Have You Got What It Takes?
'After just coming out of the ocean I mentioned to Roy that he should do what he needed to do, to make himself look bigger, but not hard. He thought trying 'the helicopter' was a most amusing idea and naturally obliged with a smile.'
Working on FH, some of my favorite artists, models and images to feature have come from Australia. Part of the appeal is my love of travel, even if the trip is a virtual visual one. Another part, is my love of geography, and my desire to see new locations and breathtaking settings surrounding the male beauty featured. Although my focus may be the male form, I have loved my visual journeys to swamps and ammo factories with Robert J. Guttke, the Utah Mountains with Gordon Nebeker and Prisons and Banks with Robert Colgan. These images have taken me places I not would never have gone to, but most importantly, never have imagined.
This visual journey, to the Western Coast of Australia, began as most of my journey's do, with my seeing one image. The photo, forth from the bottom, was of a beautiful and naked man, lying within the sand dunes, beach vegetation and marram beach grass, I knew I wanted to see more. The image, so beautifully framed and sunlight, had my senses reminded of the feeling of lying on the beach. You could almost feel the heat of the sun above and also the heat of sand below. I was also reminded of the dry, brittle, even cutting nature of the beach grass, so beautiful to see, but not as beautiful to touch.
The naked man within the dunes I found out, was Roy. The man behind the camera, responsible for the image, was James from Fit Aussie Guys. Based in Melbourne, the aim of Fit Aussie Guys is to show of Aussie guys at their physical peak; linking their athletic bodies to the sport and fitness that shaped them. Few of the men photographed have modeled before, so most of them are unknowns and not seen anywhere else on the web! Through naturalistic lighting, or the blazing sun shining down on the incredible Australian beaches, the focus is to spotlight and exaggerate body definition and celebrate the physical accomplishments of the men in front of their lens.
With the title, Fit Aussie Guys, you can expect to see fit guys with incredible bodies. But by also including Aussie in the title, you're also promised a bit of the country, as not only a location, but as well it's culture and lifestyle. Fit Aussie Guys has been showcased in national and international magazines including DNA, tMf Magazine, Monster Children, and banQuet Pres.
James discovered Roy through a blind casting call he had put up looking for models. A tradesmen working in the mines in Western Australia, Roy had never modeled before. James shares that Roy had one of those "I'll give anything a go!" attitudes and they immediately got along, being around the same age and sharing a mutual love of Australian sport. James chose the secluded Leighton Beach, just outside of a town called Fremantle as their location. The beach, along a wide stretch of the Australian coast, had only an old swim club with an abandoned, but still functioning kiosk, and shower block which had it's roof ripped off by a cyclone in 2002.
'We began with a few surf shots and running along the water shots. There were only a few other kite-surfers on the beach that day. He seemed very much at ease and enjoying the experience on what was a picture perfect day. I moved up to the sand dunes which was full of a variety of vegetation good for the images I wanted and started to shoot. A few shots in boardshorts and first and then down to his underwear. Roy knew that there were going to be some nudity required for this photo shoot and didn't flinch when I asked him to take of his jocks. He was very comfortable!'
'The last part of the shoot was at the old shower block which although abandoned still had running water. We used this for a few more boardshorts shots before dropping them in the shower for some final images. Roy was a top bloke and easy guy to work with and I wouldn't hesitate getting him in front of the camera again next time I'm on the west coast. He said afterwards that he really enjoyed the shoot and hanging out and was really surprised at how well the photos turned out. The feeling was mutual.'
