couples kissing one another under that same rainbow lighting. Now, West has come out with her second book, 23.
Book. In 23, West features 23 models, all under the same lighting, but completely in the nude. Unlike most nude photography books in the past, 23 also includes trans men and women. West explores sexuality and looks to break gender norms in a book she says is “appropriate for 2017, and for my generation.”
Inspiration. West told Cosmopolitan that she’s always had an affinity for nude photos, however she couldn’t help but noticed that a lot of nude photography books portrayed male and female models as either strictly masculine or strictly feminine. Because of this, West was inspired to create her own book, which would explore gender and sexuality.
Stereotypes. ”When I decided to do a book of nudes, I started looking around at a lot of existing nude books and a lot of them seemed to have a very stereotypical, very binary depiction of sexuality, masculinity, and femininity. Most books didn’t combine men and women— and if they did, it was very masculine men and very feminine women,” said West, as reported by Cosmopolitan.
Casting. So West decided to make a book which would showcase all genders as opposed to just focusing on one in particular, and making sure not leave out anyone who may be LGBTQ. When it came to casting models for her book, West says she used a picture of some of her personal friends, but also worked closely with Slay Models, a transgender modeling agency based in Los Angeles.
Models. ”The models in 23 are a mixture of friends of mine, models I knew from other shoots and people I found on the Internet. I also worked with Slay Models, Los Angeles’ first transgender modeling agency, who helped me find several of the trans female models in the book. Overall, it’s a really beautiful, diverse mix of people,” West told Out.com.
Love. While West maintains that she kept it strictly professional during the shoot, she did manage to fall in love with one of her models, Christopher Zeischegg, a former adult film star who went by the name Danny Wylde. The couple have been dating for a year now, and Zeischegg also wrote an essay about sexuality which was included in 23.
Supportive. ”He’s great. He’s honestly the best person I’ve ever dated. We’ve been together for a year now, we’re super happy, and I feel like he’s really supportive of me and my art projects, and I’m really supportive of his writing. It’s kind of awesome,” said West, as reported by Cosmopolitan.
Differences. While both of West’s books are inclusive of people of every gender and sexuality, she says the two differ in certain ways. West tells Out.com that KISS’ purpose was more so about showcasing intimacy between couples, while 23 is more about the individual and their sexuality.
Identity. ”So the first book was more about relationship dynamics and the second one has more to do with individual identity. In both books, the inclusion of queer men and women was essential. It would be completely ridiculous to make a book or series about relationships or identity and leave out such a large part of our population,” said West, as reported by Out.com.
Relaxed. Naturally, the idea of a nude photoshoot might make some people uncomfortable, but West says that the overall vibe in the studio was constantly relaxed. By talking to her models and getting to know them, West was able to make them feel more comfortable with getting completely nude in front of a camera.
Dialogue. ”While shooting KISS, most of the models completely forgot I existed once they started kissing. With 23, we had a lot of dialogue about our lives, identities and other subjects. I feel like these exchanges helped make everyone more relaxed and comfortable, and helped capture more genuine portraits,” said West, as reported by Out.com.
Nudes. West says she also spoke to each individual to see what they would be comfortable with when it came to shooting. While some chose to shoot completely nude, others chose to be a bit more covered up. In the end, West had every model prove each photo before she published the book.
Boundaries. ”There were a few trans models who didn’t want to get completely naked. We just shot them from the waist up, and that was great and we got some amazing photos. But it’s really important as a photographer, when you’re shooting nudes, to talk about everyone’s boundaries and make sure everyone is comfortable,” West told Cosmopolitan.
Future. West says she’s still not done exploring intimacy, and plans on continuing to focus on it in her future work. As of right now, she hopes to start doing more public art exhibitions as opposed to featuring her work in just galleries. Regardless of what she does, it’s safe to say we’re looking forward to it.
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