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THE
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In June 2003, Barry kindly responded to several questions regarding his work: Mark at Gay Erotic Archives (GEA): Did you study photography in school or are you largely self-taught? Barry Gollop (BG): I did not study photography formally. I took, however, many art and architecture courses at the University, among them: American Art and Architecture; Modern Art and Architecture, and two semesters of Art History. Adding to this, in my years of working for Pan Am, I frequently visited most art museums in every city that we flew to from the Miami base. Meanwhile, traveling with my camera on trips and layovers provided me with an opportunity of photographing genre, architecture, portraiture, and nudes. I am self-taught on technical aspects through books, camera manuals, experimentation, and mentors. The fundamentals of photography and dark room are important but can be learned outside the classroom. Studying art increases ones sensitivity to form, composition, ground, color, etc. and is a great approach to photography as an art form. GEA: About when did you start photographing nude men? BG: I had never shot B&W before 1981. I asked a athletic student that frequently laid out at the Miami Dade College Pool, if he would pose for me. I told him I wanted to photograph him in B&W, nude at a deserted beach on Key Biscayne. GEA: Who was your first nude model? BG: This boy's name was Juan Carlos, a beautiful Cuban boy about 19 years old at the time. I still have a framed B&W on my wall, from that first roll I shot of him on the beach - his chest with water droplets in repose. I like this photo as much today as I did than. Maybe I like it because it was wonderful to have such a positive first experience like that. It represents a new beginning for me. He got his degree in Architecture, and began working as such. I stayed in touch with him over the next few years. My last visit was at his home where he was bed ridden and in the final stages of AIDS. It was very difficult to see him this way but he was still beautiful to me. GEA: When and where was your first layout published? BG: In December of 1992 my first two layouts appeared in Torso [Dec. 1992] and Playguy [Dec. 1992]. They gave me the cover of Playguy that month. GEA: When did your association with Kristen Bjorn begin? BG: We met one another through a model & friend of mine while on a layover in Rio de Janeiro. It was in the mid 1980's where KB was working at the time. We began a friendship based on common interests including photography, South American music, and Brazilian culture. He pushed me into commercial photography for erotic magazines when Pan Am went bankrupt in 1991. He also encouraged me to return to Brazil where I photographed and scouted models for a film which we worked on together in 1993. It was called: Jungle Heat. GEA: What is the origin of your nickname, "The Bear"? BG: As a kid, people called me Bear, short for Barry. It is a diminutive for Barry and although this nickname has been around much longer than it's more recent use for leather bears, people are surprised when they meet or see a photo of me. When I began working professionally, I wasn't sure of the different types of photography that I might be shooting. At the time being associated with pornography would have been detrimental for working in more homophobic genres, like shooting children and fashion. I therefore went with my nickname and the personal pronoun to give it a slightly more formal feel. This was all back in 1992.  |
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COPYRIGHT & DISCLAIMER
UPDATED: AUGUST 2005
images © The Bear - Barry Gollop / Kristen Bjorn Productions
Gay Erotic Archives is grateful to Barry for his cooperation and generosity in helping us create this page
and for the personal anecdotes provided by Barry for the many individual model profiles.
We also greatly appreciate his permission to reproduce selected images from his extensive portfolio.
Many Thanks to Mark, for his work on this page, and making it possible.