meet Erick Monterrosa: photographer extraordinaire

CELEBRATE: to honor especially by solemn ceremonies or by refraining from ordinary business, b: to mark (something, such as an anniversary) by festivities or other deviation from routine and 3: to hold up or play up for public notice 

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The the solemn ceremony here is photography and the rasion d’etre for the celebration is the human male form. In my opinion, you couldn’t find many who would disagree that Mr. Monterrosa quite literally celebrates the male form with more finesse, skill and taste than so many that we encounter on social media platforms ….  He leaves them in a trail of dust.

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His is not the work of a “snapshot photographer” … he is quite literally an artist whose tools are his camera, his lighting, his setup and his taste level for exhibiting the exquisite attributes of beautiful men.

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Today, much to my utter delight, Erick has offered his own insights into his private life and his profession … but if you do the math (there are about 250-275 words on a typewritten page) then here is a 130 page volume that proves what I’ve just stated.

 

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Jeffrey Felner: How would you say the internet and social media, especially Instagram, have affected the world of photography and how far to push the envelope?

Erick Monterrosa: I wouldn't be the photographer I am today without the internet. More than 30 years ago, art was exclusive to the upper classes. Magazine powerhouses like Vogue, Elle, Vanity Fair, etc., played a major role in exposing first world countries to the works of top ranked photographers, such as Meisel, Avedon or Demarchelier. However, third world country boys like me didn't have access to these publications. They were either too expensive, or their distribution was simply nonexistent. It was the internet that built a bridge between art and the masses. I no longer needed to pay for a printed magazine in order to gather inspiration; I now do this from home through social media. This is why I treat my Instagram feed as an online gallery. I want my audience to have that sort of experience whenever they click on my account. I feel small creators like me are more empowered than ever thanks to the internet. I wouldn't say I don't love the idea of my work being at an art gallery, however it's no longer a prerequisite to be successful. 

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 JB: Much has been written about creatives who have a signature look; would you say you have one? Want one? … and how would you best describe yours? 

ER: I definitely think I have a signature style, which has taken me years to develop and yet it is constantly evolving. I'm inspired by eroticism and the human body. My photography goes around three key elements, which I call my holy trinity: art, fashion and sex. The images I create lie somewhere within this spectrum, as I avoid falling into one single genre. I always joke about my work being too pornographic to be fashionable, too fashionable to be artistic and yet too artistic to be pornographic.

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JF: If you could invite any 5 people to dinner who would they be and why?

ER: I don't know if I could invite 5 people, I admire at the same time hahaha. I would rather focus on just one, so I get the best out of the experience. No other name comes to my mind but top model Coco Rocha. As soon as I knew the existence of the fashion industry, I was exposed to her covers, editorials and behind-the-scene videos. I was so impressed, not only by her looks but her ability to pose in very dramatically. Later on, I found out she was a Jehovah’s witness which led her to avoid posing nude in front of the camera. This is groundbreaking, as models are expected to show their bodies if the concept requires it. The way she managed to get so big in the industry without sacrificing her values inspired me to stick to my gut, even when my values are quite the opposite of hers. I'm not religious and I'm all about nudity. 

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JF: What would you say has been your most rewarding or fulfilling accomplishment/s to date and why?

ER: My biggest accomplishment has been my ability to be supported by my art, which is something I was told would never happen. I'm far from rich, but money isn't really my drive. I feel accomplished just by waking up every day knowing I'm doing what makes me the happiest.

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JF: If you could “rewrite” your career path … how would you change it and why? Or how did you decide that this is your career path and why?

ER: I rarely regret things in my life, but I wish I had moved to Europe at an early age to have proper photography training. I have a business degree, which I pursued because I had no art related options back in my country Nicaragua. I was never a business person, but a frustrated artist. It took me a while to come to this realization. Where I come from, art is a joke, thus doing what I loved the most was perceived by my family and peers as a phase; something a young immature boy would do just to have fun. In college, I worked as an event photographer and that's when I realized photography gave me purpose. Suddenly, it became part of my identity. Till this date, I'm fighting to get proper education. It's a personal goal of mine, even when many tell me I don't need it. find him also on his website.... www.behance.net/monterrosa31fe

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allow me to introduce you to Marwill De León

Once again, this is a chance encounter with someone who was wise enough to strike up a conversation after I paid him a compliment. I am endlessly fascinated by the people one can meet just by saying a few kind words and possibly something complimentary.  The amazement is when the party on the receiving end is gracious enough to acknowledge the sentiment and then strike up a chat.

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Marwill De León is today’s case in point as he is one hell of a charmer and in these tough times of social distancing, it is indeed very refreshing to find people who are open to “making friends” and learning about who I am and me learning about who they are. The next natural step for me was to ask if he would be interested in doing one of my 5 question interviews, given that I found him to be a sort of multifaceted young man who possesses a very unique skill set, as you will find out, and none of them are of the fans only variety!.. if you catch my drift!!

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So here you have one Marwill De León who is going to tell us who he is and what he wants out this life in his own words….

Jeffrey Felner: You have such a diverse skill set... can you tell us how they all came about and do they ever have a cross over point?

Marwill Delión: Yeah …well to be honest, I’m not quite sure how it just happened because I was just living my life. I’m from Puerto Rico where I lived most of my life; I was this crazy little, maybe a little wild, the kid always getting in trouble skating and surfing.  My cross over point I would say was when I came when I moved here to the USA where I started to cook and soon became a chef. Then I started looking for modeling jobs and researching exactly how I might achieve this goal. 

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JF: If you could invite any 5 people to dinner (dead or alive) who would they be and why?

