Above:
Caleb by Nathan Scott
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Thursday, July 3, 2014
Spangled
I'm not sure if on holidays, FH readers click on the blog with dread or anticipation. Either way, I know my holiday posts are predictable, and something I not only enjoy, but find a fun challenge. Each year it gets more and more difficult to find unique images that have not been seen before. Thankfully, there are some wonderful artists I have connected with, many of whom have been generous and have shared new holiday imagery with myself and FH readers.
These five images have come from an artist who many of you know has become synonymous with holidays on the blog. Jay from Frisky Frolic continues to shoot new and exiting imagery, especially around holiday time. Here are a few of my favorites, including Mr. Jaxon (above) wearing the flag most patriotically! This year I am also thrilled to feature a shoot from Nathan Scott as well as a look back at some of my most combustive forth of July themed posts and images.
So... If you're celebrating the holiday, or maybe especially if you're not... Whether you're off to the beach, a bbq or a family get together, or whether your sticking inside with your AC or have to go into work.... Enjoy a few FH inspired fireworks on this 4th of July.
Home Of The Brave: Caleb by Nathan Scott
'We were shooting at a friends apartment who was also a photographer and he pulled these wings out of the closet. Caleb looked at me and was like are you serious... I did not think it was going to work or look good at all. We found a belt and tied the wings to them.'
'I felt that we needed to masculine him up as much as we could, so the small leather straps were actually pulled off of my make-up artists purse and we tied them around him. We had a PA sitting behind Caleb right by his buttwith a fan blowing the wings up. And it took two people to grab the wings off camera and then throw them towards the fan just as the strobes went off. It was a mess. But it ended up working great.'
Since first discovering his work in May, I have immersed myself in the creatively charged imagery of photographer Nathan Scott. Nathan generously shared a few of his shoots, and like the one above, the stories that led to their creation. I loved hearing how Fleet Week was inspired by chance, with the choosing of a prop, and how the story of Caleb's wings awkwardly, but eventually took flight.
The conception for these images began when Nathan was looking for new models to shoot for Blue Collar Underwear. Caleb was a fraternity boy at the same school Nathan had gone to and they connected through a mutual friend. Nathan went into the shoot knowing he was shooting for the underwear line, but at the back of his head was the July launch of his new magazine Pastiche. With Pastiche launching this week, seemed a great time to feature Nathan's images of Caleb.
'It was his first time in front of the camera and he was a little nervous, but he totally went for it. Caleb let me shoot whatever I wanted and was a great sport!'
Nathan remembered an image, one he wanted to create from a famous photographer. That image was where the uniform came in. With the the theme of Pastiche's first issues being Stars & Stripes: Red White And Blue, it seemed a perfect time to blend the two ideas. With Caleb's lean body, Nathan's idea was to create a hunter/warrior theme using the helmet and combat knife he had brought. The Fourth of July has become in some ways a holiday of heroes, a celebration of the freedoms the country enjoys, and the bigger than life men and women who fought to secure them.
The reality of course is those who fight for our freedoms are as human, flawed and wonderfully normal as the rest of us. But, when the stakes are high, and the chips are down they find the strength and power to exude a stamina and bravery the rest of us must admire and respect. There is a kind of magnetism that draws us in to this type of force, especially on the 4th. It is this strength Nathan strived to bring out in Caleb and I think he rose to the challenge. I think interestingly enough, the shots with Caleb in the wings demonstrate it most to me. There is an erotic warrior feel to them that exemplify the beauty of confidence and strength.
Nathan Scott On ModelMayhem & Facebook
And The Rockets' Red Glare, The Bombs Bursting In Air
A look back at some of FH's hottest 4th of July inspired posts
Starting with a man who wears the red, white and blue like no other. You may not recognize the image, but my guess is you will recognize the bountiful booty of the model in the image above. Find out if you're right HERE:
Steve Sandvoss drying off
The Washing Away of America
American Anthem: Chris by IMWPhotography
Scott Herman channels his inner Captain America
2011's Red White & Blue by Flyfoto
A little Americana via Eros Adonis
Styles sporting the red white and blue in Freedom
T-W-D Photos often wrapped models in the flag
Below, It has been great watching Brandon Connelly word non-stop since his first appearance on FH back in 2011 in Memorable
Ben' towel wrapped a little looser in 2012's Combusitve
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