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Sometimes my photo shoots are inspired by an old book, a movie or a photograph. A designer’s collection or even a cool location can also spark a specific idea. But in the case of the “Home On The Range” spread in Instinct’s December ’08 / January ’09 issue, the inspiration came from the model himself.
I first met Cory Bond (that’s Cory and I below) when I set up a go-see with Jason Kanner, Men’s Director of Major Model Management, to see some of his guys in person. I always like to actually meet the boys (as they are referred to throughout the industry regardless of my age or their’s) before I work with them—not just to see if they are as cute as their pictures (which usually rings true) but to also to get a feeling for their personality, sense of humor and to determine “do I really want to spend an entire day on-set with this guy?”.
I had no doubt about Cory’s beauty when I first saw his pictures on Major’s website. Right away, I knew I had to shoot him. Regardless of your own personal taste, Cory is a guy that everyone would consider universally attractive. He’s like a younger George Clooney—tall, dark and handsome. One day we just might see Cory on the silver screen himself. Even his buddy Bruce Weber (who has photographed Cory several times for Abercrombie & Fitch, among others) thinks he should be an actor!
When Cory came up to that go-see (check out his close-up and shirtless casting shots below), I was immediately won over by his charm, wit and beautiful smile (not to mention his killer body!).
Plus I was also intrigued when he mentioned his four horses, three dogs and 48-acre ranch outside of Nashville in a small town called Watertown (not far from where he grew up). What a perfect idea for a shoot, right? So, after checking out some of Cory’s personal photos (including one of him and his horse Patches) and working out the details with his agent, “Home On The Range” became a reality.
Vincent (Vinnie) Dilio, the photographer, and I landed in Nashville on a Friday afternoon and immediately checked into the Watertown Bed & Breakfast (which Cory likened to “staying at Grandma’s house” and was home to Lindsay “Bionic Woman” Wagner when she was in town filming the movie Billy Graham: The Early Years). We met up with Cory and his beautiful wife Bekah Jenkins (sorry boys—not only is Cory straight, he’s married—and she’s a model too!) around the corner at LuLu’s Coffee House (named after the owner’s Chihuahua) before location scouting at an 85-acre horse farm owned by Cory’s good friend Ruby Guidara (where videos for Carrie Underwood, Garth Brooks and Kellie Pickler have all been shot).
We spent the next two days shooting—and we could not have asked for a better subject or location—plus the weather was amazing and the clothes all fit perfectly, too (which always helps)! Some other highlights from the shoot include: a goat named Cherry (who developed a major crush on Vinnie—see above), dinner and lunch again the next day at Mi Ranchito (one of the only restaurants in town), Kobe beef short ribs with black truffle grits at Radius 10 (in Nashville’s historic Gulch section) and a Sunday afternoon visit with Cory’s friends Billy and Jimmy (at their fascinating art-filled home).
Hopefully you will enjoy looking at “Home On The Range” as much the Instinct team and I did creating it for you! Happy Holidays!!
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