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Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Happy Birthday today September 26th
Happy Birthday today to actor Ben Shenkman!
(Shown with Patrick Wilson in Angels In America)
In A Rush....
If there was one actor I was in a rush to see take it all off on screen it would be the delicious Chris Hemsworth. Although not a huge fan of his outings as Thor, I did love him in Star Trek and Cabin In The Woods. Director Ron Howard managed to get his skivvies off while playing James Hunt in Rush, but Hemsworth warns us not to get used it it...
'Hemsworth did admit to feeling a certain level of anxiety before auditions — or baring his bottom on screen, like he does in "Rush." Co-star Olivia Wilde, who plays Hunt's supermodel wife Suzy Miller, confirmed that Hemworth wasn't coddled when it came to his nude scenes: "With women taking off their clothes, everyone's polite. It's a closed set. Everyone's like, 'Are you okay?' When he did it was like, 'Chris, off!'" And if you're holding out hope that his "Rush" experience might inspire Chris to expose even more, don't. He said of a potential full-frontal turn, "I had enough trouble and fear and anxiety getting the backside out let alone — no it won't be out there."
Daniel Merriweather: Red
Although the song Red is three years old, I just discovered it as well as the beautiful tones of it's Australian singer Daniel Merriweather.
A Long Hard Stare: Alec Varcas by Stephen Kahrs
'Alec is has a look that will make women and men both take a long hard stare. He is handsome and boyish in the face with a lean and muscular body that seems to know how to find and work the light from my strobes.'
Choosing a theme to showcase an artists work is usually one of my favorite parts of putting together a feature for the blog. With Connecticut photographer Stephen Kahrs shots of model Alec Varcas, the task proved to be a bit overwhelming. Whenever I showcase Stephen's work, I know I am going to be featuring professional, classy and sexy images of men with uniquely beautiful qualities which Stephen consistently highlights perfectly.
This was certainly the case in his work with Alex, but the images selection Stephen allowed me to choose from was vast in both quantity and variety. Narrowing down images is always difficult, but there were so many themes, looks and varied locations I was all over the map before making my decision. At one point I was only going to feature studio shots, at another time, just images of Alex on the beach. Maybe just the gothic look? Finally when rereading Stephens comments about working with Alec it all came together.
Stephen is course right that Alec undoubtedly draws the stares of others. Incredible body, obviously the result of discipline and hard work, a great face and killer smile. It was Alec's stare however, especially in the image above, that became my favorite image. Alex's gaze and memorizing brown eyes, definitive facial features and the curve of his lips and jaw line create a beautifully strong look. Alex uses his eyes and face to anchor most of his images and draw your attention no matter what the look or theme or how much, or how little he might be wearing.
'I think that his being an actor affords him the ability move and pose in many ways that many models just can't seem to make happen. As an actor he also brings something different to each and every shoot that we have done yet never fails to deliver that masculine sensuality that I like my images to project.'
Stephen's ability to draw you in might be in part due to his skill as an actor, inhabiting whatever character emotionally fits the beat for theme. The 23 year old actors journey into modeling began about a year ago when a photographer asked him to come in for some test shoots. Happy with the results, he decided to contact other photographers to gain more experience and to expand his portfolio. After just a few shoots, Alec got a call from Click Models Management in Boston after one of their agents came across some of his images.
At the time however, Alec was touring with Monty Python's Spamalot, so the meeting had to wait until his time with production ended. This past April however, when he finally went to meet with the agents, Alec was signed on the spot! Alec says he was fortunate to have a great group of photographers backing him up who were supportive in helping him put together a preliminary portfolio. Now, Alec is pursing both acting and modeling and hopes he able to find projects to reach his full potential.
'Stephen Kahrs has been one of my favorite photographers I have worked with. Not only was I always amazed at the shots he was able to get, but he also has been so easy to work with. Stephen is able to give good direction and really knows how to capture amazing images. He is not afraid to try new things, get down on the ground or up on a ladder to get unique camera angles, and he makes his shoots fun. I have worked with Stephen numerous times and would recommend him to anyone.'
The selection of images here, are from the four collaborations between Alec and Stephen, starting back in October 2012. In one their most recent shoots Stephen had his make up artist, Michelle Hayes, make up Alec in the Gothic/Vampire make up and the shot the darker shots until Stephen got the images he envisioned. After Alec took off the make-up, they headed out to shoot in the field behind Stephen's property. As they walked out of the studio, Alec spontaneously grabbed a cowboy hat and he instantly became a playful character similar to Jack Twist from Brokeback Mountain. Stephen says it was that afternoon that they did something totally impromptu and together created some of his favorite images in his portfolio to date.
'I absolutely love working with Alec, and think that other photographers should to seize the opportunity to shoot with him if they can. In addition to him being so easy going and sweet, he is open to ideas and he is always bringing something new to a shoot. He will also occasionally give you a silly look or do something so outrageous that you just keep laughing for minutes on end. Of course I have photos of those moments but who knows, he and I may publish those someday. and think that other photographers should take the opportunity to shoot with him if they can.'
Stephen Kahrs
'On our last shoot we both wanted some bathing suit images for our portfolios. Originally I planned to shoot on a small beach but when we arrived we found a lot of little kids running around the beach. We decided to shoot in an area across the parking lot. We shot for a while but it wasn't until he was wearing the Speedo that apparently we had quite an audience behind me. I was oblivious to it all until Alec broke out of 'character' and started laughing. It was then that he told me that there were all of these onlookers with their cell phone cameras taking photos behind me.'
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