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Photos by Ben Chapman
Words by Steve Marais
Published on 23 March 2025
We catch up with with amazing photographer and “final-slut-pro” curator Ben Chapman about abandoning hookup apps, producing 80s-inspired gay photoshoots featuring exotic underwear and loads, loads more.
Ben Chapman has a massive, massive mirror collection. The talented photographer, film maker and former child actor with accidental sex tape aesthetics now likes to spend his days shooting contemporary dancers and other beautiful men, capturing them with the precision of someone who takes kissing very, very seriously. “Most people don’t know how to kiss properly,” he says, although he maintains professional distance from his subjects, apparently. Read on to see how far he’s willing to go as we explore the intricacies of his beautiful creative process.
@bonjenoux in a 3PULL conversation with @heavyferal
CHEAT SHEET
☞ Elite level kisser
☞ Finds meaning in dreams, beauty in decay, and pleasure in good lighting
☞ Gets turned on by discarded underwear
☞ Once carried a giant strawberry for money
☞ Would probably beat you at Twister
☞ Shoots on film rather than swiping left
☞ Self-confident
☞ Retired from the prowl (for now)
Heya Ben! Pull 3 of these: 🛼 or 🎰 or 🌈 or 📀 or 😈 or 💦 or 🍄 or 🧛 or 🥵 or 🍩 and pick six numbers between 1 and 100
📀 and 🍄 and 🧛
17 54 2 75 49 90
Ok so. Based on your 3PULL 📀🍄🧛 you’re “Haunting, poetic, definitely high”. Your aesthetic transcends time while you drift between nostalgia and mysticism. You’re the type who finds meaning in dreams and beauty in decay. Sometimes you’re so lost in your own world that others mistake your depth for detachment. How’s that?
Damn, that’s pretty good! Especially the last part resonates – beyond my images, I feel like that’s how I’m received a lot in life
As not giving a fuck…
Right. But in actual fact you give plenty of fucks… First off, your name ‘Ben Chapman’ is pretty generic, especially in the UK. How does it feel to be so utterly ungoogleable?
Haha! Well, the googleability aspect is annoying – when the internet first arrived I learned about the actor Ben Chapman who played “The Creature from the black lagoon”. But this is me
And benchapman.work is my website
How do you make money?
I have a part time role as a content creator for a contemporary dance company in London. So I go in and shoot dancers and interview them and make videos for promoting their shows. I also do other video jobs here and there.
[Play our interview sl✱t machine]
The featured artist pulls any three of these emojis.
Each emoji unlocks a set of questions.
Then they pick six numbers between 1 and 100. Those numbers correspond to specific questions from each emoji set.
An intimate profile is created entirely by chance, and is conducted entirely via text message. Questions range from random to specific, mild to wild.
☞You need to be interesting
☞You need something to share
☞You need to be willing to answer whatever comes up
3 emojis
6 numbers
18 questions
1 conversation
No take-backs
But that’s a nice gig because it’s consistent and I love working with the dancers
Oh cool! And do you yourself also dance?
No, well, I did go to drama school where I had to dance a lot. I was a child actor so I did many dance classes but it wasn’t my strong suit
REALLY!? Were you in anything huge? Like “Love Actually” huge?
Haha not quite. The biggest thing I did was a US commercial for Fruit Roll Ups where I carried a giant strawberry
Ben Chapman. Lover of strawberries. Do you shoot on film or are you just really good with filters?
Film, once I started it was so hard to go back to digital. I just love when the magic is already there when you get the photos back
I think because I’m just starting out with stills I have this purity thing where I wanna do it all “properly” but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what kit you use if the final image comes out how you want. Paul Kooikers’ work is insane and so inspiring to me and he shoots it all with iPhone
Yea you know… A lot of it is feeling. Next question: On a scale of one to NSFW folder labeled ‘tax documents,’ how conventional would you say your photography style is?
I think probably a 5 – because I’m always trying to strike a balance between erotic and beautiful. At least in the photos of men I’ve done so far
You shoot really nice looking boys. How do you find them?
Usually they are someone in my orbit, a lot of dancers. And what’s nice is that now guys are starting to approach me.
For sure! The more you do the easier it becomes. I’m sure even this interview might lead to something. How do you feel about people who consistently take really hot profile pictures?
Hmm
Once in a while is cute. But if it’s too regular it can feel like the need to prove something
I just hate them. Unless they slide into my dms, haha.
Have you ever had to teach someone how to do something “properly”?
