JESSIE LEE by JAY PLOGMAN - THE BLISS INTERVIEW

JESSIE LEE by JAY PLOGMAN - THE BLISS INTERVIEW

Jay Plogman was one of the first few artists to be featured in BLISS with a cover story entitled East Meets West, which debuted in December of 2009. From the moment I discovered his work, I was a fan and the appreciation for the way he lights and frames his subjects continues to this day.  He has a diverse eye, which is refreshing in a landscape that can be filled with so many variations on the same theme in terms of model choices. He is international in scope having lived abroad for some time before returning to the U.S. and the change of scenery, not to mention the models available, brought about noticeable changes in his style. His work evolved rather than improved because neither improvement nor change was really necessary, but the evolution added new dimensions to what was already an impressive portfolio.

I count Jay amongst a large group of individual artists who are celebrities for me. These artists, whose work I admire and am inspired by serve as my versions of the rock star, the actor, the sports figure or media personality that keep so many in our society captivated and enthralled. In much the same way that people idolized James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Madonna, Michael Jordon, and the current crop of superstars like Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and reality show personalities (unfortunately), I was spellbound by the photographic talents of so many artists. BLISS was my way of connecting to them in a manner that went beyond just staring at the amazing images and attempting to bring that same joy and captivation to a different audience who might not know the names behind the photographs, as well as taking a peek inside the minds and into the creative process.

Jessie Lee is like a mini tornado and has quickly become a phenomenon in the world of artistic modeling and adult performance. He had only been on the scene for a short amount of time but his popularity continues to rise at an unbelievable pace. He has garnered more attention and fan adoration than any individual I have had the pleasure of working with and is an undeniable attraction on Peter Le's mega popular site PeterFever.com. While working with him we discussed other photographers that he could work with and the first person I mentioned was Jay Plogman.  He was already scheduled to work with West Phillips so I felt Jay would be the perfect choice. As luck would have it, Jay ...