Figure in a Loft

Not a lot to say here. A no-frills moment.

A 21st Century Olympia

In 1863, Manet exhibited his "Olympia" in Paris, and caused a scandal.  Instead of the coy, sentimentalized Venus figure of tradition, he chose to portray a contemporary flesh and blood woman, staring uncompromisingly out of the canvas at the viewer.

The modern museum-goer has long been inured to the realistic portrayal of the female nude, but still has a way to go with the nude male.


Here is my contribution to the evolution of the form.  The model stares out without apology or artifice; he is what he is.

Figure, supine

One of a series of studio poses.

Bend Over Forward

Another entry in the Kinsey Exhibition.  I think it speaks for itself.

I like to skirt the boundaries of eroticism.

Nude with trainers

I am honored once again to be included in the Kinsey Institute Juried Exhibition 2012.

This is the third exhibition in which I have been included.  Ordinarily I hate entering competitions - I'm a very sore loser - but I told myself this time that since I had already been accepted twice it didn't really matter.  But it did!

The photograph came from a very intense session with this model, that began at about 9 in the evening and went on until nearly 3 in the morning, during which we collaborated in a series of grueling concepts ranging from hanging from the rafters by his wrists to doing gymnastic turns on a suspended rope to crawling nude through piles of dirt to being hosed down and brought back into the studio for dance poses.

This image came at the very end of the shoot, when we were both exhausted and exhilarated, and had gotten down to basics. There is no pretense or posing here; just raw beauty.

I continue to enter this competition because I have such respect for the Institute and its vision.  Their collection of 20th century photography is second to none, and I am very proud to have six of my own images in the collection.

Search "Kinsey Institute Exhibition" for more information and photographs and videos of past shows.

St. Paddy's Day

Just for fun!  I enjoy these exercises.

Figure on White

On the other hand, studio light can be nice, as well.

Figure in the studio

For no particular reason, a figure from a studio session with one of my favorite models, Darin.


I enjoy the romance of natural light when I can get it.

THE TRANSFIGURATION OF EROS

Some of you may have noticed that I've taken a break, which began with the holidays but has extended somewhat.  Thank you for your continued viewing.

When I began this Blog I organized it in roughly chronological order, beginning with my earliest work on film and continuing into digital.

Now that I am into the present, this order does not seem to make sense, so I have been searching for a new organization - by model, by session, by theme - but I have not made a decision.

It is possible that I will not "organize", but simply post images as they occur.

The first example, below, was done for an upcoming exhibition,"Uncensored:Queer Art and the Church" Leslie-Lohman Gallery, NYC.

It is a digital photograph superimposed onto a religious illustration by an unknown artist.

A Mid-winter's Eve

Shot in low one-source light.

David, Blindfolded

Another attempt with the blindfold, this one in the studio.


I consider this one a success for a number of reasons.

Shot with one light source.

David on White

Another from this session. We seem to do better when he isn't facing the camera.

Studio shot with high-key lighting.

David, with a straw hat

OK, it's a new year, and we pick up where we left off:


Back to David (Sunday, December 4, 2011)  In a continuing search for a pose that made him comfortable, we tried this studio set-up, with a straw hat.

Shot in studio light on a white paper drop.

Naughty

Let it snow!

I do love the holidays, and these are fun! They exercise my design muscles.

Figure shot in the studio; everything else is CG.

A Little Christmas

Let's take a break and have a little holiday cheer.

David, T-shirt pose

Next we tried the classic T-Shirt pose.

Sorry about yesterday.  I got preoccupied and didn't post.

Figure in Bed

We tried everything.  Here is our attempt at a sexy boudoir shot.


Now that I look at it again, it's not bad, for what it is.

Shot in low light, desaturated color.

David, Blindfolded

We discussed the problem of facial expression at length, and David thought perhaps it was simply that he was shy of the camera, so we tried a blindfold.

David, fireplace

I know it may seem I'm picking on David, but I'm really not.  I've always felt that a good photographer can photograph anyone, regardless of his or her expertise as a model. David presented a challenge, and as an artist and photographer, it was a problem I wanted to solve.


Besides the issue of his expression, David was tall and angular, with few curves, and he was not experienced enough to know how to break up his lines.


Here I have posed him in an attempt to alleviate these issues, but it seems forced.