Delft Blue: Phil by msbimages

I can't believe that a year has gone by since I last featured the work of Michal Boothe from msbimages. Michal's work is always a breath of fresh air as always hits the mark, capturing beautifully and cleanly the essence of what makes the man in front of his lens sexy, unique and most of all special. It is often frustrating seeing an image of great looking model that the photographer either had no clue how to shoot, or diluted the beauty of their model with overpowering distractions, concepts or editing.

In this exquisite set of images, Michal captures Phil. Not angry Phil, not clown Phil, not porn star Phil, not even model Phil, just Phil. Michal connected with his newest model through a photographer friend and while on his way to Tennessee, Phil stopped over in Dallas for the shoot. Just out of military, posing naked in front of the camera was a piece of cake compared to his previous gig of flying helicopters in Afghanistan.

'His eyes are delft blue and immediately grab your attention. It is hard not to stare or even to look away.'

Michal Boothe

Michal wisely keeps those eyes in focus in most of his shots of Phil (except of course when shooting Phil's beautiful backside). Blue is known to have a calming effect, evoking peaceful and tranquil feelings and Phil's eyes certain evoke those, and other feelings in me. I hadn't really known too much about the origin of delft blue, but a quick google search informed me it was a created color through the calcinations of cobalt with quartz sand and potash. Used commonly in glass and pottery, when first created in the 17th century, it was a time consuming and expensive process. A color once so difficult and complex to create, occurring so naturally in the eyes of Phil.

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Figuration: Eric Striker by msbimages

Exceeding Expectations: Daniel by msbimages

David Butzow by msbimages

Disciplined Decor: Graham by msbimages

'My work celebrates a minimalist aesthetic.'

Michal, msbimages

Although many people put up their holiday decorations right after Thanksgiving, most people, according to the stats, wait until the first or second weekend of December.  I used to drive my mother crazy about putting up the decorations, bugging her with my holiday excitement until she finally relented.  She gave in however, on the lights and decorations for the house, the tree never went up until closer to the big day.

That means, this was the weekend that many families headed up to their attics, down to their basements, and into their closest to drag out their shiny ornaments and trimmings.  We used to drag out cardboard boxes, but today, it's mostly plastic storage bins that hold our holiday treasures.

It's funny how every year we pull out something that we used to love to display, that we now find hideously ugly.   Every year I struggle with the choice of what to reuse, and what to repack. It all depends on my mood, do I want gaudy and ornate, or minimalistic and clean.  As I get older, I find myself leaning toward the clean.  

Minimalistic doesn't have to necessarily apply to quantity, it can mean more than just a bare silver tree.  You can still have plenty of decorations and use more than one color.  Minimalistic to me, applies to the impact of the visual.  For me, this means using one or two coordinated colors, clean lines and a unified aesthetic when it comes to size, shapes and themes. 

Photography is in many ways like decorating for the holidays.  You want a visual that brings you joy, not once, but each time you enter the room and see it.  Sometimes overly decorated rooms can be too busy, visually overwhelming, and even annoying if you spend too much time with them.  I know that as much as I love celebrating holidays on FH, I'm always a little relieved to get back tot he basics after the holidays are over.  A simple focus of great lighting with the focus on skin, and the beauty of the male for.

So... before Christmas gets into full swing on the site, I thought revisiting the work of Michal Booth from msbimages was in order.  A Palate Cleanser before Santa hats, tinsel and gold garland take over. I've been enjoying featuring models and shoots from the Dallas based photographer's extensive archive and today he's sharing his work with the enchantedly adorable Graham.  

Michal shares that Graham was a geology student at a local university when they shot.  Given his area of study, Graham's weekends were often filled with geology themed field trips.  This meant scheduling took awhile.  Michal was patient however,  determined to shoot the geology student with the stunning blue eyes and seductive smile.  Graham also admitted to being a 'bit of an exhibitionist', so nudity was not an issue.  Michal would have loved to have worked with Graham again, but he moved out-of-state after granulation. 

I loved the disciplined decor Michal chose for his shoot with Graham.  The lighting, with just the white walls and white bed sheets were all that was needed.  There was no need for distraction, Michal's focus was on the beauty in front of his lens.  Graham's skin, his blue eyes, his dark hair and brilliant smile are all spotlighted and magnified by Michal's artistic skills and choices.

