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Happy Birthday today September 30th
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Favorite Pic of the Day for September 30th
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Alexander L.M.: Artistic Expression, On the Side
'I'm on the doorstep to my 40's so my expectations are tempered; not waiting for GQ to call me. If it evolves into something professional, then great! But honestly, it's been more about self exploration for me, seeing what it is like using my naked body for art.'
Alexander's quote above beautifully encompasses so many of the themes at the core of FH. I have tried to follow a set of values for the site, and loved how Alexander so naturally weaved so many of them into the few sentences above. Although I have featured many models who have appeared, or could appear in GQ, my focus has never been on the 'it' boy. My focus has to been to focus on images, models and art that grabs me and the stories behind their creation.
For many, especially new models, their modeling journey is often rooted in self exploration. Removing one of our most strongest layers of protection, our clothing, and posing naked pretty much forces a model to come to terms with issues of self and coming to a place of acceptance of who we are and our relationship with our body. Many who have never stood naked in front a camera often spend a lifetime ducking and weaving from facing issues of self.
Although self exploration was part of Alexander's experience modeling nude, for me, it was the incredible results that initially caught my eye and had me reaching out about featuring his work. The first shot of Alexander that I saw was the image I used as Pic of the Day.
You often see women photographed wearing only a men's white dress shirt, there are countless scenes in movies with the woman wearing just the man's shirt the morning after. I loved the image and pose and how sexy Alexander looked wearing only the shirt. You can also feel Alexander's sensuality and vulnerability expressed through his beautiful brown eyes.
I also loved Alexander's reference to being 'on the doorstep to forty'. I frequently feature models between the ages of 18 and 30. I also find there quite a few male models finding success who are in their fifties, sixties and even their seventies. For some reason, it's more difficult to find male models, especially nude male models in their thirties and forties. There are many reasons for this of course, especially for those modeling professionally. For new and amateur models, and models such as Alexander, who 'models on the side', these are the decades most people are focusing on career, and having nude photos on the web doesn't necessarily mesh with certain chosen careers.
'I know male nudes, especially exposure of the penis, carries that negative connotation of being sexual explicit and often gets immediately dismissed for rubbish, vulgar pornography. I think nudes are both sexual and artistic, and I believe the work I've accomplished so far lies more on the side of artistic expression.'
Alexander's main concern in posing nude wasn't the impact on career, for Alexander, when he decided to begin modeling last year, it came down to finding the right audience, an audience who would appreciate his photos and view them as both sensual and artistic. This set of images were shot by Fredrik Sinsalom, an amateur photographer friend of Alexander's. Alexander is hoping the images inspire a professional photographer to reach out and connect, and artist with similar goals to create artistic images with the sexy and sensual thirtysomething male form.
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Instagrams that Inspire: yec_1
New York real estate and sales manager yec_1 certainly has an Instagram that Inspires! Not only does he have an inspiring asset, he skillfully knows how to best present it. I especially love images of yec_1 hanging out naked at home, looking for a good book on a high bookshelf or cleaning out his aquarium.
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Seasonal Sightings
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Happy Birthday today October 2nd
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Favorite Pic of the Day for October 2nd
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Black & Yellow: Nas by Lights On Studio
'Nas is a natural in front of the camera and his body flows without effort. Even his fingers are fluid and graceful. I was sure he was a dancer but to my surprise he says he can't dance. I think it would be a thing of beauty to see him moving across the stage.'
The first time I featured Michigan photographer Tom Nakielski's (Lights On Studio) work with Nas, they were shooting in beautiful old Victoria Home. (A Victorian Life) Although Nas started out wearing a suit, but by the shoot's end, the Victorian furniture was adorned with the skin of his beautiful naked body.
When we caught up with Nas next, Tom shot a sexy set of shots with Nas wearing jeans and a white dress shirt. (The White Dress Shirt) Although the dress shirt stayed on, Nas's jeans slid down as the shoot went on, around his knees by the end.
