I get lots of messages and comments enquiring about or bemoaning the lack of full-frontal nudity in meat ICONS (and before that in meat). The truth is there's always been a healthy dose of dick and ass in the magazine, and plenty of guys have been brave enough to bare all for my camera. In fact, it's a rare occasion when they don't get naked.
I love getting to photograph guys in the buff. There's something incredibly vicariously liberating about it, as someone who hates being photographed even fully clothed. I can always tell when it's a feeling of liberation for them, too, especially if it's a new experience.
I think a naked guy, in all his confidence and vulnerability, is a heady combination. However, I'm equally turned on by the anticipation of what's in a guy's pants and the irresistible tease of photographing him in his duds.
In this age, when a dick pic is only a message away, and we have access to an unending supply of naked imagery online, I can't help but wonder if we're a bit desensitised to the other charms of our fellow gays. Call me old-fashioned, but I'd like to think that meat offers a glimpse into my subjects' minds as well as their pants.
And above all, in the spirit of P.T. Barnham, you should always leave them wanting more.
The amazing Bill appeared (completely naked) in meat Twenty, which is available as a digital edition HERE