MD: My 5 people ....  well ...  I have no idea actually but I guess Jean-Paul (JP) as he is like my brother. Then Gabriel, my cousin, since we were always getting into trouble together while growing up. Then I’d want Jimi Hendrix, because he just needs to be at the table, Bob Marley because he’s a lover just like me… hahaha ... and lastly Pablo Picasso for no other reasons than that I admire his discipline, talents and his passions.  

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JF: Let’s get a bit personal here…  tell us about the tattoos and the hair... obviously, they are your chosen trademarks... why and what do they represent?

MD: So okay, I’ve always liked my hair long but there was a point when I was unable to keep it long because of culinary school. Then I took a leap of faith and moved to the USA. the tats all represent and parts of me and who I am and what I love. These traits and memories (tats) remind me of where I come from. 

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JF: In a perfect world, what would be your greatest dream ... where would you live, what would you be doing, and what message would you hope to be conveying to others?

MD: My greatest dream would be to be on the cover of GQ and Vogue and to be able to travel and visit my family whenever I want. I’ve never been but I would love to live somewhere in Europe especially because traveling would afford me that luxury and being exposed to so many of the world's cultures.

 I could also see myself living on a beach somewhere catching waves, drinking water from the seeds of the palm.  My message ... honestly, would be possessing the freedom of allowing ourselves to realize that life is too damn short. We have to live the life that we have while holding onto a strong purpose and learning not to let go... mainly because there are no real do-overs in life… you can’t turn back the clock and start again, you only get one chance to start for the first time!

ON BEING A SEPTUAGENARIAN ..3/19/50

taken chez Felner by Robert Presutti ( seen here)

“aging is an extraordinary process whereby you become the person you always should have been” … David Bowie

When you spend 25 years of your life believing that you will not live past 51, some of these words provided me with a coping mechanism. Alas, here I am at 70 and I ask myself “how and when did this happen?” the answer is simply time passes and sometimes you’re too busy living life to notice that suddenly you’re old!

As I have written before, I have been blessed with an excessive, hypersexualized, event filled and relatively care free life that most would kill for and was lucky enough to be able to survive it and drink in some of the most memorable times living in the non-gentrified city of New York. From the gritty vile sticky floors of 42^nd street porno palaces to rubbing elbows, and a lot more, with NYC’s social elite in the most likely and unlikely places.

My father always told me that you don’t know how you grew up till you’ve grown up and well I’m more than ripe now and I can say Jesus fucking Christ I had a blast... I just wish I was paying more attention. The worst part of this whole aging thing is that, for me, the golden years is a myth we grew up with embedded in our heads but now I know there is no such thing. No one ever told us there are consequences to aging such as ailments and conditions that you acquire along the way whether you “ask” for them or not.

I believe I have previously written that death entered my life starting at 26 and it just never ends especially because none of us make it out of here alive. It’s been mentally and physically taxing to have now lived through watching my peers die twice… once prematurely and now in my latter years because that’s the life cycle but as I am reminded and remind so many that death is a part of everyone’s life… like it or not.

No, I am not dying and have no plans to do so at any time soon but suddenly you do realize that your exit time is much nearer than further and that is a bit unsettling and disconcerting even for a wise ass like me. But… on the plus side I have discovered that one can still fall in love after 60 and one can still reinvent themselves and that no matter how old you are ... life is full of surprises… some of them even wonderful!

“my sense of death affects me daily---for the better. when you’re slightly afraid of death, you’re less afraid of other things: bosses, spouses, plumbers, rape, bankruptcy, not being liked, the flu, aging!” This has been on my refrigerator door since 1976

On friendship, I have surely learned that nothing is forever and the ranks thin considerably as we age but again, life being what is, you can still make bff’s and that some who you really believed were your bff’s were in fact not. It is somewhat disheartening especially for someone like me who hates to be wrong especially about those I considered to be friends but you have 2 choices …. You either say life is too short to fight about it or you fight for it ...I’ve done both and truth be told I walk away faster these days rather than fight.

I can never sing the praises of the internet loudly enough or even Facebook and NYJB as they have opened up doors for me that I would have otherwise never been able to even get to the threshold let alone open and enter. My rewards have been beyond my expectations and my knowledge has proven to be an asset that I never knew I possessed. Most of this has been my ability to reach so many and for so many to seek me out and even some to become cherished friends that unquestionably I’d have never crossed their paths without the net.

Last on my sort of list is that never laugh at the “the memory is the first to go” as by god the brain does slow down… the names aren’t remembered so quickly and even words are somehow not as quick to come by but we persevere. I am lucky that I still have the opportunity at this stage to now connect the dots for all these  amazing people that I now know… maybe it’s a selfish act  on my part but the one gnawing aspect of my aging is not  death itself but being forgotten after one’s death and so I prefer to make my legacy to be what I have made possible for others and what I might be able to do to further them in their endeavors through the miraculously large web of people that I’ve amassed.

“aristocracy is a way of thinking and behaving, a cast of mind. It’s a style of dressing and speaking, a code of social signals that convince the aristocrat that he is superior, and other people that he should be given deference.” This has also been on the door of my fridge since the 70s.

No, I don’t think I have ever thought of myself as an aristocrat or above the fray but I’ve certainly skillfully crafted an image of myself and I’m not the least bit shy about saying it. It’s not being a snob, it’s simply that you can never assume to know anyone unless you actually do…. I am as I continually say “a well wrapped package!”

Hopefully I’ll have more to say in 5 years but in case I don’t... this ought to hold you for a while…

Special thanks go to Robert Presutti for being “my mirror” these past few years and for my birthday images

PS… in case you recognize yourself in these words then I can assure you …  that it is YOU!