2025 - Year 1 of Naked Prose

...in which I look back on all of the shoots I've done, month-by-month, in 2025.

2025 has turned out to be one of the most momentous years of my life. It was the first time when I seriously considered a career change, one that would elevate my photography, which had been but a hobby for 20 years, to something much more significant - a profession. It was (and continues to be) very scary, filled as this endeavor is with uncertainty. Will I be good enough? Will anyone want to read what I write or look at my photos? More to the point, will some of them pay me to continue to do it?

I have only partial answers (at best) to these questions. What I do know for certain is what I’ve accomplished in my first year of Naked Prose. It’s been a huge expense of both time and money to get this Substack page off the ground, even if it’s hovering just a few feet above it. Still doing my non-photography full-time job during the week, I’ve been working on these posts almost entirely in my nights, weekends, and holidays. It’s been a bit like working a part-time job on the side, but one that actually costs me money.

Here’s what 2025 looks like at a glance: I shot my first model for the site in early January of this year, although I didn’t start posting regularly until May. Over the last 12 months, I’ve done 32 artistic nude photo sessions with 27 different models. I shot in Hong Kong, Thailand, Italy, the Philippines, and the US. In total, I paid more than $12,000 (USD) to models and studio locations to produce the work that you see here. At the time of writing, Naked Prose has just shy of 1,000 free subscribers.

It’s been great fun, I’ve learned a lot, and I’m very proud of myself for producing everything that’s on the site right now. I know I still have plenty more to learn, and I can only hope that my best work is still well in front of me. Today, though, I prefer to look back at the past 12 months of Naked Prose.

So here are 12 photos, one from a shoot that I did in each month of the past year, that I want to share and talk about. Enjoy, and please stick around for 2026!

January

I did three shoots in January this year, and they were all very important for me, if for different reasons. Here’s a shot of Ana, with whom I’ve now worked multiple times. I remember this shoot being in the late afternoon, so we caught the golden hour light coming in through the hotel window. I processed this image with a split orange/blue tone to emphasize the separation between Ana in the room and the city outside, and I really like how it turned out.

February

Only two shoots in February - one with Estonian model Amelia and this one, Niana in her hotel room. I like this shot because it’s something atypical of my work - I rarely get up close and crop in to focus on just a part of the model’s body. I don’t know what possessed me to do it in this moment; perhaps it was the way Niana’s hand caught my eye as she arched her back for this pose. I like how it turned out, so hopefully I remember to try more shots like this next year.

March

Three shoots in March, including this very memorable one with Nastya. She’s an absolute firecracker, this one - full of youthful energy and creativity. I quickly realized that I just needed to get out of her way and let her explore the room, trying everything that she fancied, including jumping on the couch. I had also been eyeing up this studio room for its colors, which remind me of Hopper’s Nighthawks. I’ve since worked with Nastya again - keep an eye out for her later in this post.

April

Two shoots in April, including this one with Merylin, one of the many Ukrainian ladies who came through Southeast Asia this year. This is from our second shoot together, which I shot on a mix of 35mm film and digital. This particular frame was shot on film, and although her face is a little bit dark, I really love everything else about how it turned out.

May

May was nuts. I had six shoots, four of which were in a single long weekend in Bangkok. There are way too many to pick from, but I’ve decided on this black and white shot of Cara Pin, who was the first of the Thai models I worked with that crazy weekend. I remember her being very easy-going and even easier to shoot - I’ve got a big pile of keepers from our session. I’m quite pleased with how this shot came out in monochrome.

June

June was much lighter - only two shoots, and one of them was the shortest I’ve ever done. It was also the only one I’ve yet done with two models at the same time, as you see here. Lee was traveling through the area with her model friend Kat, and she invited me to work with them. They could only give me one hour, though - that’s half the time I usually spend and with double the models. I agreed to do it anyway, and we managed to get plenty of great stuff despite the time crunch. If you’re looking for the full write-up for this session, please come back - I haven’t posted it yet. Hopefully this gives you something to look forward to in 2026!

July

July was the slowest month for me so far this year - I only had one shoot, but it was a memorable one with Stephanie. We did the shoot at her home, a historic three story farmhouse in rural Pennsylvania. I remember it being hot and sweaty (summer, no central AC) and laughing a lot with Stephanie, who is as loquacious and ebullient as she is professional and experienced. We ended up in the cornfield across from her house at the end, as you can see. Expect this one in 2026 as well!

August

I did four shoots in August, although two of them were with the same model - Crystal, who you see above in all of her colorful glory. We had worked together for the first time just a couple weeks earlier, but it had gone so well that we agreed to shoot again before I left the area. I knew I wanted a change of venue, so I borrowed a friend’s house, which one might well mistake for a vintage-themed studio. Crystal had fun channeling pin-up vibes and grabbing accessories to accentuate her cheeky poses. Look for both of her shoots to appear on the site next year!

September

September was also very quiet with just one shoot, but it was with Nastya again (I told you she’d be back). I had always wanted to do a shoot in an abandoned industrial space, so I found one and booked it for us. It was a very different vibe this time, more serious and artsy given the environment, but Nastya still brought her usual energy. This session produced a wealth of lovely images, like this one, that I’m excited to share soon.

October

In October I traveled to Milan, where I did three shoots in professional studios with three different models. They were all great experiences, but I’ve chosen this shot with Ania to represent my time there. She’s the first Moldovan model I’ve worked with and was particularly unpretentious and kind in our interactions. Great conversations interspersed our photo work, which was just as fruitful, as you can see here!

November

Two shoots in November this year, one of which was with Yara, seen above in this striking black and white shot. What I remember most about this shoot was how absolutely not in the mood for it I was. I almost never shoot during my normal work week, as I said earlier, but this was one of the few shoots I had to schedule after working a full day at my normal job. I was tired and just wanted to go home. Yara, however, turned out to be a great model, and of course I enjoyed the shoot perfectly well once we got going. It was a much needed reminder to myself of how much I really do enjoy this.

December

Two shoots in December to round out the year: a second one with Cara Pin (from back in May, above) and one with Australian model Aim, the woman peeking through the sheer curtain here. What I remember most about our shoot was how she moved and posed: very flowing and dynamic, like a dancer or ballerina. She had so many ways to present herself to the camera that we had no trouble filling two hours in a small hotel room. Professionals like her make my job quite easy, and for that I’m always grateful!

So that’s it - 2025, the first year of Naked Prose, in review. A huge and heartfelt thank you to everyone who has liked, commented, restacked, and otherwise shared or interacted with my work. Paid subscriptions are coming in 2026 for those of you who want to see even more of it. As you can see from the second half of this post, I’ve still got quite a lot more to share!