Well, I’ve wanted to and that thing is kissing. So many people are so bad at kissing.
And I’ve tried but I don’t think it can be taught. Either you have it or you don’t
Are you a good kisser?
I’m an elite level kissing champion
Now you’ll have to prove it… What’s something you start slow but gradually build up intensity with?
Hmm. Friendships, I’m a bit of a loner and if I make close friends it tends to be a real slow burn. And I think that applies to the way I approach most things – I test the water a lot
Are you an introvert?
Definitely yeah
Yea??? Is your work a bridge to overcome your shyness?
Well, I think I’ve held myself back from creating stuff because of social anxiety, so overcoming that is essential to continuing to make things
Specifically the work you do with guys in various states of undress?
Hmm, I’m not shy about that aspect at all haha. It’s more the everyday interaction stuff that gives me anxiety.
Like having normal conversations and putting myself out there. I saw a meme the other day that said “Whenever I say something, I’m just saying what I think a person would say” and I related to that so hard
What part of your job will destroy your body first?
I don’t find it that tough on my body really – it’s the social game that’s the hardest part so it would wear me out mentally before anything else
Have you ever lost track of whose hand was whose?
I can’t say I have – have you?
Ummm… maybe!? The question really is, how good are you at playing twister, Ben?
It’s been a while but I think I’m probably good at it
So losing track of hands comes naturally?
I like physical challenges
What’s the best free thing you’ve ever gotten?
I have these huge frameless mirrors in my place – a friend of mine is a set designer and he got them for a Chanel shoot. Once he’d finished he offered them to me. They would be expensive as fuck to buy
Sounds sexy. What’s your relationship to mirrors? Obsessed or avoid?
I think pretty healthy at this point – some people come into my place and they can’t stop looking at themselves
Hilarious! And I love your place! It’s like a porn set. Ready to go…
Yeah they are next to the bed so you get a live sex tape experience
Have you ever actually watched a full porn film, from intro to credits?
When it comes to porn, I don’t watch videos at all – I prefer still images. I’m v v old school. And mostly the lighting is always ghastly
Very true! What’s more important: patience or confidence?
Confidence is everything.
What’s your opinion on underwear? Functional, erotic, or mostly irrelevant? Describe the underwear you’re wearing right now-or the lack thereof.
Definitely erotic. I can even see a discarded pair of underwear on the ground and feel a bit turned on.
There’s a Dita Von Tees interview where she talks about having a fetish for hard surfaces covered in satin, like a corset or a ballet pointe shoe. I feel that way about underwear – white cotton briefs especially
Right now I’m wearing black Tom Ford boxer briefs – they are my favourite at the moment
So are you more of briefs or a boxers kind of guy? Or are you that one mysterious shopper who buys up all the nasty G-strings in the men’s section?
Haha! Right now I’m in my boxer briefs era – but white briefs with no branding are the most classic, timeless undies that look great in a photo. That’s all I wore for many years but they are kind of out of fashion and difficult to find good ones. I also think Y fronts have gotten a bad rap so you just don’t see them around so much anymore. Uniqlo makes a hundred styles of underwear but no basic white briefs unfortunately
Agreed! It’s surprisingly difficult to get your hands on really good ones with minimal branding that actually fit well.
Do you have a “shoot kit” of different underwear for models to wear? I have a box with all sorts of goodies from over the years. Even some vintage Armani briefs and tangas with holes in them.
Usually I’ll see what the model has and work with those – although I just produced my own shoot that was very 80s inspired and so I bought a lot of g-strings for that, animal print ones and all different colours
lol this just came up on my screensaver
Oh you’re a real gay. Was this what made you realise you were gay as a child?
Haha literally
Dick pics: yes or no?
I’m gonna have to say no – I’m just very particular about photography and most dick pics don’t pass the test
So you’ve never been dickmatised?
Only with the real deal. I actually deleted Grindr last June so I’ve been out of the dick pic game for a bit
Let’s talk about insecurities. We all have them… What’s your least favourite body part on yourself?
To be honest I don’t have any insecurities about my body – I’m not sure I want you to put that in because it sounds cocky but it’s the truth
✱ Soz Ben, I kept it in ✱
It’s not that I think I’m perfect I just don’t spend any time criticising myself in that way
Sometimes I’m insecure about work and my career, comparing myself to others
Worrying that I’m not fulfilling my potential
No that’s not cocky! You’re lucky! You know how many people struggle with self image, myself included? What’s your secret to self love!?
