Paul, New Orleans Marriot, c. 1988

A photograph like this one invariably gets a lot of comments about lighting, and I appreciate them, I guess, but I have to smile, because my philosophy of lighting is very simple.  Light is essential to photography; without it there is no image.  Obviously.  But what the light source is, where it comes from and what makes it is completely immaterial to me. 

I don't travel with a professional light kit.  For many years I didn't even have a professional light kit.  Even today I consider them clumsy and cumbersome, and I'd much rather do without them.

The images above and below were taken with one of my favorite light sources - a bright overhead bathroom can light, especially those that can be found in hotel rooms.  It casts a strong vertical beam directly on the model, creating a strong, dramatic shadow.

It is true that the model must possess two special attributes to stand up to that kind of light - youth and beauty.  Paul had them both.



Pont Royal, Paris - Homme, Femme

And now for something completely different.  Some years ago, while strolling along the Seine, I happened to look down over the embankment and discovered a whole new world, in the heart of Paris. 

 There is a stretch of quai, between Pont Royal and Pont Academe, where Parisians go in the summer to bake themselves in the sun.  They wear very little to (literally) nothing, and some of the most beautiful bodies in the city are on casually wanton display.

As a photographer I am a voyeur by nature, and for hours I walked a fine line as I tried to stay as unobtrusive as possible while recording the wonderful images before me.

The two photographs above were taken a few yards apart.  I was struck by the diametrically opposite  body language - the open abandon of the male in contrast to the rigid, almost prim stance of the female, including the neatly positioned shoes.

Rice Paper Figure with Ivy

Another rice paper print, from the same shoot as the other.  The model is my favorite body type to photograph, short - around 5'7" or so, and compact.  I find them easier to shoot than taller models.  They seem to fit the frame better, and are generally more graceful to pose.

Film, with a two-light set-up.



Study, Bending Figure

Not much of a story here. A figure study with one light source.  I don't remember who the model was.  In fact, I don't really remember the shoot.



Crouching figure

One of a series of prints filtered through rice paper.  A thin sheet of rice paper was laid over the photo paper and the negative exposed through it.  Photoshop doesn't have a fliter to match this, although I have managed to get a similar look digitally.

The model, whose name I can't remember, was a life model for the Art League.



Bloomington Primavera

I just returned fron the Kinsey Institute Exhibition, where I was able to see some of their permanent collection of George Platt Lynes and Baron Von Gloeden.  Actually holding those original prints in my hands, images that have never been published, was an experience I shall never forget.

While I was there I managed to do one shoot.  The image above is a result.  I had contacted a model online, but he called me just before I got there to tell me that he was ill and running a high fever; he would not be able to shoot.  I was disappointed, but that seemed to be that.  Then he called me back to say that a friend of his, Scott, would like to do it.  Scott arrived at my hotel room about an hour later.

The room decor was early tacky, with a particularly eye-searing floral bedspread, so we worked off that, creating a contemporary American midwestern "Primavera".

After this I will return to posting the earlier black and white film work for a while.



The Kinsey Institute Juried Exhibition 2011

For the next seven to ten days I will be out of town attending the opening of the Kinsey Juried Exhibition in Bloomington, Indiana.  I have a photograph in the exhibit.  I am sorry, but here will be no new posts during that time.  I hope those of you who are following this blog will return for further posts when I get back.  

Meanwhile, please take a look at the complete posting to date, if you have not, and leave some comments if you will.  I have been very pleased at the participation so far, but part of the reason for this blog is to elicit a response to the images, so I would appreciate your thoughts.

Below is the image on display in the Exhibition:

Climax I

This image is exactly what it appears to be.  It was shot in low light, using a $12 aluminum utility light and a flood bulb, clipped to a chair.  The tungsten light created the orange-red color.  Initially I color-corrected it, but then realized that the more intense color heightened the emotion of the moment.

This is the first digital image I have shown here, and the first color.  I will return to black and white film images after this.

The photograph was printed in a 24"x24" format, and framed to 27"x27".  The large size further enhances the intensity of the image.



Figure in natural light

A simple figure study in natural light.  In a way I've always considered this kind of image as "too easy".  I'm not sure why; maybe it's because I get such pleasure from taking them.

Kneeling youth

"Academic" model in a contemporary pose.  You may see him in the "Academy" poses by clicking "2011" on the right and scrolling down.

Shot on film with a two-light setup.



"Z", on a Chaise

My first shoot with "Z", and my first with a black model.  I had all kinds of preconceived ideas about how it would be to photograph a black model, and they were all wrong.

I thought they would be difficult to light, and that I would have to overcompensate for the darkness of the skin by increasing the light.

