Photography byAdam Ross

I’m a queer photographer in the sense that I’m both queer myself and also that my interest lies in documenting queer life through its many different incarnations. I want my work to shine a light on aspects of queer life that might not be mainstream, whether that’s nightlife or community events, or more intimate portraits of individuals living their truths.

I’ve always wanted to shoot bodies in nature and there are so many beautiful vistas here in Provincetown to make use of! This project was a wonderful motivation to make some work happen that I’ve had in my head for years.

Provincetown is the only place I’ve ever lived that felt like home to me, instantly. I first moved here after my marriage ended 5 years ago and fell deeply in love with it. I stayed for 2 years before moving to Brooklyn, due to housing issues and a desire to live in NY before I got much older.

While I missed Provincetown terribly, living in NYC gave me an appreciation for queer life outside of the cape. I’m very happy to have returned though, it’s a beautiful escape from the city.

Obviously, covering our faces has become the new norm. All summer it became an exercise to try to recognize someone from their eyes alone. I really wanted to exaggerate that feeling by having models cover their entire faces but revealing their bodies, effectively reversing the current social norm.

I also wanted my models to have a sense of anonymity about them despite being nude; they are on display but still hidden.

The scarves are all hand-painted silk made by my dear friend Jimmy Lee Curtis, aka Mommalee. She is an amazing artist with a history of working internationally in high fashion, and I really wanted to showcase her work in these portraits.

My intent was making these portraits that could only happen here in Ptown. Including Mommalee was a big part of that for me.

I love being naked and feel very comfortable.

Before I came out, I was very nervous about my body, other bodies, and sex in general. I also looked super young until I was able to grow facial hair. I felt sort of embarrassed and didn’t feel “sexy.” After I came out it liberated me and I was excited to be naked around other people.

There’s something really freeing about being able to be naked in nature and seeing bodies of every shape and color doing the same.

I spend a large portion of my summer in the buff at Herring Cove beach. There is a section to the far left, lovingly known as boy beach, where people get naked. I’ve also been to a few campouts that are naturist friendly.

Living here, being naked publicly is particularly normal so it’s not much of a thing and just part of every day. A few friends I’ve never seen naked, but definitely most, and most have seen me naked.

Well, the nude beach in summer 2020 became the hot spot for people. It was the place to be for people to feel safe during the pandemic. In a way, the nudist community thrived. Everyone was there.

There were many people taking advantage of this space, while still respecting the lives and safety of the local community. I’m very thankful to have been able to spend the warm summer days here on the beach, tanning my buns, and still keep a safe distance.

Because of COVID-19, there is an energy shift that caused people to be a bit more reserved on the beach this past year. There was, of course, less mingling than usual. Groups stayed socially distanced.

It was a lot of fun! We took a hike out through the dunes and picked a scenic setting at golden hour. I love our landscape here.

It was really freezing that day, I think 29 degrees. Surprisingly, I adjusted to the temperature pretty quickly; it wasn’t too bad standing there naked, windchill on my backside.

Adam was so quick, it took less than 5 minutes to get the shot. They are so professional and easy to work with, it’s always a pleasure.

There were a few other hikers in the dunes that day. Likely at least a couple saw us in the distance, but a little nudity even in the winter isn’t outrageous. We didn’t think too much of it.