<div class="floatright">(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b395/jaberwok2005/E%20Games/AAMale.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong>Paul Raike<br/><strong>Age:</strong>26<br/><strong>Role:</strong>Photographer's Assistant<br/><strong>Orientation:</strong>Heterosexual<br/><strong>Specialty:</strong>Although Paul is still working on finding his niche, his current interest is in exploring contrasts of all kinds - contrasts of color (skin color being a favorite, he likes working with interracial couples), contrasts of illumination and light (bright lights with stark shadows), and contrasts of expectation (nudity in everyday situations, for example, or dress/role reversal) are some of the topics he explores in his photography.<br/><strong>Fetish/Offs:</strong>Paul has no fetishes, and while he prefers working within his interests (above), he works hard to push his boundaries of comfort. The only thing he will explicitly not photograph is anything that leaves permanent marks. To quote, "The phrase 'take nothing but photographs and leave nothing but footprints,' extends beyond nature. We are all part of nature, and as such we should seek to leave each other empowered and enabled by our interactions with each other and the camera, just as we would seek to leave other natural beauty unspoiled for the delighted discovery of others."<br/><strong>Appearance:</strong>Six and a half feet tall, Paul has a natural athleticism from a family full of sports fanatics. His black hair is impeccably groomed, cut short and kept neat down to the tip of his clean goatee; smooth cafe au lait skin fills the space in between, disturbed only by two intense whirlpools of dark Godiva. He dresses conservatively - button up shirt, sports coat, and slacks; the lack of tie suggests he's not entirely comfortable with the facade, an impression only reinforced by the black Converse sneakers that peek out from beneath his cuffs.<br/><strong>Personality:</strong>As a tall and athletic African American male, Paul gets very sick of people assuming that he must be a basketball player, especially since he hates the game with a passion. Generally easy-going, Paul is generally content to let things happen as they will around him; when he is behind the camera, however, he can be critical and demanding, often repeating shots until he is satisfied with the result.<br/><strong>Biography:</strong>Paul's mother died in a car accident when he was barely a year old, so he grew up as the youngest of four boys under his dad, a certified (and certifiable) sports nut. All of his older brothers were athletes (the eldest became a professional quarterback, the second was an amazing pitcher, and the third brother absolutely adored hockey and lacrosse), so perhaps it was understandable that Paul's father expected that he, too, would find a love on a field. Paul tried very, very hard; however, his true excellence was in art, and he would spend his time doing sculpture and sketching instead of practicing. In high school, one of his teachers encouraged him to try photography; he was hooked, and never looked back. To appease his father he worked as the sports photographer for his college paper; during his junior year the basketball team made it to the NCAA Final Four, and he went along as well. He found that no one cared about his work, even if he captured shots that made fans scream; even his father could only talk about the accomplishments of the team instead of those of his son. After graduation Paul moved away from his family to seek his own path. He's currently attending a local university, working towards a Masters of Fine Arts in photography; his scholarship takes care of room and board, but he has very little spending money. Thus, he sought a job at Waxing Rhapsodic, hoping to gain both experience for his resume as well as a little spending money; although his resume was sparse, he was happy to start in "guest and model relations". At the very least, he'd get to interact with professionals in his chosen field... right?