It would not exactly be a stretch to assume that most people who click onto FH each day have seen their fair share of naked men on the Internet. The net is full of naked images on blogs and sites and of course one of the banes of my existence, tumblr. I now many people like tumblr due to how easy it is to use. That ease, is precisely why I dislike it. Tumblrs are like the fast food version of art. No matter how great the shot might be, it still looks like a badly printed cheap department store knockoff. The easier it is to use, te easier and faster it is to post the work of others without thought or credit.
Art without credit is sort of like a book missing the cover and often last page. You might get most of the story, but something is always missing. It is why I try to not just post just a photo, or part of a story.. I like to capture the details so that the story is complete. In this series of images from Rudyard Yap, detail is key. The first image which led me to contact the New Zealand artist was the final image at the bottom of this piece. The model clearly gorgeous, the photographer clearly talented, but there was more. The focus on detail, especially the addition of the eye patch, adds an interesting cultural element turning a great photo into something special, not to mention incredibly hot!
When searching for images for FH, my goal is always to find something I have have not seen before. Sometimes this is a difficult task, and sometimes, what makes an images so outstanding, is something small or subtle, a mere detail. Rudyard's eye for detail stems from both experience and hard work. Originally from the Philippines, Rudyard's educational background comes from his years studying at the International Center for Photography in New York. Upon completion, Rudyard headed to New Zealand and blended shooting models, with his visual passion for the location and landscape of the area.
Rudyard's eye for detail also comes from his work as a stylist. The original image of Kilimi that drew me to his work, was found not on his MM photography page, but his second page, rudyardstylist. During his time in New York, Rudayard also studied sewing at Parsons and worked as a stylist on various other shoots and projects. For his own photography, finding just the right look, or a particular piece of fashion, often it meant creating it himself. You can't always easily find that perfect waistcoat, tartan jockstrap, sexy kilt or fur hat with matching eye patch at the local Target or Walmart. Being handy with a needle and thread, can therefore come in very handy for a creative photographer.
Although initially Klimi's fur hat had me thinking Moscow, the 31 year model was actually shot over a thousand miles away in Prague. Klimi hails from Brno, Czech Republic and Rudyard reports he was incredibly nice and and a accommodating man to work with. Klimi's job as a construction worker certainly helps keep his body in camera ready form!
The Philippines, New York, New Zealand and Prague, Rudyard and his camera travel the globe in search of finding just the right detail of erotic beauty to capture. In fact, when I initially contacted him about a the blog, Rudyard was visiting a kibbutz in Israel so the piece had to wait until he returned home to New Zealand. I look forward to what, who and where Rudyard shoots next!
1 comment:
Actually the fur hat is beaver. It was sourced at a shop in Anchorage, Alaska, when I visited my sister who lives there. The eye patch was from my local chemist in New Zealand. Cheers for the sweet article!
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