I quickly discovered that dark skin is easier to light than light skin.  With light skin you have to be careful not to light too brightly, because you can blow out the image.  Dark skin absorbs the light; takes on a subtle glow.

Here the soft sheen of his skin echoes the softness of the velvet upholstery.

Figure, Chaise

Another figure on the chaise - if that chaise could talk -  this one of my painter friend with the strong self-image.  You can see how forcefully he projects it.  He was almost impossible to direct.


During one shoot in particular, every time I directed him to turn his head a certain way, he would change it ever so subtly just before I snapped the shutter.  It was getting more and more frustrating, as I struggled to get the image I wanted.


I finally asked him just what he thought he was doing; he smiled serenely and said, "Nothing.", but I thought I saw a little glint in his eye.  I turned around and saw that there was a large framed picture hanging on the wall behind me.  He was looking at his reflection in the glass and adjusting his pose.



Jamie,Mask

An image from my first gallery show, "Now You See It, Now You Don't", 1987.  It was the first time I had ever shown a male nude in public, and I was nervous. The models were nervous.  This one was particularly nervous, and had stipulated that his face not show, and that he not be identified.  He was a local public school teacher, and had good reason for his concern, so I agreed.

During the opening, which was going quite well, someone came up to me and said he wanted to buy the photo of Jamie.  I stuck to my agreement and told him I was sorry, but I never identified my models, and couldn't tell him which was the photo of Jamie.  He said he already knew which one it was; Jamie had told him.  He just wanted to buy it. That's when I learned not to second-guess models.



OMG!

I think this was deleted from yesterday's post, so I'll repeat it.

I met this model at a gallery opening.  We were discussing the work and he asked me what I did.  When I told him I photographed nudes, he said he had always wanted to pose nude.  I said, "Any time."  He said, "What about now?"  He was just a little buzzed on gallery wine.  I said, "Fine."

When we got to my house, I quickly set up the lights and drop while he got undressed.  He asked me what he should do, and I told him to just stand there for a minute and get his bearings.  He struck a casual pose, and I got behind the camera.  Just as I was about to snap the shutter, he exclaimed, "Oh my god, I'm NAKED!"  and covered his...FACE.



Figure in a Chair

A long story; I'll try to make it short.  Talking to a young photographer friend years ago when male models were scarce and difficult to come by; he suggested that we pose for each other.  It seemed a good idea, so I agreed, and went first.  That's another story. 

Then I photographed him.  Since he worked in a professional photo lab, I gave him the film to develop.  He did, and gave me a 35mm contact sheet. 

I was excited by the results, and was anxious to make prints, but I waited and waited for him to give me the negatives.  Afer several weeks of waiting, I called him.  He was very sorry, but he either "lost" them or "damaged" them.   He never got the story straight.  In short, he got cold feet and kept them.

I was pissed, but there was nothing I could do, so I eventually forgot about them.

Flash forward nearly twenty years - digital was hitting its prime, the digital scanner had been perfected, and guess what I came across in some old files?  The contact sheet.

This image and the one below are the result of a painstaking scan and restoration of the original 35mm contacts.

The moral of the story?  Don't f**k with me, fellas.

BTW, the model has prints of both images hanging in his house, and loves them.  He should; he doesn't look like that anymore.



Figure in a Chair



Image shot on film, scanned from 35mm contact sheet, sepia toned.

"Z", dance pose

"Z" in a dance pose.  For a large man, he was extraordinarily graceful, and could strike a series of poses effortlessly, with little or no direction.  This was shot on film with one light source.  Try as I might, I have not really been able to capture the same quality of light and texture with a digital camera.

I miss the quality of print possible with film, but I must confess, I do not miss the darkroom.  Those hours spent in that smelly, close, dark little space were pure drudgery for me.



Paul, Von Gloeden series

Crop of an image in the Von Gloeden series.  Shot on film, digitally manipulated to enhance the grain.



Paul, Von Gloeden series



One of a series of images evoking the style of Baron Von Gloeden in Sicily in the early 20th century. 

The chaise, which appears in several shoots from this period, was on loan from an antique dealer friend.  It was a wonderful 19th century piece, and lent itself to a variety of settings.  I kept it until the owner had to ask for it back.

Here I placed it on my back terrace, for daylight shots in natural light.  The model was of Sicilian extraction, which made him perfect for the series. 

Shot on film, printed in sepia.

Johnny, beefcake pose

As promised, more of Johnny, just for fun.  The kid just oozed sex, and who was I to refuse him?  He also changed his hair for every shoot.  It was the '80's.

The Dilemma

Series created for a juried competition entitled "The Great American Nude" in 1988 or 1989.  It was the only male nude submitted.

The model was a first-timer, recommended to me by a friend.  I think he was 19 at the time.  He was a natural.  He had no problem with nudity.  I explained the concept; that he was to look at some fig leaves, and try them on in various ways, as though he really didn't understand their purpose.  He took over from there, creating a series of delightfully innocent poses and giving me exactly what I wanted.

It was the beginning of a series of shoots with this model. You will see him again.

Figure with a knife, c. 1986

This figure was meant to convey the danger of sex in the age of AIDS.  The image was exhibited in the Lawndale Juried Exhibition in Houston in 1987.

James, with Mannequins

Image with one of many models who did not want their faces to show; always a challenge.  In this instance, the model had flawless olive skin that matched the color and texture of the mannequins, borrowed from a local department store.

Paul, morning.

Same setting, very different feel.  Morning light, softer and quieter, changes the mood completely.

The model was a student at the university where I taught - a life model in the art department, - who took direction extremely well, and knew what he was doing.  I did several shoots with him, and will post more later.Paul, morning.

Figure on a Bed

Shoot in natural light.  The pants are nylon, or some synthetic fabric.  I had the model put them on soaking wet to get that transparent look.

The model is an artist friend, a painter.  He was always up for a collaboration, but, as a visual artist, he had a very definite sense of his own image.  That made for some difficult shoots, as I battled with his vision to get to mine.  I recently shot him again, over twenty years later.  He hasn't changed.  I'll post that later.

Figure with a Mask

I don't remember the details of the lighting here, but it appears to be at least two sources. By this time I had purchased a set of three portable lights on stands.  Designed for video production, they put out a whopping 600 watts each, and the same amount of heat.  I still have them, and I still sometimes use them.

The model was a close friend of mine I had always wanted to photograph, but he had to be talked into it.  The shoot took place in his apartment.  By this time everyone was becoming more body-conscious, as evidenced by his overall muscle tone, but it was not excessive.

Academic Figure

Another academic nude.  This model was perfect for this kind of image - a naturally slender build, not gymmed, natural hair.  So difficult to find in these days of shaving, waxing and 24-hour fitness.



Academic figure

Another in a series of images based on the idea of "Academy" figures - nudes taken very early in the history of photography, meant to provide examples of classical poses for art students.  Of course, as in every mode of pictorial representation man has devised, from cave paintings to the internet, the nude was one of the first subjects produced.  The "Academy" images protected the photographer from prosecution, but many of the images produced were little more than pornography; especially the female nudes.  There was also a booming market in outright porn, in the form of couples photographed in the act.  In view of the excruciatingly slow exposure times, it must have been a challenge for all concerned, but they rose above it.

The stigma of producing nudes, especially male nudes, still rears its head in our "enlightened" age, when we go out of our way to describe our work as "Fine Art" nudes - code for "respectable".

The model here was a close friend and neighbor, and a delightful model, always ready for anything.

The medium is black and white film.

First ever blog post

I'm a brand-new babe in the bloggersphere woods.  Never even read many; but here I am, about to take the plunge.

My passion is photography, and my subject is the male nude.  It's not such a shock now, but when I began this journey the road was fraught with peril.  Photographing the male nude tagged the photographer with some very explicit labels, most of them not very complimentary.  Still does, in some quarters, but not so much as it did in the not-so-distant past.  Anyway, there it is.

My intention is to post images, along with a description and (sometimes) details of the shoot.  I'll learn as I go along, and we'll see what happens.

Sexe Mechanique

The image on the left was taken with the same set-up as the last one.  I don't remember the impetus for the hand; it was an artist's model hand that I had recently bought in Paris, and it was just lying around.  I placed it over the model's crotch and he held it there by pressing his thighs together.  I liked the result.

Sometime later I was browsing through a bookstore and came upon a collection of George Platt Lynes.  I had never heard of him, and was amazed at his work.  As I leafed through the book I came across the image on the right.  It really upset me, because, although I had never seen it, I was afraid that people would assume that I had copied it.  To be honest, it still bothers me, but nevertheless I'm proud of the image.

Since then I have seen a number of variations on this theme, always using a real hand.  I have no idea whether these are imitations of the original, or independent works.  I don't suppose it matters.

"Z", contraposto

In the beginning, there was film.  And primitive lighting, but it worked.  "Z" was one of my first models, a lovely man - a former dancer - who moved beautifully.  The shot was taken in my dining room, against a simple black fabric drop, with one light source. This style became a staple for quite a while.  I still use it on occasion.

Stan, poster for The Doppler Effect

This image, which has become my logo, was shot for the poster and program of my first produced play, The Doppler Effect.  The model, Stan, was an actor who became a good friend, and died far too young.  This image is a tribute to him, and to all the others we lost during that terrible time.