The first time Kent Taylor was on a set where they were discussing "sounds," he had no idea what they were talking about.
"I thought music or drums. I did not know. Then they brought them out," he recalls. "Steel rods that they insert into the head of the dick. OK, I was horrified...and riveted. I had to watch, of course, because I was going to be shooting it and I had to know what was going on. Weeks later, I could not stop thinking about them. So I realized I needed to try them, and I did, more than once. Let's just say, they look worse than they feel. They are actually pretty cool and super kinky."
Chalk it up to on-the-job training. It's just one of the perks that comes with being a partner at Raging Stallion, the studio that burst into the sex stratosphere earlier this year at the GAYVN Awards with its multi-winning smash Grunts. Taylor also picked up his own hardware, winning the inaugural award for Best Still Photographer (which he shared with Geof Teague). It's a moment that cemented his status as one of the premier photographers in the business, an overdue recognition for a man - and a profession - that has long gotten the short end of the industry accolade shaft.
"Every day I feel incredibly blessed. I get to make my living being a creative person, and now I get to do that while working with some of the sexiest men in the gay adult industry. Amazing," Taylor says. "The process of growing has never stopped. Every shoot, every crazy location - all help me to be a better photographer. I have to thank Chris Ward for pushing that process with great regularity. He loves to pull all of us out of our comfort zones; he has created some of my most difficult photographic challenges, for which I am so grateful. I am always a better photographer when we are done."
Taylor - a painting and sculpture major in college - knew that good slides were imperative for his portfolio, so he took a photography class in college. "Once I started the class, I could not stop. I loved it. After two years of studying, I switched my major to fine art photography. I have not stopped since."
It's a passion that has filtered over into all aspects of his life: "My friends call me a ‘culture vulture.' Sounds terrible, huh? I love to consume creative arts: theater, exhibits, open studios. I cannot get enough. I usually go to the theater two to three times a month," Taylor says. As for his dream shoot: "Have you seen The Eyes of Laura Mars? That would be my dream shooting...high-budget fashion. Sorry, my dreams are stuck in the '80s!"
After six years of fine art photography training from great colleges, Taylor did several commercial internships and continued to take classes in digital media. He found work as a commercial photographer, and soon Michael Youens - a good friend and client who held numerous positions with Falcon - referred him to Hot House Entertainment. The studio hired him as head photographer, where he was part of Chris Ward's production team. Taylor worked there for two years, and when Ward decided to start his own studio in 2000, the photographer soon followed as a freelancer.
"I was working like crazy," Taylor says of his life in and outside of the studio system. "I had just made a calendar - the original Miss Trannyshack Calendar. Life was good. It took Chris a while to convince me to join him full time. I worked for him as a freelancer for about a year, then he made me an offer I could not refuse: partner in the business. I said, ‘Chris, you got yourself a photographer!' I was quite happy to join him. He is an amazing, inspirational man."
Taylor surprisingly admits that prior to entering the industry, he paid very little attention to porn: "Like so many other gay men, I popped it in and popped it off. End of story, pass the Kleenex."
But he quickly grew as an artist and a businessman, helping Raging Stallion grow from a small three-man operation to the juggernaut it is today. His expertise is also put to use as a press liaison for the studio, skills he perfected while handling public relations for his own business and for photography exhibits (he was also hired to do PR for a small porn company before working with Raging Stallion).
"Shooting for Raging Stallion, I have to constantly remember I am creating marketing material with my creative stamp on it, so I cannot get too crazy. I save that for the end of the shoots, after I feel we have nailed it. Over the years, that has been the constant lesson - how to live true to my creative vision and to make the best images I am able. Of course, with these guys it is not that hard."
His biggest adjustment to shooting for porn was acclimating to the speed required - he would be given 10 minutes to cover what a crew had filmed in two hours, or 45 minutes to shoot a layout he normally had a few hours to do. "Photography has always had a critical role in this business," he says. "It is what sells the product. If your photography is not good, the movie will suffer. It is a lot of pressure to be honest, but I welcome it."
Taylor notes he had two major influences as a young gay man in art school, starting with Robert Mapplethorpe. "I loved his work, his light, the fact that he lived his work. And the fisting series...amazing! He continues to blow me away to this day. The other [influence] is Peter Berlin. I happened on his self-portraits, I think in an old Honcho. I was so inspired that he set all that up. Between the both, it is no wonder I spent most of my ‘fine art' days doing self-portraits. I was then lucky enough to meet Peter, and have several times since - although I have never photographed him. I have always dreamed about being able to do that. I was asked if I would. Please! I was more excited about that than I was when I photographed Karen Black!"
When pressed to describe his own style, Taylor doesn't have an easy answer: "That is a really tough question; it is such a subconscious process. Once I start, I never know exactly where it is going to end. I change my lights, I change my perspective, I jump around. I am told by many of the performers that I am very entertaining to watch," he says with a laugh. "What do you call that style? I don't know."
As for how his work reflects his personality, Taylor is equally unsure: "If you look closely, you will see that my work is frequently dark, moody and reaches out with the eyes. Is that me? I don't know. You be the judge."
Taylor adds that the bottom line in his growth and development is continually opening his mind to more information and ideas, and letting his work progress accordingly. "My main goal is to not get stuck or bored. I know that sounds crazy, but I have watched so many professionals go into autopilot and never come out. That terrifies me. I want to love my work until the day I am done. So I shake it up as often as possible," he says. "I have worked with so many amazing men on this 10-year path. My favorite subjects are the guys that understand what their bodies do - the ones that I ask to ‘pop those triceps' and they understand, and do it without hesitation. They know how to make their bodies look the best they can. Then with my lighting and perspective, we can rock a photo set."
While Taylor has never gotten naked in front of the camera, he can be seen in many behind-the-scenes DVD extras. He also keeps busy doing work for the studio's calendars (made through 10% Productions), and this fall saw 10 years of studio work collected in the book Magnum, released through Bruno Gmunder and highlighting a decade of Raging Stallion studs. "Magnum is the one that is really exciting at the moment. Although I have been part of books, this is [my] first solo publication like this. I am really proud of it."
If history is any indication, so are the fans. And while Taylor might not get as much credit and coverage as his naked subjects, he wouldn't have it any other way.
"Maxim magazine did a poll some years back asking what was the best job in the world, and after asking thousands of straight men, ‘porn photographer' was the No. 1 occupation. Granted, they were talking about straight porn, but you get the picture. I have the job that so many people dream about, straight or gay! How fucking lucky is that?"
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