PRACTICE BOY... WITH MARCO S

I just stumbled across these old photos. They were some early shots I did when I was just getting back into photography after years of suppressing it in the name of focusing on a "real job". I needed some practice, which meant I needed a willing boy to let me photograph him. So I turned on Grindr or some such app and looked for willing participants.

In London, although the gay hookup apps are absolutely teeming, it's almost impossible to get one to agree to anything more than a quick and random fuck. In almost every other place on Earth, I've had great success getting guys to meet up for a coffee (literally a coffee) but in London it's a nightmare. Fortunately, I did find Marco S there, a guy who'd moved to London only weeks earlier from Sardinia. Perhaps he hadn't yet learned the ways of London Grindr protocol, for he didn't start the conversation with "more pics?" or "how big are you?"

So we met up a few days after our initial conversation and took a walk around a council estate doing some street style shots. Then we went indoors and he undressed. There were a lot of images with eyes out of focus, and the lighting wasn't ideal, but there were a few decent ones too. It was great practice, and although Marco barely spoke English, he was a lovely guy to hang out with. I wonder what happened to him.

Elska Boy: Marco S

Photographer: Liam Campbell

Location: London, England

Elska Magazine: N/A

#LondonEngland