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One's Natural Potential: JGrant by msbimages

'I am a photographer and love taking photos of people, so I know what natural features make a person "model material". Not out of any sense of cockiness but I know I have some of those features and thought I may be able to find some extra side income through modeling myself.'

JGrant

Those features are exactly what drew me to want to profile Michal Boothe's (msbimages) work with 20 year old Dallas photographer and model JGrant. Sometimes you just know when you see a model they have something different to offer, something special. I felt that the first time I saw JGrant's work with Michal.

J has an almost timeless quality that exudes from not only his facial features, hair and over-all look, but also for the chilled calmness he exudes in front of the camera. J look would fit seamlessly into almost anytime in history. You can almost visualize his as a Prince, during the Elizabethan era, a pauper during the Renaissance. You can picture him protesting in the 60's, strutting down the street in the 70's or even hanging with Bill and Ted during some adventure in the 80's or 90's.

J's lean physique and 6' 5" frame are impressive, but as I said, it was his facial features, the shape of his nose and mouth and blue eyes that first drew me in. Being an artist as well, J has a critical eye for both his work, and also his own physical features and appearance. J shares that he isn't nearly as confident as he looks, but he likes his torso and muscle tone. (something he has been working on that since his shoot with Michal)

I love J states that although he may not always be comfortable with his own looks, he says he's quite comfortable in the fact that he's not always happy with them. Most of us can relate to the first part of what J is saying, but many of us never reach the second piece, acceptance. 'My definition of beauty is living to one's natural potential.'  J is happy with his height, and also likes his hair, something Michal briefly considered asking him to cut...

'J is VERY tall and I was hoping I could get him to cut his hair because he has such strong jaw line and long neck but decided I was happy with the longer hair once I had seen the images.'

msbimages

After living in Europe for a year, J now lives in Dallas, and connected with Michal after seeing his ad looking for models. They initial met to talk about the shoot, and ask each other questions. J has only been modeling for a short time, and his shoot with Michal was his first time posing nude on camera. J's comfortably with his body is beautifully visible, especially with this being his first time shooting nude. J was very satisfied with his experience of working with Michal, and happy with the resulting images. Michal ha thought it may be a one time experience, but they may shoot again before the end of the year. One's of J's goals is to learn more about himself and to experience what its like to be on the other side of the lens. He's also young and independent, and looking to make money as he works to launch his career.

JGrant on ModelMayhem

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Blond Ambition: Blake by msbimages

'Blake is probably the most "blond" model I have ever shot.'

Michal, msbimages

It's been a few years since I showcased the work of Michal from msbimages, and I've really missed featuring his imagery.  Over the years, I've been fortunate to have featured dozens of Michal's shoots, (HERE:) and always looked forward to seeing he was working with, and what he created.

Michal is one of my favorite chroniclers of the male form, and the stunning beauty he captures with such skilled simplicity.  Michal's focus is on the male form in front of him, capturing the totality of their beauty with lighting and pose, and through portraits and stunningly pure body shots.

Unfortunately, like so many other artists, Covid caused Michal to pause shooting and seeking out new models to capture.  In addition, a series of professional and personal hurdles has make it difficult for Michal to get back to shooting as quickly as he'd hoped.  Michal and I have been discussing some ideas for some future post ideas, and fingers crossed Michal is back behind the lens before too long.

In the meantime, I asked Michal about digging into his archives for a shoot we could feature in the meantime.   At the top of my list was Michal's work with Blake.  I had asked Michal about doing a piece on his work with Blake before, but he wasn't sure if he had enough images he was really happy with.  Thankfully, Michal went back into Blake's file, and found a selection of shots he was supportive of sharing.

As stated, Michal captures his models in their entirety, and with Blake, I was most drawn to Michal's portraits.  Blake's captivatingly beautiful blue eyes stand out, especially in contrast to his light skin and blond hair.  Michal made sure to ask about his hair, and the 20 year old responded that his blond hair was all natural, and acknowledged he often gets asked about his hair.

Blake's blond hair, not to mention his handsome face and beautiful body, certainly make him a stand out, something he's going to need to achieve success.  The small town boy was modeling to earn money to move to New York or Los Angeles to fulfil his dreams to be an actor and entertainer.  

