Happy Birthday today February 23rd

Stade's Mirco Bergamasco turns 28 today. See more birthdays for February 23rd HERE:

Testing Testing: Ev Dylan's Fotoicono

Quite simply, Ev Dylan is one of my favorite photographers. To me, a great photo is one that the second you look at it has the ability to change your mood, your current emotion, your thought process. The change may last just a millisecond, a minute, maybe much longer but no matter the length of time, in some small way the photo permanently changes the way you look at the world.

Ev's work consistently does this to me. It is why I love showcasing his work. Every time I spend time at Ev's site, with his work the same thing happens. I mention it every time I write about Ev because the small change it creates in me happens each time and it is quietly powerful. A slow rush of serenity and calmness always following clicking on Ev's site in my favorites folder. I think it is because the ways Ev shoots, his choice of model, his use of light somehow evokes for me that feeling of early morning. The time when the sun is rising, when the world is still, quiet and day is still full of possibilities. Clean, clear and most of all sensual.

If you want to see for yourself, please spend a little time at my previous posts of Dylan's work with: Matthew Hartwig, Mason O'Sullivan HERE & HERE, Sedani, DW Chase, and his book LUST!



Ev just returned from a couple of weeks in Australia. One of his first tasks was to overall his site. Fotoicono has always been a showcase for his work but Ev has done a beautiful of job organizing Fotoicono to be user friendly and he is now showcasing his models with indiviaul portfolios starting with Matthew Hartwig. Head on over and check out the new Fotoicono HERE:



While in Australia, Ev shot model and ballet dancer Matthew Carey.

'Matt was a new model I stumbled across in Perth, Australia. He had an incredible energy about him. While this was just a quick test shoot, we have already begun plans for a much longer and more creative shoot in a few months. Matt, like most dancer/models I have worked with, has a great sense of presence and brings true artistry to a project. He has a fun playfulness to him which made a test shoot quite entertaining. I see amazing work coming from our next collaboration.'



Matthew never considered himself a model or even model material, but when Ev contacted him, he was eager to do a shoot. Matt figured that even if it didn't work out, it still would have been a fun experience.

'When I met Ev, I knew that it would work. His photography was beautiful and at a standard I aspire to be at. He was friendly and easy to get along with but mainly he knew what he wanted and how to get it. I had never done modeling before so I was kind of nervous but Ev made it enjoyable and an easy work environment. I very much look forward to working with him again in the future'

Check out Matthew's newly created ModelMayhem page HERE:

A Look Back: Antoine by Xavier_Paris

If I were to do a post on my top 10 favorite posts, last years profile of photographer Xavier_Paris' work with Antoine would certainly be on that list. Since I am hoping to profile more of Xavier_Paris' work in the new future, I thought it was time for Antoine to make a repeat appearance. There is just something special about the shots, Antonie and his smile are infectious. Check out the post, and video below and I am sure you will agree!

Antoine by Xavier_Paris

Sometimes coming across a photograph you love can be more than just a wonderful find. Sometimes it can be a gift. That is how I fee about the shot above by Xavier_Paris. There was something about the model, the lighting, the composition of the shot. I loved. More than that however was the addition of the bandage. To me, it turned a great shot into something even more special.

Through his website PhotoGraphe I was able to contact the photographer and learn a bit more about how the photo came about. I call the shot a gift as the artist Xavier, was generous enough to send on details about the shoot, additional shots of the model Antoine, and the icing on the cake was some video footage from the shoot (see below).

There is such joy in the shots and Antoine's smile is infectious. When I told Xavier that one of the things I loved about the shoot was Antoine's smile he said "That’s true, Antoine’s smile is incredible…Normally I NEVER ask people to smile, but during the shooting I could not prevent myself from asking him to smile and smile again !!!"

Xavier_Paris as he is credited on MM, lives and works in Paris. Xavier tells me he has has been a photographer for almost 10 years but it is not his full time job.

"I’m an aeronautical engineer actually ! I consider myself as being a “full time observer”, both in my company and in my photographic life. Hence, to me, photography is mainly portrait. It’s an encounter with a model, both before and during the shooting. I try to tell (almost) everything into one picture, and as I prefer to put forward the model’s attitude, I always use simple backdrops and grooming. I rarely shoot out of my small studio as I want to believe that it’s the model (and sometime a very simple idea!?) who does the picture and not the techniques, nor any complicated or expensive settings…"

This is certainly the case in Xavier's work with Antoine. Simple background, minimal props. Just an artist bringing out the best in a beautiful model.

Now back to that bandage....
Xavier tells me the shoot with Antoine was planned for a friend of his who had launched a web-site, "Homme-Avenue", who needed pictures for certain products.

"At the end of the day, he left me a complete liberty to shoot whatever I wanted with Antoine…and as Antoine trusted me, we pick-up some simple objects (I keep many useless objects in my studio to improvise shootings!!) and began to shoot theses pictures. I love sports photography and thought Antoine could be a beautiful rugby player: we had the idea to put a simple bandage on his leg: and this is it, Antoine was my rugby-player!"

Antoine looks right at home in this shoot as if he was stepping into a shoot for Stade France. Not only is that smile to die for he has a great body and a face that reminds me ever so slightly of that of Glee's Cory Monteith. Do yourself a favor and check out the video below. There is no sound unfortunately, but it is still a lot of fun to watch!

Thanks so much Xavier for sharing your work with Antoine with FH! The first shot I posted above has joined my list of all time favorite shots! Be sure to check out more of Xavier's work at PhotoGraphe HERE: His MM page HERE: or on Flickr HERE:

Favorite Pic of the Day for February 22nd

Great shot of The Vampire Diaries cast memebers, Michael Trevino, Steven R. McQueen, and birthday boy Zach Roerig from the March issue of GQ.

Crazy day, so just the pic of the day today, back to normal posting tomorrow!

Check out more of birthday boy Zach Roerig as well as Birthday boys Michael Rodrick, Joaquîn Cortés and Thomas Jane HERE: Kyle MacLachlan HERE: and Fele Martínez & Scott Lowell HERE: