When I first met up-and-coming photographer Eric Schwabel, or Der Schwabel as I like to call him, he had just moved to sunny Venice Beach from the cold winters of upstate New York. Schwabel made the big leap to LA after gaining international notoriety during his senior year at the Rochester Institute of Technology by having a portfolio of his male nudes published in Blue Magazine.

He has since expanded his work to include everything from magazine cover shoots to mainstream print advertisements to 'beefing up' his portfolio of male nudes. I 'sat down' with Eric last weekend via video-conference from my studio on the Lower East Side to talk about all the buzz surrounding his latest work.

Lower East Side: Eric, the last time I saw you, you had downed seven $2 margaritas at a Venice Beach dive and you were playing the erotic video trivia game by yourself in the corner.

Eric Schwabel: The last interview I did I'd been drinking and it was over the phone to Australia.

LES: Eric, you're not making any sense.

ES: I guess. I'm not really awake yet

LES: Not surprised. Well, you must be doing something right; you've blossomed into quite the fresh new face on the Los Angeles photography scene. Your career has really taken off since those sleazy back room photos at the leather bars…

ES: Yeah I guess it has. I even have my own studio now right down the street from my house. Last year I had one cover shoot under my belt and a lot of silly shoots for Playgirl. Now, no more Playgirl, but seven covers and ads for Pepsi. It's good to be me…

LES: So what was it like shooting for Playgirl? Is there a luxurious Playgirl mansion with white peacocks, boy bunnies and grottos?

ES: Playgirl started off being pretty damn fun. I was just shooting my friends or guys I'd find online, shots really similar to what I was doing for Blue magazine at the time, more "artsy fartsy." I can assure you there is no playgirl mansion… The closest thing to the Playgirl mansion is my house around midnight…

LES: Wow, shameless even in print.

ES: Haha yes, enchanted is the word I would use. There was a porn star sleeping over here last night, isn't that interesting? Not in my bed, mind you. My home is like a halfway house for porn stars. I gotta say, the porn stars are good people.

ES: This is true. Luckily I don't own anything of value that isn't a camera.

LES: Back to your work. It seems like every time I look at LA based fag-rag Frontiers, your photos are on the cover. When did you start shooting for them?

ES: They called me while I was on holiday so I couldn't do the first cover they wanted me for. We started in January this year. It's been great working with them, they're a terrific group and we all seem to be on the same page. Great designers and editors over there, the cover shoots are phenomenal. Since that first shoot, I've been doing one or two shoots for them a month. The next one is gonna be pretty hot, another cover story, it's an eight-page swimwear lay-out. We're shooting some of it underwater, I'm going to have to learn how to SCUBA!

LES: Watch out world, Schwabel's going under water.

ES: Ridiculously enough, I already own an underwater film camera. Anyway, you'd be surprised how visible [the magazine is]. I've been contacted by three pretty well-known national mags after the covers started coming out. It's crazy, if you walk down Hollywood or especially WeHo (West Hollywood), it's everywhere. I guess people are noticing it, which is good!

"I'm always gettin' my friends naked and then published..."

LES: That's awesome, great way to get your work out there.

ES: Yeah and since they're independent, we're shooting more, like "real life" interesting people... Not just someone who has a movie to sell, though we did do one of those shots too.

LES: So let's talk a little about your non-commercial work. I just recently heard you're going to be showing at a gallery soon. You've done such a diverse array of work, are you shooting new photography for it? Or is it going to be a retrospective of your work up to now?

ES: It's all brand new. I actually have a few shows coming up; next month is a retrospective of sorts, that's all for charity, then closer to the end of 2007 the new show. It's going to coincide with a book release, and, yes, a calendar. I'm kind of nervous about doing a calendar but I think it will be fun.

LES: Wow, sounds like 2007 is going to be a huge year for you! So what's the scoop on the book and calendar?

ES: You know; it already has been. January alone was crazy, now we're into April and I don't think I've ever been this busy. I can't say much about the book or calendar except that you're going to want to tear out all the pages and either frame them on the wall or pin them up over your bed.

LES: Umm, yes please…

ES: It has to do with athletes. I will say -- it sure as hell is NOT being shot in black and white. When I was approached about doing this, I did some research on what else has been done, and everything out there is this dramatic black and white stuff... So not Schwabel...

LES: Snap! I'm sure every gay guy in the world knows what you're talking about. Can't wait to see the final product with those fighting words…

ES: It's going to be hot.

LES: I bet. So has living in LA changed your visual aesthetic at all?

ES: I don't think living in LA changed my aesthetic as much as having to cope with the fact that I'm a professional photographer now 24/7. To some degree, things had to change because now I have to deal with budgets and agents and PR firms and what not. Rather than it just being me, it's five or six people who have an interest in what I end up shooting, not to mention everyone on the crew. You know; I was interviewed by Blue Magazine right when I moved here and I referred to LA as "Disneyland on crack." My first night here, Colin Farrell bought me a beer... But now it feels normal, like it's where I belong. Mind you I live in Venice Beach, not Hollywood.

LES: Speaking of Blue Magazine, you recently went back to the magazine that gave you your break for another photo shoot which has been getting tons of buzz around the internet. What was it like working with Blue again?

ES: Yeah, Blue is an awesome magazine to be in. That's one of those mags I'd flip through when I was in school and think to myself, "I'm going to be in this magazine when I'm like 30, that's my goal..." But I was published in there when I was 23. My portfolio was followed by something Karl Lagerfeld had shot! But this new one is crazy cool. They approached me about this special fashion issue they were going to do so we shot something new. We had something like three million dollars worth of jewelry for that shoot! Madness!

LES: Dripping in diamonds!

ES: That's how Schwabel rolls…

LES: Those were some pretty scandalous photos in that spread.

ES: Yeah, The good thing about Blue is you don't really have to self-censor. It's about good photography, not the contents of the photographs, so you'll see a hint of cock and a lot of ass in that shoot. And that model is HOT! He's another friend of mine. I think he's Swedish and Native American, something like that. Good mix… You should see the outtakes.

LES: Indeed!

ES: I'm always gettin' my friends naked and then published...