I just don’t see any other choice – you can work out like crazy and get plastic surgery or you can accept yourself – accepting is less effort and cheaper
You’re really really talented and you have great taste. Just unfollow anyone who doesn’t add anything to your life or to your art practice. That’s my advice. Less Instagram, more Tumblr.
I’m a die hard tumblr kid. Still on it every day
Hahahah that username! I’m gonna reblog you to filth! Does being in the sun make you feel “hot” or just sweaty?
It does make me horny – the heat encourages the lads to take their tops off and the sun lights them beautifully
Bathing suit… On or off?
Off! I’m all about a nude beach
Yea man! As nature intended!!
Naughty
Always. I’m a dirty old man in the making
Lolll! It’s funny I always felt that I was horny beyond my years. I’m working on my own zine which is very nudist-beach centric
As soon as it’s done send it this way! Final question… What’s the last thing you shot that made you go, fuck, that’s good?
So, I shot some photos of my friend Felipe, he’s a visual artist and does self portraits in black ink. When I got the film developed and this was in there I was like damn! I did that. Because I wanted to make him look like one of his drawings. And it came out exactly as I wanted.
Published on 23 March 2025
Ben Chapman is a London-based imagemaker who cut his teeth as a videographer and editor specialising in dance and fashion/beauty content. After years behind the video camera, he eventually conquered his intimidation of still photography and dove in headfirst. This creative pivot has been liberating, allowing him to create personal work with an immediacy that filmmaking never permitted. His distinctive aesthetic—informed by his background shooting dancers and his love for film photography—has quickly established him as a rising talent capturing beautiful images with depth and repose.
If sharing, kindly mention @heavyferal and the artist(s) @bonjenoux
Scroll Down
Photos by Ben Chapman
Words by Steve Marais
Published on 23 March 2025
We catch up with with amazing photographer and “final-slut-pro” curator Ben Chapman about abandoning hookup apps, producing 80s-inspired gay photoshoots featuring exotic underwear and loads, loads more.
Ben Chapman has a massive, massive mirror collection. The talented photographer, film maker and former child actor with accidental sex tape aesthetics now likes to spend his days shooting contemporary dancers and other beautiful men, capturing them with the precision of someone who takes kissing very, very seriously. “Most people don’t know how to kiss properly,” he says, although he maintains professional distance from his subjects, apparently. Read on to see how far he’s willing to go as we explore the intricacies of his beautiful creative process.
@bonjenoux in a 3PULL conversation with @heavyferal
CHEAT SHEET
☞ Elite level kisser
☞ Finds meaning in dreams, beauty in decay, and pleasure in good lighting
☞ Gets turned on by discarded underwear
☞ Once carried a giant strawberry for money
☞ Would probably beat you at Twister
☞ Shoots on film rather than swiping left
☞ Self-confident
☞ Retired from the prowl (for now)
Heya Ben! Pull 3 of these: 🛼 or 🎰 or 🌈 or 📀 or 😈 or 💦 or 🍄 or 🧛 or 🥵 or 🍩 and pick six numbers between 1 and 100
📀 and 🍄 and 🧛
17 54 2 75 49 90
Ok so. Based on your 3PULL 📀🍄🧛 you’re “Haunting, poetic, definitely high”. Your aesthetic transcends time while you drift between nostalgia and mysticism. You’re the type who finds meaning in dreams and beauty in decay. Sometimes you’re so lost in your own world that others mistake your depth for detachment. How’s that?
Damn, that’s pretty good! Especially the last part resonates – beyond my images, I feel like that’s how I’m received a lot in life
As not giving a fuck…
Right. But in actual fact you give plenty of fucks… First off, your name ‘Ben Chapman’ is pretty generic, especially in the UK. How does it feel to be so utterly ungoogleable?
Haha! Well, the googleability aspect is annoying – when the internet first arrived I learned about the actor Ben Chapman who played “The Creature from the black lagoon”. But this is me
And benchapman.work is my website
How do you make money?
I have a part time role as a content creator for a contemporary dance company in London. So I go in and shoot dancers and interview them and make videos for promoting their shows. I also do other video jobs here and there.
[Play our interview sl✱t machine]
The featured artist pulls any three of these emojis.
Each emoji unlocks a set of questions.
Then they pick six numbers between 1 and 100. Those numbers correspond to specific questions from each emoji set.
An intimate profile is created entirely by chance, and is conducted entirely via text message. Questions range from random to specific, mild to wild.
