BART GRZYBOWSKI by BELL SOTO

Here is a fragrance story and film I shot with polish model Bart Grzybowski
He is so nice and sophisticated in person, but he can photograph rough and masculine.
It was a fun day.

DAN HYMAN / OBSESSION film by BELL SOTO

Here is a new film i shot with british model Dan Hyman at Soul Artist management.
I was inspired by his amazing physique and the beautiful drawings of Paul Cadmus. I imagined the story of a man who is obsessed with the perfect drawing which can never achieved ...his obsession absorbs him completely.
I feel that images without a concept become too ordinary and forgettable,  I want my images to remind me of an idea, a thought or a feeling i had in a moment in time.

WILLIAM WIRHED : NARCISSUS by BELL SOTO

Here is a new film i shot with swedish model WILLIAM WIRHED from AIM model management.
With art direction by GLENN JOHNSON.

I always liked the romantic tale of Narcissus, as the boy who falls in love his image and drowns in a pool of water.
I remember I grew up with the concept that "vanity" is not an attractive quality in a person.
Ironically , in the last years .vanity has become not only part of our society but a virtue praised by numbers of likes on instagram and other apps. where the more self centered the person the more intrigued are ones who follow.
The selfish found a positive home in a "selfie".

When I met William, ( even though in person, he is such a  beautiful young man ), I was impressed by his personality, intelligence and lack of pretense. So I decided to do a new take on a Narcissus that does not die nor falls in love with himself.
Our Narcissus is searching for something besides his vain reflection. We do not know what he is looking for ...perhaps will find out in another short film when we meet again.

ARRAN SLY / Solutide , film by BELL SOTO

SOLITUDE is the story of a man on a deserted beach trying to connect with something or someone. 

I wanted to portray the feeling of Loneliness vs Solitude. Some people need to be around people to feel protected, feel part of a group, a tribe. Some others, find peace in Solitude, they are content to be alone. 

One feeling is the opposite to the other. To feel Complete or Incomplete.

These days most people are trying to connect through apps on their phones, which has become our instant connection to the world. In the film, that object is represented by the bottle with a message in it.

There is something very inspiring about the sea, the line of infinity created by the horizon. You can feel alone and part of nature at the same time. We shot in a deserted beach in Malibu.

This film project is part of a fashion editorial for Risbel magazine spring summer issue. British model Arran was our first choice for the shoot. 

However , I had not met him in person until the day of the shoot , which is very important, since the personality of the model has to match the story.  i was captivated by a 15 sec post  he had in his instagram.

His “message in an bottle” had reached me and we created a beautiful film together.



FILM BY BELL SOTO
model ARRAN SLY   /   Two Management / DNA models
edited  by BELL SOTO + GLENN JOHNSON
camera ERIC FALLECKER
music JULIA KENT
clothing  CALVIN KLEIN, NICOLE MILLER, THEORY, JOCKEY INTERNATIONAL, KENZO
special thanks BRITTANY THALER / TWO MANAGEMENT

TRAVIS SMITH & LOUIS SOLYWODA in Dsquared

Here is a story i shot with two amazing hawaiian models : Travis Smith  @ DNA models and Louis Solywoda @ SOUL artist management. for the new issue of RISBEL MAGAZINE wearing the SS2016 collection by  DSQUARED

Photography BELL SOTO
Styling TIMOTHY REUKAUF / Wilhelmina Artists
Grooming RIAD AZAR  / L'Atelier

 

MUSE / ALIJAH HARRISON

Here is a new film I shot with Art director Glenn Johnson and Model Alijah Harrison / Soul Model management.

I wanted to tell a universal story in a special way.  I was walking out of my studio with Art Director Glenn Johnson and we found the mannequin on the sidewalk. Someone had just left her there. She was too clean and perfect. We thought it was absurd and funny, we smiled at each other as if she was looking at us. She was not the typical mannequin, we were inspired by her androgynous beauty.

Then, we met Alijah and he was a perfect complement since they both look alike. In a world where everyone seems to be in love with themselves, to me, their similarity was a subtle element that added a layer to the concept of Love.

Muse is the story of creating something beautiful out of sadness, which is a romantic way of telling the story of how we found her”

 

Once upon a time there was a poet
but he had lost his words
his inspiration had abandoned him
Then she arrived…
The poet never saw such  beauty
He never felt this way
It was love at first sight
Pure
He thought it was forever
But something was wrong…
She could not love him back,
For she was heartless
He said
I love you
She said nothing
it broke his heart
She stayed silent
Back at this desk, he could not forget her
His broken heart made him write…and write, and write
And then, he realized he had created
“The Saddest Poem ever written”

Then she left—

SOUL / PRESTON RIGGS film

Here is a new film i shot with the amazing Preston Riggs. He is a model from California represented by Adam Models.
 for this video we wanted to work a concept from a starting quote of an Oscar Wilde quote “What men call the shadow of the body is not the shadow of the body, but is the body of the soul.
Also we wanted to incorporate the idea of fear as fear of shadows, but the fears only exist within us.

SOUL
director BELL SOTO
art dir  GLENN JOHNSON
model PRESTON RIGGS
special thanks KEVIN HOLLOMAN