This was one of Blake's first professional shoots, and his first time taking it all off, and was initially a little shy and nervous about sliding out of his white Hanes briefs.  Once Michal began shooting however, Blake's confidence grew and determination and ambition took over.  Blake is driven to be successful in whatever project he takes on, or takes off, and doing well with his first shoot was very important to him.  Fingers crossed that drive leads to future success! 

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A Rousing Return: Saul by msbimages

It was three years ago in 2013 that I last featured model SaulH in a hat trick of stories featuring his work with TR Pics. (Meaty) As delectable and welcome Saul is on FH, it is not his return I am celebrating today. 2013 was also the last time I had the pleasure of featuring the imagery of Michal Boothe from msbimages.

'Michal's images beautifully celebrate more than just the shallow and stereotypical parts we are supposed to salivate over, but everything we actually love and lust about the male body. Distinctive facial features, the penetrating gaze and color of an eye, slightly too large, yet wildly sexy ears, the texture and smoothness of a head of hair, lips, and the jaw line, the smoothness and tone of skin, nipples, freckles and every other line, bump, muscle and nuance which makes up not just a body, but the person within.'

Three Reasons, FH 2013

I have so missed being able to share Michal's work and so glad to have him back on FH with his images of Saul. Michal's ability to create brilliantly clean and breathtaking visuals always beautifully exposes his models in unique and subtle ways.

One of the topics Saul and Michal discussed while working was perfectly distributed tan.  Saul earns his tan, and his tan lines honestly due to his job that has him working most days, outside in the sun. Nothing beats the look of a natural tan like Saul's, so much more beautiful, and visually photogenic, than a fake bake.

I have seen tons of shots of Saul, from the incredibly sexy and personality driven shots from TR Pics through his images with many other photographers, including his work in a variety of mediums, sites and in Playgirl Magazine.  Most of these shots focus on Saul's physical strength and masculinity.

Through Michal's lens, Saul is certainly masculine, but Michal captured a more quiet strength, an elegant strength and beauty shaped by more than just hours upon hours in the gym.  Michal welcomes the eye to linger.  Into Saul's friendly brown eyes, over every inch of beautiful body, down his sexy line of chest hair to the rousing, and rising, penis that body hair leads to.

Michal gives us the gift of time.  Time to enjoy and pause as we enjoy Saul, and Michal's images of him.  Not all artists allow the viewer the time to really inspect, and enjoy their work.

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Exceeding Expectations: Daniel by msbimages

"His stark male nudes are visually crisp, masterfully executed and unencumbered"
The Dallas Morning News



'My work celebrates a minimalist aesthetic and documents fleeting ephemera: youth and innocence, beauty and strength, bloom and promise and at the same time mourns their inevitable passing.'
Michal Boothe by msbimages



Dallas photographer Michal Boothe's work has appeared on FH many times in the past. (most notably HERE: & HERE:) In one my features I was struck with how although the men Michal shoots are naked, more than that, they are seen. This may seem an obvious statement, but in fact what Michal accomplishes is really quite rare. In so many images that I view, even when a model is completely nude, they are often quite hidden behind make-up, behind shadow, behind concept.



With the goal of celebrating emotions of innocence, promise and mourning, all beautifully connected, yet at the same time wildly vast of range, a clear focus is essential. For Michal, that focus is clearly the face and eyes. In comparing both his incredible portraits, well as full body images, The challenging goal Michal set for as his artist statement are always beautifully met, no more so in this set with Daniel. Daniel has a great body for sure, but his face is simply mesmerizing, captured beautifully by Michal's lens.



What I think makes Michal's work stand out is the purity in he depicts his models so beautifully and simply naked. Many of the images you see slathered over most blogs and sites seem to be selling something instead of sharing something. The focus is on muscled models, oiled up and camera ready, standing tall and proud displaying their junk for the world to admire and salivate over. Michael's work exudes a quieter more natural intimacy. Within Michal's images, models are not ashamed of their nakedness, but nor are they especially proud...they just are. It just feels more about them, and less about us.



'Daniel is quiet more than shy. He is a talented artist and intelligent in conversation about film, literature, art and philosophy. Since he was attending a religious university when we shot, I was not sure what to expect when he said he wanted to "push the envelope" but he more than exceeded my expectations. He is truly one of the most naturally beautiful men I have had the pleasure to photograph and the combination of dark hair and eyes with porcelain white skin is an unbeatable combination.'
Michal Boothe from msbimages



msbimages