☞You need to be interesting
☞You need something to share
☞You need to be willing to answer whatever comes up
3 emojis
6 numbers
18 questions
1 conversation
No take-backs
But that’s a nice gig because it’s consistent and I love working with the dancers
Oh cool! And do you yourself also dance?
No, well, I did go to drama school where I had to dance a lot. I was a child actor so I did many dance classes but it wasn’t my strong suit
REALLY!? Were you in anything huge? Like “Love Actually” huge?
Haha not quite. The biggest thing I did was a US commercial for Fruit Roll Ups where I carried a giant strawberry
Ben Chapman. Lover of strawberries. Do you shoot on film or are you just really good with filters?
Film, once I started it was so hard to go back to digital. I just love when the magic is already there when you get the photos back
I think because I’m just starting out with stills I have this purity thing where I wanna do it all “properly” but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what kit you use if the final image comes out how you want. Paul Kooikers’ work is insane and so inspiring to me and he shoots it all with iPhone
Yea you know… A lot of it is feeling. Next question: On a scale of one to NSFW folder labeled ‘tax documents,’ how conventional would you say your photography style is?
I think probably a 5 – because I’m always trying to strike a balance between erotic and beautiful. At least in the photos of men I’ve done so far
You shoot really nice looking boys. How do you find them?
Usually they are someone in my orbit, a lot of dancers. And what’s nice is that now guys are starting to approach me.
For sure! The more you do the easier it becomes. I’m sure even this interview might lead to something. How do you feel about people who consistently take really hot profile pictures?
Hmm
Once in a while is cute. But if it’s too regular it can feel like the need to prove something
I just hate them. Unless they slide into my dms, haha.
Have you ever had to teach someone how to do something “properly”?
Well, I’ve wanted to and that thing is kissing. So many people are so bad at kissing.
And I’ve tried but I don’t think it can be taught. Either you have it or you don’t
Are you a good kisser?
I’m an elite level kissing champion
Now you’ll have to prove it… What’s something you start slow but gradually build up intensity with?
Hmm. Friendships, I’m a bit of a loner and if I make close friends it tends to be a real slow burn. And I think that applies to the way I approach most things – I test the water a lot
Are you an introvert?
Definitely yeah
Yea??? Is your work a bridge to overcome your shyness?
Well, I think I’ve held myself back from creating stuff because of social anxiety, so overcoming that is essential to continuing to make things
Specifically the work you do with guys in various states of undress?
Hmm, I’m not shy about that aspect at all haha. It’s more the everyday interaction stuff that gives me anxiety.
Like having normal conversations and putting myself out there. I saw a meme the other day that said “Whenever I say something, I’m just saying what I think a person would say” and I related to that so hard
What part of your job will destroy your body first?
I don’t find it that tough on my body really – it’s the social game that’s the hardest part so it would wear me out mentally before anything else
Have you ever lost track of whose hand was whose?
I can’t say I have – have you?
Ummm… maybe!? The question really is, how good are you at playing twister, Ben?
It’s been a while but I think I’m probably good at it
So losing track of hands comes naturally?
I like physical challenges
What’s the best free thing you’ve ever gotten?
I have these huge frameless mirrors in my place – a friend of mine is a set designer and he got them for a Chanel shoot. Once he’d finished he offered them to me. They would be expensive as fuck to buy
Sounds sexy. What’s your relationship to mirrors? Obsessed or avoid?
I think pretty healthy at this point – some people come into my place and they can’t stop looking at themselves
Hilarious! And I love your place! It’s like a porn set. Ready to go…
Yeah they are next to the bed so you get a live sex tape experience
Have you ever actually watched a full porn film, from intro to credits?
When it comes to porn, I don’t watch videos at all – I prefer still images. I’m v v old school. And mostly the lighting is always ghastly
Very true! What’s more important: patience or confidence?
Confidence is everything.
What’s your opinion on underwear? Functional, erotic, or mostly irrelevant? Describe the underwear you’re wearing right now-or the lack thereof.
Definitely erotic. I can even see a discarded pair of underwear on the ground and feel a bit turned on.
There’s a Dita Von Tees interview where she talks about having a fetish for hard surfaces covered in satin, like a corset or a ballet pointe shoe. I feel that way about underwear – white cotton briefs especially
Right now I’m wearing black Tom Ford boxer briefs – they are my favourite at the moment
So are you more of briefs or a boxers kind of guy? Or are you that one mysterious shopper who buys up all the nasty G-strings in the men’s section?
