West Phillips

Tbilisi: Azat, part 1

Added 2022-01-29 12:53:33 +0000 UTC

Welcome to my first shoot of 2022!

I found Azat on Grindr in December. He's from Russia, but has been staying in Georgia for a few months until he returns to Russia at the end of January. Though he looks younger, he's 25 and has a real boyish charm and fun about him. Energetic, always laughing and smiling and just the right amount of vain - a great combination to be my subject 🤩

For our first of 2 shoots, we met one morning at the first photoshoot location I used here in Tbilisi - the old fortress ruins overlooking the city. I knew there'd likely be no people and lots of that morning sun. As I guessed, we had the whole place to ourselves without another soul in sight. We did a variety of shots - from shirtless to full nude. He was as enthusiastic and eager to get the shots as I was and as it sometimes happens, I had to force myself to stop and just be content with all we got. Sometimes when you connect with a great and easy subject, it's possible you just don't want to stop and you end up getting just more and more of the same shots.

I should mention that it was cold - though not below freezing. The morning sun helped and between shots he covered up. Being Russian and a bit of an exhibitionist, the cold didn't seem to bother him much. I brought him a hot thermos anyway, just in case 😂

Georgia, January 2022