The work of photographer Élie Villette has been featured in magazines such as Pnpplzine, Fisheye, and Pornceptual.

Naturally, it was his photos of men that caught our attention. I caught up with Élie for a behind-the-scenes look at his work.

The origin story

“I came to photography late…” says Élie, when I ask him when he began to explore his passion for photography. “I started taking photos with my father’s old Canon AE1.”

“What drew me to photography was when my then-boyfriend, Thomas, moved to Casablanca. I was staying with him in the Mers Sultan district. Seriously ill, he spent entire days confined indoors. I started to dress up, to disguise myself, to invent a reality parallel to what we were dealing with. I took photos of myself, self-portraits. From there, I turned my camera on the neighbourhood boys. A boy called Mehdi was my first subject.”

Finding focus

“In photography, I’m drawn to anything that moves me…” explains Élie, when I ask how best to describe his style of photography.

“I’m frequently drawn to the male body, to nudity – perhaps because that’s what best embodies the feeling of love. My friends joke that I’m in love with love.”

“I like realism, and it’s different truths – I guess that I’m photographing a dreamlike realism.”

Heroes and inspirations

“There are the photos taken on the beaches of Rio by the Brazilian Alair Gomes…” says Élie, when I ask him about his photography heroes. “Plus, Mappelthorpe’s Lilies, of course.”

“The Hustlers series is my favorite work from Philip-Lorca diCorcia – the light is crazy. I also find inspiration in the images of the Swiss photographer Reto Schmid, as well as the work of Igor Pjörrt.”

“The anthropological dimension of clothing in the work of Hal Fischer and Karlheinz Weinberger speaks to me a lot – I have a degree in archeology.”

“Plus, there’s Ren Hang’s body mathematics – this has helped me rethink my approach to photographing the nude form.”

“Right now, I’m kind of in a 2000s mood – I’m loving the style of Brian Brennan’s work in Latino Fan Club, and his naked photos of Tiger Tyson.”

The art of nude photography

“Fan-subscription sites such as OnlyFans have democraticised homoeroticsm – making it accessible to everyone…” reflects Élie, when I ask him about the evolution of erotic photography.

“But I still see a difference from the ego-trip of taking photos for the arousal of your OnlyFans subscribers and the work of a professional photographer. In my work, the camera’s gaze is different – we’re looking for moments of eternity.”

“With my photographs, I tell stories – scenes of lived or reconstituted lives. My approach is almost cinematographic – I’m creating a scene, a scenario, an alternate vision of reality.”

“I love searching for the props and objects to help create the story in my photographs. I love the staging of it all. Whether or not the model is naked is part of the staging, part of telling the story – not an end in itself.”

Planning ahead

“I plan to get married and have lots of children with my lover, Victor…” says Elie, when I ask him what’s on his agenda for the months ahead.

“More practically, I’ve just exhibited two prints in Hyères in the group show Love my Way # 2. This was part of the international fashion and photography festival, my first exhibition! We’re now releasing a small silkscreen edition showcasing this eroticised interpretation of hunting.”

“I’m also working on editing a book of my furniture photos – Le cul sur la commode. This brings together my two passions, design and boys.”

“Finally, I’m working on an exhibition project as a curator in Brussels. We’ll be exhibiting in Circularium – a crazy new place – making a splash on the queer photography scene.”

Discover more of the work of Élie Villette

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Featured Photos

• Image 1: Pierre Ëmo, Nauvrage en Hiver (II), Le Havre, 2020 ©Elie Villette
• Image 2: Jean-Louis (II), La Baie des Anges, Nice, 2020 ©Elie Villette
• Image 3: Barcelo, Les Roseaux Sauvages, Paris, 2020 ©Elie Villette
• Image 4: Victor, Tahiti Beach (II), Île-aux-Moines, 2020 ©Elie Villette
• Image 5: Pierre Ëmo, Nauvrage en Hiver (I), Le Havre, 2020 ©Elie Villette
• Image 6: Thomas, Un chasseur sachant chasser sans son chien, Alençon, 2020 ©Elie Villette
• Image 7: Jean-Louis (III), La Baie des Anges, Nice, 2020 ©Elie Villette
• Image 8: Petit Paysan, Pays d’Auge, 2020, ©Elie Villette
• Image 9: Victor, Tahiti Beach (I), Île-aux-Moines, 2020 ©Elie Villette
• Image 10: Guillaume & Barcelo, Les Roseaux Sauvages, Paris, 2020 ©Elie Villette