Above:
Ty by Stephen Kahrs
-See More Below-
Friday, July 11, 2014
Happy Birthday today July 11th
Above:
Great invite from one of today's birthday boys to Fashion Cares held this past April.
Below, Mr. White at the actual event!
Bitter, Party of One
The View has always been an interesting social experiment. Barbara Walters has constantly maintained 'everyone gets along' even when it was clear they did not. Walters is a TV legend, yet it is a good thing she left the show. She out and out lied constantly the past few years about her many things, especially her co-hosts and their employment status with the show.
The View, like all tv, is about money, and obviously Sherri Shepherd and Jenny McCarthy were not making any. Shepherd never really bothered me that much, I disagreed with her most of the time, but she was at least earnest in her ignorance. McCarthy however was all 'show', making up stories and exaggerating things about her life whenever she thought it would benefit the hot topics, and of course herself. I won't miss her.
Rosie O'Donnell was who drew me to the show in the first place, and I am happy she is returning. O'Donnell is polarizing I know, most love her or hate her... I am on the love side. I love her faults, her mistakes and her emotionally driven decisions. Over the years on FH I have also defended Elisabeth Hasselbeck on occasion. I rarely agreed with her, but I liked her at times. On The View she was sometimes the most supportive panelist of gay rights and gay marriage. Not sure if that is how she really felt, or if it was for show, but despite her reputation, she said the right things. I take it all back however after this week. Like or hate O'Donnell, Hasselbeck's comments this week were nothing more than hate filled bitterness. Dangerous even.
O'Donnell always supported the troops, just not the war. Hasselbeck was never able to understand that distinction. Bringing it up, and her warped slant proved what everyone else was saying all these years was accurate. She belongs on FOX. I never watch it, I never see it and except for O'Donnell's successful return this week, would never had heard her. She jumped back from her vacation just in time to make herself relevant again, something she has not been since she and Rosie were on The View together so many years ago. My guess is that without Rosie, Hasselbeck would have been canned from the show much sooner than she was... and that FOX would not have been interested at all if not for the venom O'Donnell brought out of her. She should be thanking her, not putting her at risk.
What Lies Beneath: Ty by Stephen Kahrs
When writing features for FH, especially when describing what I like about a certain models look, I try to be respectful and keep my commentary dignified and classy. Although I may mention a specific quality that stands out, like beautiful eyes, or an overall great physique, I try not to get too specific about body parts and instead, attempt to describe their overall look.
Sometimes, with some models this proves more of a challenge. Sometimes there are attributes that stand out from the rest. On those occasions, it would be next to impossible to write a feature and ignore the elephant in the room. When photographer Stephen Kahrs sent on the results of his work with 30 year old Santa Cruz model Ty, I was left deciding what to do about a specific, albeit very impressive, pachyderm. . Some of you may also remember that I wrote about my dislike of photoshopped and manipulated members in past stories. So, before beginning, I had to ask Stephen the obvious...
Tye: Any photoshopping involved?
Stephen: No, no photoshopping what so ever!
With that out of the way, it was time to proceed, come up with a focus for the story. I had actually featured Ty's work once before, in a shoot with Mark Grantham back in 2012, In Your Face. In that piece, most of the shots were full body shots, from a bit of a distance, so I didn't have the distraction or worry of shafting any specific body part.
It was also interesting to see the diversity and range in the work of Stephen Kahrs. I first contacted Stephen in 2012 when working on a story on J. Fenty. I entitled the feature Masculine Sensuality because of J's almost ethereal look, and the beautifully erotic way Stephen had captured him. The images were sensual, but also purposely restrained to best capture his model. In fact each of the follow-ups featuring Stephen's work included incredible imagery, both sexy and elegant. Although there were nudes, this is the first time sharing images featuring full frontal images.
'When I first saw him, I couldn't get over the beautiful eyes that he had. He was very cordial and friendly. I have to laugh because after complimenting my photography he said something to the effect ‘Damn, you’ve shot with some hot guys!’ We immediately got to shooting and he didn’t hesitate to bare all. It took a few minutes to acclimate to the way each other works and within minutes Ty was bringing on the sensual masculinity that I like my work to convey. We shot some really revealing underwear images at first and although he was wearing underwear, there was little left for the imagination and it was easy to see that he was carrying a huge package.'
For both photographers and models, as well as myself when putting together a blog piece, It is always a question as to how much focus you should give the penis. Sometimes full frontals can be a distraction, other times, excluding them can have viewers feeling they are being teased. I think the answer really comes down to the comfort level and confidence of the model.
Stephen reports one of the things he enjoyed so much about this shoot was how comfortable Ty was in front of the camera. Stephen says Ty became more sexually charged with each click of the shutter and his energy became increasingly intense as they moved forward. Ty said he wanted to give it his best because he does not get to the East Coast that much and it may be the only time he and Stephen would work together. I think Ty's feelings will be mirrored by those enjoying Stephen's captures. As one scrolls down, with each new image the intensity of energy builds. Ty's confidence and strength, not to mention his penetrating..... stare, only make the images that much hotter.
Stephen Kahrs on FH:
Tips For Taking The Perfect Group Beach Photo
Ok, it's summer time. Many of us spend a lot of time at the beach with our friends and family. With everyone having a camera in their phone, there is no excuse not to take lots of pictures to remember the day! But... taking the perfect beach photo can be a challenge. The blazing sun, the sand, looky loos gawking and walking about. At to that the fact not everyone photographs well in a swimsuit. I have however come up with a few tips to help you get that perfect summer capture, one worth framing and putting on your office desk or living room wall!
Dress Everyone Alike! Means everyone is equal and small body flaws are not as noticeable!
Dress Everyone in one color! Note however, white may not be everyone's friend.
A unique and memorable pose! Just ensure people know if anyone gets hurt, it is not your fault!
Raise Your Hands In The Air:
Better yet, Raise your hands in the Air at sunset!
When in doubt, have your subjects remove as much clothing as possible!
n
o
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e
n
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u
g
h
?
?
?
Then have them remove it all and tell them to say 'cheese!'
There you go, the perfect summer group shot at the beach!
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