
One of my more fascinating discoveries of the past several years is Dan Hancock who I happened to meet quite by chance at a gathering of creatives here in Utah. Instantly intrigued by his energy, his enthusiasm and his looks I had the chance to take some quick pictures of Dan that evening but knew that those few pictures would never be enough. Our first official shoot took place in my backyard on a windy evening after dark when Dan fired danced for me. I had never photographed anyone working with fire so there were a lot of hits and misses when it came to getting it right. Sitting at my laptop reviewing the images though I knew I'd stumbled onto someone who was fully capable of bringing my artistry to life in a way that no one ever had before. All I could think about was how soon I could get him out onto the Great Salt Lake to do some more work together.

Our shoot out on the big salty lake in late fall was amazing; we worked for many hours waiting for it to get dark so we could do some fire dancing pictures on the water. This time I got it right even though by the time we were done my feet were aching and numb from standing in the cold water. Never mind that Dan was out there in the water completely naked with his double-ended torch. I was so cold and miserable all I could think about was how quickly we could get this over with so I could get back to the car and thaw my feet out. We got some memorable shots so in the end it was worth it. Dan never complained once and completely blew me away with his skills, his wild abandon and his beautiful, primal presence in front of the camera. The above image of Dan just at the moment the sun was slipping behind the distant mountains is one of those rare moments when everything comes together so perfectly that I just have to stand back and go wow! How did that happen?

Dan is a complex man with deep rivers of passion and lofty ideals that underwrite his extraordinary physicality. He doesn't need to be coached as much as just given a context and allowed to run free within it. His powerful, unadorned maleness leaped into being that day with one beautiful and powerful image after another. If Dan were just a list of parts, his wild mane of hair, his beautiful body, his ruggedly handsome face and his mad skills with fire we wouldn't have these pictures. It's what comes from within Dan that sets him apart and brings all of the disparate parts of him into a oneness in front of the camera that we can almost reach out and touch. Effortlessly, he draws a thread between the primitive and contemporary; a thread that likely resides in all of us at some level.

More pictures of Dan after the jump...