I know that most people would assume those of us who have a passion for images of the male form have a preoccupation with the penis. I have no doubt this is true for some, but for me, there has to be so much more. First off, I am much more interested in a great rear shot than a frontal, but secondly, I am not usually interested in any body part that doesn't have a great face attached. The artists that most love to feature, focus on people, not just their bodies.
The body of course is important, but for me, it is not the most important. This is my third feature on the work of Mark from Little Rock's Diver Photography. When I first contacted Mark, it was not about a penis, or butt or even a body. I contacted Mark about a smile. The smile, belonged to Will, who I featured in our second post last January entitled Grin And Bare It. Will has an amazing body, but it was that smile that had Mark's images stand out, and it was that smile, that motivated my wanting to contact him.
Jake has incredible body as well, especially as shot in the lush green Arkansas woods, beautifully flanked with tree's and foliage. Jake also has a great face, with an engaging ear to ear goofy grin that lights up each of Mark's captures. Jake also has bright and soulful eyes act as an emotional lever, able to switch the emotional reaction one has to each image. Mark really enjoyed his time with Jake and would recommend his work, and his professionalism to other artists.
'Working with Jake was a pleasure! Jake felt very comfortable in front of the camera and was assertive with his poses, yet very flexible to work with. Jake was not bashful at all and was willing to do a multitude of poses, nude, implied and clothing shots to diversify our shoot together.'
Oddly, what struck me most in Mark's images of Jake was how different the images looked, and how different the images felt, depending on his hair. In a few of the shots, (including the ones above and below this text) Jake's hair was combed down, flat on his head. In most of the other images, the product came out and James hair was hair, bangs flipped up and back. A small change maybe, but with his hair flicked up, there was a change in his look, he looked a little older, a little more current and his great facial structure seemed more evident and defined.
Although I like his hair combed down, the images have beautiful, quiet quality. When his hair was combed up and back, the difference in appearance brought out a distinct increase in energy and perceived burst in confidence. This of course might be all in my mind, but then again when viewing an image, the reaction of the viewer is really what it is all about.
