SEXY IN THE CITY
Behind the scenes with Daniel.
Yes, that’s me on the cover of DNA magazine. Although I’ve graced DNA’s pages many times before (Oscar Calvo’s editorial Male, the Marcuse swimwear advertisements, DNA’s Sexiest Men in both 2011 and 2012 and, of course, this monthly column), but this will be the first time on the cover with real estate on newsstands all over the globe.
It’s been a long time coming. Founding Editor Andrew Creagh and I have been discussing it for over a year. The cover is one of those things that doesn’t happen overnight and it’s not something you want to rush. A lot of my supporters have been waiting for this moment since the beginning of my modelling career, so there was a lot of pressure to make it worth the wait.
Andrew and I started talking about it back in November 2012 and it wasn’t far into the discussion that we acknowledged that many stand out DNA covers are shot by photographer Rick Day. Rick also shot my iconic images, including the Aussie editorial which is still the one that appears when you google my name. Yes, I google my name.
With this knowledge, it would be unfathomable not to go with what has worked in the past. Luckily, Rick and his photographic partner, Steve, agreed. So began a long and tedious email thread between Andrew, Rick, Steve and I to make this cover happen. We discussed the available issues and their corresponding themes for months, but it wasn’t until July that Steve called to say he was headed to the Hamptons with his family. Both Rick and Steve thought it would be a great idea if we shot there on the beach. Fortunately, the December cover was available and it’s also the swimwear issue as Australia heats up. It was summer in the US and so it just made sense.
The next thing was the all-important swimwear. Andrew, Rick and I sourced new collections of all the brands and even had some additional clothing and jewellery pieces to play with. I spent a week in LA working on my tan before heading back to NYC the first week of August. The next day I was at Rick’s apartment to journey out to the Hamptons. Roadtrip! Before heading to the house, we drove to a few location options for the shoot. The beach that we liked didn’t allow parking, so there were a few logistical problems but the perfect weather and ocean made me excited about what was to come.
At the house, I met Steve’s family. They were so welcoming to me, a stranger crashing their holiday and taking a room in their house. That night we went through all the pieces we pulled, chose our favourites and created about ten different looks to save us carrying excess things up and down the beach. The next morning, Rick woke me up and we made our way to the beach. The sky was blue, the wind was gentle and the sun was beaming down. Walking past the multi-million dollar houses lining the beach, we found a spot where the moss-covered rocks created a natural pier into the ocean. While Rick and Steve set up the cameras, I quickly got some pump by doing push-ups and situps on the rocks.
Before we began, Rick put product in my hair and I rubbed oil on my skin. Then for our first set-up, I climbed the grass-covered sand dunes that protect the homes from wind and high tides during storms. After Rick got what he needed, Steve shot video, panning from the swimwear up over my abs, my chest and finally to my face as I gazed out into the ocean.
I spent the rest of the day in and out of swimwear, one moment in striped Charlie swim briefs and sweating in a Michael Bastian jumper and the next shivering in a Dsquared swim brief hanging onto a rock for dear life while the waves attempt to throw me off, all while presenting my arse to the camera. Then I’m in an N2N swim brief rolling around on the beach with sand in my eyes and mouth. After that I’m completely naked on a public beach with just a Rufskin towel hanging strategically over my junk. A few future Housewives Of The Hamptons cast members conveniently happen to stroll past.
I ended up with a few cuts and bruises from being bashed against the rocks by the waves, but what would a shoot be without a bit of blood, sweat and tears? By the end of the day, once Rick was sure we had plenty of frames that met DNA’s criteria, Steve and I grabbed our GoPro waterproof cameras and had fun catching waves before we wrapped. Back at the house, Rick gave me a sneak peek of the day’s shoot and it was just as amazing as we had all hoped.
As I write this, I’m still not sure exactly which shot will be on the cover. For me, it’s such a tough choice when the editorial is so strong. With the cover shot and the rest of the images that make up the editorial, I hope that it was worth the wait.
more: danielgarofali.com