When Tom sent on his shots of Nas in the jeans and white shirt, he also included this set with the stunning Nas in the black and yellow jock strap. I loved the colors, and how they looked wrapped, and unwrapped around Nas's waist. I thought the series needed a focus of their own!
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Blast From The Past: Kelly Ward, The Other Cute Blonde
My introduction to Grease wasn't the through watching the movie, but through listening to the soundtrack. Grease was one of the few albums my mother owned and listened to and I knew learned the music long before I saw the film on VHS many years later. I remember laying on the floor in the eighties opening the LP and staring at the images on the inside cover.
Like John Travolta I would guess... the cute blonde who really drew my attention wasn't Olivia Newton-John, it was Kelly Ward who played Putzie. I like many of Travolta's movies, but never really got his appeal physically. He is an actor who to me seems to appeal more to women than men. When I finally got to see Grease on video, the only actor who drew my 'lustful' attention was the adorable Ward.
Ward got his start in another Travolta project, the 1976 TV movie, The Boy in the Plastic Bubble. After appearing in Grease, Ward made a few guest appearances on TV shows, but by the early 80's moved behind the camera doing voice work and working as a dialogue and voice director.
The name Putzie is actually only used in the film version of the musical. In the original stage production, the third T-bird character's name is Roger. Putzie only sang in group numbers, but in the stage version Roger sang one of my favorites songs from the musical Mooning Given Putzie and the T-birds had a mooning song in the film, too bad Ward didn't get to sing the song to Jan.
Below Ward and Jeff Conaway with Barry Pearl (Doody) and Michael Tucci (Sonny)
I never appeared in a stage version of Grease, but I did sing Mooning in a Grease night showcase in my first year of University. One of the best versions of 'Roger' singing the song on Youtube HERE:
T-Birds
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Buffalo Central Terminal: Travis by Robert Colgan
'I had always been drawn to Buffalo after driving past on the way to Niagara Falls as a kid. From afar, there are many beautiful buildings of architectural significance. The added bonus was Buffalo's industrial history, much like my hometown of Cleveland. It had a rich past. One building that always drew my attention was the old train station. Sitting in the middle of a neighborhood of small homes, it rises like a skyscraper dropped from the sky!'
FH readers are aware that in addition to sharing incredible imagery, I love to learn and share the story behind their creation. The story, or stories, behind this set of images has quickly became one of my favorites. The location, the Buffalo Central Terminal, a 17-story Art Deco style station which has been inactive since 1979. The photographer, Robert Colgan, is known for both discovering and utilizing abandoned historical structures, and celebrating their historical past, beauty and architecture within his imagery.
In addition to the story behind Robert's choice of location, finding a model shoot there is also central to the story. Travis didn't wake up the day of the shoot expecting to be modeling naked in a run down train station in front of two photographers that he'd never met before. Travis had never modeled before, nor ever even thought of modeling until that day. Circumstances, spontaneity and a leap of faith all played a role in assisting the shoot to come together.
'Designed by the same architect as New York's Grand Central Station, the Buffalo station has been beset with hard times and is lovingly attended by a group of volunteers trying to restore it. Although we didn't have access to the main terminal itself these images are from the multitude of outlying structures surrounding it, including the separated passenger concourse whose attachment to the main terminal had long been demolished'.
Travis on Scruff
So with a historical architecturally stunning structure to shoot in, all that's left is finding a model, something that proved difficult for Robert on this particular shoot. Thankfully, he and the fellow photographer who joined him on the shoot got creative. Thinking outside the box, they started looking on a local on-line dating site, and the sexy of selfie of Travis in his blue undies, (above) soon caught their eye. With one box ticked, the next challenge became convincing a young guy they'd never met, a guy on-line looking for a date not a modeling job, to join two total strangers in an run down abandoned building.
