Gallery 43 – Jonathan & Zihan

In 2009, I photographed a set of nude images of Jonathan and Zihan, two young men with willowy muscular bodies. There was no script, no clothing, no story or idea behind the shoot. The only exception was that we would be heading into a secluded forested area on the outskirts of Singapore. After reviewing the images, I felt at the time disappointed for not capturing anything of significance and archived the photographs in their raw state. It was not until 2016 that I felt compelled to give the images another chance and pulled them out of the vault. To my surprise and delight, I found a plethora of beautiful photos. How could I have not seen the beauty in the images back then? I didn’t know the answer. I eagerly wanted to let the models know about the photographs, but could only reach Zihan, not Jonathan. As it turned out, Jonathan had passed away earlier that year. It was a devastating shock; it was not the right time to publish them online. That was six years ago. So for the first time since the shoot, I now present the beauty of Jonathan and Zihan, photographed in 2009. RIP Jonathan.