Haha! Right now I’m in my boxer briefs era – but white briefs with no branding are the most classic, timeless undies that look great in a photo. That’s all I wore for many years but they are kind of out of fashion and difficult to find good ones. I also think Y fronts have gotten a bad rap so you just don’t see them around so much anymore. Uniqlo makes a hundred styles of underwear but no basic white briefs unfortunately
Agreed! It’s surprisingly difficult to get your hands on really good ones with minimal branding that actually fit well.
Do you have a “shoot kit” of different underwear for models to wear? I have a box with all sorts of goodies from over the years. Even some vintage Armani briefs and tangas with holes in them.
Usually I’ll see what the model has and work with those – although I just produced my own shoot that was very 80s inspired and so I bought a lot of g-strings for that, animal print ones and all different colours
lol this just came up on my screensaver
Oh you’re a real gay. Was this what made you realise you were gay as a child?
Haha literally
Dick pics: yes or no?
I’m gonna have to say no – I’m just very particular about photography and most dick pics don’t pass the test
So you’ve never been dickmatised?
Only with the real deal. I actually deleted Grindr last June so I’ve been out of the dick pic game for a bit
Let’s talk about insecurities. We all have them… What’s your least favourite body part on yourself?
To be honest I don’t have any insecurities about my body – I’m not sure I want you to put that in because it sounds cocky but it’s the truth
✱ Soz Ben, I kept it in ✱
It’s not that I think I’m perfect I just don’t spend any time criticising myself in that way
Sometimes I’m insecure about work and my career, comparing myself to others
Worrying that I’m not fulfilling my potential
No that’s not cocky! You’re lucky! You know how many people struggle with self image, myself included? What’s your secret to self love!?
I just don’t see any other choice – you can work out like crazy and get plastic surgery or you can accept yourself – accepting is less effort and cheaper
You’re really really talented and you have great taste. Just unfollow anyone who doesn’t add anything to your life or to your art practice. That’s my advice. Less Instagram, more Tumblr.
I’m a die hard tumblr kid. Still on it every day
Hahahah that username! I’m gonna reblog you to filth! Does being in the sun make you feel “hot” or just sweaty?
It does make me horny – the heat encourages the lads to take their tops off and the sun lights them beautifully
Bathing suit… On or off?
Off! I’m all about a nude beach
Yea man! As nature intended!!
Naughty
Always. I’m a dirty old man in the making
Lolll! It’s funny I always felt that I was horny beyond my years. I’m working on my own zine which is very nudist-beach centric
As soon as it’s done send it this way! Final question… What’s the last thing you shot that made you go, fuck, that’s good?
So, I shot some photos of my friend Felipe, he’s a visual artist and does self portraits in black ink. When I got the film developed and this was in there I was like damn! I did that. Because I wanted to make him look like one of his drawings. And it came out exactly as I wanted.
Published on 23 March 2025
Ben Chapman is a London-based imagemaker who cut his teeth as a videographer and editor specialising in dance and fashion/beauty content. After years behind the video camera, he eventually conquered his intimidation of still photography and dove in headfirst. This creative pivot has been liberating, allowing him to create personal work with an immediacy that filmmaking never permitted. His distinctive aesthetic—informed by his background shooting dancers and his love for film photography—has quickly established him as a rising talent capturing beautiful images with depth and repose.
If sharing, kindly mention @heavyferal and the artist(s) @bonjenoux
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WRITERS
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All rights reserved to the authors, artists, and photographers. No reproduction without permission.
Feral Magazine c/o Steve Marais
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12157 Berlin
Germany
Feral Magazine and HeavyFeral are published independently by
Steve Marais
For general enquiries, please contact:
contact@heavyferal.com
For submission enquiries, go to our submissions page or contact:
submissions@heavyferal.com
For press, wholesale and advertising enquiries, please use:
contact@heavyferal.com and
fyi@stevemarais.com
Feral is active on the following horrible social media platforms
EDITOR
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using Lay Theme
by 100K Studio
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FEATURED LIST
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And more
[you might also like]
Feral Magazine c/o Steve Marais
Rubensstraße 92
12157 Berlin
Germany
Feral Magazine and Feral Online are published independently by
Steve Marais
For general enquiries, please contact:
contact@heavyferal.com
For submission enquiries, go to our submissions page or contact:
submissions@heavyferal.com
For press, wholesale and advertising enquiries, please use:
contact@heavyferal.com and
fyi@stevemarais.com
Feral is still active on the following horrible social media platforms