Robert:
'I had been contacting people through Model Mayhem for a couple of weeks prior to the shoot in Buffalo. When it came down to the actual weekend - crickets!!! Absolutely no response from the models. I traveled with a fellow photographer who was going to act as a spotter while on location. When the model luck ran out, he suggested one of the online dating services as another possibility. That's where we found Travis.'
Travis:
'Robert's shooting partner contacted me on Scruff (I might have woofed him first, I'm not sure), but they told me that a couple of their models had bailed on them and asked if I was interested. It was a little weird being asked to go to an abandoned building with two strangers to take naked pictures. Almost everyone I told about it practically begged me not to go because who knows what they would do to me.'
Robert:
'Travis was a very nice guy, but I'm sure he thought that we were a bit odd reaching out to someone through a non-traditional services. After meeting and then working on location, his mind was settled as to our intentions. Thankfully we explained everything upfront before meeting. Nowadays, it's always best to lay all of your cards out to ensure honesty and comfort. Of course, we were hoping for the same! But it all worked out and Travis got to see parts of Buffalo he's never really experienced either!'
Travis:
'Right around the time they had asked me to do the photoshoot, my husband and I had separated after 7 years together, married for almost 3 of those years. When we first separated, I didn't know who I was without him, I didn't know how to be me anymore. I needed to do things that made me feel uncomfortable to sort of make me feel comfortable in my own skin again (if that makes any sense). So after telling at least 4-5 people where I would be, just in case they did turn out to be crazy twink kidnappers, I met them at the terminal.'
Although I don't want to give any crazy twink kidnappers any ideas, in this particular case, Travis's online dating profile proved to be an accidental but fortuitous nexus between artist and model. Travis also proved be the perfect subject to assist Robert in his visual exploration of the old train station. The sadness in his beautiful eyes speaks to his recent heartache and can almost feel his initial hesitation interacting with his strange new surrounding. There is a powerful beauty however, seeing Travis embarking on his own exploration, both in this new modeling challenge, and within his life beyond the terminal.
Travis:
'Working with Robert was not at all what I expected for meeting a photographer off Scruff for a nude photo shoot. I had already had a plan to jet if they turned out to be creepers who just wanted naked pictures of twinks lol. Robert was very professional, he made me feel more comfortable being naked in an abandoned building than I've ever felt being naked - even in the privacy of my own home. They were so thankful that I agreed to do the shoot, but really I should've been thanking them. I don't know if they know it, but they helped pull me out of a serious depression and gain my self confidence back after the separation.'
Robert:
'Travis maintained his composure through 4 hours of wandering, image making and even dodging railroad security. We returned with some terrific shots, great stories and the potential for more work in the future. Sometimes spontaneity can be an awesome thing!'
Travis:
'I've never done any modeling before, and definitely not nude! I also never thought anyone would like them. (that is until I saw them, he does do amazing work). I definitely wouldn't mind doing more modeling, especially for Robert.'
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Bush League
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Happy Birthday today October 4th
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Favorite Pic of the Day for October 4th
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Real Men:
'All he needs is a great smile and a hard body. All you need is a camera!'
Working on the piece featuring Suntown's work above had me on the hunk for some of shots of those 'real men' who appeared in Playgirl over the years. I always suspected some of those real men weren't so real, as more than a few seemed to end up in spreads in future issues. I think some were 'test' models the magazine tried out on readers to get their feedback before deciding on a full spread.
Many however were real guys who's pictures were sent in. The magazine tried to promote the page as a place for wives and girlfriends to send in shots of their husbands and boyfriends and never acknowledged that many of the 'real men; in the images were actually readers of the magazine.
This selection of 'real men' come from issues of Playgirl from the 1990's and 2000's, but if FH readers want to see more, I found many more from the magazine's earlier issues.
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Wet Dream: Kurtis by Suntown Photography
'From highly stylized urban fashion models, new models, life and artist models through sexy un-manscaped natural men in the great outdoors. I have fortunate to be able to share the work of Suntown Photography for close to six years now.
