Favorite Pic of the Day for November 27th

Above: Tauan by Dave Koster.
Check out more of Dave's work below!

Birthdays!

Above: Actor Gary Lucy turns 29 today. Check out more of todays birthdays at last years post HERE:

7 Days Left!!!

Above: Corey Kirk by Chris Teel.

Ok models, just 7 days left to get your applications in for Model Search 2011! A photo session with Chris Teel, prizes and the face of FH for 2011!
Follow the link below and be careful about waiting til the last minute!!!

Official Model Search Site HERE:

Reflections: The work of Dave Koster

Above: Lucas

'A picture is never perfect. I hate my mistakes in the finished photo. But I also cherish them. Those mistakes. They mean that there's more to do. More to learn. The journey is infinite.'
Dave Koster

On his website photographer Dave Koster shares that he was born Dublin, Ireland and had a camera in his hands for the first time at the age of 15.

'At the age of 21 I moved to London and spent a number of years visiting various countries, finally settling down close to home, in the Netherlands. I speak dutch fluently. F or the past three years I've been concentrating on "people" photography. Portraits, fashion, editorial, nudes. Things like that. Trying, with varying degrees of success, to capture images that best portray the inner temperament of the person in front of the lens.'

For some reason when thinking about how to best describe Dave's work I was unable to get the word 'reflection' out of my head. I think it is because like many of the photographers I profile, my love and respect for his work began with just one photo. With Dave Koster that photo was of a model named Déjean (photo at the end of the next post). In the shot, Déjean was standing naked gazing out a window. The glass was tempered (or at least appeared so), and even though you can clearly see Déjean in front of the window, it was his reflection I found myself staring at. I kept looking to see if I could see more of his face, more of his eyes, his expression within the glass. Reflections mirror of course what they see but reflections are also the opposite of what is there which is why they can be so intriguing when used in photography.



Photography is or course rooted in reflection. The law of reflection says that for specular reflection the angle at which the wave is incident on the surface equals the angle at which it is reflected. In photography this law of reflection is most often connected to light. The angle and degree of light can effect the way the object, in Dave Koster's case, the model, looks.

When viewing Dave's photos I was interested in how he used other forms of reflection. Although not present in all his shots there is certainly a reflection theme, as in the shot of Déjean, with Dave's frequent use of water, mirrors and glass. In Art, other types of reflection also come in to play. When viewing the work of a great photographer it is also the reflection, the life experiences and even mood of the viewer that determine how it is received.

It is this type of reflection that came to mind when Dave shared a bit of his new project with me. Dave's newest project has the working title: "You don't see THAT every day!"

'It's will be a collection of stark nudes where the viewer is uneasily confronted by the model portraying a strange juxtaposition of opposite emotions.....and also nude images based on conflicting values in our "new Europe", which some would have us believe is bursting at the seams with the emergence of new social and religious dilemmas.'

Thanks to Dave Koster for sharing his images, some previously unpublished with FH! I hope to share more of Dave's work, especially when his new project gets underway in the future.

Check out Dave Koster on MM HERE:
Check out Dave on Facebook HERE:




Below: Tauan


Below: Robert

A Dave Koster Hat-trick

For various reasons Dave's work with the following three models became some of my favorite shots:

Ruben Baars

'Ruben is my muse! I've worked with him many times. He's a bodybuilder, aged 21, and he's dating this years ladies dutch champion bodybuilder, miss Ashmara Brader. Ruben is super friendly, self-confident and intelligent. During the shoots he's very flexible, and playful. Ruben Loves to have fun showing off his muscles and he's always coming up with new ideas himself!'
Dave Koster

What I loved about Dave's shots with Ruben was how incredibly hot he looked in each and every shot, in or out of clothes. A great body of course (Dave says a behind not even Michelangelo could have imagined)but such a strong face with such intensity in his beautiful blue eyes. In his shots there is a combination of strength mixed with vulnerability

Jason King

'Jason is a personal fitness trainer (check out those abs!) and model. Recently Jason became the face of "ES Collections" underwear and swimwear in the Netherlands. ES is an upcoming European brand. I loved working with Jason because he's a very outgoing guy, lots of fun and not afraid to try new and daring things.'
Dave Koster

Like Ruben, Jason King has an strength and intensity which is front and center in each of his shots. I also love how Dave captured his form. Besides modeling, Jason is also a dancer which is clear when viewing his lines and how he positions himself in front of Dave's lens.

Déjean

'Déjean is runs a talent agency providing singers and dancers to clubs. As well as that he models and is busy launching a singing career. He has a beautiful face with a mix of European, Latin and Asian traits. And of course there's the classic Latin-type hairless body with its perfect proportions. Our shoot was sublime and creative...we talked about all sorts of things that day and really got to know each other. He's a real gentleman.'
Dave Koster

As I said in the post above, it was the last shot below (and the version above it) of Déjean that first drew my attention to the work of Dave Koster. The look in his eyes, the shape of his body and the light and color through the glass. With these things together, Dave has created truly beautiful images capturing the 'quiet beauty of the moment'.