Arny Freytag: Another way to see the inspiration behind SexyMuse

Last Monday of 2011, so I am going to take this chance to talk a little bit about meeting one of the man you can consider my inspiration.

It’s funny to me, that for years I’ve been studying the way Playboy Magazine [prepare their] lights, models, and the production of those amazing images, let alone the Centerfolds. For a long time, it didn’t even occur to me, that there was a person behind all this magic, all this beauty, all this sexy hotness.

I am talking about Arny Freytag whom I have the pleasure/opportunity to meet at the two STC events I participated in this year. Some of you may not know who he is, but I am sure you are very familiar with his work.

Long time Playboy photographer, Arny not only has the dream job of every person I know (women included), he has been doing it (with excellent results) for decades. I have always believed that ‘getting there’ is just a little piece of the puzzle, the hardest part is staying at the top and staying relevant. Well, after more than 140 covers on one of the most famous magazines in the world, you know this is a person that knows how to beat all the odds and doesn’t hide behind lame excuses.

There is a lot you can probably find on the Internet about Arny, so I won’t repeat the same info you would get from Google, like how he is famous for using large amounts of head (lights) on every centerfold he produces, sometimes up to 50. And it’s not just the quantity, as I’m sure you would like me think; it would be meaningless to use 50 lights if you just start adding lights like crazy just because. In the case of Arny, each light has an individual purpose, whether it is to call your attention to a single detail of the model’s anatomy, improve (yes, these Playboy models can also be improved), a particular part of the model, or to make each piece of the background work perfectly for the shot he may be working on. When you are talking about 20/50 lights on a shot, you also need to think in terms of the amount of modifiers and studio equipment he uses to make sure he controls 100% (and I am talking 100%) of what the lights are doing on each scene. Every modifier there is, is present at Arny’s shoot.

This is one of the things that strikes me the most when I saw Arny working and explaining to me the theory behind each light. It’s that on the very second that you realize that you are not talking to a photographer, in reality, you are talking to a painter, who happens to change the canvas and brushed, for a camera and lightning equipment. This guy is a real artist, far beyond any technical preoccupation, his main concern is how each struck of light will affect his final ‘paint’.

Yes, he knows about cameras, lenses and all that technical stuff that just makes my head dizzy. He knows it to the point that it is like second nature to him, but when he was teaching, I don’t remember him talking about this that much. I just remember how this artist was talking about color, brush strokes, color and composition. How he creates something that makes sense every time he has the difficult task of shooting one of these gorgeous girls for a worldwide publication.

And then the person. Man! As a Glamour photographer myself, I know it is difficult to put a girl at ease, make her feel comfortable even though there is a bunch of people around her and she happens to be nude, most of the time for the very 1st time at her very 1st photoshoot. Well, he has done it over and over again, and does it perfectly (remember, 140 covers and counting…)

With so much of the Celebrity status that Arny has gained over the years, it was amazing to me how ‘cool’ of a guy Arny is. I remember having lunch with him at a food court in a mall in Florida. Yep, getting in line, getting a tray and ordering some Chinese out of the menu printed on the wall. I Had lunch with some other folks that were there too (btw, Jarmo Pohjaniemi was one of them), and it was like having lunch with any of my close photographers friends, talking about the art, the girls and life in general. Pretty normal up to the point that a ‘fan’ (male dude probably on his 40s) recognized him and from there, it was like watching a TV show on E entertainment; funny to me how an all grown up guy can look so much like a 13 y/o girl that just got to meet Justin Beiber. Funny stuff, but it gets you thinking that yeah, you are having lunch with a Celebrity (TV, magazine, famous people) that not only was, for example the photographer at the very famous show ‘The Girl Next Door‘, but this is a guy that has shot some of the most beautiful girls all over the world (over and over).

In short, I can talk (or write) for hours and hours about this guy, how inspirational his work (and persona) is to me, and how cool it was to know a celebrity that has his head on the right place. But I am just going to leave you with the comfort to know that this is something that can happen to you too. Don’t ask me why, it is beyond logic to me, but Arny has decided to share all of his knowledge, all of his tricks and all of his experiences with everybody who is willing to listen. Yep, Arny Freytag, the guy with the job we all dream about, teaching you everything he knows (man, even 10% will do you so much good)

Enjoy!

Rocke
www.rockephotography.com