Anyone who read Playgirl remembers some of the hottest images in the magazine were sometimes found in the 'Real Men' section. Although I loved many many of the featured models and centerfolds, there was something incredibly hot about some of the guys who sent in their nudes. Most were not edited and featured the model as they naturally look, without make up, editing or excessive primping and manscaping.
Although Kurtis certainly could be featured as a centerfold, he looks in these shots like a real man I'd love to find wet in my shower. Suntown Photo hasn't shot too many TV personalities, but recently had the opportunity to shoot the The purpose of the shoot the Ex on the beach contestant to get some shots for a new book by B.G.Thomas
I spent some time recently on Suntown's OnlyFans site and there were so many models and shoots I wanted to feature. I decided on Suntown's work with Kurtis, but Suntown's recent postings featuring his work with Luke, a model he's going to be posting more of in the next few weeks, made the choice a hard one.
Suntown's was posting less in September, but now that he is back posting on a regular basis wanted to thank his loyal viewers, and welcome new ones, by cutting his monthly access fee in half to just $4•99 until the 1st of December. If you haven't check out the site, now is a great time to take a peak!
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Nick Mesh: Sweet September
'Try to remember the kind of September
When life was slow and oh so mellow'
Yes, I know we're now well into October, but I wrote this piece last week as September was coming to a close. September is such a meaningful month to me, it became a central theme when I was thinking about calendars and the significance of each of the 12 months of the year.
What I remember most about September, besides school starting and summer ending were the changes in our stores. Halloween decorations were out in August, but September meant the first hints that Christmas was coming. Although most stores held themselves back from actually putting up their decorations, those first few Christmas isles of decorations and gifts were starting to be stacked.
September was the month the Christmas catalogue usually arrived and the countdown to Christmas and the end of the year was on. Thoughts of an year ending are linked to year on the horizon, meaning calendars were also starting to fill the shelves. kittens and puppies, dolphins and whales, nature scenes and pretty much every possible subject and passion were chronicled in 12 month visuals to tempt both
I loved calendars, especially those TV & Movie themed calendars and the calendars featuring hot hunky men. Since calendars made great gifts, it was safe as a kid to buy them, commenting of course how much your aunt was going to love it as you paid at the cash.
Today, Calendars bring just as much pleasure, especially their filled with incredible images from a favorite artist. Whenever I spend time enjoying the work of photographer Nick Mesh, I am always impressed how erotically creative his images are of the male form. Nick has put together some of his favorite images, of some of the hottest men he's shot into a collection of Posters, Photo Prints, Stickers, Greeting Cards, Spiral Notebooks Covers and of course Calendars! Although Christmas is still a few months a way, it's never too early to start window shopping! Check out all of Nick's products on his Rebubble site HERE:
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Succulent Selfies
Big Brother UK's Sam Giffen
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Favorite Pic of the Day for October 5th
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Classic Playgirl: October 1976
'I like a woman I can sit and talk with. I don't go to bed causally. If I go to bed with somebody, it's got to be someone I care about, a proper relationship. I don't want to get up in the morning and not know who's next to me.'
David White
Centerfold
Playgirl, October 1976
Photography by Norbert Jobst
'That's the reason I moved away from home, I love the ocean. I wake up every morning and watch the sun come up and wait and watch it go down at night. When it's cloudy, I just stay in bed.'
'He cares about keeping in shape and works out with weights about four times a week, three hours a day. His object is not to acquire bulging biceps but to keep definition. He also runs five miles every day on the beach.'
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Room at the Inn: Joe R. by JW Johnson
I love these shots of Joe's first shoot. He has such a great face and smile, and a smokin hot body, would have loved to seen JW's work if there had been a third shoot. Given it was his first time in front of the camera, Joe wasn't yet ready for going frontal, but he seems to be enjoying himself and seems very comfortable in front of the camera.
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