Rick Shameless, a mainstream fashion photographer from Los Angeles with numerous high-profile credits, has begun directing for Vertigo Video.
Shameless shot two three-way scenes for his debut project on Sunday in the Hollywood Hills. The video, which has a working title of Outgunned, entails two starlets in each scene playfully teasing and torturing one guy.
Shameless got started assisting photographers such as Patrick Demarchelier and Bruce Weber in New York, where he lived for two years. Then he began working closely with Paul Jasmin, whom he considers his mentor. Shameless has 10 years of freelance fashion photography experience.
"The pictures that I was taking for magazines like Flaunt were pushing the boundaries for what was acceptable for models," Shameless told AVN.com. "Coming into this industry was a breath of fresh air for me. I was finally able to shoot some girls that I didn't have to talk out of their clothes."
Shameless said his style is "sexy and raw."
"My people are beautiful because they are who they are, not because I change them into something," he said. "I try to make who they are come out as a person."
Shameless has been published in magazines such as Italian Vogue, Interview, Bikini, Puta, Nylon and Flaunt.
He landed his first real photography job by contacting Demarchelier, who coincidentally had just fired his assistant. He interviewed the same day and began working for the celebrated photographer later that afternoon.
Some of Demarchelier's work includes magazine covers for Harper's Bizarre and ad campaigns for Calvin Klein.
"I took the job because I knew I wanted to take pictures," he said.
Vertigo Video co-owner T.J. DiReda said he liked Shameless's attitude.
"Lots of people come into your office wanting to get into the adult industry," DiReda said. "But I liked how Rick was very humble. He came into my office and said, 'I want to learn about porn.' He didn't act like he already knew it all."
Shameless and DiReda collaborated last year on a Third Rail clothing ad in Flaunt magazine that featured Ninn Worx contract star Angel Cassidy.
Shameless, who plans to continue doing mainstream projects, recently left a photo shoot for Elle magazine during his lunch break to go shoot a box cover for Vertigo.
"Now I can afford myself to be choosy with what I want to do in mainstream," he said.
He said he still works with the same makeup, hair and wardrobe stylists in adult.
"These are people I've used for these magazines and it makes a big difference," Shameless said.
Shameless shot Vertigo's July AVN advertisement "Rock Hard," which some readers tore out and stuck on their walls. He also captured all the still photos from Seymore Butts' Cousin Stevie's Pussy Party.
"I don't like to be stuck in a studio. That's not the type of pictures that I take," Shameless continued. "… Crossing over to doing porn has been super fun because I always enjoyed being on set watching scenes. And I do love hot, natural chicks."
Shameless's first Vertigo release is coming this fall.
