Champions

Rich Majewski

'He who does not master the nude cannot understand the principles of architecture.'

Michelangelo

Mike Pohl

There is one advantage to not having paid much attention to thing which occurred prior to there being a me... There is so much to explore and uncover. Working on FH has opened my eyes to art I may not have ventured towards if not for the blog. Maybe even more pressing is my desire to have the artists I feature today, remembered for their skill and talent in the future. It is hard to even imagine what photography focused on the male form will look like in 30, 40 or 50 years, but I hope that decades from now, some future site owner (if there are still sites) might look back at FH when researching the art form from theh 2000's and 2010's, sharing some of the work from the models and artists who have been featured.

Darryl Powers

Although the male form within photography has been around for decades, it was not until the 60's that many photographers of the art form took on the legal system fighting battles which enabled those of us who came after to enjoy the fruits of their labour. It wasn't until 1962 when the US Supreme Court stated that depictions of the male nude body within photography was not 'necessarily' offensive. This change, although vague marked the beginnings of change with how male nudes were seen from a legal perspective.

Things certainly didn't change right away, photographers, models and publishers still had to be careful how they shared their work but the doors was slightly open, paving the way for the floodgates to spread wide open entirely by the time the internet made it's way into all of our homes and bedrooms. I am just beginning my education of some of the early pioneers of the art form, but was recently drawn to the work of Walter Kundzicz and the work and images he created under Champion Studio.

Bud Savage

Kundzicz' Champion Studio may be old news to most of you, but indulge me, I have just begun to dive into it's vast archive of images. Like many early chroniclers of the male form, the Walter's first models were his friends. Guys who trusted him enough to take naked photos of, never thinking they were the beginnings of a career. Kundzicz had his share of issues with the law when he began to publish, especially in the 60's. Through all of that though, he appears to have managed to stay mostly clear of serious trouble with the law.

Tuck Powerll

I plan on featuring more of Walter's work in the future, but if you're craving to see more, Goliath Books published a tribute edited by Reed Massengill entitled what else, Champion. Amazon.com has none for sale stating none available, but there appear to be several used on Amazon.ca if anyone wants to check it out HERE:

Bo Branden

Joe Canoli

Monte Hansen

Ernie Viscardi

Doug Jackson